On Wednesday, it was revealed that ESPN is raising prices for UFC pay-per-views on their ESPN+ streaming service starting with January’s UFC 246 show headlined by the return of Conor McGregor.
The new price will be $64.99, a return to the pre-ESPN era. When ESPN took over as the sole U.S. provider for the UFC’s PPV distribution last March, they reduced the price to $59.99 to help account for the $5 monthly ESPN+ fee.
As part of their PPV deal, the sports network giant pays UFC a monthly flat amount for the exclusivity and the two sides do a revenue split after a certain amount is reached.
The move came as a surprise as the 30-year-old had a successful three-year run with Bellator after leaving the UFC. During his time in Bellator, he went 3-2-1 and won their welterweight title, successfully defending it twice. He lost it to Douglas Lima in October in the finals of the company’s welterweight Grand Prix.
After the Lima fight, he became a free agent as the champion’s clause no longer applied to him.
PFL runs on a season-style format where the winner of each weight division takes home up to $1 million. Helwani reported the Canadian will be part of their 2020 season and will compete for their welterweight title.
Bellator MMA returns to Madison Square Garden Friday night on DAZN for one of the bigger shows in their history with even several prelim fights piquing interest among fight fans.
In the main event, welterweight champion Rory MacDonald returns on relatively short notice to face Neiman Gracie in the Welterweight Grand Prix semifinals. MacDonald recently advanced after a draw with Jon Fitch after which he questioned he had the instinct to fight anymore given a newfound focus on religion.
In the co-main event, Chael Sonnen battles former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida for what is expected to be a shot at Ryan Bader’s light heavyweight title.
In what is expected to be a great fight, bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell rematches with RIZIN bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi for Caldwell’s title. The two clashed at RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve show with Horiguchi picking up the third round submission win. If the Japanese MMA force wins Friday, he is contractually obligated to defend the belt once a year.
The show also features super prospect Aaron Pico on the prelims trying to rebound after a brutal knockout loss and a change of camps to Jackson-Winkeljohn, the return of BJJ ace and Conor McGregor teammate Dillion Danis for the first time after the post-fight McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov brawl, and several female fights on the prelims that have garnered interest for several reasons.
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In the early prelims:
“Queen” Rena Kubota was submitted in the first round of her US debut, losing to Lindsey Van Zandt, who moved to 6-1 with the win.
“Master” Valerie Lloureda beat Hooters waitress Larkyn Dasch by unanimous decision to move to 2-0
Robson Gracie Jr moved to 2-0 with a slick submission win over Oscar Vera. His cousin fights for the welterweight belt later tonight.
Featherweights Aaron Pico (4-2) vs Adam Borics (12-0)
Much more measured first round by Pico, who is usually either finished or finishes his opponent in quick fashion. He was patient and took his unbeaten opponent down several times but didn’t do a ton of damage on the feet or the ground but enough to win the round easily. 10-9 Pico
Pico just kept taking down Borics over and and over but then got caught with a flying knee and finished.
Official result – Adam Borics (13-0) by KO at 3:55 of Round 2
There was talk of having Pico fight for the featherweight title with champion Patricio Pitbull also holding the 155 lb belt. Now you’d have to think he may be hard pressed to get a spot in the upcoming Grand Prxi tourney in that weight class. Devastating loss for Bellator’s top prospect.
More prelim action with world boxing champion Heather Hardy dropping to 2-2 after being stopped in the first round by Taylor Turner, who came in with a 3-5 record and dominated Hardy on her way to a TKO win.
Bellator Bantamweight title fight –
Champion Darrion Caldwell (12-2) vs Kyoji Horiguchi (27-2)
Both guys threw kicks from distance before Caldwell got a takedown less than a minute in. Caldwell rocks Horiguchi with a an elbow to the head. Caldwell lands a couple more hard elbows as Horiguchi tries to get to his feet. Horiguchi landing light punches from a sitting position while Caldwell maintains top control. Caldwell gets him to his back again and lans some hard punches to the head and then more elbows. Ref stands them up, claiming that Caldwell was holding Horiguchi’s glove. 10-9 Caldwell
Horiguchi advancing to start round 2 but Caldwell doing his best to keep at distance early. Caldwell gets a takedown 2 minutes in. Horiguchi landing punches to the body from a sitting position on the ground. These shots seem harder than the ones he was landing in the first. Horiguchi briefly to his feet but Caldwell drags him right down. No ground work from Caldwell. Horiguchi continuing to land punches from sitting but the ref stands them up with 20 seconds left. Horiguchi advancing and landing punches from distance on the standup. Tough round to score. 10-9 Horiguchi, 19-19
Horiguchi lands a knee to the body and then stuffs a takedown attempt with a guillotine. Horiguchi landing punches to the body and head and then ends up in top position. Horiguchi continuing to land enough to avoid a standup while maintaining top position. Horiguchi stands up with 2 minutes left and Caldwell follows. Caldwell with another takedown attempt but Horiguchi sprawls out and ends up on top again. Horiguchi takes the back and lands hard punches but Caldwell to his feet with a minute left. Both guys trading hard shots. Horiguchi sprawls out of another takedown attempt but this time Caldwell ends up on top. Horiguchi landing punches from a sitting position again. Horiguchi to his feet but eats a hard knee to the head at the bell. 10-9 Horiguchi, 29-28
Horiguchi with a knockdown early in the 4th and goes for a front choke but Caldwell pops out and ends up in top position. Again, Horiguchi in a sitting position against the cage and landing light punches to the head and body. Caldwell doing absolutely nothing in top position. Crowd booing heavily. Caldwell briefly postures up to improve position but ends up back in the same spot and still eating the light punches from Horiguchi. Ref has warned them to work a couple times and finally stands them up with 90 seconds left. Caldwell misses a takedown attempt badly with 45 seconds left. Caldwell takes it to a cage clinch with 15 seconds left but Horiguchi gets control before the bell and takes him down. 10-9 Horiguchi, 39-37 overall
Caldwell gets a takedown 45 seconds in and they end up in the exact same position with Horiguchi sitting with his back to the cage. Crowd boos this instantly. Horiguchi again landing light punches to the head and body. Caldwell just laying on top of him. Horiguchi appears to be setting up a guillotine. Ref not even warning them to work even though their is almost no action besides the punches from Horiguchi, which have no power behind them. Horiguchi to his feet and eats a hard knee. Caldwell with a takedown but Horiguchi landing elbows to the head and ends up reversing position. They end up back in the same position with Horiguchi sitting with his back to the cage. More elbows from Horiguchi and punches to the body. Caldwell did open a cut under Horiguchi’s right eye with an elbow. 10-9Horiguchi, 49-46 overall
Official result – Kyoji Horiguchi (28-2) by unanimous decision (48-47; 49-46 x 2)
Horiguchi is the first Japanese fighter to win a US-based world title in MMA. He apologized to the fans for the lack of action in the fight. This was his 13th straight MMA win since losing a UFC flyweight title fight against Demetrious Johnson.
Featherweights Eduardo Dantas (21-6) vs Juan Archuleta (22-1)
Both guys staying very far apart early. Ref warning one of them for extending fingers but hard to tell which one. Archuleta seems more willing to engage but they barely touch in the first 90 seconds. Archuleta lands some jabs as he moves in. Dantas lands a nice spinning back fist. Archuleta tries to clinch up and then gets a takedown but Dantas right up. Archuleta controlling his back standing. Archuleta landing knees to the back of the legs. Archuleta lands some foot stomps. Dantas blatantly grabbing the cage but the ref not noticiing. Dantas works him around to front position but Archuleta still controlling the clinch. Ref warns them to work with 45 seconds left. They separate on their own with 30 seconds left. Archuleta lands a couple high kicks before the bell. 10-9 Archuleta
Nice punch exchange to open the round as Dantas is a little more aggressive. He’s pushed back by a flurry from Archuleta, though. Dantas starting to control the pace. Archuleta with a nice punch combo at 1:15 and then a takedown attempt stuffed by Dantas. Archuleta ends up in control of a cage clinch. Dantas with cuts around both eyes but takes control of the clinch. They separate at 2:00. Dantas gets off a nice punch combo. Archuleta rocks Dantas with a punch combo at 3:30. Dantas misses a spinning back fist and almost falls over. Archuleta with another punch combo with 15 seconds left and then knocks Dantas out with a hard right just before the bell. One punch KO.
Official result – Juan Archuleta (23-1) by KO (punch) at 4:59 of the 2nd round
They brought out a stretcher for Dantas but he managed to leave the cage on his own power. It was a vicious KO with Dantas doing a flat back bump and his head bouncing off the canvas. This was Archuleta’s 18th straight win and he asked for a world title shot at either 135 or 145 and specifically called out Horiguchi, sayiing he won’t leave the States with the belt over and over again. He claims he’s the #1 contender in 3 division, including 155 and said he wants all 3 belts. The promo was very reminiscent of Henry Cejudo and not necessarily in a good way.
Bantamweights Ricky Bandejas (11-2) vs Patrick Mix (10-0)
Mix takes the back standing and secures a body triangle. Mix with elbows to the head as he sets up a choke. Mix secures the rear naked choke and drags him to the mat, getting the tap.
Official result – Patrick Mix (11-0) by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:06
He said it meant everything to him to win in his home state and he called out James Gallagher, who Ricky Bandejas had beaten in a previous fight.
Catchweight (175 lbs) Dillon Dannis (1-0) vs Max Humphrey (3-2)
Dannis goes for a leg seconds in but Humphrey shakes him off. Dannis gets him down at 30 seconds and lands some punches. Dannis continues to land punches as he takes the back. Dannis with full back mount and landing hard punches. Ref warns Humphreys to fight back. Humphrey to his knees and Dillon now setting up a choke. Dannis secures the body lock and briefly locks on the choke but Humphrey fights it off. Dannis into mount at 3:00 but then takes the back again. Humphrey breaks the body lock briefly but Dannis secures it again and now going for a Kimura. Dannis landing hammer fists to the head and then transitions to the belly down armbar for a quick tap.
Official result – Dillon Dannis (2-0) by submission (armbar) at 4:28
Dannis basically toyed with Humphrey, clearly wanting a TKO win but then “settling” for the submission. He claimed to the best in the world and called out Rory McDonald and Jon Jones.
Light heavyweights Chael Sonnen (30-16-1) vs Lyoto Machida (25-8)
Sonnen goes for a takedown to open and ends up in control of a cage clinch. They separate on their own at 1:00. Nice punch exchange and then Sonnen takes hiim down. Sonnen takes the back. Machida to his feet but Sonnen still controlling the back. Machida shakes him off and Sonnen controlling the cage clinch. Sonnen connecting with foot stomps. Separation at 2:45. Machida lands a couple hard body kicks and a flying knee knocks Sonnen down. Machida on top landing punches to the head. Machida landing hammer fists and elbows to the head and Sonnen not fighting back. Machida with hard elbows to the body. Sonnen turtling as Machida lays in more punches with 30 seconds left. Sonnen to his feet and in control of a clinch at 4:45. 10-8 Machida
Machida knocks Sonnen down with a knee to open round 2 and again all over him with punches on the ground and the ref stops it.
Official result – Lyoto Machida (26-8) by TKO (punches) at 22 seconds of the 2nd round
Sonnen had his gloves in his hands and motioned to Big John that he wanted to talk after Machida. Machida thanked Sonnen for taking the fight and put him over as a tough competitor and asked the fans to cheer for him, which they did.
Sonnen said he probably lost the first round. He said he’s had a lot of fun and he’s walking out, he appreciates the memories and goodbye. He then laid his gloves in the centre of the cage.
Main event for the Bellator Welterweight title and the semi-finals of the Bellator World Welterweight Grand Prix –
Champion Rory MacDonald (20-5-1) vs Neiman Gracie (9-0)
Gracie throwing kicks and punches from distance early. Rory lands a nice head kick 1:00 in. Gracie shoots for a takedown but stuffed. Gracie with leg kicks and jabs from distance. They trade hard punches to the head at 3:15. MacDonald starting to find his range late in the round. MacDonald catches a kick and pushes Gracie back to the fence but doesn’t go for the kill. MacDonald showing damage from the leg kicks late iin the round. Close round, 10-9 Gracie
Gracie with a trip takedown to start round 2. MacDonald with a leg lock attempt and briefly gets to his feet. Gracie with a kneebar attempt but MacDonald escapes. Both to their feet at 1:15. They clinch in the center and MacDonald lands knees to the body. Gracie takes it to the cage and then takes the back standing. Gracie gets him down but MacDonald sweeps into top position. Gracie secures a body lock from his back. MacDonald landing punches to the head while Gracie seems to be setting up a triangle from his back. MacDonald with elbows to the head in the last minute. MacDonald postures up to improve position and drops a couple of hammer fists. 10-9 MacDonald, 19-19
MacDonald landing punches from distance early in the 3rd. Gracie with some swelling around his left eye. Gracie moves in for a takedown at 2:00 but MacDonald stuffs it. MacDonald with a takedown and moves right into side control. Gracie works hiim back to half guard. MacDonald stands up to improve position but then goes back into guard at 2;45. Gracie ties him up with a body lock. MacDonald landing punches to the body and head fom the top. Gracie sweeps into top position and secures an armbar. MacDonald fights it off and regains top position. 10-9 MacDonald, 29-28 overall
Gracie pressing the action to start round 4. Gracie landing jabs from distance. Gracie with a takedown attempt blocked but ends up taking the back standing at 2:00. Gracie manages to drag him to the mat while maintaining back control. MacDonald sweeps into top position at 3:00. Gracie maintains the body lock from his back. MacDonald landing hard punches to the head with 30 seconds left and breaks the body lock. MacDonald stands up but Gracie stays on his back as the round ends. 10-9 MacDonald, 39-37
Gracie attempts a takedown and ends up in control of a cage clinch 30 seconds in. Gracie gets him down at 1:00. Gracie moves into mount at 1:15. MacDonald works him back to half guard at 2:45 and didn’t take any damage while he was being mounted. MacDonald works him back to full guard at 3:45. Crowd starting to boo. Gracie with a heel hook attempt with 15 seconds left. MacDonald escapes at the bell. 10-9 Gracie, 48-47 MacDonald overall
Official result – Rory MacDonald (21-5-1) by unanimous decision (49-46; 48-47 x 2)
MacDonald advances to the tournament final where he’ll face former 2-time champion Douglas Lima later this year for the title and the $1 million grand prize.
Raw and SmackDown’s post-WrestleMania rosters were confirmed over the past week as WWE held their third annual Superstar Shake-up.
The most notable names to switch brands were AJ Styles and Roman Reigns. Styles had been the face of SmackDown since the 2016 brand split but is now a member of the Raw roster. Reigns had been on Raw since the 2016 draft but was moved to SmackDown in this year’s Shake-up, which comes in advance of SmackDown debuting on Fox in October.
After week one of the Superstar shakeup, things changed again. The who’s and the why’s is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer. Also look at what the original plan for Kevin Owens was and why it changed, and also seems to indicate bad news for one of the company’s biggest stars.
Read an updated depth chart for Raw and Smackdown with new rosters and positioning. This also points out problem areas, and we also look at the card for Money in the Bank, and notes on a lot of directions.
Read about C.M. Punk doing a run-in on an indie show, why and what happened.
Also look at the change for the Backlash PPV and how that affects the schedule, how the Saudi Arabian government made WWE look bad once again, analysts bullish on WWE and what their predictions were that missed, update on the next Saudi Arabia show, and more on WWE ratings drops.
This issue contains a rundown of New Japan’s Sengoku Lord show and the booking direction of the company.
Also look at UFC’s return to Russia.
This issue has a lengthy feature on the Viceland documentary on the 1997 Survivor Series, filling in a lot of the pieces regarding who was in on it, how the finish was done, and a look at some of history’s biggest double-crosses.
Read a feature on Mighty John Quinn, one of the greatest heels in U.K. wrestling including the build for his two big main events at Wembley Arena including the record crowd with Big Daddy.
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
Additional notes by Joseph Currier
WWE
WWE SmackDown tonight is at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. Raw & SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch will square off against Bayley in a one-on-one non-title match. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston will also respond to Kevin Owens turning on him last week, and the SmackDown side of the men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches will be revealed.
Drake Maverick announced that 205 Live tonight will have Cruiserweight Champion Tony Nese taking on Drew Gulak in a non-title match. It’s a rematch from this year’s Cruiserweight Championship tournament.
Michael James Nelson (NBC’s Off Their Rockers) and Andrea Kail (TruTV’s Comedy Knockouts) have been added to WWE’s creative team, PWInsider reports.
Rey Mysterio made his debut 30 years ago today. He wrote on Twitter: On this day at the age of 14 I made my debut and it’s a very special day in Mexico “ Día del niño” “Day of the Kid” if I had the opportunity to [relive] these 30 yrs I would do it all over again. Thank you to all my fans!! Much love and respect!”. He also spoke about it on WWE’s YouTube page.
Kurt Angle told Wrestling Inc that he has signed a five-year deal with WWE. Angle said he’ll be working as a producer and may make part-time non-wrestling appearances on TV if WWE needs him in that type of role.
Kofi Kingston spoke to The Mirror about being stuck in Dublin, Ireland during the Iceland volcanic eruption in 2010.
Pro Wrestling
Kento Miyahara will next defend the AJPW Triple Crown title against Shuji Ishikawa on 5/20.
Impact will be taping at the Melrose Ballroom in New York City on June 6 and 7.
Jeff Cobb, Jay Lethal, Rush and PCO will face off in a four corner survival match at ROH’s War of the Worlds TV tapings in Villa Park, Illinois on May 12. PJ Black vs. Karl Fredericks has also been added to the tapings.
Joey Ryan announced yesterday that he is having a “Farewell to the Indies” tour: I guess the word is out now. Am I signing somewhere? Have I already signed elsewhere? One thing is certain; my time on the indies is coming to an end so pick up this ‘Farewell’ tour shirt for a limited time only! Get em before I’m gone!”
Kimber Lee opened up on Instagram about joining Alcoholics Anonymous and reaching two months sober.
Rory MacDonald reiterated on Twitter today that he has not retired from MMA, and will face Neiman Gracie at Madison Square Garden on June 14th.
Retired fighter Renato Sobral says that he believes he is showing the first signs of CTE, saying he can’t walk a straight line and has lost sight of his left eye.
Felice Herrig is out of UFC 238 due to a torn ACL that requires surgery.
Greg Hardy says he hopes to fight Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis next.
This past weekend’s UFC prelims on ESPN averaged 720,000 viewers.
Ed in San Antonio presents PODER~! at the FSW arena on Friday 5/24 – Showtime is at noon – Main event: Bryan Alvarez vs. Logan Stunt
Empire dinner on Friday 5/24 at 8:30 p.m. at Texas de Brazil – Price is $82 – All you can eat meat and salad, sodas, tea, and coffee, plus dessert included
Empire suite party on Friday 5/24 for those who were not able to get the Q&A package – Price is $25
Bellator returns to its unofficial home of San Jose, CA, with two title fights and several former UFC fighters on an interesting main card that can be seen on DAZN.
The main event is welterweight champion Rory MacDonald vs. Jon Fitch, the final first round bout in the company’s Welterweight Grand Prix. The winner will face Neiman Gracie next in the semifinals while Michael “Venom” Page will face Douglas Lima next month in the other semifinal.
The 29-year-old MacDonald is coming off a lopsided 2nd round TKO loss to middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi in September. This will be the first defense of the belt he won over Lima in a January 2018 decision. The 41-year-old Fitch has won five straight over a near four year stretch and had a successful debut against Paul Daley in his promotional debut last May.
The co-main event features women’s featherweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane against Veta Arteaga in the co-main event, a clash of former Bellator light heavyweight champions in Phil Davis and Liam McGeary, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson vs. Adam Piccolotti, and relative unknowns Gastos Bolanos vs. Nathan Stolen in the main card opener.
Live cageside coverage by Dave Meltzer kicks off at 10 PM Pacific/7 PM Eastern.
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GASTON BOLANOS (4-1) VS. NATHAN STOLEN (8-4), FEATHERWEIGHTS
First round: Bolanos is the local favorite fighting out of Dublin. Frank Trigg is your referee. Both exchanging punches. Bolanos landing more solid shots. Stolen tried for a takedown but it was stuffed. Stolen took him down, but Bolanos swept to the top. He let Stolen up. Bolanos immediately dropped him with a left hook and landed a few punches on the ground and it’s over. Both actually landed lefts at the same time but Bolanos had more power. The stoppage looked quick as it was two glancing shots on the ground when it was called off.. 2:21
PHIL DAVIS (19-5, 1 NO CONTEST) VS. LIAM MCGEARY (13-3), LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
First round: Davis with low kicks.. McGearly swinging. Both wary early. Nice left by McGeary. Davis is not looking to take himn down. McGeary is very good with unique subissions, but so is Davis. Davis with a lot of low kicks. McGeary witha Superman punch. Davis with another low kick. Fans started to boo late in the round. Head kick by Davis. Davis 10-9
Second round: McGeary out with low kicks. Nice overhand right by Davis. Davis with more low kicks. Another low kick by Davis. Davis with knees to the body. Davis landed a right. Another low kick by Davis. McGeary missing his punches. Davis with another low kick. McGearly hurt him with a right. Davis with more low kicks. Davis’ round 20-18r.
Third round: McGeary moving forward but not catching him. Davis took him down. Davis got his back. Davis landing a lot of punches from that position. McGeary tried a triangle but Davis got out of it. Davis with elbows and punches. Davis kicked him in the head as McGeary got up. McGeary with a head kick. Davis is really tried. Davis landed a left and got a takedown. Davis is dropping elbows and has his back. Davis is working for a choke and McGeary tapped out, evidently from strikes. 4:11
Davis wanted a title shot.
BENSON HENDERSON (26-8) VS. ADAM PICCOLOTTI (11-2), LIGHTWEIGHTS
First round: Piccolotti is the lccal favorite. Piccolotti with a low kick. Piccolotti working for a takedown and got his back. Piccolotti is working for a choke now. Piccolotti landing punches from that position. Hendeosn up. Piccolotti pulled him back down with a neck crank. Henderon broke the grip. Piccolotti again working for a choke. Henderons back up and free. The crowd is going insane. Henderson with an elbow and landed a big punch. Low kick by Hendeosn. Another low kick by Henderosn. Henderson hurt him with a head kick at the bell. Piccolotti 10-9 Super round.
Second round: Henderson with a jumping knee. Piccolotti took him down. Henderson back up. Henderson got a takedown. Henderons has his back now. Piccolotti escaped but Henderson took him down again. Henderson working for a guillotine. Henderson throwing knees. Piccolotti got out of it. Henderson ducking low and scored another takedown. Henderson is on top. Piccolotti working for a leglock and Henderson punched him. Now Piccolotti working for a shoudlerlock but Henderosn escaped. This fight is great. Henderson’s round so 19-19.
Third round: Henderson threw a kick and Piccolotti took him down. Henderson working for a triangle. Henderson working for a guillotine Piccolooti is trying to punch his way out and did and is now on top. Piccolotti in side control. Piccolotti with a knee to the body. Piccolotti tried a Kimura and Henderson flipped him over to escape. Piccolotti took him down again. Piccolotti has his back. Picolott working for a choke again. One minjute left. Henderson out and reversed to the top. Henderson was dropping elbows. I have Piccolotti 29-28. Geat fight.
Scores: 29-28 Henderson 29-28 Piccolotti 29-28 Henderson. Even though Piccolotti is local, the crowd was definitely pro-Henderson as the bigger star and heavily cheered the decision. But then people heavily booed Henderson doing his interivew. Henderson said he loved San Jose. He mentioned his wife was due next week for her thrid baby.
ILIMA-LEI MACFARLANE (9-0) VS. VETA ARTEAGA (5-2) FOR BELLATOR WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
First round: Macfarlane pushed her into the cage. Arteaga landing short punches to the head while Macfarlane is working for a takedown. She’s working very hard but did get the takedown but Arteaga is already back up. Macfarlane took her down again and got her back. Arteaga out of trouble. Arteaga landing good body punches from the top. Macfarlane working for a kneebar. Arteaga throwing knees. Macfarlane looks really tired. Arteaga has her against the cage and throwing some knees. Arteaga with some punches. Arteaga 10-9
Second round: Macfarlane got the takedown. Arteaga back up with minimal damage. Macfarlane is bleeding from the nose and tired. Arteaga landing punches. Both throwing and Arteaga is landing better shots. Macfarlane with a right. Arteaga wobbled Macfarlane late. 20-18 Arteaga
Third round: Macfarlane working for a takedown again. She got her down. Arteaga going for a triangle. Macfarlen landed an elbow and Arteaga’s head exploded. It’s sick blood. The cut is long and deep like a giant divot on Arteaga’s forehead. They are going to have to stop this. The doctor stopped it. They had no choice. It’s too bad for Arteaga as she was doing really well here but that cut was too deep to continue. 1:50
Macfarlane said she wants to give Arteaga a tilte match right away. She said she had her hands full, we were both bleeding and said I know who is next and that’s Veta. Macfarlane said she felt weird backstage, her legs weren’t right and had an adrenaline dump and was relly tired. She said that nobody wants to win a fight like that.
RORY MACDONALD (20-5) VS. JON FITCH (32-7-1, 1 NO CONTEST) FOR THE WELTERWEIGHT TITLE
First round: Macdonald hurt him with a punch and Fitch went for a takedown. MacDonald landing elbows. Fitch tripped him down but MacDonald has him tied up. MacDonald working for a Kimura. Fitch shot in and MacDonald sprawled. MacDonadl landed a good punch and Fitch back with one. MacDonald ladned a right. Fitch took him down and is on top. Fitch with body punches. Fitch 10-9
Second round: MacDonald with a front kick. Fitch tied him up against the cage. MacDonald with a head kick but Fitch caught his leg. Good right by MacDonald. Right by MacDonald. MacDonald landing more. Fitch with a body kick. Big right by MacDonald. Fitch with a right. Nice body shot by Fitch. Fitch moved in and took him down. MacDonald back up. MacDonald back up. MacDonald took Fitch down. MacDonald’s round, so 19-19.
Third round: Both traded punches. MacDonald ladned a kick. Fitch got another takedown. Fitch landing body punches. Fitch landng ;punches from the top. Ftch withj punches and elbows from the top. Fitch with all kinds of punches from the top. Fitch with punches and elbows. MacDonald working for an armbar. Fitch out of trouble. Fitch held him down the entire round. This was a one-sided rond, Almost a 10-8 but not quite enough damage,. 29-28 Fitch.
Fourth round: MacDonald with a head kick, Fitch tried a takedown and MacDonald on top and landing punches. Fitch is in trouble. Fitch escaped. MacDonald landing good punches. Fitch still trying for a takedown but MacDonald landing punches. elbow by MacDonald. Fitch got it to the ground. MacDonald back up. Another takedown by Fitch. Fitch landing body punhces. Fitch continaully landing punches from the top. Fitch with knees to the butt. Ftich continually landing punches. The ref ordered standup which made no sense since Fitch was pounding on him. Fitch’s round 39-37.
Fifth round: Ftich in with punches and going for a takedown. MacDonald bleeding from the right eye. MacDonald going for a triangle. MacDonald had his toes in the fence for 30 seconds and the ref never called it. Not that it made a difference. Fitch landing body punches. Fitch with more body punches and now head punches. Fitch with elbows to the body. Fitch with more punches to the head on the ground. Fitch outwrstled him. Fitch 49-46.
Scores: 48-46 Fitch 47-47 draw 47-47 draw
So with the majority draw, MacDonald retained the title and advances in the tournament and will defend his title against Neimamn Grace in Madison Square Garden on June 14th, which is a quick turnaround.
Fans hated the decision. So the basic gist is the two judges ruling it a draw gave both close rounds, one and four, to MacDonald. Neither is a bad call. All three judges went 10-8 for Fitch in round three. MacDonald hardly came off or fought like a champion and overall this was Fitch’s fight overall, but round-by-round you could give MacDonald one, two and four, but two of those were close and Fitch’s three and five were one-sided.
Wih no UFC on the slate, Bellator has the MMA world focused on their big show in San Jose, CA, Saturday night, but on a new broadcast partner, sports streaming app DAZN.
We’re looking for your thoughts on the show, as well as last night’s ROH Death Before Dishonor and tomorrow night’s New Japan show, so you can leave a thumnbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
The main event features an interesting champion vs. champion bout as welterweight champion Rory MacDonald challenges middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi. The two have made great traction since Bellator signed them away from UFC and for MacDonald, a win here puts him, and Bellator, in an interesting position with the upcoming welterweight tournament. For Mousasi, a win helps increase his value and growing respect among fans.
Also on the card, Wanderlei Silva and Rampage Jackson fight for the fourth time, Douglas Lima and Andrei Koreshkov battle for the fourth time to kick off the aforementioned welterweight tourney, Aaron Pico faces his toughest challenge to date in Leandro Higo, and more.
The prelims can be seen on ParamountNetwork.com with the entire main card available on DAZN.
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By Dave Meltzer
YSIDRO GUTIERREZ (4-2) VS. GASTON BOLANOS (3-1), FEATHERWEIGHTS
First round: Head kick by Bolanos. Bolanos threw a kick, was taken down but got back up. Good right by Bolanos. Gutierrez with some punches. Head kick by Bolanos. Knees by Bolanos. Bolanos just threw him down. Bolanos then let him up. Bolanos missed the spinning elbow. Takedown by Bolanos. Head kick Bolanos didn’t hit solid. Bolanos 10-9
Second round: Takedown by Bolanos. He let Gutierrez back up. Bolanos landed a left hook behind the ear that put him down. He’s landing punches on the ground and it was stopped. There were ten hard puches on the ground that landed and a few that missed.
1:37 of round two.
KERI MELENDEZ (2-0) VS. DAKOTA ZIMMERMAN (0-0), WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS
First round: Melendez got a big reaction. Front kick to the face by Melendez and a takedown. Melendez with a stuff power bomb. Another short power bomb by Melendez. Melendez with a hard elbow. Zimemeran is working for a triangle. Zimmerman also has the armbar.while working the triangle. Melendez survived the submission attempts but they were dangerous. 10-9 Zimmerman
Second round: Both swinging. Knee by Melendez. They’re in a clinch. Melendez seems tired. Zimmerman trying for a takedown. Nothing much is happening. Melendeza landed knees to the body. They’re back in the clinch. Melendez brought her to the corner in front of Gilbert Melendez. Knees to the body by Melendez. Melende took the round with the knees to the body. 19-19 after two.
Third round: Melendez landing punches now. Left by Melendez. Zimmerman shot in looking for a takedown. Zimmerman got her down. Zimmerman in side control. Melendez reversed to the top. Zimmerman tried for an armbar but didn’t have it. Zimmerman landed an up kick and got to her feet. Both are landing. Melendez’s punches lack the zing becuase hse’s tired. She’s still the better striker and is landing. Zimmerman shot in again. Melendez got a takedown. Melendez 29-28.
AARON PICO (3-1) VS. LEANDRO HIGO (18-4), FEATHERWEIGHTS
First round: Freddy Roach is in Pico’s corner. Pico laned a few punches. They traded low kicks. Knees by Higo. Trading punches. Low kick by Higo. Pico with a nice body shot. Low kick by Higo. Uppercut by Higo. Pico dropped him and is unloading with shots. Higo stayed up. Low kick by Higo. Pico with big shots. Pico dropped him and landing hard punches on the ground. The ref is letting it go way too long. Higo got up and Pico landing more big punches and put him down again and it was finally stopped. This was a great three minutes. Pico came across like a superstar. But that referee, he really blew it on this one.
After the fight, Pico said to Patricio Pitbull that you’re time wil come.
3:19
ANDREY KORESHKOV (21-2) VS. DOUGLAS LIMA (29-7), WELTERWEIGHTS
First round: Koreshkov came out to the Nikolai Volkoff Russian national anthem. Lima with a head kick. Low kick by Lima. Ric Flair whoo’s all over the joint. Koreshckov shot in for a takedown. Lima blocking it and landed some elbows. Koreshkov lifted Lima off his feet twice but Lima kept his balance. Lima got a momentary takedown. Neither can take the other down. The crowd is booing heavily now. Elbow by Koreshkov. Very hard round to judge. 10-9 Lima but could easily be 10-10.
Second round: Body kick by Lima. Nothing happening again. Body kick by Lima. Koreshkov’s left shin is swelling up bad from low kicks. Lots of clinching but the crowd isn’t as restless. Another boring round. Lima 20-18
Third round: Front kick by Lima. Lima stumbled. Body kick by Lima. Body kick by Lima. Lima continues to land low kicks. Koreshkov tried a takedown. Lima landed a knee after a momentary takedown. Crowd booing heavily at the end of the round. Lima 30-27.
Cormeir just got the biggest pop of the show by far. Pretty much a standing ovation.
Fourth round: Lima accidentally kicked him low. Lima with a few punches. Crwod booing heavily. Knee by Lima. Koreshckov with a left. Lima has him in trouble with punches as the round ended. Lima 40-36
Fifth round: Lima with a body kick. Lima with a big right. Lima took him down landed punces on the ground and has a choke and Koreshkov went out and it was stopped.
3:04
WANDERLEI SILVA (35-13-1) VS. RAMPAGE JACKSON (37-13), HEAVYWEIGHT
First round: People see Jackson as a big star. Silva looks old, like much older than his chronological years. Looks late 50s. Jackson is much heavier than the past at 254 pounds but looks like a guy who still trains. The crowd is still really hot for this. Both traded and Jackson rocked him. Silva threw a kick to the head. Both swinging. Silva landed a wild punch and Rampage closed the distance. Jackson landed a right on the break. Front kick by Silva. Both landing punches. This was actually a hell of an exchange. The people really liked the ending of the round. 10-9 Jackson
Second round: Both swingig wildly. Silva almost went down but came back. For 15 secons it was 14 yeas ago. Jackson with a right. Jakcson hurt himn with a right that just cracked him. Silva swinging swing wildly back. Theyr’e in a clinch. Jackson with a knee to the body. Jackson with upperucts. Knee by Jackson to the body. Both are swinging wildly again. Both are in a clinch again. Both trading again. Jackson with a right. Jackson dropped him with a right and was landing punches on the ground and it’s over. Fans loved this fight. It was much better than expected.
4:32
GEGARD MOUSASI (44-6-2) VS. RORY MACDONALD (20-4) FOR MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
First round: Mousasi landed a left. Mousasi does look a lot bigger in the cage far more than two days ago when he had cut weight. Mac Donald with a low kick and punch. Mousasi wih a left. MacDonald with a right. Mousasi back with jabs. Nice low kick and jab combo by Mousasi. Head kick by MacDoanld just missed. Big right by Mousasi. MacDonald with a right. Mousasi landing jabs. Mousasi 10-9
Second round: MacDonad dove for an Imanari roll and Mousasi ended up on top. MacDonald is bleeding heavily from the nose from punches. Mousasi landing punches. Mousasi moved to mount. Mousasi landing elbows to the head. He’s landing more elbows and continued to hammer the elbows until it was stopped.
With the wrestling world relatively quiet this weekend, MMA has taken center stage with UFC and Bellator going head-to-head Saturday night on separate coasts. While the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight titles will be battled over in Boston, Bellator kicks off its year-long heavyweight championship grand prix and a former UFC fighter guns for his first major title.
In the main event, Chael Sonnen and Rampage Jackson will fight in a first round matchup of the heavyweight grand prix. This will be Sonnen’s first foray into heavyweight while Jackson has fought here before, notably in a dud of a fight against King Mo Lawal.
Sonnen is coming off a June decision win over Wanderlei Silva while Jackson is coming off that March decision loss to Mo, snapping a five fight losing streak.
In the co-main event, Rory MacDonald will look to win his first major championship when he faces welterweight champion Douglas Lima in what should be a great fight. Also on the show, former lightweight champion Michael Chandler looks to get back on track while prospect Aaron Pico looks to win his second straight.
Follow our main card coverage starting at 9 p.m. ET tonight.
Bellator 192 (main card)
Heavyweight Grand Prix Round 1: Chael Sonnen vs. Rampage Jackson
Welterweight champion Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald
Michael Chandler vs. Goiti Yamauchi
Aaron Pico vs. Shane Kruchten
Henry Corrales vs. Georgi Karakhanyan
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In the prelims, prospect Joey Davis won his fight but the debuting Khonry Gracie dropped a decision to Devon Brock, who was also making his pro debut. Other names of note picking up wins were Johnny Cisneros and Guilherme Vasconcelos.
John McCarthy makes his debut as color commentator, alongside Mike Goldberg for tonight’s show.
Featherweights Georgi Karakhanyan (27-7-1) vs Henry Corrales (14-3)
Goldberg and McCarthy seem like they have chemistry together. The video on the Shaw Cable feed is completely messed up so I cannot tell who is winning the fight but it sounds like Karakhanyan from the commentary. It seems to be a network-wide issue affecting only the Paramount Network in Canada on my cable system.
Second round sounded like it was back and forth but that Karakhanyan had the advantage. Corrales finished strong and may have stolen the round. The commercials are working fine, it’s only the video during the live fights that is messed up.
John McCarthy seems to think that Corrales is down 2 rounds and needs a finish.
Corrales seemed to be holding off Karakhanyan well but it sounds like Karakhanyan won the third as well. In listening to Goldberg call a fight, it’s alarming how little of the action he actually calls as it’s really hard to tell what’s going on. Based on what I heard, I’d be shocked if Corrales won the fight.
Official result – Henry Corrales (15-3) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)
Corrales said he is not impressed with his own performance. He put over his camp, saying he’s 3-0 since he switched to them.
Jay Glazer is the studio host of the show and gives it a very different vibe, adding credibility to the show, I think. Jay Glazer interviewed Ryan Bader about the Heavyweight Grand Prix. He basically just put over all the other competitors in the tournament but didn’t really have a lot to say. Josh Thomson is also on the panel.
Jenn Brown then interviewed his opponent King Mo and he said that they will both be fighting at their walk-around weights and the better man should win, which would be him. King Mo said that Chael will win the main event because Rampage is out of shape. I’ve found an online live feed of the show so I should be able to watch from here on in.
Featherweights Aaron Pico (1-1) vs Shane Krutchen (12-3)
Pico dropped Krutchen with a body punch combo to open the fight. Pico backed off, forcing Krutchen to stand. He dropped him again with a hard punch to the liver and he was out. Ref stepped in before Pico could do more damage.
Official result – Aaron Pico (2-1) by KO (punch) at 37 seconds
He put over his team after the fight in his post-fight interview. John McCarthy asked him to call someone out but he refused to, saying he’ll fight whoever they put in front of him. Both guys have sworn in their promos tonight. Not sure if that’s by design but it is interesting given it’s the debut of the network.
Lightweights Michael Chandler (16-4) vs Goiti Yamauchi (22-3)
After a brief cage clinch, Yamauchi dropped to the ground, almost like he was pulling guard. Chandler obliged him and went into his guard. He proceed to hold position for almost the entire round, doing enough to avoid a standup and easily win the round. Yamauchi was continously grabbing the cage but only was warned once. 10-9 Chandler
Yamauchi hurt Chandler bad with a body kick early. Chandler was wobbly for awhile after that but he managed a takedown halfway through the round. He was just laying there for awhile and almost got stood up but in the last minute, he did a lot of damage and probably stole the round. 10-9 Chandler, 20-18 overall
Lost hte video feed again for most of the 3rd round but from what I saw, Chandler dominated and should take the round and the fight easily. Should be noted that John McCarthy is already one of the best color guys in MMA.
Official result – Michael Chandler (17-4) by unanimous decision (30-26 x 2; 30-25)
John McCarthy told Chandler that Scott Coker says he earned a shot at Brent Primus and Chandler says “who”. McCarthy asks if that’s what he wants and he said no but he’s a company man and he’ll do whatever the company wants.
Roy Nelson was interviewed by Josh Thomson and Jay Glazer at the desk. Thomson says he picked the winner of Nelson/Mitrione to win the whole tourney. Nelson says that if he fights his fight, he’ll win but if he doesn’t then he won’t.
Jenn Brown interviewed Mitrione backstage about the fight with Nelson. He feels he earned a title shot and didn’t like the fact he had to go through a tournament to get the belt. But now he likes the idea because he was going to have to beat everyone anyway and this is the most exciting thing going on in the sport. This is rematch from 5 years that Nelson won but Mitrione says he’s developed as a fighter and he doesn’t feel Nelson has.
Bellator Welterweight title – Champion Douglas Lima (29-6) vs Rory McDonald (19-4)
McDonald was clinching on the cage early, trying to get it to the ground. Neither guy did much on the feet. McDonald got a takedown with just over 2 minutes left. Lima was actually more active from his back but McDonald held him down for the majority of the round. Ref Jason Herzog actually stood them up with 12 seconds left but nothing happened on the feet. 10-9 McDonald but close
McDonald was constantly going for takedowns and controlling the cage clinch but Lima was the more active fighter, landing punches to the head and body from the clinch. When they were standing, it was pretty even although Lima was doing more damage as McDonald was bleeding from the nose. Another close round, 10-9 Lima, 19-19 overall
Round started off really slow with a lot of clinch work where nothing was happening and the crowd was booing. After they separated, McDonald got a takedown but didn’t do anything with it. Ref stood them up. After the standup, Lima started landing hard leg kicks and he dropped McDonald with one with about 45 seconds left. Lima went into his guard and did a lot of damage with ground and pound. 10-9 Lima, 29-28 overall
McDonald went for a takedown right off the bat but Lima stuffed it and ends up on top. McDonald’s left leg is swelled so badly from the kicks, it looks like it has a second knee. Lima quickly moved into mount and held it for awhile but didn’t do a ton of damage. McDonald was eventually able to move him back to guard and as soon as he did, the ref stood them up. Lima landed a hard leg kick that almost dropped McDonald again but he got a takedown. He did his best damage of the fight but probably not enough to take the round. 10-9 Lima, 39-37 overall. Should note that most on my Twitter feed have it tied up as does John McCarthy.
McDonald got an immediate takedown. He was far more active than he’d been at any time during the fight, trying to avoid a standup. In particular, he landed some hard elbows that opened a cut on Lima’s forehead. There was a couple points when it looked like he might get stood up but McDonald did enough to stay on top. He slowed down at the end but enough to take the round. I have it 10-9 McDonald and 48-47 Lima overall but I suspect McDonald will take it.
Official result – Rory McDonald (20-4) by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-45 and 49-46)
McDonald says Lima is the best guy he’s ever fought and after winning that fight, he really feels like the best welterweight in the world. He says he can’t walk on his leg and it feels like there’s a person growing inside of it. Not sure how two judges thought that Lima didn’t win both rounds 3 and 4 but it wasn’t a bad decision.
McDonald had to be carried to the back by his cornermen. Lima looked upset at the decision.
Main event – Round 1 matchup in the Heavyweight Grand Prix: Rampage Jackson (37-12) vs Chael Sonnen (29-15-1)
Sonnen is giving up 31 pounds in this matchup. Trace Adkins sang the national anthem. Blake Grice is your referee.
First round was pretty good. Sonnen was far more active but Jackson landed the harder punches and did the most damage. Jackson threw Sonnen down halfway through the round, almost like a bodyslam, but backed off, forcing hi to stand. Sonnen got a late takedown and was working for a rear naked choke but Jackson moved into top position by the end of the round. 10-9 Jackson.…but Tom Lawlor for one has it the other way.
Sonnen clinched up early, trying to get a takedown. He got it about 90 seconds in and manage to hold Rampage down for the rest of the round. He didn’t do a ton of damage but enough to avoid a standup. Jackson was starting to do damage from his back late in the round but not nearly enough to take it. 10-9 Sonnen and 19-19 after 2. Rampage could need a finish though as round 1 was close.
Jackson went right to the cage clinch and manage to hold Sonnen there for over half the round. He had some really good damage with a nice series of body punches. After they finally separated, it was pretty even on the feet and Jackson was taunting Sonnen, trying to get him to throw down. Sonnen got a takedown with a minute left but Jackson was more active from his back. Ref stood them up with 10 seconds left and Jackson closed with a nice punch combo. 10-9 Jackson and 29-28 overall but I suspect Sonnen might win it.
Official decision – Chael Sonnen (30-15-1) by uananimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Crowd booed the decision but it was probably more due to the fact they like Jackson than they disagreed with the decision. He said that neither Frank Mir nor Fedor are the best but one of them will be the next. He had a couple cute rehearsed lines but crowd didn’t seem to care. No interview with Rampage.
After a fun UFC St. Louis show headlined by a solid Jeremy Stephens 2nd round TKO over DooHo Choi, we launch into a weekend with not only one show but TWO SHOWS GOING HEAD-TO-HEAD. If that’s not worthy of ALL CAPS, I don’t know what is.
Let’s get to a look at what matters and what doesn’t this weekend. Your guides as always: Paul Fontaine, Ryan Frederick, and your friendly neighborhood podcast host.
First, The Cards
UFC 220 (whole card)
Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou
Light heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier vs. Volkan Oezdemir
Shane Burgos vs. Calvin Kattar
Francimar Barroso vs. Gian Villante
Thomas Almeida vs. Rob Font
Kyle Bochniak vs. Brandon Davis
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Sabah Homasi
Dustin Ortiz vs. Alexandre Pantoja
Julio Arce vs. Dan Ige
Matt Bessette vs. Enrique Barzola
Islam Makhachev vs. Gleison Tibau
Bellator 192 (main card)
Heavyweight Grand Prix Round 1: Chael Sonnen vs. Rampage Jackson
Welterweight champion Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald
Michael Chandler vs. Goiti Yamauchi
Aaron Pico vs. Shane Kruchten
Henry Corrales vs. Georgi Karakhanyan
What fight(s) are you most looking forward to this weekend?
Ryan: There are a lot of good to great fights this weekend, but the big one for me is Miocic vs. Ngannou. It has all the makings of fireworks. Miocic is on his way to being the best UFC heavyweight of all time as he has finished five of the best heavyweights ever in a row, most of them in the first round. Ngannou has finished a few of the same opponents, but in more violent form. Both have knockout power, but the big question is if Miocic can avoid the punches of Ngannou and drag the fight out. The only time Ngannou has been past the second round was his lone loss in his career. I expect a violent finish in this one — one that will have the Boston fans going crazy.
Paul: The heavyweight title fight is the biggest one for sure. Either Miocic stakes his claim as perhaps the greatest heavyweight of all time or UFC potentially gets a new mega-star in Francis Ngannou. It’s a no-lose situation for UFC and especially the fans. On the Bellator side of things, Michael Chandler will be on a mission to steal the show and earn a shot at the lightweight title he doesn’t feel he should’ve lost.
Josh: I mean, it’s got to be Miocic vs. Ngannou for all the reasons Paul and Ryan listed above. Big dudes, big stakes, and a real path toward being what the combat sports world wants: a heavyweight champion to rally behind. I’m bummed that Bellator is running at the same time as I really want to see that MacDonald-Lima fight. For those at home, enjoy using that clicker.
Any dark horse great fights?
Paul: The Chandler-Yamauchi fight is the one that has the potential to steal the show. Both are finishers and both have a great history of exciting fights. The bantamweight fight between Thomas Almeida and Rob Font is also one to watch for from UFC.
Ryan: I’m also going with Chandler vs. Yamauchi. Both are two of the most exciting fighters on the Bellator roster. Chandler is a former two-time champion, but Yamauchi is on the rise and is a dangerous opponent. Yamauchi has dangerous submissions and Chandler has excellent power on his feet. It’s going to be a wild one.
Josh: The Almeida-Font PPV opener should be a lot of fun. Both guys are coming off a loss, but are both young enough to make a run at any time. Font is a local guy and will get a great pop with a big win. This is a good litmus test for where both guys are at at this point in their young career.
What isn’t doing it for you this weekend?
Paul: The entire UFC undercard after the two top fights. Using my scoring system that I employ at MMADraws.com, it’s the weakest FS1 prelims show ever for a PPV. The names on this card are people even hardcore fight fans have a hard time caring about.
Josh: I completely agree. I love going to these shows, but this card is hard to get excited about outside the top two fights and personal interest fights like New Hampshire’s Calvin Kattar.
Ryan: It’s the Bellator “main event” between Chael Sonnen and Rampage Jackson. It shouldn’t be the main event over Lima-MacDonald and has the potential to be very boring. Sonnen hasn’t been the same since he had to get off the performance enhancers, and Jackson hasn’t looked like a good fighter in six years, hanging around just to make money. Jackson has been in some boring fights the last few years, and this will likely be another one.
Why do both shows matter?
Josh: UFC 220 matters for two reasons and that’s the two title fights. It’s been a while since we saw Miocic last do this thing and unless this is a dud of a fight, the promotion is going to come out ahead no matter who wins. This sets up at least one more heavyweight title fight this year and possible two more depending on the damage done. Secondly, we either get the beginning of the latest Daniel Cormier light heavyweight redemption story or a new champion that we’re not necessarily ready for. The division is thin as it is and a Cormier win sets up a fun rematch with Alexander Gustafsson. Now if Oezdemir wins, that adds another promotional challenge but we’ll cross that bridge when he crosses it.
Paul: Both title fights on the UFC show have tremendous stakes both for the short and long-term. Ngannou is the most impressive title challenger to come along since Brock Lesnar and, in fact, Miocic is the first UFC heavyweight champion to go into a title defence as an underdog since Randy Couture (against Lesnar). And in the co-main, Cormier has to prove that he is the best light heavyweight on the planet, and maybe ever, who is not named Jon Jones. If he gets tagged by Oezdemir and goes down, it could wipe away everything he’s done in the division, especially to the segment of UFC fans who already seem to not like him very much.
Ryan: There is a potential for two new champions on the UFC card, and that would shake up both divisions a great deal. Ngannou has the chance to become the next breakout star in the UFC while Miocic can further cement his legacy, so that matters. Cormier has the chance to further his career as the best light heavyweight not named Jon Jones, but has a tough test. Bellator could see a new champion at 170 pounds, and the Heavyweight Grand Prix gets off to a start. It may not be the most-stacked shows, at least on one side, but both have future company plans on the line.
Who wins?
Miocic vs. Ngannou
Ngannou: Paul, Josh
Miocic: Ryan
Cormier vs. Oezdemir
Oezdemir: Paul
Cormier, Ryan, Josh
Font vs. Almeida
Font, Josh, Paul
Almeida: Ryan
Bellator Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald
Bellator MMA is back in London tonight night with a show airing stateside via tape delay on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET.
The show features the company debut of former UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald as he takes on fellow UFC alumnus Paul Daley in the main event.
McDonald is perhaps the most high-profile of Bellator’s free agent signings of the last couple of year and is likely just entering the prime of his career. He has publicly stated that his goal is to become a two-division champion. A win here would earn him a shot at division kingpin Douglas Lima.
The card is stacked by Bellator standards as the main event is a bigger marquee matchup than a lot of UFC shows on FS1. In addition, the second and third matches from the top could easily headline any other Bellator show. Former light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary will again fight in his home country as he hopes to pick up his second straight win since dropping his title to Phil Davis as he goes up against another UK fighter in Linton “Swarm” Vassell.
Also on the card is 42-year-old Cheick Kongo, who is shooting for his fifth consecutive victory at heavyweight as he takes on the unbeaten Brazilian Augusto Sakai. The main card debut of Kevin Ferguson Jr., aka Baby Slice, is also on the show. Ferguson is, of course, the son of the late Kimbo Slice.
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This is the last show before the Bellator PPV next month and the hard sell begins right away.
They open by mentioning that it’s been a year since the passing of Kimbo Slice and also that he was scheduled to headline a show right here in London at the time of his passing. They pretty much came out and said that the reason Baby Slice is on this card is because of who his father was and Jenn Brown interviewed him backstage. He didn’t have much to say other than that he’s a different type of fighter than his father and he didn’t mind the pressure of being on a main card so early.
Kevin Ferguson Jr. (0-1) vs. DJ Griffin (pro debut) (165 lb catchweight)
Announcers and graphic have completely dropped the “Kevin Ferguson” part of his name so from here on in, he’s Baby Slice.
In terms of skill, this was easily the worst fight you’ll ever see on a national TV broadcast. Baby Slice has a lot of work to do on his ground game, particular submission defence. The guy they brought in normally fights at featherweight, so this was a setup fight and it went as it should’ve. Slice overpowered him on the feet. He was in trouble a few times on the ground but ended up punching out of it for a first round TKO win. Announcers put him over strong but he’s not even close to being ready for this.
WINNER – BABY SLICE (1-1) by TKO at 3:40
Jimmy Smith asked Baby Slice how it felt to pick up his first win a year after his Dad passed away. Slice just said he was happy to get the win and thanked his team but never mentioned his Dad at first. He did go on to say that he loved his Dad and misses him and he was proud to win where his Dad was supposed to fight.
Dan Edwards (14-14) vs. Alex Lohore (11-1) (welterweights)
Dan Edwards has a nickname as well, so he’s known as Dan Vinni on the broadcast and , I guess, this report. Lohore is coming off an upset win over former UFC fighter Colin Fletcher in February. This isn’t quite as obvious as the last fight but clearly seems like a showcase fight for Lohore.
Weird first round. Vinne got it to the ground right away and was going for all kinds of submissions. Lohore was struggling to get out of them but never seemed in danger of getting caught. Whenever it got back to the feet, Lohore dominated but it would quickly go to the ground. In the last 30 seconds, Lohore got off some ground and pound and that may have been enough to steal the round.
Early in the 2nd, Lohore dropped Vinni with a punch and then started walking away like it was a walk-off. When the ref didn’t step in right away he landed a couple more shots before the ref stepped in.
WINNER – ALEX LOHORE (12-1) by KO at 56 seconds of the 2nd round
Lohore brought his mom into the cage and hugged her. He said he wouldn’t be fighting if it weren’t for her and he owes her everything.
Rafael Cejrowski (2-0) vs Fabian Edwards (2-0) (middleweights)
This was from the prelims. Slow start and I was starting to wonder why they showed this fight. Edwards was the better standup fighter but didn’t look like a killer or anything. And then out of nowhere he nailed Cejrowski with a high kick and then a flying knee to the head for the KO.
WINNER – FABIAN EDWARDS (3-0) by KO
More PPV hype and between this and showing that last fight, it’s looking like the big fights probably had early finishes.
Cheick Kongo (26-10-2) vs. Augusto Sakai (9-0-1) (heavyweights)
Speaking of the fights ending early, they’ve also been airing all of the walkouts, even for guys like Sakai and the two guys in the last main card fight, who were basically unknowns. It would be nice if we saw a finish in a Kongo fight, who’s had decisions in each of his last 5 fights.
First round almost put me to sleep. Neither guy even threw a strike for the first two minutes, let alone landed one. Sakai landed about 4 leg kicks during the round and Kongo may have landed a knee in the clinch. Just awful.
Kongo managed a couple of takedowns but Sakai was usually able to get back up. When they were on the feet, Kongo just held him against the cage. He landed a couple strikes and Sakai did nothing. Just a horrible, horrible fight that is probably tied after 2.
There was a stretch in the third round where Kongo just laid Sakai against the cage for what felt like an hour and did nothing. It was probably closer to 2 minutes. Kongo did land a couple kicks and punches in the middle of the round and may have taken it.
WINNER – CHEICK KONGO (27-10-2) by split decision (29-28 x 2; 28-29)
Jimmy Smith joked that he put up his scorecard before the fight even started cause he knew it would be 29-28 Kongo.
Liam McGeary (12-1) vs. Linton Vassell (18-5) (light heavyweights)
Both guys are promising an early finish here.
First round saw Vassell get a knockdown 2 minutes in and he held McGeary down for the rest of the round. McGeary was far more active from his back, landing punches and elbows and working for submission. Vassell didn’t do much at all and, while the round was tough to score, I thought McGeary took it.
Vassell dominated the 2nd, taking McGeary down 1 minute in and holding him the rest of the way, doing a lot more damage and with several submission attempts. He even obtains mount 3 times, although obviously McGeary escaped twice. I had it 10-8 Vassell and up 19-18 overall.
Vassell took him down right away to start the third and immediately moved into mount. He patiently moved into position for the arm triangle and eventually secured it and got a quick tap,
WINNER – LINTON VASSELL (19-5) by submission at 2:28 of the third round
That was the first time anyone has every finished Liam McGeary who really needs to work on his takedown defence. Vassell called out the winner of next month’s Ryan Bader-Phil Davis for a world title fight next time they’re in London and that fight pretty much has to get made.
Yet more hype for the PPV and they interview James Gallagher, who fights on the Spike portion of that show. He tries hard but in terms of promo ability, he sounds more like Finn Balor than Conor McGregory, who they are obviously positioning as their version of. Gallagher faces Chinzo Machida, Lyoto’s brother, in what will be his debut in the US. He predicted a first round stoppage and then hyped up a potential fight with fellow prospect AJ McKee.
A funny moment as he said he would stop Machida in the first round on June 14th and then Jenn Brown politely corrected him by saying June 24th, which is the actual date of the show.
Rory was interviewed backstage in what seemed to be live but he was still in his suit. He showed the charisma of a carrot but that’s never really been his strong suit anyway.
In the pre-fight video package, which was great, both guys promised knockouts. Daley said he’d leave him effing dribbling. Except he didn’t say “effing”.
Rory MacDonald (18-4) vs. Paul Daley (39-14-2) (welterweights)
Rory McDonald fought on the undercard of Chuck Liddell vs Rich Franklin……and he’s only 27 years old. Something about that just seems wrong.
Just complete dominance by McDonald. He got him down about a minute into the first. He held him down the whole way and was constantly advancing and/or landing strikes. Enough for a 10-8 in my book.
The scores didn’t matter anyway as he took Daley down again after a head kick to start the second. He quicly moved into side control and held Daley down until he had an oppornity to secure his back and quickly secure a rear naked choke for the tap.
WINNER – RORY MCDONALD (19-4) by submission at 1:45 of the 2nd round.
Jimmy Smith explained that Rory was VERY VERY happy, Glad he clarified that as Rory had the exact same expression (none) on his face as he did in the pre-fight interview. He promised more to come and to the surprise of no one, he challenged the winner of next month’s welterweight title fight between Douglas Lima and Lorenz Larkin.
Daley got some mic time and put Rory over as a safe fighter who did just enough to get the win. He called Michael Page a type of cat and repeated that P word about 10 ten times before the end of the promo so that looks to be his next fight.
If this is on your PVR do yourself a favor and skip ahead to the last two fights. Do that and it was a pretty good show.
MVP just happened to be at cageside and they got into a tussle on Daley’s way back to the locker room.
MacDonald appeared following an interview with Michael Venom Page, a signature Bellator star in the same weight class. He received a mixed response from the fans in Anaheim, perhaps due to the Canadian flag that covered the video wall.
In an interview with Bellator play-by-play man Sean Grande, MacDonald promised to take over Bellator. He said that he’s coming after Koreshkov (Bellator welterweight champion) and won’t stop there, claiming he’d take the middleweight title as well. He promised to put on a show for the fans, and said that Bellator had made him an offer he couldn’t possibly refuse.
The 27-year-old MacDonald recently finished out his UFC contract after going 9-4 with the promotion. He lost his last two UFC fights, including the fight of the year in 2015 against Robbie Lawler and a number one contender’s bout earlier this year against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
MacDonald’s impending free agency had been a point of discussion as he entered the last fight on his UFC contract against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC Fight Night 89 in June without signing a new contract.
A signing would represent one of the biggest acquisitions for Bellator to date as they look to gain footing and compete with the UFC. MacDonald was recently removed from the fighter rankings on the UFC’s website.
MacDonald, a welterweight, is 18-4 in his career, with all four losses coming in the UFC after he joined the promotion in 2010. He’s coming off of two straight losses after losing to Thompson by unanimous decision in June and losing to Robbie Lawler at UFC 189 in a fight that won MMA Match of the Year in the 2015 Observer awards.
His other two losses were against Lawler at UFC 167 and against Carlos Condit at UFC 115.
Welcome to our live coverage of UFC Fight Night 89 from the TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Canada. The event is headlined by an interesting five-round fight in the welterweight division as former title challenger and #1 ranked Rory MacDonald takes on #2 ranked Stephen Thompson in a battle that could determine the next title challenger at 170 pounds.
In the co-main event, former lightweight title challenger Donald Cerrone takes on Patrick Cote in his second bout at 170 pounds.
Our live cageside coverage kicks off at 6:45 PM EST with preliminary action all the way thru the main card. Before it does, check out a few event-related features:
#10 ALI BAGAUTINOV (13-4, 3-2 UFC) VS. GEANE HERRERA (9-1, 1-1 UFC) FLYWEIGHTS
Round 1: Very cautious start to this one as both fighters were measuring the distance. Bagautinov’s round here with the only offence shown by Herrera was when he was on his back after a takedown. Bagautinov was going for a finish but couldn’t get past the guard and the defence of Herrera. Some solid kicks shown early by Bagautinov as well in the early stages of the round. 10-9 Bagautinov
Round 2: That was a much closer round than the first. Herrera got taken down early but got a nice triangle choke that Bagaitinov escaped from. Herrera scored a takedown very quickly after that but Bagautinov was able to go back into the offensive. Herrera was more offensive here but not enough here to score enough with the judges to give him this round. 10-9 Bagautinov
Round 3: Great head kick 90 secounds in by Bagautinov. First half of the round was just like the first with a brief standup display by Bagautinov followed by a takedown. Herrera was able to almost get a wrist lock submission but Bagautinov was able to escape. More of the same here with Bagautinov just going for a late takedown getting it stuffed but was able to score it in the late seconds. 10-9 Bagautinov
Official decision: 30-27 x 3 for Ali Bagautinov. “I think I fought very well. I would like to fight Jussier Formiga because he has turned me down three times.”
COLBY COVINGTON (8-1, 3-1 UFC) VS. JONATHAN MEUNIER (7-0, 0-0 UFC) WELTERWEIGHTS
Round 1: Covington with a spin kick takedown combo which doesn’t completely work but Meunier does give up his back and Covington will not give up the position just holding on for 3 minutes eating up a lot of the round. Meunier finally able to spin out just as Covington scores a takedown with around 90 seconds left in the round. 30 seconds left and the referee stands them up for lack of action. Meunier and Covington spend the rest of the round gauging the distance. 10-9 Covington for Octagon control but Meunier’s defence here not allowing Covington to advance might get a judge or two to score it for him
Round 2: Both fighters are more aggressive here to start the round but within a minute Covington was able to get the back just like round one. Meunier had flashes of possible submissions here but Covington is able to get out and control the fight on the ground. Meunier only has 4 seconds of octagon control after two rounds. 10-9 Covington
Round 3: Spinning back fist stuns Meunier in the early seconds of the round which staggers him and Covington attacks with hammer fists to soften him, gets the back of Meunier and lands a rear naked choke for the finish
Official decision – Colby Covington gets a apout via RNC @ 54 seconds of R3. Covington says in the post fight interview that it doesn’t matter if it was GSP in the cage with him, no one was going to stop him from getting the victory here tonight which lets to loud boos from the crowd. Also “I went from fighting a 5’9 wrestler who I was going to stand and trade with to fighting a striker slash jiu jitsu guy. But that’s what fighting is about you have to adjust.”
Round 1: Standup battle between these two to start, both not afraid to throw punches early. Markos able to clinch Jones-Lybarger against the cage and land some shot for a couple of minutes before going back to the middle of the cage. Markos scores a takedown into an ankle lock submission late in the round followed by some punches late going for the finish but time runs out. 10-9 Markos
Round 2: Standup battle to start the round with Jones-Lybarger getting the early advantage. Markos seems slower in R2 leading to a standup battle in the middle of the cage with 3 minutes left. Both fighters are now slowing down try to gauge the distance here going for a quick punch here or there to little effect. Markos is now using counter punching to land more significant punches to score this round in her favour. 10-9 Markos
Round 3: Jones-Lybarger on the offensive in the early going, looks to land something that will lead to a finish. Markos is playing defence here not giving Jones-Lybarger a chance to land more than a few punches. Standup battle in this round with Markos landing kicks while Jones-Lybarger sticking to punches. Both are trading punches here in the last minute of the fight with Markos stunning Jones-Lybarger late but she is able to fight back. Markos bleeding from the nose as the last ten seconds tick away. 10-9 Markos
Official decision – 30 – 27 and 29-28 x 2 for Randa Markos. Funny moment when Markos was thanking her team, she dropped an F bomb accidentaly to loud cheers by the crowd. “It was awesome, just hearing everyone cheer my name. At the beginning in the first round when I had her against the fence and hearing them call my name it gave me a boost.”
ELIAS THEODOROU (11-1, 3-1 UFC) VS. SAM ALVEY (26-7 1 NC, 3-2 UFC) MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Round 1: Theodorou with some kicks early to start with Alvey just stepping back and closing the distance. Alvey’s right leg is turning red from checking those kicks by Theodorou. Crowd getting impatient as not much action after 3 minutes. Theodorou not slowing down his pace but Alvey looks more than happy just playing defence here. Alvey tries to throw a kick at the end of the round and slips. It was that kind of round for him. 28-1 landed strikes in the round for Theodorou. 10-9 Theodorou
Round 2: Alvey looking to really be the agressor here switching from defence to offence just waiting for his opportunity and halfway through the round Alvey pins Theodorou against the cage. Both fighters are spending time against the cage using they clinch game but Theodorou is keeping busy still throwing punches to the side of Alvey. Referee resets them back to the middle with 90 seconds left. More of the same as the round wraps up. Hard to score this one a late jump kick by Theodorou should give him this round. 10-9 Theodorou
Round 3: More of the same in this round with Alvey lookng more frustrated than anything else at the pace Theodorou has set so far in this fight. The crowd is showering this fight with loud boos and catcalls as opposed to cheers. Alvey throws a punch and the crowd cheers. Theodorou is just looking to out point him here to get the decision judging by the clinch work against the cage with a minute left in the fight. Alvey throws some knees in the clinch before the fight gets reset in the middle of the cage. Theodorou is able to land a head kick late in the round but based on Octagon control I’ll give it to Theodorou 10-9
Official decision – 30 – 27 x 2 and 29 – 28 for Elias Theodorou. Alvey quickly makes his way out of the cage in disgust. Theodorou – “He’s top 20 in the world and he can knock anyone’s block off at any time. He has 17 knockouts for a reason and I just made sure he didn’t touch me.”
Alvey – ““I hope the UFC keeps me. I would like to fight Oluwale Bamgbose because he beat the guy I was supposed to fight in February.”
CHRIS BEAL (10-2, 2-2 UFC) VS. JOE SOTO (15-5, 0-3 UFC) BANTAMWEIGHTS
Round 1: Both fighters are more active here in the early going in a traditional standup battle to start. Both fighters are landing some nice shots here with Beal landing more. Beal landing some nice combos in the round but Soto is up for the challenge. 10-9 Beal.
Round 2: More of the same in this round but Soto is just playing defence in the first two minute. Brief exchange in the 3rd minute and Soto is starting to land more but Beal continues to tee off on Soto. This fights has awoken the crowd and now Soto is bleeding from a cut on the bridge of his nose. Fight goes to the ground with Soto getting Beal’s back with a minute left. Soto looking for the rear naked choke and loses his position with 30 seconds left. Soto now on top throwing shoulders and knees to end the round. Soto 10-9 based on the late surge of Soto but easily could be given to Beal based on the damage he inflicted in this round.
Round 3: Good standup in the first minute but Beal is starting to slow down Soto landing some stiff punches 90 seconds in. Soto takes Beal’s back with two minutes left and is trying for a choke, roll over and Soto is now raining punches. Beal rolls over and Soto goes in for the rear naked choke and taps out Beal late.
Official Decision – Soto wins via tapout via RNC @ 3:39 of R3. “Getting my first UFC win was hard hurdle to get over but I finally got over it. It’s going to make me a tougher fighter and a tougher person.”
TAMDAN MCCRORY (14-3, 4-3 UFC) VS. KRZYSZTOF JOTKO (17-1, 4-1 UFC) MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Round 1: Both fighters sizing up each other in the early going with Jotko seemingly getting closer and closer to land a huge strike early. Jotko with a huge punch and McCrory is down 2 hammer fists later and the referee dives in to save it
Official Decision – Jotko KO @ 0:59 of R1. McCrory is slowly walking to the back with a small cut from the bridge of the nose likely from the hammer fists. Jotko – “I feel amazing on getting my first knockout in the UFC. I asked Joe Silva to give me a test because most of my fights have been decision after decision. Now, I feel that I have proved that I’m a good fighter and I can compete with top fighters.”
MISHA CIRKUNOV (11-2, 2-0 UFC) VS. ION CUTELABA (11-1 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Round 1: Both fighters are coming out swinging to start with Cirkunov landing a nice shot 30 seconds in. Cutelaba lands a shot that knocks down Cirkunov but he is able to get back to his feet before Cutelaba can do anything. Cutelaba with a takedown but Cirkunov able to get able in no time. The rest of the round was spent in a standup duel trying to land the next big shot. 10-9 Cirkunov.
Round 2: Cutelaba is doing a good job at closing the distance in the round not allowing Cirkunov time to land another stiff shot, he keeps landing and then avoiding the counter punch. Cutelaba is trying to land a spinning back fist over and over and Cirkunov is making him pay after the 2nd or 3rd one. Cutelaba is the more aggresive fighter in this round and he should win this round. 10-9 Cutelaba
Round 3: Superman punch by Cirkunov and that staggers Cutelaba. Takedown by Cirkunov and Cutelaba is bleeding from the right eye. Cirkunov working for a arm and triangle choke and he gets it
Official Decision – Cirkunov tapout via Arm Triangle Choke @ 1:22 of R3. “My whole life I wanted to be in the Olympics. The Olympics is a good dream, but the UFC is 10 times tougher than the Olympics. My whole life I wanted to go for a medal, but now I want to go for a belt. I know it’s a steep road and a big challenge, but I’m willing to take on the test.”
JASON SAGGO (11-2, 2-1 UFC) VS. LEANDRO SILVA (19-3-1 1 NC, 3-2 1 NC UFC) LIGHTWEIGHTS
Round 1: Good kick to the stomach of Saggo by Silva at the one minute mark tat seemed to slow down Saggo early. Saggo with a takedown at the 2 minute mark as the crowd chants his name. Saggo trying to go from Side control to half guard and is working on passing the guard of Silva who is working well not to let that happen. Saggo landing some shots from above to open up Silva with one minute left. Silva makes it back to his feet with a minute left and we have a standup battle as the round wraps up. 10-9 Saggo
Round 2: Silva is working in a few kicks with his punches in this standup battle so far this round. Saggo with a nice head kick at the midway part of the round. For the last half of the round we get a back and forth stand up battle with neither fighter gaining an edge. Silva is the more aggresive of the two with a late takedown to seal it for him. 10-9 Silva
During the time between rounds, the crowd chants very loudly “We Want A/C” as it is quite warm here at TD Place Arena.
Round 3: Each fighter landed 41 strikes in the last round and we get more of the same so far. With a fight this close, both fighters are cautious for a bit but Saggo has landed a few combos with 3 minutes to go. Silva seems confused and is bleeding from the nose as he tries to answer the offense of Saggo. Takedown by Silva late with him going for the finish but Saggo looks comfortable fighting from the bottom. Saggo 10-9 in a close round that in my opinion should win him the fight but could easier go to Silva.
Official Decision: Saggo wins split decision (29-28, 28-29) “That was a hell of a tough fight. I’m glad that I came out on the winning end of a split decision for once. I thought I did enough in the third round. I won the first and I think he took the second. I just beat a guy who had 19 wins and two losses. So that was a great win for me. I love Ottawa. The crowd was one of the best I’ve ever seen. The support in Canada was incredible tonight. Thanks for all the support.”
Silva – “This was a difficult fight. I don’t want to talk about the decision. He won. The judges gave him the win. Now I’m focused on coming back strong.”
This is the first flyweight fight in women’s UFC history.
Round 1: Clinch work early in this fight going from the middle of the cage walking right to the fence with Letourneau in control early. Calderwood scores a takedown but Letourneau looks calm and controlled fighting off her back looking for the triangle. Spinning back fist stuns Letourneau and she goes down but Calderwood is unable to finish but she can very close. Back to a vertical base with under a minute to go. Both are slugging away in the final seconds and Calderwood is bleeding from the nose. 10-9 Calderwood due to the spinning back fist that almost won her the fight.
Round 2: Soccer chants flood the arena early on as both fighters are engaged in a very tough standup battle. Letourneau seems to be focusing on the nose of Calderwood getting the nose to bleed again. Calderwood scores another takedown and is in side control as Letourneau appears to be winded. Calderwood can’t hold her down and both are back to their feet with 60 seconds left. Another takedown for Calderwood which should give her the round, a late spinning side kick to Letourneau should give Calderwood the round. 10-9 Calderwood
Round 3: Letourneau is mixing up more kicks to try and stop Calderwood’s attacks. Body shot stuns Letourneau and Calderwood once again is going for a finish this time on the feet but Letourneau is able to recover. Calderwood is in a bad way after another body shot and turns her back to Calderwood. Calderwood continues to fight until a spinning back fist when Letourneau turns around is the end as Letourneau falls down and the referee stops the fight. On video replay it looks like those body shots were right in the ribs of Letourneau and repeated strikes there over the fight led to a victory for Calderwood.
Official Decision – Calderwod wins via TKO @ 2:51 of R3. During the post fight interview, Calderwood says that she will probably go back to fighting at 115. “There’s a lot of talent out there in the strawweight division, but I’ll fight whoever the UFC wants. All I ask is to get on shows. I asked to be on the Ottawa show.”
Round 1: Aubin-Mercier and Gouti are not aftaid to throw the heavy strikes early in the first two minutes of the fight. Aubin-Mercier scores a takedown but can’t complete as Gouti grabs the fence on the way down but loses grip of it before the referee can tell him anything and Aubin-Mercier is working in half guard. Less than two minutes left and Aubin-Mercier is working on getting the back of Gouti. A few moments later Gouti reverses it but it doesn’t last long as we go back to the feet and a minute long standup battle ends the round with Gouti landing a few nice combos late. 10-9 Aubin-Mercier but could go either way
Round 2: A more aggresive Aubin-Mercier in this round trying for a takedown which gets stuffed and more shots lands put Gouti on the defensive. Aubin-Mercier with another takedown which is stuffed but Aubin-Mercier turns into a slam takedown halfway through the round. Both fighters are active on the ground as Aubin-Mercier is trying to pass guard. Gouti is in survival mode here denying Aubin-Mercier at every way in his guard even with Aubin-Mercier’s corner right behind. Another close round 10-9 Aubin-Mercierr, but I would not be surprised if it’s 19-19 at the end of 2 on some scorecards.
Round 3: Another takedown by Aubin-Mercier which leads to him getting the back in the first minute with both hooks in looking for the rear naked choke. Gouti rolls to the middle of the cage but Aubin-Mercier still has his hooks in. Gouti is trying to get out of the body lock but Aubin-Mercier is locked in tight, Aubin-Mercier gets the arm under the chin and Gouti immediately taps out.
Official Decision – OAM wins via tapout via RNC @ 2:28 of R3. “I feel good. I was in a pretty bad position in the first round. I’m happy that I was able to get out of that spot. It was a good fight against a really tough guy.”
STEVE BOSSE (11-2, 1-1 UFC) VS. SEAN O’CONNELL (17-7, 2-3 UFC) LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Round 1: Straight up slugfest between these two to start. Down goes Bosse and this fight is almost stopped but O’Connell can’t seal the deal as Bosse is back to his feet with over 3 minutes to go. O’Connell is continuing this pace and Bosse is trying to keep up as we are now in a clinchfest with neither fighter able to get an advantage. One minute left and we are back in the middle both swinging for the fences. Round ends and the fans cheer for both fighters efforts. 10-9 O’Connell
Round 2: Bosse more aggresive to start and O’Connell bull rushes him into the cage for a clinch. This fight has slowed down in pace as we reach the halfway mark and as I say that Bosse stuns O’Connell and down he goes. Bosse going in for the win but can’t finish at first and is able to keep O’Connell on his back. Both fighters are tired at this point but Bosse continues to rain hammer fists down, move into side control or half guard and try to stop the fight again and again. 10-9 Bosse
O’Connell is bleeding from the nose as the round ends and both fighters are winded on their stools.
Round 3: A minute in and we are back to the slugfest from the first round. Straight punches by O’Connell and punches and spinning back fists by Bosse are the story of this round with one minute to go. It seems like it will go to the scorecards or we might get a KO as both figters are slowing down, they slap hands with ten seconds left and just go back to a slugfest until Herb Dean stops the fight as the horn went off. Very close final round and I have it 10-9 Bosse.
Official Decision – 29-28 x 2 and 29 -27 for Steve Bosse. One judge gave Bosse a 10-8. I’m wondering which round that was.
Bosse – “I take that energy from the Canadian fans and use it to put on a better show. I think Sean received that energy, too. A big thank you to Sean O’Connell. The fans are the winners tonight.”
O’Connell – “I’m obviously disappointed. I’m happy that we were able to put on a good fight for the fans. That’s a very close second priority for me. I always want to win first. I’m bummed I wasn’t able to thank these fans, wish my dad and grandfathers a happy Father’s Day and represent my friends and family better. I don’t know what this means. That’s two losses in a row and 2-4 in my UFC career. It’s very disappointing. I’ve got to reevaluate some things for my future.”
#4 (LW) DONALD CERRONE (29-7 1 NC, 16-4 UFC) VS. PATRICK COTE (23-9, 10-9 UFC) WELTERWEIGHTS
Round 1: Cerrone in control in the early going, getting Cote on his back but unable to inflict any serious damage. Cote able to defend well and get back to his feet. Cerrone with another takedown and more of the same as the first, Cote is very active on the ground here. Cerrone has his back and both hooks but Cote fights off a few rear naked choke attempts and is able to escape as time runs out in the first. 10-9 Cerrone
Round 2: Cerrone is lazer focused here when playing defence to the aggresive strikes of Cote. Cerrone is focusing on a stand up battle here in the 2nd and Cote is up for the challenge. Cote seems to be slowing down after absorbing a barrage of shots and down goes Cote. Cerrone tries to finish it but Cote recovers and Cerrone lets him back up. Another late combo by Cerrone and Cote fights back and tells Cerrone give me more. A few more punches and the horn sounds. 10-9 Cerrone
Round 3: Both fighters are trading shots to start the third and Cote goes down again but quickly recovers before Cerrone can go in for the finish. More of a standup battle and Cote is wobbled by a shot by Cerrone followed by another and down goes Cote for a third time. Cerrone starts to throw some hammer fists and the referee stops the fight.
Official Decision – Cerrone wins via TKO @ 2:35 of R3. With that stoppage, Cerrone most holds the record for most stoppages in UFC if you include his time in WEC with 15 During the post fight interview, he was asked if he’d prefer 155 and 170. His response “170 or 155 I don’t give a s***”.
#1 RORY MACDONALD (18-3, 9-3 UFC) VS. #2 STEPHEN THOMPSON (12-1, 7-1 UFC) WELTERWEIGHTS
Round 1: MacDonald tries a rolling ankle submission which surprises Thompson but doesn’t work. Both fighters are just getting their timing down in the early stages of this fight. Last minute in the round and they start to slug it out until Thompson gets MacDonald up against the fence. MacDonald brings the fight to the middle of the cage as the round ends. Based on Octagon control and aggresiveness I will say MacDonald 10-9
Round 2: Neither fighter wants to make a mistake in the early going, very cautious first two minutes of the fight. With two minutes left, MacDonald rushes Thompson to the cage but he is able to escape before getting clinched up. Both fighters will try to land a combo but the other will escape before suffering any damage. Lackluster round has the crowd booing as the horn goes off. 10-9 for MacDonald.
Round 3: Both fighters have picked up the pace in this round with MacDonald once again the aggresor and Thompson counter punching and avoiding MacDonald’s strikes. MacDonald goes down trying to work from his back and almost gets a submission but Thompson is able to get free and we go back to the middle of the Octagon. Both are now landing more strikes which seems to somewhat wake up the crowd. More boos rain down as the round comes to an end. MacDonald 10-9 based on Octagon Control.
Round 4: Thompson is the more aggresive fighter early in the round and MacDonald looks to be lining up something but Thompson is too quick for MacDonald to land anything. This round is different as for every shot MacDonald lands, Thompson will land two. Nice kick to the stomach by Thompson with under 2 minutes left. Someone lost a mouthpiece and the referee just throws it out of the cage, looks to be MacDonalds. That’s the end of the round to again more boos from the crowd. 10-9 Thompson
Round 5: MacDonald is bleeding from the nose, looks to be suffered in the 4th round. Thompson has outlanded MacDonald 2-1 in significant strikes after 4 rounds. Here comes MacDonald with a flurry 90 seconds in but Thompson just walks away. Kick by Thompson to McDonald’s nose and the blood has increased. MacDonald is looked gassed here and tries to take down Thompson but Thompson lands on top with two minutes left. Thompson lets MacDonald ip with 90 seconds left and now MacDonald’s left ear is bleeding as well. MacDonald trying to get one more combo before the horn sounds but it could be too late. I have it 48-47 MacDonald but I’m predicting Thompson will win this fight by that score instead of MacDonald.
Official Decision – 50-45 x 2 and 48-47 for Stephen Thompson
Those close rounds early on went to Thompson instead of MacDonald apparently. Thompson wants the winner of Lawler and Woodley and wants that fight to happen in New York. MacDonald says he was at his best tonight, but it wasn’t enough. Could this be MacDonald’s last fight in the UFC? Only time will tell.
Thompson – “I feel great. I expected it to be more of a war. I didn’t think Rory would be ready for my angles and speed. When I met him in the middle, as soon as I saw his stance I could tell this would be a chess match.”
MacDonald – “It was a hard fight, man. I came in the best shape of my life. I was at my best. I can’t take anything away from Stephen. He’s a tricky guy.”
After 40 rounds of action, that’s a wrap on UFC Fight Ottawa aka UFC Fight Night 89. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone enjoyed the coverage. Never leave it to the judges and Go Leafs Go.
