UFC Hall of Famer and former three-time WWE Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey and husband Travis Browne have welcomed the birth of their second child together.
In an Instagram post Thursday, Rousey announced the birth of the couple’s second daughter, Liko’ula Pa’uomahinakaipiha Browne. The Southern California residents made reference to the wildfires ravaging the area in the post’s caption:
“Our little girl came into this world during a windstorm into a city on fire, so grateful she made it safe and sound Liko’ula Pā’ūomahinakaipiha Browne“
Rousey had two separate WWE runs sandwiched around the birth of her first daughter in 2021. She made a brief foray into the independent scene after leaving WWE in 2023, and wrestled on one Ring of Honor taping. Rousey was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018 after retiring from MMA in 2016.
Browne and Rousey have been together since 2015 and married since 2017. Browne is also a former UFC fighter. Browne has two children from a prior relationship in addition to the two daughters with Rousey.
At a San Diego Comic-Con panel on Thursday, Ronda Rousey made a significant life announcement.
Rousey revealed that she and husband Travis Browne are expecting their second child together. The panel, which was hosted by fellow former WWE star Dave Bautista, was to promote the launch of a Kickstarter campaign for Rousey’s first graphic novel.
In September 2021, Rousey and Browne welcomed the birth of their daughter La’akea Makalapuaokalanipō Browne. Rousey is also a stepmom to Browne’s two sons from a previous marriage. She and Browne began dating when they were both UFC fighters. The couple has been married since 2017.
“Expecting the Unexpected,” Rousey’s graphic novel, draws inspiration from Rousey’s journey to becoming a mother. The main characters in the story are based on Rousey and Browne.
Rousey departed WWE in August 2023 and has not wrestled anywhere since last November. Though she’s been heavily critical of WWE’s old regime, Rousey has expressed optimism that things are getting better for the women’s division in the Paul “Triple H” Levesque era.
“There was a point after we had the main event of WrestleMania that I feel like WWE took several steps back, but now that Vince McMahon is gone and Triple H is at the helm, I feel we are taking steps forward again,” she told TV Insider. “I’m extremely encouraged by what is happening across the entire industry.”
Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne have welcomed the birth of their daughter.
On her Instagram account on Monday night, Rousey announced that she’s given birth to her and Browne’s first child together. The baby’s name is La’akea Makalapuaokalanipō Browne. Travis Browne is from Hawaii.
Rousey is also a stepmom to Browne’s two sons from a previous marriage.
This April, Rousey revealed that she was pregnant and due to give birth in September. She and Browne announced in June that the baby would be a girl. The announcement was made via a Pokemon-inspired gender reveal.
Rousey, a UFC Hall of Famer and former Raw Women’s Champion, last wrestled at WrestleMania 35 in April 2019. Becky Lynch defeated Rousey and Charlotte Flair in the main event of that WrestleMania. Rousey stated after the show that she and Browne were trying to have a child.
Prior to Rousey’s pregnancy announcement, WWE president and chief revenue officer Nick Khan said during an April appearance on the Colin Cowherd Podcast that Rousey would be returning to WWE “at a certain point in time” in the future.
Browne last fought at UFC 213 in July 2017. He and Rousey got married in August of that year.
UFC Hall of Famer and former Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey and her husband, MMA fighter Travis Browne, are expecting a baby girl.
In a Pokemon-inspired gender reveal video that Rousey posted to her YouTube channel on Tuesday, Rousey revealed that she and Browne are expecting a baby girl. Rousey and Browne had announced this April that they were expecting. Rousey is due to give birth in September.
“Our gender reveal is finally here. We didn’t want to do anything that would set hundreds of acres ablaze — or thousands even. Some people are idiots. We didn’t want to do that. So we’re keeping it simple. We’re keeping it safe. We’re keeping it Browsey Acres style,” Rousey said before the baby’s gender was revealed.
This will be Rousey and Browne’s first child together. Rousey is also a stepmom to Browne’s two sons from a previous marriage.
Prior to Rousey announcing her pregnancy, WWE president and chief revenue officer Nick Khan said during an April appearance on The Colin Cowherd Podcast that Rousey would be returning to WWE “at a certain point in time” in the future. Rousey hasn’t appeared on WWE programming since facing Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in the main event of WrestleMania 35 in 2019.
Rousey had said after WrestleMania 35 that she and Browne were trying to have a child.
The gender reveal video is available to watch below:
UFC Hall of Famer and former Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey has revealed that she’s four months pregnant.
Rousey and her husband, MMA fighter Travis Browne, released a YouTube video on Wednesday announcing that they’re expecting to welcome a child into the world this September. Rousey’s due date is September 22.
“Pow! Four months pregnant, you didn’t even know. Last four months,” Rousey said. “I’ve been pregnant since January, so four months, woo, baby bump. I can’t hide it anymore, so it’s time to show it off.”
Rousey said there’s much more to the story that they’ll be telling later. When the baby’s gender was mentioned in the YouTube video, it was bleeped out and it was noted that their gender reveal is to come.
This will be Rousey and Browne’s first child together. Rousey is also a stepmom to Browne’s two sons from a previous marriage.
Rousey hasn’t appeared for WWE since Becky Lynch defeated her and Charlotte Flair in the main event of WrestleMania 35 in April 2019. Rousey stated after that show that she and Browne were trying to have a child.
While appearing on The Colin Cowherd Podcast prior to WrestleMania 37 earlier this month, WWE president and chief revenue officer Nick Khan said that Rousey will be returning to WWE “at a certain point in time” in the future.
At one point, Travis Browne was surging in the UFC heavyweight division and was closing in on what seemed like big things. On the September 22, 2011, WGAM MMA Show, yours truly and co-host/producer PJ Huot talked to him as he prepared to fight at UFC 135 against Rob Broughton.
We began the show by previewing UFC 135, headlined by then-light heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson in Denver, CO. This is where the Jones train began to come off the tracks as he famously griped about having to autograph a replica title belt and the fans that once adored him began to turn on him.
We also discussed Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck and I regrettably poked fun at Mark Hunt.
We then talked to Browne for a solid 15 minutes about his SportsCenter highlight of knocking out Stefan Struve, his upbringing in Hawaii, and how he was a self-admitted Blink182 groupie. This was such a difference between the angry guy I listened to at a press conference years later after the UFC’s last visit to Boston.
We wrapped up by previewing the Michael Bisping-Mayhem Miller season of TUF and discussing Kimbo Slice vs. DADA 5000 — a fight that wouldn’t happen until years later.
Ronda Rousey, 30, will be marrying longtime boyfriend and UFC fighter Travis Browne, 35, tomorrow in Hawaii.
Dana White broke the news on The Rich Eisen show today. He noted he was invited to the wedding but won’t be able to attend because it’s taking place on the same day as the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight.
White noted on the show that Rousey is in a good place in her life and has not announced her retirement as an MMA fighter.
While the news just broke from White today, the wedding date had been planned for some time as Shayna Baszler had an independent booking for the AWS promotion in Southern California on August 26th, but on the first weekend of July had informed the promotion that Rousey would be getting married on that date and had to cancel her booking.
Rousey has been training in recent weeks for pro wrestling with WWE. The first angle was shot last month at the Mae Young Classic, and the expectation is that a follow-up angle will be shot at the MYC finals on September 12th in Las Vegas.
UFC was interested in her making a return to the Octagon this year but there has been no talk of it of late.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 105: Lewis vs. Browne, emanating from the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The event is headlined by a five-round bout in the heavyweight division as Derrick Lewis puts his five-fight win streak on the line against Travis Browne. Lewis is coming off of a TKO win over Shamil Abdurakhimov in a lackluster bout in his first main event, but he looks to notch the biggest win of his career against Browne.
Browne is looking to put an end to his two-fight losing skid, and after being on the cusp of a title shot, he is at a crossroads in his career after having gone 2-4 in his last six fights.
In the co-main event, former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks looks to put an end to his three-fight losing streak as he takes on Hector Lombard in a middleweight bout. After many documented issues related to making the welterweight limit and having missed weight for his last two fights, Hendricks finally makes the move up to 185 pounds in a fight that holds his future in the balance. Lombard is looking to rebound from knockout losses in his last two fights to Dan Henderson and Neil Magny.
Other notable fighters on the card include former women’s bantamweight title challenger, Sara McMann, who looks to make it three-straight wins as she takes on debuting short-notice opponent Gina Mazany.
In strawweight action, former UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza returns to action for the first time since April as she takes on Randa Markos. Those two women had a rivalry brewing during season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, and they finally square off in the Octagon in a bout years in the making.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday night with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT
> Gerald Meerschaert (25-8, 1-0 UFC) vs. Ryan Janes (9-1, 1-0 UFC) Middleweights
A big reaction for Janes who came out to a Newfoundland folk song. A few strikes were traded then Janes took Meerschaert to the ground. Janes had trouble keeping position resulting in a fairly quick armbar victory for Meerschaert.
Official Result- Gerald Meerschaert def. Ryan Janes via Armbar at 1:34 in Round 1
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
> Jack Marshman (21-5, 1-0 UFC) vs. Thiago Santos (13-5, 5-4 UFC) Middleweights
Santos with some leg kicks early and a takedown that he coudlnt really translate into too much. Jack got a significant strike to the head that got santos staggered resulting in a big back and forth that really woke up the crowd. Seemed like 10-9 Marshman from my viewpoint.
Both came into the second round with aggression. Santos continued with the legs kicks and then a spinning kick that got Marshman to the floor leading Santos to go to the ground and pound which the ref quickly called off. Marshman was spitting blood from the mouth after the decision. Fun fight with some good hard hitting strikes by each of them.
Official Result- Thiago Santos def. Jack Marshman by TKO at 2:22 in Round 2
Aiemann Zahabi the big favourite among the Canadian crowd as expected. Very reserved pace with being going for and missing a majority of their strikes. Zahabi got Vieira leaning to the cage with a few timed punches but Vieira was able to recover. Vieira with a takedown but a quick recovery by Zahabi with a second takedown that seemed much more effective. Still 10-9 Zahabi from my perspective.
Familiar pacing in the second round with Zahabi keeping good cage control. Vieira attempted multiple takedowns with Zahabi countering one to a headlock which was escaped. Zahabi seems to be very calm and collected. Zahabi got in a few significant strikes which put Vieira to the ground. Zahabi seemed to be going for the arm submission when the round ended. 20-18 Zahabi is what I have.
Zahabi started the third round with a punch that rattled Vieira to the cage but was able to recover just barely. Vieira is going for strikes but seems unfocused. Vieira had seemingly an over the shoulder takedown that Zahabi recovered from like a pro and continues with strikes with Vieira saved by the clock again. 30-27 for Zahabi is what I had scored.
Official Result – Aiemann Zahabi def. Reginaldo Vieira via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Crowd fully with Randa Markos and booing Carla Esparza but that didnt keep the crowd from booing what was a slow first round until they were woken up when they went to the ground. Randa got some punches to the head but Carla was able to survive to the buzzer. 10-9 Markos.
A more active second round with both trading punches. Randa seems to be trying to keep her distance when possible with quick albeit imperfect footwork. Randa starting to get very aggressive but Carla is keeping up. Esparza was able to get Markos to the ground and with some terrific side control to get her in a side choke that Markos was able to fend off untill the end of the round. I have it at 19-19 .
Here come the Randa chants as she continued to go for strikes aggressively which based on the scorecard I have is probably the right move. Carla was able to hit Randas eye which is now visibly injured. Both going back and forth with the round ending with Markos attempting a submission from the ground. It is a close one but I’m thinking 29-28 Esparza.
Official Result – Randa Markos def. Carla Esparza via Split Decision
> Nordine Taleb (12-3, 4-1 UFC) vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (23-3, 5-2 UFC) Welterweights
Very slow first round with nothing of interest outside of a few decent leg kicks from both competitors. Taleb 10-9 is what I saw but this isn’t gonna be what wins the fight for either of them.
Second round starsts with Ponzinibbio landing a few strikes the face causing bleeding which he continued to work until one knocked Taleb to the ground. Ponzinibbio kept good ground control until the end of the round but didnt seem to land anything significant while down there. Should be an even 19-19 at this point.
Crowd seems to be really into most of the fights which makes sense because UFC doesnt often come to places like this.
Taleb still bleeding from the nose and mouth going into round 3 and Ponzinibbio must smell it because thats all he’s trying to go for. Taleb getting some revenge as a strike has Ponzinibbio’s cheek bleeding now as well. Important round with both trading some brutal punches until the buzzer. I have it at 29-28 Ponzinibbio but it was fairly close. Really fun final round.
Official Result – Santiago Ponzinibbio Def. Nordine Taleb via Unanimous Decision (29-28,29-28, 29-28)
FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 9 PM ET/6 PM PT
> Paul Felder (12-3, 4-3 UFC) vs. Alessandro Ricci (10-4, 0-1 UFC) Lightweights
Felder was in control most of the fight and was able to seemingly wear Ricci down until he became unbalanced leading to a stoppage via vicious punches at the corner of the cage. Nothing to write home about but Felder came off technically sound.
Official Result – Paul Felder Def. Alessandro Ricci vis TKO at 4:44 in Round 1
> Sara McMann (#7, 10-3, 4-3 UFC) vs. Gina Mazany (4-0, 0-0 UFC) Women’s Bantamweights
Sara going for the takedown early staying on Ginas back for some punches. Mazant tried to get up but Sara got her back down easy for the Submission. Sara made it look easy and seemingly didnt even break a sweat.
Official Result – Sara McMann Def. Gina Mazany via Arm Triangle at 1:14 in Round 1
Scattered empty seats throughout the arena as well as the higher rafters so not a sellout. The Scotia Bank Centre has about a 13K capacity for events like this so I’m thinking about 12k or so for attendance.
> Elias Theodorou (12-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Cezar Ferreira (11-5, 7-3 UFC) Middleweights
Elias Theodorou with a huge reaction coming out to a song by a local rapper which the crowd ate up. Elias tagged early. Huge Canada chant. Theodorou caught multiple kicks by Ferreira the second leading to a clench but never was able to turn it into anything. Elias very much the aggressor in this fight. 10-9 Theodorou in the first round.
Early in the second round Theodorou went for a flying knee that Ferreira was able to counter and get on Elais’ back and stay on despite him getting to his feet. Theodorou was able to get out after multiple attempts but Ferreira maintained standing side mount for about a minute. Theodorou tried to go for a takedown of his own but was countered into a front choke on the ground not once, but twice. Theodorou was able to change position and get in front mount to connect with punches but Ferreira was able to get back to a standing position. Very back and forth round and the crowd was really into it. Seems to be 19-19 from my perspective.
Coming into the third round Elias looks tired and is going for a lot of strikes that are nowhere close to connecting. Ferreira was able to evade a strike attempt and get Elias to the ground for another choke attempt which Elias once against escapes from and attempts get a submission of his own on the ground. It seems 29-28 Ferreira to me but I don’t think the judges are going to see it that way based on the strike count for that round.
Official Result – Elias Theodorou Def. Cezar Ferreira via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
> Sam Sicilia (15-7) vs. Gavin Tucker (9-0) Featherweights
Halifax local Gavin Tucker gets a deafening reaction from the crowd to the surprise of no one. Wrestling crowd feel with them booing anything Sicilia does and loud “Lets go Gavin chants” and “902” (which is the Halifax area code) among others. A lot of traded punches but no huge ground made by either. 10-9 Tucker but it could really go either way.
Second round and you can see Tucker is feeding off the crowd and is using that energy to get in some really good upper body strikes and some great footwork. Tuck in full control and easily win the round. 20-18 Tucker.
Sicilia comes into the third round swinging as he knows its his fight to lose right now. Tucker doing a very good job ducking punches and attempting to tag back. Twice Sicilia got Tucker to the cage and was able to work the body with punches on the cage before Tucker escaped. Tucker got a takedown of his own to the ground but wasn’t able to lock in a position. Tucker must be getting in twice the amount of strikes as Sicilia and he must know it because hes already celebrating his win before the clock is done. 30-27 Tucker is what I have scored. The crowd is going nuts.
Official Result – Gavin Tucker Def. Sam Sicilia via Unanimous Decision (30-27,30-27,30-27)
Lombard with some devastating punches to start off the fight. Hector is in phenomenal shape and it’s showing in the way he’s fighting here. Hendricks isn’t getting totally outpaced but he’s not making any headway either. 10-9 Lombard.
Second round starts off the same as the first with a few grapple attempts by Lombard that Hendricks wants no part of. Lombard is making some good strikes but is not defending Hendricks strikes at all. Hector with a fairly brutal low blow that stops the fight for a few seconds. Hendricks getting back into the fight with some good punches. Lombard is looking tired and Johny is taking advantage with some well timed knees and strikes to the head. its hard to tell here but i’d score it 19-19 even at this point.
A lot of back and forth striking to start the final round. Both come off fairly tired but you still see the power in both their punches. Hendricks goes for a knee with Lombard able to grab but Hendricks was able to do get in a few one legged knees until finally Lombard took it out though Hendricks was able to get quickly back on his feet. Very close round and final two rounds. Id would score it 29-28 Hendricks. Lombard seemed dazed going to the back and had to sit outside the cage for a minute before leaving.
Official Result – Johny Hendricks Def. Hector Lombard via Unanimous Decision (30-27,30-27,29-28)
> Derrick Lewis (#8, 17-4 1 NC, 8-2 UFC) vs. Travis Browne (#9, 18-5-1, 9-5-1 UFC) Heavyweights
Browne starting the round with some devastating kicks to the stomach that slows Lewis down. Lewis counters with some punches that get Browne grounded but he’s able to recover. Browne reciprocates with some punches of his own that leave Lewis running. Lewis seems to be trying to end it with a haymaker but Browne is able to dodge them fairly easily to end the first round. 10-9 Browne.
Travis continues with the kicks into round two. Lewis then seemingly goes from not punching at all to connecting with strike after strike as Browne is barely able to defend himself as they go around the cage. Lewis gets Browne on the ground but Lewis is able to escape to only go to the ground agin with Lewis delivering some of the most brutal ground and pound I’ve seen. Brownes eyes looked glazed over and the ref calls the TKO. Lewis also falls to ground exhausted as both are being looked at by medical. One of the craziest rounds I’ve seen in a while.
Official Result – Derrick Lewis Def. Travis Browne via KO 3:12 in Round 2
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem, eminating from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
We’re looking for your thoughts on this show, as well as tomorrow’s Backlash show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worest match to [email protected]
The event is headlined by UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic making his first title defense against challenger, Alistair Overeem. In the co-main event, it is a heavyweight battle as former UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum meets Travis Browne in a rematch of their April 2014 bout won by Werdum. Also on the card is the MMA debut of former professional wrestler C.M. Punk, who makes his much-hyped Octagon debut against Mickey Gall.
********** YANCY MEDEIROS (12-4 1 NC, 3-4 1 NC UFC) VS. SEAN SPENCER (12-5, 3-4 UFC)
First round: Medeiros with a body kick. Low kick by Spencer. Medeiros with a body punch. Left by Spencer. Spencer with a nice right. Body kick by Medeiros. Low kick by Spencer. Low kick by Spencer. Body kick by Medeiros. Left by Spencer. Medeiros with a body kick which knocked Spencer to one knee. Body kick by Spencer. Lots of Whoo chants which often happen s at UFC shows. Very close round. 10-9 Medeiros.
Second round: Medeiros landed a left kick to the head which knocked Spencer down. Medeiros grabbed a guillotine, but then let it go and got behind him and grabbed a choke and had it in deep for the submission.
DREW DOBER (16-7 1 NC, 2-3 1 NC UFC) VS. JASON GONZALEZ (10-2, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Gonzalez hurt him with a punch. Dober kicked him low. Dober was given a warning. Dober landing a flurry of punches. He’s landing a lot of punches and the ref stopped it as Gonzalez went down. The sequence was a right to the jaw, left to the jaw, a few punches missed or grazed, then a huge right, then a left and another right and it was over. 1:45
NIK LENTZ (26-7-2 1 NC, 10-4-1 1 NC UFC) VS. MICHAEL MCBRIDE (8-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: McBride missed weight by two pounds. Lentz landed some punches. He landed a knee to the head but McBride spun out of a choke attempt. Lentz got behind him and took him down into back control. Lentz with a knee to the body and another trip takedown. McBride back up. Lentz got him down again. McBride trying for a leg lock. Lentz throwing punches from back position. Lentz tried a guillotine again but McBride out. Lentz throwing punches. Lentz throwing some punches and elbows from back control. 10-9 Lentz.
Second round: McBride landing punches. Lentz landing punches. McBride seems real tired but put Lentz down and has his back. Lentz is back up. McBride with punches and took him down again. Lentz is trying for a guillotine. Lentz got his back. Lentz working for a head and arm choke. Lentz landing a lot of punches from back position. McBride put his thumb up like he was okay but the ref stopped it.
First round: Magalhaes with a body kick. Magalhaes got the takedown. Tavares back up. Tavares pushing Magalhaes up against the cage. Not much happened this round. Both trading knees at short range. Magalhaes 10-9.
Second round: Body kick by Magalhaes. Body kick by Magalhaes Good right by Tavares. Front kick by Tavares. Low kick by Magalhaes. Magalhaes got a takedown but Tavares right back up. Another close round, could go either way. 19-19
Third round: Tavares pushed him into the fence. Magalhaes working for a guillotine. He let it go. Tavares landed punches. Low kick by Tavares. Both traded. Body kick by Tavares. Right by Tavares. Body kick by Tavares. Magalhaes with a left hook. Right by Tavares and a high kick. Magalhaes in with some punches. Tavares with a knee. Tavares definitely took this round, so I’ve got 29-28 but the first two rounds were close.
First round: Eye is from Cleveland and is the big crowd favorite here. Eye landed a right. Nice right by Correia. Right by Eye. Eye took her down but Correia was let back up. Eye landing more punches. Eye 10-9.
Second round: Eye landing punches. Both were landing punches. Both were bleeding at this point. Eye 20-18.
Third round: Eye landing body kick. Correia landed. Both traded. Eye landed a left. Correia landed a left. Correia landing more punches. Both in a clinch and landing punches. Correia’s round so 29-28 Eye.
Scores: 29-28 Correia 29-28 Eye 29-28 Correia. The crowd is really upset. Fact is this fight could have gone either way.
First round: Andrade took her down. Andrade cut over the left eye from an elbow. Andrade with a high takedown into side control. The cut look s nasty. Andrade landing punches. Short power bomb by Andrade. Andrade landing punches. Andrade with good punches. Andrade back in side control. Calderwood got half guard back. Andrade working for a guillo0tine. Calderwood tapped. This was a strong one-sided win for Andrade.
Jimmie Rivera (19-1) vs. Urijah Faber (33-9)
First round: Front kick by Faber. Nice right by Rivera. Low kick by Rivera. Very little happening. Both are moving. A quick trade. Very hard to score because so little happened. Faber may have a right hand injury because he’s not throwing the right. Rivera 10-9.
Second round: Low kick by Rivera. Accidental low blow kick by Faber. Rivera landed a few punches. Low kick by Rivera put Faber down. Right by Rivera. Another low kick by Rivera. Another low kick by Rivera. Another low kick by Rivera. Faber’s left knee looks swollen. Another low kick by Rivera. Hard low kick by Rivera. Another low kick by Rivera. They traded punches. Rivera’s round I’ve got it 20-18. Boring fight.
Third round: Both swinging. Body kick by Faber. Faber tried for a takedown but didn’t get it. Right and left by Rivera. Rivera dropped down for the takedown. Low kick by Rivera. There was an accidental eye poke by Faber. Rivera back with punchds. Rivera landed more late. Rivera said he couldn’t see out of his right eye from that eye poke as soon as the match ended. Rivera 30-27. Boring fight.
Scores: All three had it 30-27 for Rivera. It’s sad to see Faber in this position.
Rivera was almost in tears about fighting Faber saying he grew up watching him. He said he couldn’t see out of his right eye the last three minutes of the fight. He told the doctor he wanted to finish the fight. He kind of apologized for not finishing. Rivera said he knew Faber doesn’t check kicks so he took advantage of that.
C.M. PUNK (0-0, 0-0 UFC) VS. MICKEY GALL (2-0, 1-0 UFC)
First round: Mickey Gall came out to “Hey Mickey” after all the controversy so Dana gave in on that. Punk came out to “Cult of Personality.” Punk looked so happy coming out and just being in the cage. It’s so weird how this is the real main event. Punk got a big reaction. Gall took him right down. Gall landing big shots from the top. Gall working for a guillotine. Gall go this back and working for a choke. Gall gave it up and punching and again working for a choke. Gall landing lots of punches. Gall is landing a lot of punches and again working for a choke. Punk escaped. Gall got it again and Punk tapped. This was a one-sided slaughter. This is just reality. 2:14
Gall said this has been crazy, it was a great opportunity, said people hate too much, he hated all the things people have said with Punk. We’ll all be dead in 100 years fuck the hate. He said this was a great opportunity for me, he said people may say you’re a gimmicky fight but I’m no gimmick. He challenged Super Sage Northcutt next. That’s exactly who he should have called out. Exactly.
Punk’s right ear looks like hell. Punk said this was a hell of a mountain to climb. He said this doesn’t mean he’s going to stop believe it or not. Said Mickey was a hell of a fighter. Said this was the second best night of my life other than getting married. Life’s about falling down and getting up and said to believe in yourself. Sometimes the outcome won’t always be what you desire it to be but the true failure is not trying at all, This was the time of my life.
First round: Werdum came out with a flying side kick that landed to the chin which was one of the best moves of the fight. Wedrum went for takedown. Werdum tried a Jushin Liger koppo kick but that missed as well. Werdum looks so slow. Browne suffered a dislocated finger and popped it back in. The dislocation came from a punch. The referee went to stop the fight as an injury time out which makes no sense. The fight should have been stopped. They all argued about whether to allow the fight to continue and they let it continue. Werdum with a body kick. Werdum is now landing. Werdum landing all kinds of punches. Browne actually landed some punches. Werdum with a spin kick to the body. Browne landed a left. Another left by Browne. Low kick by Werdum. Brown landed a right. Front kick by Werdum. Browne threw him down. Werdum with low kick. Werdum dropped him with a right. Werdum landing punches on the ground. Werdum got his back. Werdum working for a choke. Werdum landing lots of punches from back position until the round ended. 10-8 Werdum.
Second round: Spin kick by Werdum. Werdum landing punches. Werdum with a body kick. Fans are booing as nothing is happening. Browne with a front kick. Werdum with a right to the chin. Uppercut by Werdum. Left by Browne landed. Werdum is so slow. Brown with a left hook to the body. Crowd booing now. Browne with a left. Low kick by Browne. Werdum tried another Liger kick that missed. Werdum 20-17.
Third round: Browne with low kick and another. Werdum with a low kick. Werdum tried a takedown but Brown easily blocked it. Side kick by Werdum. Werdum landing punches. Werdum landing more pucnhes and knees. Browne with high kicks. Right by Browne. Browne landed a right. Werdum dropped down for a takedown that didn’t come close. Werdum landed a right. Left by Werdum. The crowd is booing this like crazy. It’s really bad fight with both looking slow and doing little aside from Werdum having him in trouble late. Werdum 30-26
Wedum started mocking the fans booing. Werdum threw a kick at Edmond Tarverdyan (Browne’s trainer) when Tarverdayn started mouthing off to him. There’s going to be trouble for that. It was broken up quickly. Bruce Buffer went to calm Werdum down. Werdum’s corner was hot as well.
Scores: 29-28, 29-27 and 30-27 for Werdum.
The crowd is booing Werdum heavily in his interview. Werdum said it was a good fight blamed the booing on this being Stipe Miocic’s house.
First round: Loud Stipe chant. Overeem moving backwards. Body kick by Oveeeem. Overeem just running away. Overeem deked him with a left and put on a guillotine but Miocic is out of it. That was insane. Miocic landed a left but Overeem with a body kick and a left. Miocic landed a right. Miocic with good punches. Miocic landed a good right. Miocic landing good punches. Miocic landed punches and Overeem is running away. Overeem with a body kick. Overeem with an uppecut and knee to the body. Loud “Stipe” chants. Body kick by Miocic. Left by Overeem and a body kick. Body kick by Miocic. Miocic landing several punches. Miocic took him down and is pounding on him. Miocic finished him with punches on the ground. Overeem was out after a series of punches on the ground. That was a hell of a round. This is one of the biggest celebration pops in UFC history. Overeem was out cold. They tried to get him on the stool and he fell back down. 4:27
Miocic interview. Said Overeem kicked harder than he thought. Said he kicked hard as f***.
Overeem said Stipe was the better man today, he’s a great athlete and he came to fight. Overeem said that Miocic tapped from the guillotine and the ref didn’t see it. He said it’s a bummer. He said he’s the better fighter but he wasn’t the better fighter.They showed the replay and no tap and the fans booed the hell out of it. Now theyr’e going to look at it again. There was no tap. Overeem looked like the kid who lied and got caught red handed.
UFC returns to pay-per-view this weekend as the company travels to Cleveland, OH, for the very first time for UFC 203 on Saturday. The event is headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout as champion Stipe Miocic defends against challenger Alistair Overeem.
Also, you may have also heard of another significant bout as CM Punk makes his debut against Mickey Gall.
Below are fighters to target when setting your fantasy line-ups for the event.
TOP TARGET
Stipe Miocic ($10,000)
Stipe Miocic is making his first title defense when he defends the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 203 on Saturday. Miocic won the championship by knocking out Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 in May, going into the enemy territory of Brazil and getting the biggest win of his career. Miocic now makes his first title defense in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, and he comes in with a ton of confidence.
Miocic has won three straight fights and six of his last seven while Overeem earns his title shot on the heels of four straight wins. Overeem disappointed early in his UFC career, but he has earned his shot at getting the belt out of the hands of Miocic.
This is a tough match-up to predict as both men are equally close in skillsets. Miocic is the better pure boxer of the two and has a ton of power in his hands, but Overeem has more technique on his feet with his kickboxing. Overeem has punishing kicks and knees that end fights, and Miocic is going to need to be light on his feet and use a lot of movement. Miocic is the better wrestler of the two should he choose to go that route, but Overeem has good takedown defense and is good at getting back to his feet.
I expect Overeem to be on the attack of the legs of Miocic with kicks and to keep enough distance to negate Miocic’s strong counterpunching game. Miocic is very durable and has shown a stronger conditioning game than Overeem has. Any time Overeem has been past the second round, he has slowed considerably. He has been lucky his opponents slowed quicker than him. That won’t happen with Miocic.
I expect Overeem to give Miocic some trouble but for Miocic to start coming on after the first round. Either man can win by knockout, but I see the hometown crowd giving Miocic a lot of confidence and him feeding off of that en route to a win inside of three rounds. Miocic is my top target on this tough card.
VALUE TARGET
Joanne Calderwood ($9,500)
Joanne Calderwood meets Jessica Andrade in a high-level strawweight battle that will kick off the main card of UFC 203 on Saturday. Both ladies are strong, high-volume strikers and both looked super impressive in their most recent wins. This will be Andrade’s second time fighting at 115 pounds while Calderwood goes back down to 115 pounds after fighting her most recent bout at 125 pounds.
It was Calderwood’s first full camp with Tristar and she looked much improved and more confident having the better coaching staff behind her. Andrade is short for the division, but she has a ton of power and has shown devastating finishing abilities at both womens’ weight classes in the UFC.
A big difference between the two is Andrade starts out fast and slows down while Calderwood is a slow starter who comes on late. If Calderwood has a slow start, Andrade can make her pay early. Andrade mixes her attack to the head and body well, and she goes right after opponents.
Calderwood is a solid kickboxer and likes to work in the clinch, and her kicks and knees come into factor in a grueling bout. Calderwood is also a good wrestler and has solid submission skills. Andrade has been finished in four of her five career losses, two each by submission and knockout. More importantly, all of Andrade’s UFC losses have seen her stopped.
Calderwood is the slight underdog in this fight, but I see her having more tools to win this fight out of the two women. Calderwood is going to have to survive an early attack from Andrade, but the later this fight goes, the more it favors Calderwood. She scores a lot of points in fantasy and is a sneaky pick for a late finish, and her salary makes her a very good value pick.
DO NOT TARGET
CM Punk ($8,000)
There are a multitude of reasons to avoid CM Punk on your fantasy team for this weekend’s card. I think he’s going to do better than a lot of people think he is, but it is still a big risk, and his low salary reflects that. He is making his professional debut, at 37-years-old, coming off of years of his body being beaten up in pro wrestling.
The fact that he is debuting 21 months after his signing and coming off of two surgeries isn’t a great sign either. He has a top training camp and top coaching staff behind him, so that is going to play a big factor.
Everything is pointing to him not doing so well, and that is where I think he will surprise some people. Everyone watching his reality show has seen the holes in his game, but don’t let that be a true reflection of where he stands today as the show isn’t going to show everything for a number of reasons. As inexperienced as he is, Mickey Gall is a real opponent.
He has just two professional fights, both wins, and while he is a raw prospect, he has the ability and he has done everything to show that he would eventually make it to the UFC, but he is there quicker than he should have been because they needed an opponent for Punk, and he was in the right place at the right time. Punk may actually surprise some people and he could sneak out a win as while some should think he has all that pressure on him, he really should have no pressure on him at all.
There really isn’t much for him to lose because everyone expects him to lose, and everything for him to gain if he is better than people expect. For fantasy reasons, with Punk being in his first career fight, I don’t recommend playing him at all unless you want a Hail Mary pick. This is a very interesting situation, though, to say the least.
UNDERDOG TARGET
Travis Browne ($8,700)
Travis Browne makes a quick turnaround on short notice as he looks to avenge one of the losses in his career when he takes on Fabricio Werdum in the co-main event of UFC 203. Browne is coming off of being finished in the first round by Cain Velasquez at UFC 200 in July, and he steps in on short notice as a replacement for Ben Rothwell.
Browne and Werdum fought in a five-round bout in April 2014 that was dominated by Werdum, who won by unanimous decision. That was Werdum at his best, and now he is coming off of him being at his worst when he lost by first-round knockout, losing the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Neither man has been terribly active in the 29 months since their first fight as Browne has fought just four times and Werdum just three. There are a lot of factors to show that Werdum may be done. He looked different in his bout with Stipe Miocic in May, looking like another man than the one who won the championship. Perhaps that has to do with more stringent drug testing, or other factors coming into play such as Werdum getting older.
Browne has the power to finish Werdum with one shot, much like Miocic did. Werdum was happy to engage with Browne in their first bout, and that shook Browne, who didn’t look like he did prior to that fight. Both men have lost a step in recent times, but they are also fighting much quicker than their recent schedules have.
The short notice, in my opinion, actually favors Browne. I think Werdum’s chin may be done as it has been cracked a lot, and I see Werdum wanting to engage with Browne on the feet. Browne has one of the lower salaries on the card, and you have to pick at least one big underdog on every event. Browne is a good one and I see him as my top underdog target.
SURPRISE TARGET
Brad Tavares ($9,800)
Brad Tavares fights for the first time since May 2015 as he returns to the Octagon to take on Caio Magalhaes in a preliminary bout at UFC 203. Tavares has been battling injuries that have forced him from fights since his last fight, but he gets an opponent who has also been out for a while as Magalhaes hasn’t fought since July 2015, but his inactivity has been due to suspensions and injuries.
Tavares was actually a rising middleweight who found himself in the top 15 rankings after going 7-1 in his first eight UFC bouts, but he has since lost three of his last four, including being knocked out by Robert Whittaker in 44 seconds in his last fight.
This is a great match-up for him as Magalhaes is an opponent who cuts a lot of weight and it shows in his performances. He comes out aggressive but is unable to keep up the pace for very long while Tavares has excellent conditioning. Magalhaes also telegraphs his takedown attempts too easily and Tavares has strong takedown defense.
In fact, the only opponent who hasn’t had trouble taking Tavares down has been Yoel Romero, and he is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC. Tavares has solid striking, mixing kicks with knees and solid jabs and punches. Tavares also has good takedowns of his own. Magalhaes is going to have to hit him with a hard shot early, but Magalhaes also has a questionable chin.
Tavares is in big need of a win, and I think he gets the job done here, and a first-round finish is always there. I like his chances for a surprise finish with a lot of points being scored.
OUR LINE-UPS
RYAN FREDERICK- Mickey Gall ($11,400), Jessica Eye ($10,100), Stipe Miocic ($10,000), Joanne Calderwood ($9,500), Travis Browne ($8,700)
Mickey Gall has his chance to make a name for himself at the expense of CM Punk, and I think he’s too good of a pick to pass up, even at his salary. If he is going to win, and I think he will, I think it will be by a finish and in the first round.
Jessica Eye is coming in with her back against the wall, but she has a ton of confidence fighting in front of her hometown crowd, and she fights a favorable opponent. She is going to bounce back in a big way in Cleveland.
Stipe Miocic also has a lot of confidence fighting in front of the Cleveland crowd, and him and Alistair Overeem are going to have a battle. Miocic will land a lot of punches and some takedowns and finish the fight and retain his championship.
Joanne Calderwood has good value at her salary and I see her finishing Jessica Andrade after wearing her down after the first five minutes.
My last pick is Travis Browne. I’m not sold that Fabricio Werdum is the same fighter that he was when Browne and him first fought, and I think his chin is done. Browne is big and hard with his punches, and I think he can finish Werdum.
PAUL FONTAINE- Yancy Medeiros ($10,500), Stipe Miocic ($10,000), Caio Magalhaes ($9,600), Michael McBride ($9,200), Travis Browne ($8,700)
Medeiros is very underrated and I think he’s going to have a lot more power at welterweight where he’ll be fighting for at the first time in UFC. He had fought as high as 185 in Strikeforce and had KO power at that weight. I look for him to finish Sean Spencer since he has his back against the wall, having lost 2 of 3.
Miocic is a killer and will have the hometown crowd behind him. He should KO Alistair Overeem in fairly short order. Caio Magalhaes is a beast in more ways than one and he’s going to blitz Brad Tavares, who hasn’t fought in 19 months and has only one win in the last 2 1/2 years.
Michael McBride makes his UFC debut with all of his career wins coming by submission. Nik Lentz grappling style leaves him vulnerable to getting caught and I’m going with the newcomer to score the upset here.
My last pick is Travis Browne. I think the former champion Werdum is coming back too soon after getting KO’d by Miocic. At 39 years old it can’t be easy for him to come back from that and Browne should enter the title picture with a win over Werdum.
PEACH MACHINE- Drew Dober ($11,200), Jessica Eye ($10,100), Urijah Faber ($9,700), Alistair Overeem ($9,600), CM Punk ($8,000)
I’m not convinced Miocic is the champ. He got lucky against Werdum and I don’t think he’ll get lucky against Overeem. Like I wrote about in my column a few days ago, Punk is playing opossum. Eye is really tough as is Correira but Eye needs the win badly here.
Faber is woefully underrated in my book. Sure he’s never won the big one, but this isn’t the big one. I’ve been impressed by Dober in his last few outings. I expect him to cruise here. I’ll be live at the event, and if Punk wins, I may crash the cage with my posse and call him out. Look for that.
