Friend of the show Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.com and Yahoo Sports returns to the Josh Nason’s Punch-Out airwaves for a talk that ranges from pro wrestling to UFC.
The first 20 minutes or so focuses on this past weekend’s UFC 215 card, my lack of enthusiasm going into the event, and the key talking points coming out of the show. Dave gives his thoughts on where the women’s bantamweight division goes from here, and whether my Valentina Shevchenko boredom is misplaced. We also hit on corner stoppages or a lack thereof.
We then take a quick look at this weekend’s UFC Pittsburgh show and the stakes for Luke Rockhold and David Branch in the night’s main event.
Then, it’s onto PWG’s recent Battle of Los Angeles and Dave’s attendance at night 3 which he called his favorite night of pro wrestling in 20 years.
Give this a listen now or else face an uncertain future.
Welcome to our live cageside coverage of UFC 215 from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The UFC heads to Edmonton for the very first time, and unfortunately, the originally planned main event of flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson vs. Ray Borg was scrapped due to illness from the challenger. Johnson was in search of history as he was looking for his eleventh consecutive title defense.
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes defends against Valentina Shevchenko in the new main event. The two were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 213 in July, but the fight was cancelled the day of the event as Nunes fell ill and was forced out of the bout. Their history has been long documented. Nunes holds a win over Shevchenko but Shevchenko came on strong at the end of their first fight with many thinking she would have won a five-round bout. She gets that five rounds and that chance to wrap a UFC title around her waist tonight.
The co-main event is a welterweight bout with title implications on the line as Neil Magny takes on former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos. Also on the card, fighters known for exciting fights square off in the main card opener as Jeremy Stephens slugs it out against Gilbert Melendez.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
Send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected] after the show.
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UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
> Kajan Johnson (21-12-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Adriano Martins (28-8, 4-2 UFC) Lightweights
Not a lot of action early, as Martins laid claim to the center of the cage and kept Johnson to the outside. Not surprisingly, the crowd wasn’t too thrilled with this early approach. But in the final minute of the round, Martins floored Johnson with a hard left and nearly finished him with a kneeling guillotine choke but Johnson was saved by the horn. 10-9 Martins.
More circling by Johnson to evade Martins in the second round. Johnson attempted more strikes than he did in the first round, but Martins was able to evade many of them and score some counter shots. Johnson generated more attempted offense, but Martins had the edge in Octagon control. 10-9 Martins, 20-18 on my scorecard.
Early in the third round, Johnson caught Martins coming in for a takedown with a counterpunch and dropped him for the knockout finish. The crowd didn’t like this fight at all until the finish.
RESULT: KAJAN JOHNSON (22-12-1) by knockout at 0:49 of the third round
> Luis Henrique (10-3 1 NC, 2-2 UFC) vs. Arjan Bhullar (6-0, 0-0 UFC) Heavyweights
No Jinder Mahal for Bhullar’s walk to the cage. According to Ariel Helwani, Bhullar requested to wear his turban during his entrance and was denied.
It was a fairly back and forth opening round. Both fighters had their moments, but Bhullar was more of an aggressor and seemed to get the better of most of the exchanges. 10-9 Bhullar.
More back and forth early. Bhullar dropped Henrique with a right hand but couldn’t finish him on the ground. Bhullar got a slam, though Henrique almost wriggled free in the process. Loud “Arjan” chants. Bhullar couldn’t get much done on the ground, though, and Henrique survived. 10-9 Bhullar, 20-18 on my card.
Henrique dictated the pace early, seemingly pressing due to Bhullar’s performance in the previous round. Both fighters were pretty tired, though, and their strikes were a bit sloppy and lacked a lot of power. Henrique got the better of the exchanges, but didn’t do a ton of damage. Henrique 10-9, but 29-28 Bhullar overall. Big ovation from the crowd at the final horn.
RESULT: ARJAN BHULLAR (7-0) by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Another very loud ovation for the decision.
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Mitch Clarke (11-4, 2-4 UFC) vs. Alex White (11-3, 2-3 UFC) Lightweights
Loud ovation for Clarke’s introduction, as he lives in Edmonton.
Clarke came out of the gates with some energy, controlling the middle of the Octagon and getting the best of some striking exchanges. He slowed down a little bit as the round wore on, though, and White began to execute. He did just enough in the first half of the round to have a very slight edge. 10-9 Clarke, but it was a close round.
White seemed to take the fight over in the second. Clarke’s strategy seemed to be tying White up in the clinch and trying to score some short-range punches. But White wriggled free and connected with a lot of elbows in the clinch, bloodying Clarke’s nose. After a couple back and forth exchanges that White got the better of, Clarke was knocked down hard and the referee waved it off.
RESULT: ALEX WHITE (12-3) by technical knockout at 4:36 of the second round
Following the fight, Clarke said it was a pleasure to fight in front of his adopted hometown and that it was his last professional fight. He thanked the Edmonton fans.
> Gavin Tucker (10-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Rick Glenn (19-4-1, 1-1 UFC) Featherweights
Another loud ovation for the entrance and introduction of a Canadian, this time for Newfoundland’s Tucker.
Tucker came out with a frenzy of offense early, but Glenn weathered the storm and began to exert control as the round wore on. Tucker seemed to initiate the offensive flurries, but Glenn’s counter-punching was more effective and he likely did more damage during the round. 10-9 Glenn.
Glenn got an early takedown, but Tucker was able to escape. After a brief back and forth, Glenn got Tucker against the cage and eventually worked him to to the ground. He didn’t get close to a finish, despite a late flurry of strikes on the ground, but Glenn had Tucker’s back or had him on his back for much of the round. 10-9 Glenn, 20-18 overall.
Glenn seemed content to stick to his gameplan in the third, clinching Tucker against the cage and once again working him down to the mat. Glenn kept going for strike finishes on the ground – punches, then knees – but Tucker kept wriggling free before the referee jumped in. Tucker nearly got finished again on the ground via Glenn’s strikes, but he once again managed to wriggle free and survived the round. The referee realistically had three or four good chances to stop the fight, but didn’t. Tucker may not have gotten a single instance of offense during the entire round. Glenn 10-8, 30-26 overall.
RESULT: RICK GLENN (20-4-1) by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-24, 29-27)
> Sarah Moras (4-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith (#15, 5-2, 2-2 UFC) Women’s Bantamweights
Evans-Smith got Moras down and was working on the ground for position. Moras wriggled free out of a tough spot and, eventually, grabbed hold of Evans-Smith’s arm and rolled through for an armbar and a submission victory. Moras spent roughly 85% of the round on her back with a foot, shin or knee in her face, but she executed some impressive grappling.
RESULT: SARAH MORAS (5-2) by submission at 2:51 of the first round
“All I heard was my coach shouting ‘use your legs!’ So I used my legs.” – Moras, explaining her submission victory to Joe Rogan.
> Sara McMann (#6, 11-3, 5-3 UFC) vs. Ketlen Vieira (#13, 8-0, 2-0 UFC) Women’s Bantamweights
McMann came out fast and took Vieira into the cage with a clinch, eventually executing a takedown attempt that ended with her in Vieira’s guard. Vieira defended well for a while, then survived a flurry of McMann strikes from the mount and countered and grabbed McMann’s ankle, but McMann fought out of that as the round ended. McMann 10-9.
Vieira was very sharp in the second round. She stuffed a takedown attempt from McMann and got the better of their exchanges in the clinch along the cage. Eventually Vieira scored a takedown and gradually worked into an arm triangle on the ground. With no way out, McMann tapped out.
RESULT: KETLEN VIEIRA (9-0) by submission at 4:16 of the second round
PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
After being roughly 60% full for much of the prelims, Rogers Place looks to be roughly 85% full for the beginning of the main card. The biggest gaps in the seating are down low, in the expensive seats.
> Jeremy Stephens (#8, 25-14, 12-13 UFC) vs. Gilbert Melendez (#14 LW, 22-6, 1-4 UFC) Featherweights
Stephens hung back a bit early in the first, letting Melendez take the fight to him and executing leg kicks to Melendez’s lead leg to wear him down. Twice he dropped Melendez with this method, the second time Stephens went for the finish but the horn saved Melendez. Otherwise, Stephens still got the better of their striking exchanges. 10-8 Stephens. The commission doctor checked on Melendez before the second round began.
Both fighters made adjustments for the second round. Melendez slightly adjusted his stance, but kept advancing on Stephens. Stephens kept hanging back, but was much more active in initiating striking exchanges and mixing up his combos. Melendez continued to be on the receiving end of much of Stephens’ offense and was knocked down by another leg kick late in the round. 10-9 Stephens, 20-17 Stephens through two.
Stephens continued his dominance in the third round. He knocked down Melendez with a leg kick and he rolled to his feet, so Stephens encouraged the crowd to cheer for him. Stephens dropped Melendez twice more with leg kicks, but wasn’t able to finish the fight. 10-8 Stephens, 30-25 Stephens overall.
RESULT:JEREMY STEPHENS (26-14) by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)
Post-fight, Stephens put over his fiance for letting him postpone the wedding to take this fight. He also put over Melendez as one of the best ever, but noted he doesn’t think his game has evolved.
> Ilir Latifi (#10, 12-5 1 NC, 5-3 UFC) vs. Tyson Pedro (#13, 6-0, 2-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
The opening round was incredibly close. Punches were met by counterpunches. Clinches were met with counters. Takedowns were followed by scrambles to standing positions. Latifi got a couple big takedowns, the best countering a Latifi attempt at a headkick, so he had a very slight edge. But both men executed well. Latifi 10-9.
The second was even early on, with Pedro anticipating Latifi’s strikes well and countering. But the round swung on a takedown by Latifi midway through, as Latifi was able to keep Pedro on the ground or on the fence in the clinch for the duration. 10-9 Latifi, 20-18 Latifi through two.
Latifi seemed content to counter Pedro’s offense and stay out of danger early in the third, but eventually he scored a takedown out of the clinch and kept Pedro on the mat for the remainder of the fight. 10-9 Latifi in the third and it should be 30-27 in his favour overall. It wasn’t an incredibly entertaining fight, but Pedro had no answer for Latifi’s gameplan.
> Henry Cejudo (#2, 10-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Wilson Reis (#5, 22-7, 6-3 UFC) Flyweights
It was back and forth early, with Cejudo consistently getting the better of the exchanges. Reis scrambled out of a guillotine attempt by Cejudo, but Cejudo managed a few nice offensive flurries and a takedown late. 10-9 Cejudo.
Cejudo caught Reis on the button with a clean right hand that dropped him, then followed up with a flurry of punches on the ground before the referee jumped in to stop the fight. Very strong performance by Cejudo, particularly with his striking.
RESULT: HENRY CEJUDO (11-2) by technical knockout at 0:25 of the second round
> Neil Magny (#6, 19-5, 12-4 UFC) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (#10, 26-9, 15-7 UFC) Welterweights
Dos Anjos countered an early Magny punch with a leg sweep to get him on the ground, then gradually worked through Magny’s guard and finally locked in an arm triangle for the submission. Magny never really got out of the gates in this one.
RESULT: RAFAEL DOS ANJOS (27-9) by submission at 3:43 of the first round
Joe Rogan put over dos Anjos as a potential title contender during the post-fight interview, and dos Anjos declared that he’s coming for the belt.
Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid was shown on the big screen for easily the loudest crowd reaction of the night. (Arjan Bhullar was the second loudest.)
Once she got into the cage, Nunes didn’t look at Shevchenko at all during the fighter introductions, stretching in her corner facing her coaches until Bruce Buffer finished his introductions.
Nunes controlled the middle of the cage throughout the first round, but seemed to hestitate with her striking – double-clutching on a couple openings early on. She avoided a Shevchenko takedown attempt and narrowly got the better of a few striking exchanges. It was a very close round. 10-9 Nunes, but it was extremely close.
The second round was equally close. Nunes maintained her Octagon control, but Shevchenko was much more active in engaging with strikes and was more effective than Nunes was in terms of delivering damage. Another very close round, leaning 10-9 Shevchenko. 19-19 through two rounds.
Nunes and Shevchenko continued at the same pace in the third round. Once again, Nunes controlled the middle of the Octagon and left Shevchenko to circle around the outside. Nunes engaged a bit more with her striking, though, with Shevchenko attempting to create offense via counters. It was another tough round to score, leaning 10-9 Nunes. 29-28 Nunes through three rounds but really any scores could be defensible.
The fourth round was very similar to the third. Nunes began throwing more leg kicks, but they were the extent of her offense. Shevchenko began engaging more from the outside and got the better of several striking exchanges, including a very nice knee to the body of Nunes in the middle of the round. 10-9 Shevchenko, arguably the least close round so far. My scorecard is 38-38 through four close rounds.
The fifth round opened up a bit, as both fighters were more aggressive than they had been previously. Shevchenko got the better of several standing striking exchanges. After a failed takedown attempt along the cage, Nunes managed to get one and take Shevchenko’s back. Shevchenko escaped, then was taken down again after some work along the cage by Nunes. Shevchenko was on the defensive for the better part of this round. 10-9 Nunes. My scorecard reads 48-47 Nunes through five very close rounds.
The crowd booed frequently throughout the fight (and chanted for their hockey team), which is a bit of a shame considering it was a very tactical bout between evenly-matched opponents.
RESULT: AMANDA NUNES (15-4) by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)
UFC returns to PPV tonight, but instead of Demetrious Johnson attempting to set the record for consecutive UFC title defenses, we’ve got a women’s bantamweight title fight that was originally scheduled to headline July’s UFC 213.
Champion Amanda Nunes will defend against Valentina Shevchenko in a rematch of their 2016 fight which Nunes won by decision. Nunes was fading in the third round of that fight and most observers feel that in a five round fight, Shevchenko may have gotten the best of her. Nunes went on to win the title and Shevchenko defeated former champion Holly Holm and TUF winner Julianna Pena to earn this title shot.
After the main event that was elevated due to the Johnson-Borg fight being scrapped, the card really thins out in terms of marquee value. In the co-main event, former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos continues his run toward a welterweight title shot as he faces perennial top 10 contender Neil Magny. This will be a good test for RDA as Magny is more or less a gatekeeper in the division.
Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez moves down to featherweight against tough veteran Jeremy Stephens. Melendez will fight for the first time in a year after a suspension due to PEDs, but with a win here, he could enter the title mix.
Originally scheduled for the FS1 prelims, past flyweight title challengers Wilson Reis and Henry Cejudo has been bumped up to the main card. Either guy is at least two wins away from another shot after having been easily dispatched by Johnson.
Rounding out our panel picks is Canadian veteran Mitch Clarke vs. Alex White in what could be a loser leaves town fight. White has lost three of his last four coming into this one and Clarke has not won since 2014 although that win was an impressive one over Al Iaquinta.
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Our year-long panel picks are listed below and listed alongside the fighter’s names are their worldwide FightMatrix rankings, as well as BestFightOdds.com betting odds. The panelist’s 2017 records is in parentheses, along with panel consensus picks and a line where we show how the betting favorites did:
John Pollock (43-18; .705) — Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
Favorites (41-20; .672)
Dave Meltzer (41-20; .672) — Wrestling Observer publisher
Consensus Picks (39-21; .650)
Tom Lawlor (15-9; .625) – Filthy Four Daily co-host, budding pro wrestling star, UFC enhancement talent currently suspended due to wellness violation
David Bixenspan (38-23; .623) – Deadspin pro wrestling columnist; Between the Sheets podcast host
Mike Sempervive (37-24; .607) — Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
Steve Juon (37-24; .607) — MMA Mania writer, Angry Marks publisher
Mike Sawyer (36-25; .590) — Tough Talk MMA publisher
Ryan Frederick (34-27; .557) — WrestlingObserver.com UFC writer
Paul Fontaine (34-27; .557) — MMADraws.com publisher, WrestlingObserver.com writer
Front Row Brian (31-30; .508) — MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host
> UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes (14-4) vs Valentina Shevchenko (14-2) II
Nunes pulled out hours before this fight was originally scheduled in July, leading to UFC immediately rebooked the fight for September. Despite the greater mainstream appeal of former champion Ronda Rousey, Nunes’ run in UFC has been almost as impressive. She has won seven of her eight UFC fights with all but one of those victories being first round stoppages.
Shevchenko’s three UFC wins have come against two former world champions and a TUF winner and her only loss came to Nunes in a very close fight. Her only other career loss early in her career came at the hands of Liz Carmouche, a former world title challenger.
Most feel that Shevchenko is the only fighter in the division with a realistic shot at beating the champion and it’s tough to see who is next for Nunes should she win. She has talked of wanting a run at the featherweight title, but we’ll see how that plays out.
> Neil Magny (19-5) vs Rafael Dos Anjos (26-9) Welterweights
Since losing to the very tough Demian Maia in a short notice fight, Magny has rebounded to win four of his last five fights with wins over former champion Johny Hendricks and former TUF middleweight winner Kelvin Gastelum highlighting that stretch. He doesn’t jump to the top of the list when you think of title contenders, but a win here could change that perception.
Dos Anjos is the former lightweight champion who moved up a weight class after losing his title and a followup fight against future interim lightweight title challenger Tony Ferguson. He beat former Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine in his welterweight debut and a second straight win here might leave him one win short of a title shot.
> Henry Cejudo (12-2) vs Wilson Reis (22-7) Flyweights
Cejudo was destroyed in his title challenge in the first round against Johnson and went on to suffer his second career loss at the hands of #1 contender Joseph Benavidez. He needs a win here badly to stay relevant in this division.
Reis’ title challenge came in his last fight and he lost via third round submission to the champ which snapped a three-fight win streak for the Brazilian. This could be very interesting as Cejudo’s game is wrestling-based but with Reis being a submission expert, he may not want to go to the ground. A third straight loss may have Cejudo contemplate a move to bantamweight as he has had weight cutting issues in the past.
> Jeremy Stephens (25-14) vs Gilbert Melendez (22-6) Featherweights
Stephens has recently passed the ten year mark in his UFC career and with a recent win over former champion Renan Barao, he’s still relevant in the divison. He has lost three of his last four, but two of those were against current champion Max Holloway and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Like Magny in the co-main, he’s very much a divisional gatekeeper.
Melendez has had a rough start to his UFC career. The former Strikeforce lightweight champion has lost three in a row and four of his five promotional bouts. However, three of those losses were against former champions in Eddie Alvarez, Benson Henderson, and Anthony Pettis. He always seemed to be the smaller guy in his lightweight fights so perhaps a move down to 145 will be good for him. With his name value, he could enter the list of title contenders with a win over Stephens.
> Mitch Clarke (11-4) vs Alex White (11-3)
Lightweights
This fight was originally scheduled as the featured Fight Pass prelim, but was bumped up to the FS1 prelims when the Cejudo-Reis fight was moved to the main card. Clarke, the Canadian, should be the hometown hero and he’ll need that extra support as he’s just 2-4 in his UFC career and hasn’t had a win in over three years.
White has been slightly better with a 2-3 record in UFC. He originally started as a featherweight but moved up to lightweight for his last fight, a loss against the unheralded Tony Martin. They’re not billing this as loser leaves town, but it probably is.
White #343; -195 betting favorite: Sawyer, Lawlor, Meltzer, Nason, Sempervive
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The rest of the card:
> Ilir Latifi (12-5) vs Tyson Pedro (6-0) LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Latifi #19; +125 betting underdog
Pedro #26; -125 betting favorite
> Sara McMann (11-3) vs Ketlen Vieira (8-0) WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS
McMann #5; -205 betting favorite
Vieira #20; +205 betting underdog
> Sarah Moras (4-2) vs Ashlee Evans-Smith (5-2) WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS
Moras NR; +240 betting underdog
Evans-Smith #28; -227 betting favorite
> Rick Glenn (19-4) vs Gavin Tucker (10-0)
FEATHERWEIGHTS
Glenn #40; +240 betting underdog
Tucker #121; -230 betting favorite
> Luis Henrique (10-3) vs Arjan Bhullar (6-0) HEAVYWEIGHTS
Henrique #108; +185 betting underdog
Bhullar #86; -200 betting favorite
> Kajan Johnson (21-12-1) vs Adriano Martins (28-8) LIGHTWEIGHTS
Johnson NR; +450 betting underdog
Martins #34; -475 betting favorite
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Action begins with the Fight Pass prelims at 7 PM EST and moves over to FS1 at 8 PM EST. The main card airs on PPV at 10 PM EST and our own Ryan Pike will be cageside covering the show.
Ray Borg, who was scheduled to headline Saturday’s UFC 215 against flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, was pulled from the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, event Thursday night due to an illness that wasn’t related to weight cutting.
Due to the late nature of the change, Johnson, who was going for the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses, is now off the show as well. UFC is looking at booking the fight as soon as possible.
The show will remain a PPV with a main event of women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko II. That fight was originally scheduled for this past summer, but had to be postponed due to a late pullout by Nunes due to complications from sinusitis.
MMA Fighting reported that Borg had been ill all week and had gotten progressively sicker. However, he was examined by UFC doctors who ruled he was too ill to fight and wouldn’t clear him. Borg said he was 133 pounds on Thursday morning, not a substantial weight cut to hit 125 by Friday morning.
Johnson came into the fight with ten straight title defenses, tying the all-time UFC record held originally by Anderson Silva. He has been the subject of controversy this summer after speaking out against Dana White when he attempted to get him to fight T.J. Dillashaw instead of Borg.
Henry Cejudo vs. Wilson Reis now moves to a main card that also features former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos vs. Neil Magny, Ilir Latifi vs. Tyson Pedro, and Gilbert Melendez vs. Jeremy Stephens.
