Following a great and controversial UFC 244, Josh Nason’s Punch-Out is back to sift through the remaining talking points while looking ahead to UFC Moscow this weekend.
Joining us on our journey is first-time guest Michael Fiedel of The Body Lock and FloCombat. His name has started to get out there more and more with shoutouts from Luke Thomas and Ariel Helwani in recent months, so it was the perfect time to get him on before his asking fee gets too high for me.
To listen, just click the red ‘Right Click Save’ button below.
A few of things we jumped into:
– His background and what the Thomas and Helwani shoutouts meant to him and the website
– Who we hope are next for both Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, and whether the rematch will actually happen
– Our hopes for Darren Till going forward
– Michael gets into some of the fighters he’s excited to see this Saturday at UFC Moscow
– We talked a bit about Greg Hardy and his last-second stepup against Alexander Volkov
– The whole DAZN controversy in delaying one of their biggest fights to wait for a UFC main event
After the interview, I essentially workshopped a column I might write about the AEW vs. WWE war happening on Twitter among the fans and how I got a taste of it this week.
Four weeks into the promotion’s existence on weekly television, one of AEW’s biggest strengths has also been a bit of a balancing act for them.
Alternatives to WWE have long tried to present themselves as having “less talk, more action.” While WWE is still too reliant on a TV format that was carried by Steve Austin and The Rock and struggles without stars of that caliber, there was a time when that was a more valid criticism than it currently is. The days of WWE programming always opening up with a monotonous 20-minute promo segment from a heel authority figure are gone for now. This decade has seen WWE totally overhaul its hiring practices, bringing the level of the company’s in-ring action higher than it’s ever been.
Finding the right balance between non-wrestling segments and matches is vital. But while WWE has had problems with finding the right mix, the biggest issue is that their talking segments too often just haven’t been very good. They’re overly scripted and rarely accomplish their goal of getting fans more interested in the match they’re supposed to be building. Tons of the most iconic moments in pro wrestling history happened outside of matches. People don’t dislike promos — they dislike bad ones.
In a crazy week, we’ve got the most detailed look at the business of pro wrestling in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Our lead story updates the WWE business with the key notes from the quarter, why the stock took a big plunge even though profits were above expectations, the key things the market is worried about with the company, and the very different key things regarding brand popularity that I see as major warning signs.
We cover in-depth the consumer business, tickets, WWE Network, merchandise and more, good news on television ratings, why we know house shows are down but it’s hard to fairly gauge how much, the decline of NXT live and how every other consumer spending category is doing.
The new issue also covers:
Crown Jewel, the women’s match and its ramifications and why it went the way it did, why Lesnar vs. Velasquez went the way it did, look at the key stories coming out of the show, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings.
The build for Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal and on UFC 244 and the ramifications of the key fights, the ticket demand for the show and more on Dwayne Johnson at the show.
John Cena’s philanthropy, changes in Survivor Series plans, original plan for Tyson Fury and why it was changed, Xavier Woods update, HHH looks at how the way they do call-ups from NXT has changed and how it works now, Seth Rollins complains about the fans and what is and isn’t legit, WWE reaction to Smackdown ratings, notes on ticket sales for the five shows in Chicago at the end of the month including AEW television and the demand, DVR viewership for Raw, Hulu viewership for WWE shows, WrestleMania tickets, notes on the next Takeover show, WWE Backstage notes, WWE international TV notes, notes on Carolina on Raw and her long-term role, coach quits PC and new coach hired, all-women’s house show, DVD changes, new name for giant, value of WWE stock and the most-watched shows on the WWE Network, and all the WWE arena events over the past week with results, highlights and business notes.
Kenny Omega entrance video and the Sans connection that appeared on AEW television this week. It’s a look at what it is and what it isn’t.
Albert Hardie Jr., situation with WWE, the T-shirt, and far more about the situation including his comments, WWE’s comments and much more about it.
Television business and 18-49 demos and look at the expense and future value of the different wrestling television shows, the platform, the night, the rights fees and more for UFC, WWE and AEW.
UFC show from Singapore.
WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.
Ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I recorded the weekend show going in depth about the problems with the WWE getting talent out of Saudi Arabia and a lot of reactions from talent. We also covered last night’s UFC show.
As far as trending searches go on Google, Daylight Savings time was first yesterday, but UFC 244 was second with 2.1 million. Canelo Alvarez was No. 4 with 2 million. What’s notable is that nothing from WWE cracked the list. Crown Jewel on Thursday would be the first WWE PPV not to crack the list even with the Lesnar vs. Velasquez main event. Nothing regarded the problems getting talent back cracked the list, although that story really didn’t get out anywhere of note. But the great Smackdown show on Friday didn’t either.
Even though Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal talked about doing a rematch, and Diaz claimed he didn’t lose, and was talking all kinds of stuff about Dwayne Johnson for congratulating Masvidal, Dana White said he wasn’t interested. He felt Masvidal won cleanly and said when he saw Diaz’s face after the fight, he saw how bad the cut was and felt it was a legit stoppage. One would think Masvidal gets a shot at the Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington winner.
Kenny Omega & Riho beat Antonio Honda & Miyu Yamashita on the DDT show earlier today at Sumo Hall in Tokyo. While Omega worked for DDT, Chris Jericho sent in a video to New Japan to set up a 1/5 Tokyo Dome match with Hiroshi Tanahashi.
MLW last night announced an alliance with AAA, which would mean AAA has alliance with AEW, MLW and Impact.
Dragon Gate’s big show in Osaka tonight on its network will have English commentary by Larry Dallas and Lenny Leonard. Ben K vs. Masato Yoshino for the Open the Dream Gate title is the main event. Dallas and Leonard also do commentary on this coming Thursday’s show at Korakuen Hall.
WWE
John Cena will be appearing on Late Night with Seth Myers at 12:30 a.m. Thursday night on NBC talking his new movie “Playing with Fire” that opens this coming weekend.
Hulk Hogan and Carlos Colon will both be special guests on ABC’s The Goldbergs on a wrestling-themed show. They’ve had Bill Goldberg on the show in the past.
Lacey Evans kicks off season 20 of Military Makeover airing on Friday night on Lifetime.
Becky Lynch replaced Alexa Bliss at today’s Ringside Fest 2019 at Times Square in New York.
ICW Fear and Loathing Night 12 from today in Glasgow before about 750 fans: Jordan Devlin b Kenny Williams, Alexander Dean b Aaron Echo, Sha Samuels & Jack Jester & Noam Dar b Kings of the North & Adam Maxted, Grado b Ravie Davie in a lumberjack match, Sami Callihan b BT Gunn, Kid Fite b Damien Dunn in a street fight, Viper & KLR b Angel Hayes & Xia Brookside, Liam Thompson b Wolfgang to keep the Zero G title (thanks to Jordan Clark)
Dragon Lee was announced for Expo Lucha on 8/15 and 8/16 in Philadelphia at the 2300 Arena. Also announced are Dr. Wagner Jr., Tinieblas Jr., Octagon, Solar, Pirata Morgan, Mascarita Dorada, Psicosis, Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy, Mr. Aguila and Laredo Kid.
Bar Wrestling from Halloween night in Baldwin Park, CA: Heather Monroe & Katarina Waters & Christina Von Eerie b Watts & Rust Taylor & BHK, Orange Cassidy (dressed as Priscilla Kelly) b Priscilla Kelly (dressed as Orange Cassidy), Ashley Vox & Delmi Exo (dressed as The Young Bucks) b Jake Atlas & Dom Kubrick (dressed up as characters from SpongeBob), Brian Cage b Kris Statlander, Nicole Savoy & Ruby Raze b Tyler Bateman & Andy Brown, Addy Starr b Joey Ryan in a Lego death match. Next show is 11/6 in Los Angeles at the Bootleg Theater with the debut of 17-year-old Rok-C, who is gaining popularity in Texas, facing Ryan, Atlas vs. Effy, Nick Gage vs. Kikutaro and more. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)
Robbie Eagles vs Emman the Kid is booked for MCW on 11/9 in Melbourne, Australia. Gino Gambino and Bad Luck Fale are also on that show.
Rise on Friday night from Berwyn, IL: Zan Phoenix b Bel Pierce, Elayna Black & Hawlee Cromwell b Dust & Ash, Lindsay Snow b Thunderkitty, Mercedes Martinez & Miranda Alize b Ashley Vox & Delmi Exo, Candy Lee b Jamie Senegal, Taya Valkyrie b Allysin Kay in a no DQ or count out match, Jessicka Havok & Nevaeh b Charli Evans & Jessica Troy, Cassandro b Saraya Knight with Colt Cabana as referee, Kylie Rae won ladder match over Priscilla Kelly, Hyan, Ruby Raze, Jesus Bryce and Jake Atlas, Big Swole b Laynie Luck to keep Phoenix of Rise title, Shotzi Blackheart b Rosemary in a no holds barred match. This is Blackheart’s last match with the promotion since she’s going to WWE. (thanks to Shannon Walsh)
Shimmer from yesterday in Berwyn, IL
114: Lady Frost b Jenna Lynn, Kris Statlander b Marti Belle , Charli Evans b Bel Pierce, Ashley Vox & Delmi Exo b Hot Scoop Skylar & Davienne, Hyan b Brittany Blake, Kimber Lee b Nevaeh, Saraya Knight b Ruby Raze, Priscilla Kelly b Shazza McKenzie, Kelly Anne won six-way over Jessicka Havok, Su Yung, Allysin Kay,Jessica Troy and Solo Darling, Shotzi Blackheart b Dust, Mercedes Martinez & Cheerleader Melissa b Nicole Savoy & Big Swole to keep tag titles
115: Jenna Lynn b Hawlee Cromwell, Ruby Raze b Nevaeh, Shazza McKenzie b Jody Threat, Charli Evans & Jessica Troy b Willow Nightingale & Solo Darling, Rhia O’Reilly b Veda Scott, Priscilla Kelly b Dust, Thunder Kitty b Lady Frost, Kimber Lee b Saraya Knight, Shotzi Blackheart b Holidead, Delmi Exo & Ashley Vox b Mercedes Martinez & Cheerleader Melissa to win tag titles, Nicole Savoy b Kelly Anne to keep Shimmer title (thanks to Shannon Walsh)
Shimmer results from today: Candy Lee b Jamie Senegal, Elayna Black b Sophie King, Zen Phoenix b Valentina Loca, Holidead b Veda Scott, Willow Nightingale & Solo Darling b Hot Scoop Skylar & Davienne, Su Yung b Thunder Kitty, Marti Belle b Shazza McKenzie, Dust b Kelly Anne, Jessicka Havok b Ruby Raze, Hyan won three-way over Rhia O’Reilly and Kris Statlander to become the Interim Heart of Shimmer champion, Mercedes Martinez b Big Swole, Ashley Vox & Delmi Exo b Charli Evans & Jessicka Troy to keep tag titles, Kimber Lee won elimination match over Nicole Savoy, Priscilla Kelly and Shotzi Blackheart to win Shimmer title. They did a farewell to Blackheart after the match. (thanks to Thrang Thrang Gozxinbulx)
CWE on 11/11 in Saskatoon, SK at the Cosmo Civic Center with Jimmy Jacobs and Juventud Guerrera.
About 500 fans stayed after the Calgary Hitmen last night to see a PWA wrestling show on Bret Hart night. In a six-man tag match, Bran McGrattan, a former NHL player, was used at the ringside enforcer (thanks to Ryan Pike)
Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling from last night in Swansea, IL: Tony Chino b Dave Doll, Sean Vincent b Curt Gannon, Ricky Cruz b Jake Prater, Superstar Steve Fender b Billy McNeil, Shawn Santel & Mauler McDarby DCOR Big Texan & Waco, Damian Blade b Khayman, Ken Kasa & Christopher Hargas b PT Beckham & Chris Kade, Curtis Wylde b Gary Jackson, Flash Flanagan b Attila Khan in a no DQ match. Arn Anderson, Barry Windham and J.J. Dillon were special guests at this show (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
Pro Wrestling Eve runs this coming Saturday and Sunday in London at Bethnal Green. Jazz will be appearing on the shows.
A story on wrestling legend Johnny Valentine (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz, emanating from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
The Octagon heads to the World’s Most Famous Arena with what is arguably the biggest fight of the year in the main event as well as a stacked undercard in one of the deepest events of the year.
Jorge Masvidal takes on Nate Diaz to crown the one and only BMF champion in the headline bout in what has become one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history. Masvidal is coming off arguably the greatest knockout in UFC history, the five-second flying knee knockout of Ben Askren, in July, while Diaz is coming off a win over Anthony Pettis in his first fight in three years in August.
Both men asked for the fight. It was the fight the fans wanted, and it was quickly put together to headline this show.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will present the BMF title to the winner of the main event.
In the co-main event, Kelvin Gastelum looks to get back into title contention as he welcomes Darren Till to the middleweight division. Also on the stacked main card is a welterweight bout between Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque, a heavyweight bout that sees Derrick Lewis taking on Blagoy Ivanov, and a lightweight bout as Kevin Lee looks to hand Gregor Gillespie his first career loss.
The stacked preliminary card is capped off by a light heavyweight bout as Corey Anderson takes on exciting Johnny Walker in a potential title eliminator bout. Also on the prelims is a featherweight bout between Shane Burgos and Makwan Amirkhani, a middleweight bout between Brad Tavares and the undefeated Edmen Shahbazyan, as well as a possible title eliminator in the women’s flyweight division between Katlyn Chookagian and Jennifer Maia.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so 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].
> Julio Arce (16-3, 3-1 UFC) vs. Hakeem Dawodu (10-1-1, 3-1 UFC) Featherweights
Dawodu looking for high kicks early. He lands a hard leg kick and then a high kick that almost landed clean on the chin. Dawodu with a combo as they get in a clinch. They broke after not a lot of action. Arce just misses a left hand and Dawodu counters with a leg kick. Arce lands a hard left hand. Dawodu with a body kick and then a front kick to the body. Arce with a straight left hand. Dawodu with a hard inside leg kick. They trade knees in a clinch at the end. 10-9 Dawodu.
They trade punches to start the second. They clinch and trade knees and Dawodu pushes Arce against the fence. They break the clinch back to the center. Dawodu with some body kicks. Arce with the jab and Dawodu lands a hard body kick. Arce with a trip takedown into the half-guard. Arce with some elbows to the body. Dawodu gives up his back and Arce looking for a rear-naked choke. Dawodu able to reverse into the guard of Arce and then stands. Arce tries some upkicks and then stands and they trade late. Close round. 10-9 Arce, 19-19.
They trade to start the third and go into a clinch. They break and Dawodu with a body kick. They trade and Arce with a right hand before they clinch. Arce with some uppercuts with his back against the fence. They break. Dawodu with a right hand. Dawodu with a front kick to the body. They clinch and Arce pushes Dawodu against the fence. They break. They trade in close range and Dawodu lands a knee but Arce lands a counter left and Dawodu responds with a right hand. Jab then a body shot by Arce. They trade in close and Dawodu lands a little more. They are slugging away inside the pocket and both are getting tagged. Really good fight. 10-9 Dawodu, 29-28 Dawodu.
Official Result- Hakeem Dawodu def. Julio Arce by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Lyman Good (20-5 1 NC, 2-2 UFC) vs. Chance Rencountre (14-3, 2-1 UFC) Welterweights
Good lands a right hand right away. Good with some inside leg kicks. Good lands some good punches. Rencountre with a left hand. Good with an inside leg kick followed by a right hand. Good with some punches as they clinch but they break and Good lands a right hand followed by a jab and a hard leg kick. Rencountre attempts a takedown but Good defends as they clinch against the fence. Good lands some right hands that stun Rencountre. Good with some hard right hands and then left hands and Good with a hard combination. Rencountre was rocked there and they clinch. Good with a body kick. 10-9 Good.
Good with a leg kick. Rencountre tries a flying knee but Good counters with a right hand and then a combo. They trade and Good lands a good right hand. Rencountre with a left hand. Good with a right hand. Good with the jab. They trade punches. Rencountre with a combo. Good breathing with his mouth open. Rencountre with a left hand to the body. Rencountre with a few good punches. Good with a right hand. 10-9 Good, 20-18 Good.
They trade to start the third as Good has slowed down just a little. Good lands a hard right hand. Rencountre circling around and is bleeding from his nose. Good with a high kick and then knocks Rencountre down with a right hand and finishes it off. Good with the knockout and he looked good here.
Official Result- Lyman Good def. Chance Rencountre by TKO (punches) at 2:03 of Round 3
> Katlyn Chookagian (#1, 12-2, 5-2 UFC) vs. Jennifer Maia (#5, 17-5-1, 2-1 UFC) Women’s Flyweights* (Maia missed weight by 1.2 pounds)
Chookagian with a left hand. They trade leg kicks. Maia with a body kick and then a right hand. Maia with a right hand. Chookagian with a left hand and Maia lands a jab and a right hand. Chookagian with a side kick to the body. Chookagian with a combo. Maia lands a left hand. Maia with a right hand. Chookagian with a left hand. They clinch for a moment and Maia lands a right hand as they break. Maia with a leg kick. Chookagian with a side kick. Chookagian with a high kick. They trade late. 10-9 Chookagian.
They trade to start the second. Maia with a right hand. Chookagian with a high kick. They are trading and Chookagian with a head kick. They are trading and Chookagian with a leg kick and then another. Chookagian with a jab. They trade and Maia lands a clean right hand. Maia with a right hand as Chookagian landed an uppercut. Chookagian with a combo and a side kick. 10-9 Chookagian, 20-18 Chookagian.
Chookagian with a leg kick. Maia coming forward and clinches against the fence. They break and both are throwing punches outside the pocket but not much is landing. Maia with a right hand. Maia with a left hand followed by a body kick. Maia with a combo as Chookagian retreats. Chookagian with a right hand. Maia with a combo. Maia comes in and scores a takedown and is in the half-guard. Maia landing from the top but not trying to finish it which is what she needed. 10-9 Maia, 29-28 Chookagian.
Official Result- Katlyn Chookagian def. Jennifer Maia by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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> Andrei Arlovski (28-18 2 NC, 17-12 1 NC UFC) vs. Jair Rozenstruik (8-0, 2-0 UFC) Heavyweights
Rozenstruik landing big punches early. They trade leg kicks. Arlovski rushes in and Rozenstruik knocks him out with a left hand as he was rushing in. Big win for Rozenstruik as he remains undefeated.
Official Result- Jair Rozenstruik def. Andrei Arlovski by knockout (punch) at :29 of Round 1
They trade early. Tavares tries a body kick but Shahbazyan grabs it though he lets go. They trade punches. Tavares with a leg kick. Shahbazyan drops Tavares with a right hand but Tavares gets back up and is still in trouble. Shahbazyan with a high kick and lands punches. He then drops Tavares with a head kick and this fight is over. What a performance by Shahbazyan as he stays undefeated.
Official Result- Edmen Shahbazyan def. Brad Tavares by knockout (head kick) at 2:27 of Round 1
Amirkhani with a right hand and they clinch and he trips Burgos down to the ground. Amirkhani in the guard of Burgos. Amirkhani with some left hands from the top. They get to their feet and Amirkhani has the back. Amirkhani gets another brief takedown. They continue to roll around as Amirkhani has the back. Amirkhani switches to an arm-in guillotine but it doesn’t look tight. He looks to get it in better as Burgos tries to escape and he does as they get to their feet. Amirkhani tries a takedown but Burgos defends. Burgos with a right hand. Amirkhani lands a combo. Burgos with a late right hand. 10-9 Amirkhani.
Amirkhani lands a snap jab to start the second but fails on a takedown attempt. Burgos with a right hand and Amirkhani lands a counter left. Burgos with a leg kick. Amirkhani gets the body lock and they fall to the mat. They get up and Amirkhani still has the body. Burgos with an open ear slap. They scramble to the mat but get up. They break. Burgos with a right hand to the body. Amirkhani is definitely tired. Burgos with a combo. Amirkhani shoots for a takedown but Burgos defends. Burgos with body punches in the sprawl position. Burgos with a hammerfist as he goes into the guard of Amirkhani. Big end to the round for Burgos. 10-9 Burgos, 19-19.
Amirkhani tries a flying knee and lands a left hand. Burgos hurts him with a right hand and Amirkhani falls to the ground and Burgos gets in his guard. Burgos lands big punches from the top. He is trying to finish as he continues to land and stands up. The ref orders Amirkhani to his feet and he has trouble standing. Burgos with a head kick. Burgos with a right hand. Amirkhani tries to grab a leg and Burgos defends and lands punches. They get up. Amirkhani goes for the single leg and Burgos is punching and elbowing him in the head. Amirkhani slumps to the ground as he is holding onto the leg. Burgos gets side control. Burgos with hammerfists to the body. Burgos with lots of punches from the top. They stand. Burgos with more body punches and a high kick. Burgos with a body punch and drops Amirkhani with a right hand and it is stopped. This was such a beating by Burgos in the third.
Official Result- Shane Burgos def. Makwan Amirkhani by TKO (punches) at 4:32 of Round 3
> Corey Anderson (#7, 12-4, 9-4 UFC) vs. Johnny Walker (#11, 17-3, 3-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Walker with a leg kick. Anderson tries a takedown but Walker defends. They break. Anderson with a right hand and Walker is in trouble. Anderson gets the back and is landing. Anderson gets a takedown but Walker gets to his feet. They break and Anderson landing punches and then a right hand finishes it standing. The referee stopped it and Walker was in trouble on the feet. Anderson then did a lot of trash talking towards Walker after the fight.
Official Result- Corey Anderson def. Johnny Walker by TKO (punches) at 2:07 of Round 1
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> Kevin Lee (#10, 17-5, 10-5 UFC) vs. Gregor Gillespie (#11, 13-0, 6-0 UFC) Lightweights
Gillespie with a right hand. Both throwing punches. Lee lands a big right hand. Gillespie responds with a right hand. Lee with the jab. Lee lands a right hand. They trade jabs. They trade inside the pocket. They trade in close. Lee with a head kick on Gillespie and he goes out cold. Oh my what a knockout. That was vicious.
Official Result- Kevin Lee def. Gregor Gillespie by knockout (head kick) at 2:47 of Round 1
> Derrick Lewis (#5, 21-7 1 NC, 12-5 UFC) vs. Blagoy Ivanov (#8, 18-2 1 NC, 2-1 UFC) Heavyweights
Lewis misses a kick. Lewis with a body kick and Ivanov grabs the leg and pushes Lewis to the ground. Ivanov gets to side control. Lewis explodes out from the bottom and starts unloading punches. Ivanov lands a head kick and Lewis throwing punches and they clinch. Lewis gets a takedown and Ivanov has the neck and they get to their feet. Ivanov with a knee in the clinch. Lewis with a big elbow. Lewis lands some big punches as they break. Not much happens at the end. 10-9 Lewis.
Lewis with a leg kick. Ivanov lands a left hand. They clinch and Lewis just misses an uppercut on the break. Ivanov with a leg kick. Lewis with a leg kick. They trade in close and Lewis lands some big punches and Ivanov is wobbly. They trade big punches in close range and then clinch and Ivanov with a trip takedown. Ivanov looking for a kimura and turning it into a keylock. Lewis explodes to his feet and lands some big punches and Ivanov is retreating. Ivanov cut open. They clinch and Ivanov with an uppercut. Lewis with a big knee and then an uppercut and a huge right hand. Ivanov has an incredible chin. Ivanov with a combo. Ivanov with a judo takedown late. 10-9 Lewis, 20-18 Lewis.
Lewis with a punch as the pace has really slowed to start the third. Ivanov comes in with some punches that miss and they clinch. They remain clinched. Ivanov tries a trip and Lewis escapes. Ivanov with a left hand and Lewis misses a loaded uppercut. They clinch and Lewis with a knee. Lewis tries a takedown but Ivanov defends and grabs the neck but Lewis gets up and lands a big uppercut. They clinch again. They remain tied up against the fence battling for position. They break. Lewis lands a flurry of punches late. Entertaining fight. 10-9 Ivanov, 29-28 Lewis.
Official Result- Derrick Lewis def. Blagoy Ivanov by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
> Stephen Thompson (#9, 14-4-1, 9-4-1 UFC) vs. Vicente Luque (#14, 17-6-1, 10-2 UFC) Welterweights
Luque with some leg kicks right away and Thompson returns fire with his own leg kicks. Both miss on punch attempts. Thompson with a side kick to the body followed by a leg kick. Luque with a right hand and Thompson counters with a left hand and then a jab. Thompson with a body kick. They trade kicks. Thompson with a right hand. Luque with a combo. Luque with some left hooks and catches Thompson with a right hand. Thompson with a right hand. They trade and Luque with a body kick. They trade inside the pocket. Thompson with a left hand. They trade late. 10-9 Luque.
Thompson with a body kick. Luque with a body kick. Thompson explodes with a combo. Thompson pops the jab. Thompson with a left hand. Luque rushes in with some punches and Thompson lands nice counters. Thompson with a straight left hand. Thompson with a combo and then a left hand to the body. Thompson knocks Luque down with a kick. Luque gets up and they exchange in close range and both hurt each other. Thompson with a wheel kick. Luque with a right hand. Thompson with a spin kick to the body. Thompson with a left hand and a side kick. Thompson with a combo and he has Luque hurt against the fence. Luque fires back with a left hook. Thompson with a right hand. Thompson with a wheel kick. They trade kicks and Thompson with a right hand. 10-9 Thompson, 19-19.
Luque with a body kick. Thompson with a left hand. Thompson with a side kick to the body and Luque falls down. Thompson with a left hand drops Luque and now Thompson trying to finish but he lets Luque up. Thompson with a high kick. Thompson just unloading with all sorts of punches and kicks. Luque’s left eye is a mess. They trade and Luque lands two good punches. Luque with a left hand. They trade right hands. Thompson stuns Luque with a combo and lands a high kick. Thompson with a combo and unloads with more punches. Thompson with some good punches late. Thompson looked fantastic in the last two rounds. 10-8 Thompson, 29-27 Thompson.
Official Result- Stephen Thompson def. Vicente Luque by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)
> Kelvin Gastelum (#4, 15-4 1 NC, 10-4 1 NC UFC) vs. Darren Till (#10 WW, 17-2-1, 5-2-1 UFC) Middleweights
They clinch right away. Till breaks away. Till with a leg kick. They clinch again and Till with an elbow as Gastelum pushes him against the fence. They remain pressed against the fence. Gastelum with some knees. They break free. Till with a leg kick. They trade inside leg kicks. Till with a leg kick. Till with a leg kick. Not a lot of action going on here. Till with an elbow and a left hand. 10-9 Till.
Gastelum with a leg kick and Till responds with his own leg kick. Till with a combo. Till lands some punches. Till with another leg kick and follows it with a left hand. They clinch and Gastelum with an elbow on the break and then he pokes Till in the eye. Till gets back in right away. They trade leg kicks. They clinch and Gastelum pushes Till against the fence. They break. The crowd boos the lack of action. Gastelum with a leg kick. Gastelum tries a takedown but Till defends and then lands a left hand. 10-9 Till, 20-18 Till.
Gastelum with some early leg kicks. Gastelum tries a body kick but Till catches the leg and lands a hard left hand. Gastelum grabs the body for a takedown but Till defends and they go to the fence but break. Till with a hard left hand. Gastelum with a left hand. Till with a spinning elbow and he attacks the legs with kicks again. Gastelum with a body kick and Till grabs it and pushes Gastelum down but they get up. Gastelum just misses a right hand. Till tries a takedown but Gastelum defends. Gastelum with a body punch. Gastelum with a takedown but Till gets right back up. Gastelum lands a left hand. Gastelum with a leg kick followed by a left hand. Gastelum with a takedown but they get right up and Till lands a combo. 10-9 Gastelum, 29-28 Till.
Official Result- Darren Till def. Kelvin Gastelum by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 30-27)
Diaz lands a left hand. Masvidal with a body kick and they clinch. Masvidal breaks and lands a flurry with a head kick that drops Diaz. Masvidal cut Diaz with an elbow. Masvidal with big punches from the top looking to finish. Masvidal not wanting in the guard of Diaz and its allowing Diaz to recover. Diaz with an upkick to the body. Masvidal goes to the top and lands some punches. Masvidal with a body kick and Diaz grabs the leg. Masvidal with an elbow in the clinch and they break. Diaz with a combo that stuns Masvidal and they clinch. Masvidal with short punches and they break and Masvidal with a combo. Diaz with a big left hand late. 10-9 Masvidal.
Diaz comes forward to start round two. Diaz with a left hand. They both throw wild punches. Diaz with a leg kick. Masvidal with a body kick. Masvidal with the jab. Diaz with a combo. Masvidal with a body kick. Masvidal with a right hand. Masvidal with a huge right hand and then a body kick hurts Diaz. Diaz goes to the mat and Masvidal with a body punch and then lets Diaz up. Masvidal with a left hand and they clinch. They break and Masvidal lands a combo and they clinch again. Masvidal with some hard body punches as they break. Masvidal with a right hand followed by a knee and they clinch. Masvidal with a takedown and has the back and lands some punches. Diaz rolls and they scramble and Masvidal on top and Diaz has the leg but time runs out. 10-9 Masvidal, 20-18 Masvidal.
They trade to start the third. Diaz applying pressure. Masvidal with a hard right hand and then a body kick. Diaz with a nice left hand. Masvidal with a nasty body kick. They clinch as Masvidal pushes Diaz against the fence. Masvidal with a right hand. Diaz now landing punches. Masvidal with a body kick followed by a right hand. Masvidal with a right hand. They clinch and Diaz pushes Masvidal against the fence. Diaz tries a trip but Masvidal defends and is on top and lands some punches. Diaz with punches from the bottom and some slaps. Masvidal with some big elbows and punches at the end. 10-9 Masvidal, 30-27 Masvidal.
The doctor stopped the fight after the third round due to the cut by Diaz’ eye. This was an absolutely horrible stoppage. The crowd was not happy. Masvidal, Diaz and Dana White also weren’t happy. Diaz wasn’t even bleeding in between rounds and there have been way worse cuts that haven’t been stopped.
Official Result- Jorge Masvidal def. Nate Diaz by TKO (doctor stoppage- cut) at 5:00 of Round 3
What started as a throwaway comment by Nate Diaz has evolved into a physical championship that will be contested over Saturday night at UFC 244.
On Friday afternoon, UFC president Dana White unveiled the BMF belt, short for “bad motherf*cker”, to the media, the ceremonial title that will be given to the winner of Saturday’s Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal main event at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
White told the media that the title cost $50,000 to create, their most expensive ever. It was also done with the quickest turnaround time. He added that “it’s not a bright, flashy, frilly belt” and that “dark and ominous” looks reminds him of the Oakland Raiders.
After a three-year absence from the sport, Diaz returned in August at UFC 241 with a unanimous decision win over Anthony Pettis. In his post-fight promo, he called out Jorge Masvidal and mentioned defending “his belt” which he called “the baddest motherf*cker in the game belt” at a post-fight press conference.
On Twitter, Masvidal played it up and campaigned for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to present it to the winner. Johnson eventually accepted and will indeed do that Saturday night. White said this will not be a regularly defended title and that this is a one-off.
However, Conor McGregor chimed in after the belt was defended, tweeting “Tell them I want it spit shined” and “Now make me a coolest motherf*cker belt also.”
After his status was sent into jeopardy, Nate Diaz has been cleared to fight at UFC 244.
The UFC issued a statement on Friday night announcing that Diaz “has not committed an anti-doping policy violation, has not been provisionally suspended, and is not subject to any sanctions.”
Dana White also tweeted that Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal will still be happening at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 2: “The fight is ON!!! I 100% knew Nate wasn’t taking anything to cheat. #UFC244 November 2, MSG.”
The UFC’s full statement is available below:
UFC is an industry-leader in anti-doping and we continuously strive and advocate for an effective and fair program for our sport and athletes. From January of 2019, UFC and USADA, along with independent experts and consultants, have been reviewing the UFC Anti-Doping Policy to ensure it remains a reliable and effective tool to combat doping in our sport and to protect UFC athletes that compete in the Octagon.
As early as August 31, 2019, certain significant changes to the UFC Anti-Doping Policy have been agreed on in principle between UFC and USADA and, as such, have been put into practice. One of these changes is the adoption of scientifically-based decision concentration levels, also known as minimum thresholds, for certain prohibited substances where evidence has shown that positive tests of these substances below the threshold are consistent with innocent contamination. A positive sample of an applicable substance below the decision concentration level results is treated as an atypical finding. An atypical finding will result in no violation in the absence of other facts or circumstances that confirm the athlete intended to gain an unauthorized performance enhancing or therapeutic benefit through the use of the substance.
Since August 31, 2019, several UFC athletes have had their provisional suspensions lifted based on the implementation of decision concentration levels, including Neil Magny. Mr. Magny’s provisional suspension was due to a positive sample containing a prohibited SARM (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator), known as LGD-4033 or Ligandrol, in an amount below the decision concentration level for this substance. Mr. Magny’s atypical finding was reviewed by USADA and it was concluded that no other facts or circumstances were present that would have resulted in an anti-doping policy violation by, or sanction for, Mr. Magny.
On October 15, 2019, UFC was presented with a unique opportunity to discuss the topic of decision concentration levels in a public forum hosted by the California State Athletic Commission. Attendees at the summit included the California State Athletic Commission, the Association of Boxing Commissions, representatives from other state athletic commissions, members of the mixed martial arts media and anti-doping specialists and scientists. Representatives of USADA and UFC, including Jeff Novitzky, Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance of UFC, discussed recent developments that support implementing decision concentration levels. Mr. Magny was also granted the opportunity to explain the facts and circumstances of his matter and his support for implementing decision concentration levels. At the summit, the California State Athletic Commission, the Association of Boxing Commissions and other attendees expressed significant support for incorporating decision concentration levels into their own rules and regulations.
On October 24, 2019, Nate Diaz released a public statement regarding a recent out-of-competition test conducted by USADA. UFC has been notified by USADA that the out-of-competition test concluded that LGD-4033 was present in Mr. Diaz’s sample at an amount below the decision concentration level for this substance. USADA is reviewing the out-of-competition test as an atypical finding. Further laboratory testing conducted by the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory (SMRTL), a WADA-accredited lab in Salt Lake City, Utah, has confirmed that two bottles of the same organic, vegan, plant-based daily multivitamin that Mr. Diaz was using were each contaminated with LGD-4033, which the evidence supports resulted in Mr. Diaz’s positive sample.
Mr. Diaz has not committed an anti-doping policy violation, has not been provisionally suspended and is not subject to any sanctions. Additionally, UFC has been informed by independent experts who have determined that there is unequivocally no appreciable performance enhancing or therapeutic benefit from the significantly limited amount of LGD-4033 that may be present in his system, which is roughly 10,000 times lower than one LGD-4033 therapeutic dose.
Upon completion of the revised UFC Anti-Doping Policy, UFC and USADA will make the policy publicly available.
Diaz had tweeted a statement on Thursday announcing that he wouldn’t be coming to New York for UFC 244 after a USADA test claimed that he had “elevated levels that they say might be from some tainted supplements.” Diaz also wrote that he wouldn’t be competing until the UFC, USADA, or whoever was messing with him fixed the situation.
Diaz vs. Masvidal will headline UFC 244. Diaz has been calling himself the “Baddest Motherf*cker” in the UFC, and the winner will receive a BMF title belt.
The UFC 244 main card will also feature Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson vs. Vicente Luque, Derrick Lewis vs. Blagoy Ivanov, and Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie.
One of the sport’s most elusive figures may go back into MMA’s version of witness protection if a Thursday social media post is accurate.
Nate Diaz, set to main event UFC 244 a week from this Saturday against Jorge Masvidal in one of the year’s most anticipated fights, posted on Twitter that due to a USADA claim that he has “elevated levels that they say might be from some tainted supplements”, he’s out of the fight.
Diaz said he only eats food from Whole Foods, natural supplements, and no meat. He added that unless UFC, USADA, or “whoever is f**king with me fixes it”, he’s not fighting as well as alluding that someone offered to keep the violation quiet until after the fight.
To this point, UFC, USADA, nor Dana White have confirmed the news, but Yahoo’s Kevin Iole tweeted White was with President Donald Trump having dinner so he was indisposed. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani said this is not a prank and the situation is fluid, but that the fight hasn’t been canceled.
Masvidal is still down for the fight for which a “BMF” title was being created for:
You not the baddest mofo in the game (i am) but you are one of the cleanest mofo’s @NateDiaz209 I’ll see you nov 2. I know your name is clean. I don’t need @usantidoping to tell me shit!
The 34-year-old Diaz returned to the UFC in August for the first time in three years in a dominant win over Anthony Pettis that helped set up the Masvidal fight. If he is indeed out, it seems unlikely Masvidal would take a short notice fill-in even though UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman tweeted that he would take the fight and still fight Colby Covington in December.
While the card is deep, the co-main event is Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till which isn’t exactly a PPV headliner. Fellow welterweights Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque are also on the card, but Masvidal has already fought, and lost, to Thompson.
While Conor McGregor seems like a long shot for Masvidal should the fight fall through, the popular Irish fighter did call out the winner. He said today he is preparing for a mid-January return in Las Vegas, but Diaz did fill in on short notice to fight McGregor in their first battle, so anything is possible, especially with a MSG main event and big pay-per-view money on the line.
That’s what UFC president Dana White said to TMZ, confirming the former WWE and movie megstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will indeed present the winner of Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal with the newly-created BMF belt at UFC 244.
The two are facing off in the main event of the show, emanating from New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The BMF title, conceptualized by Diaz, will be a one-off promotional tool and not an official championship to be defended.
Earlier this month, Masvidal tweeted that Johnson should present the belt to the winner to which Johnson replied that if he could make the fight, he would do it. it appears his schedule has been cleared to do just that.
When asked, White told TMZ the belt will cost $50,000 to create and that Johnson will present it to the winner. He is a longtime fan of the sport and has been seen cageside at events before.
As part of the build to November’s UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden, Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, and Dana White will take part in a press conference Thursday at 7 PM Eastern from The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City.
You can stream the event below:
Diaz and Masvidal will fight in the main event of the MSG show, the first scheduled non-title PPV headliner since Conor McGregor fought Diaz at UFC 202 in August 2016.
The two will fight over the “BMF” belt, a title Dana White is going to have created just for this fight. In a Twitter chat Thursday, White said the belt will be unveiled the week of the show.
Diaz returned from a three-year absence to pick up a convincing unanimous decision win over Anthony Pettis at August’s UFC 241 while Masvidal set a UFC record for the fastest knockout at July’s UFC 239. Diaz called out Masvidal after his victory, helping set things in motion for UFC 244, the 500th event in company history.
When AEW debuts on TNT on October 2, they’ll be doing so with Chris Jericho as their champion.
Saturday’s All Out pay-per-view ended with Jericho defeating Hangman Page to become the inaugural AEW World Champion. After Jericho kicked out of the Dead Eye, Page hit a Buckshot Lariat and went for the Dead Eye again. The finish saw Jericho reverse the move and then connect with his Judas Effect elbow strike to win the title.
The match was very good, but it fell short of being the epic main event you’d want to crown your first World Champion with. The dynamic just didn’t work quite as well as AEW wanted. The fans would ideally have been desperate for Page to defeat Jericho and become champion. But people weren’t all that interested in booing Jericho — and Page didn’t have the momentum that he needed going into the match. The way Page won his way into getting the title shot was probably a misstep. It’s understandable that AEW wants to create their own unique match concepts and give them meaning, but Jericho defeating Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing felt like a far bigger deal than Page earning his spot in the title match through winning the Casino Battle Royale. While Page got wins at Fyter Fest and Fight for the Fallen, they weren’t against big enough opponents and they weren’t strong enough victories for people to see him as being one of the top two wrestlers in the company.
Jericho was an obvious choice to become AEW’s first World Champion. He’s an easily recognizable star that lapsed and casual fans will already be familiar with. There will inevitably be criticism over a new company choosing a 48-year-old wrestler as their initial champion, but AEW isn’t at any risk of being seen as a nostalgia promotion. It’s fine to have one wrestler in their late 40s in a top spot. Signing Jericho and pushing him heavily is a no-brainer for any start-up company. Jericho is still wrestling at a high level, helps bring credibility to the promotion for those who aren’t already fans of The Elite, and has protected his image by only working in main event-level matches with great opponents since departing WWE.
A full review of AEW All Out, and the saga of Chris Jericho’s stolen belt are the lead topics of discussion in this week’s double issue Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We have complete coverage of All Out from a live perspective, as well as the television version of the show. We talk about what worked, what might not have, and what we can learn about match order when laying out a card. We have the latest on the business of the show, including preliminary pay-per-view numbers.
We have coverage of AEW and WWE running the same markets, and have notes and numbers on how each promotion is doing in selling tickets there. We also have all the details on the Chris Jericho AEW title story.
NJPW Royal Quest is covered as well in the new issue. We have star ratings for the matches, as well as business notes for the show.
The upcoming WWE Clash of Champions show is covered in detail. We have a preliminary card for the show.
We also cover the WWE writing team shake-up that took place this week.
NXT U.K. TakeOver: Cardiff is covered in detail as well, with everything from match reports and star ratings, to attendance and what we can learn from the show.
We have a story on Cris Cyborg signing with Bellator, and talk about potential opponents for her.
The new issue also has a history piece covering Harley Race’s St. Louis wrestling history. A lot can be learned from the piece, thanks to the late Larry Matysik’s Wrestling at the Chase Record book.
We also have Ryan Frederick’s coverage of the 8/31 UFC event in Shenzhen, China.
The passing of Australian wrestling legend, Norman Frederic Charles Lowndes, known as Sir Norman Frederich Charles III, is covered as well. We have notes on his life and career.
We look at AEW’s hype show that aired on TNT, and break down the viewership for the show, and what can be learned from it.
We also have news and notes on all of the top wrestling and MMA promotions in the world.
We have full coverage of all the WWE television shows from the past week.
As always, we have in-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows,the key demos for the WWE shows and what can be learned from them.
We also have the results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
by Joseph Currier and Bryan Rose
WWE
WWE is back at Madison Square Garden for tonight’s SmackDown. The Undertaker will appear on the show, and we’ll see how WWE handles Elias being pulled from his King of the Ring semifinal match against Chad Gable. Elias is out of the match due to an ankle injury.
Drew Gulak & Tony Nese vs. Humberto Carrillo & Lince Dorado is set for tonight’s 205 Live. Brian Kendrick & Akira Tozawa facing Jack Gallagher and a partner was also set up for the episode last week.
Steve Austin tweeted about his appearance on Raw at Madison Square Garden: “I had the time of my life! What a blast. Thanks to everybody @TheGarden The Fans and @WWE and everybody who watched at home. There is NOTHING like being in a ring and having fun. Great seeing the present and future superstars!”
NXT referee Eddie Orengo started working full time on the main roster last night. He’ll be a ref on the Raw brand.
Becky Lynch told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi about Ric Flair trying to trademark “The Man”: “All I can say about Ric is, I like Ric. He’s been a good friend to me over the years. We’ll see what happens with that.”
Triple H spoke to Yahoo Sports about AEW going against NXT and being an alternative to WWE: “If you talk about the upstart, what they’re going out and saying is that they’re an alternative. We were that alternative five years ago. We opened the door for being an alternative, we opened the door to show people that it can be done on a bigger level and on a different basis. As far as being the alternative, great, go put on the best show you can put out, and we’ll put out the best one we can put out.”
Anthem Sports & Entertainment has already made moves in the last 24 hours regarding AXS. PWInsider reported this afternoon that AXS’ Dallas office has been shut down. Adam Swift, who was behind getting wrestling on the network dating back to the ROH on HDNet days, has been let go as well as Cindy Ronzoni, who handled PR.
Kazushi Sakuraba, who hasn’t wrestled since 2017, is returning to pro wrestling, this time for Pro Wrestling NOAH. He will team with Hajme Ohara and NOSAWA to take on Yoshinari Ogawa, Kotaro Suzuki and Chris Ridgeway on September 16.
A GoFundMe has launched for Brian Knobbs, who is currently suffering from a serious infection in his knee.
Jeff Cobb will challenge for the ROH World title at ROH’s Honor United show in Bolton, England on October 27. He’ll face the winner of Matt Taven vs. Rush from Death Before Dishonor.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson tweeted that — if he’s able to make it to UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden on April 2 — he’ll put the BMF title around Jorge Masvidal’s waist if Masvidal defeats Nate Diaz: “Doing all I can to make this fight. If I can and you win, I’ll put the belt around your waist at MSG – consider it done. Already shaping up to be one of the biggest and most electrifying fights in @ufc history. Can’t wait.”
Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal will headline November’s UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden, reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto via Dana White.
Outside situations where late injuries have caused a change, this will be the first UFC pay-per-view headliner in years where the scheduled main event is not for a title. White told Okamoto he is going to create a “BMF” belt for the winner and there will be no title fights as co-main event.
After a three year layoff, Diaz returned to action with an impressive August decision win over Anthony Pettis while Masvidal is coming off the fastest knockout in UFC history with his flying knee to Ben Askren’s face in July. Diaz called out Masvidal following his win and both fans and media pushed for the bout as next for both men.
UFC had been trying to put together a title fight between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and top challenger Colby Covington and then Usman vs. Masvidal but ran into negotiation snags. It’s expected the Masvidal-Diaz winner will be next in line for a title shot.
Last year’s MSG main event was put together just a few weeks before the show with then-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier taking on Derrick Lewis. Cormier was nursing a hand injury and Lewis had just competed and won the month prior.
