Daily Update: Khabib, Hell in a Cell preview, Bound For Glory notes

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

WON NEWSLETTER: October 26, 2020 Observer Newsletter: Ibushi wins NJPW G1 Climax 30

We’ve got a G1 special on the Observer with the deepest look at the tournament anywhere. G1 MVP, G1 best match, G1 history notes, polls on the last three nights, the story behind Kota Ibushi’s win and much more in a new double issue of the Observer.

The business decline that was unavoidable, the difference in wrestling with fans who are not supposed to cheer and boo and who does the best with it, the ups and downs of the different wrestlers, who improved the most from last year, lots of G1 records, Power Struggle notes, a breakdown of every wrestler in the tournament and how they did in the ring this year as compared to last year, who were the best at carrying opponents, who had the best matches, how this year’s match quality compared to last year, just how great this year’s A block shows were, New Japan’s U.S. popularity and which wrestlers have had the best in-ring tournaments in recent years.

Also in this issue:

Harold Meij’s final day in charge of New Japan and key issues with his legacy, Tokyo Dome updates, and how the last days went down.

Things going on behind-the-scenes with President Trump that may be done that would help Vince McMahon and Dana White, Andrew Yang talks wrestlers as independent contractors and what he plans to do  about it, Orange County Department of Health looking at COVID spreading in buildings that house WWE and MLW, and WWE’s statement. 

What is and isn’t misleading and looking at WWE COVID numbers, we preview Hell in a Cell, note a mandatory conference all WWE talent has to attend this week, WWE getting an award looked at, WWE signing, why the plight of independent wrestlers is so different from before, WWE Network November theme, WWE star nominated for a movie award and new WWE Network deals. 

Wrestling ratings compared to other sports, Canadian & U.K. ratings, Mike Bennett talks the problems in communication in WWE, Sami Zayn talks the ladder match, WWE market value and the most watched shows last week on the WWE Network.

Brian Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie with full coverage of Saturday’s UFC event,.

The surprising thing that matters far more than most gave it credit for when it comes to viewing wrestling shows.

Ratings breakdowns in every segment for Wednesdays and every category for other shows, looking at stats not available elsewhere to get the deepest read into how shows are doing, what categories are doing well and how shows compare with previous weeks and one year ago.  

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].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

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 will be back tonight to talk Hell in a Cell and a lot of more WWE news, including more on Daniel Bryan, more weekend news, more on Bound For Glory and you can send questions to the show to [email protected].

Bryan has a short interview with Jim Valley who has fought back from another legitimate near death experience once again up on the site.

Today is WWE Hell in a Cell, a show with only five matches announced as of this morning. On paper the show should be great because all three Hell in a Cell matches are strong on paper and the show will be built around them:

  • Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton for the WWE title in a cell match. You pretty much know this match will be very good to great. The outcome could go either way but McIntyre is a  -230 favorite at 5Dimes.
  • Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso in an I Quit hell in a cell match for the Universal title. This match will have to be different than the last one. Lots of speculation regarding Jimmy Uso being involved in the finish, given he was involved in the television angle on Friday night. Nobody expects a title change and Reigns is a -2000 favorite.
  • Bayley vs. Sasha Banks for the Smackdown women’s title in a cell match. These two have had some of the best women’s matches in company history, notably their Brooklyn Takeover match. They will be put in a position to have a great match and both always work hard. Banks is a -230 favorite to take the title.
  • Otis vs. The Miz for the Money in the Bank briefcase. Otis is a -175 favorite to retain. This was put together Friday in a campy skit to say the least.
  • Jeff Hardy vs. Elias – Every Hardy match is likely to be good. We haven’t seen Elias in a match since his torn pec. Since it’s the beginning of the feud, Elias is a -160 favorite to win.

We will have live coverage on the site starting at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. We are doing weekend polls on Hell in a Cell, UFC 254 and Impact Bound for Glory, thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match on both shows to [email protected]

Javier Mendez, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s trainer, told Yahoo Sports that this was the worst training camp he has ever had. He said in Abu Dhabi, the accommodations were the best and the hospitality was the best, but he had the mumps two weeks into camp, then broke a toe in camp as well. Mendez said Nurmagomedov told him, “Coach, my toe may be broken but my mind is not.”

Dana White believes Nurmagomedov’s retirement will stick.

For a few more notes from last night’s Bound for Glory show and to clarify some things talked about last night. Kylie Rae was injured two weeks ago but she was scheduled to appear on last night’s show against Deonna Purrazzo. As noted in an update earlier today, she was in Nashville and was in the hotel Friday. She never arrived at the building and nobody in the company knew anything.  The company checked with everyone who knew her. Nobody really knows anything more other than she is apparently okay in the physical sense. At the time of the match they didn’t know anything past that she wasn’t there. It came off weird as they showed video features on the PPV building the match as scheduled, and then she wasn’t there and nothing was said as to why, because at the time they really didn’t know anything.

As best we can tell, Rich Swann & Su Yung both winning the major titles in Impact would be the first husband-and-wife ever to win major world titles on the same show. Notable is that this was not how things were scheduled to go down as Yung was a last minute replacement for Kylie Rae against Deonna Purrazzo. 

WWE

  • Today is the 17th wedding anniversary of Paul Levesque and Stephanie McMahon Levesque.
  • The WWE Network has added a new show on cage matches from the indies airing matches from Evolve, ICW and wXw including Drew Galloway vs.; Roderick Strong, Trent Seven vs Wolfgang, Carnage vs. Alexander Wolfe, Piper Niven vs. Kay Lee Ray vs. Kasey and Alexander James vs. Jurn Simmons; A Best of Progress with Ilja Dragunov to build the Walter vs. Dragunov UK title match that airs this week with matches with Pete Dunne, Timothy Thatcher; ICW Fight Club 100 and wXw Shotgun with Bobby Gunns defending the wXw title against Emil Sitoci.
  • WWE announced William Shatner, Rey Mysterio, Shotzi Blackheart and Michelle McCool as guests on The Bump on Wednesday.

UFC

  • Yesterday’s UFC 254 did 2 million Google searches which was the most of anything so far this weekend, which is notable given all the news of the past weekend. So the interest was not anywhere close to the record-setting that Dana White was claiming earlier in the week. It was at the level of a normal bigger than usual PPV.  That was the only thing combat sports related in the past week to trend on Google.  Arnold Schwarzenegger did yesterday as related to having his aortic valve replaced in surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.  It is Schwarzenegger’s third heart surgery, as he had pulmonary valve replacement surgeries in 1997 and 2018.
  • Jeremy Stephens pulled out of his 11/7 fight with Arnold Allen due to an undisclosed injury and hopes to be back in a few months.
  • Matt Schnell vs. Tyson Nam has been added to the 12/19 show.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Volador Jr. suffered an apparent broken nose on Friday night in Arena Mexico doing a Frankensteiner off the top rope and somehow on the way down his face hit the turnbuckle.  They went right to the finish of the match.  They were about a half hour into a tag title match where Mistico & Caristico beat Volador Jr & Titan in a rematch from the prior Friday. 
  • On today’s NFL Countdown show on ESPN, George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers was on.  He’s a huge fan. There was a lot of AEW footage used since even though Kittle is a WWE fan, his favorite wrestler is Pentagon Jr., dating back to Lucha Underground, and they showed where Kittle took Pentagon’s Cero Miedo hand gesture.
  • CWE on Friday night in Red Deer, Alberta:  AJ Sanchez won three-way over Travis Cole and Tyler Adams, Bobby Sharp b Danny Duggan, Mentallo b Shaun Martens-DQ, Lumberjack Larry b Kevin O’Doyle, Jude Dawkins b Johnny Devine. 
  • CWE on Saturday night in St. Albert, Alberta:  Jude Dawkins b William Saint, Lumberjack Larry b Shaun Martens-DQ, Kat Von Heez b Alix Zwicker, AJ Sanchez & Kevin O’Doyle b Danny Duggan & Mentallo, Rich King b Nite, Travis Cole b Jules, Bobby Sharp b Johnny Devine.  Next show is tomorrow night in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
  • IWA Productions from last night in Mt. Vernon, IL for a women’s tournament:  Joseline Navarro b Megan Myers, Kenzie Paige b Abby Beck, Raven Black b Mz. Hyde, Mickie Knuckles b Katie Dream, Kenzie Paige b Abby Veck, Raven Back b Mz. Hyde, Mickie Knuckles b Katie Dream, Kenzie Paige b Joseline Navarro, Mickie Knuckles b Raven Black, Mickie Knuckles b Kenzie Paige to win tournament (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
  • Total Kaos Wrestling from last night in Taylor, MI:  Dread King Loan b Shane Douglas, Ken Kash won eight-way over  Geo Bronco, Ace Evans, Ric Caurdiea, Tanner Nix, Dizakeo, Mikey Baker and Mo Atlas, LJ Lawrence b Chase Burnett, Hannah Henderson b Jeremiah Goldmain, Mysterious Movado b Mollock, Jack Price & Money Green b Tommy Vendetta & Sinn, Joseph Schwartz b Isaiah Frazier, TJ Meyer b El Ridiculoso, Kevin Kalloway & Sean Tyler & Justin Pilgrim b Freedom Ramsey & Atlas Hytower & Daniel Wolf, Chuck Stein won three-way over Leatherface and Sean Lawhorn in a barbed wire match (thanks to Leonard Brand)

Daily Pro Wrestling History: WCW Halloween Havoc 1992 and 1998

CONTACT INFORMATION

Khabib Nurmagomedov retires after retaining 155-pound title at UFC 254

“The Eagle” has landed for the last time in the Octagon.

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov made it look easy at UFC 254 Saturday afternoon, submitting interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje in the second round and then announcing his retirement afterward.

After a close first round, Nurmagomedov (29-0) continued to roll into the second frame, effortlessly working from a takedown into a triangle choke that Gaethje (22-3) couldn’t escape, tapping several times before the referee finally called it off. Interestingly, two judges did give Gaethje the first round while the consensus among media was that the champion had won the round.

An emotional Nurmagomedov announced he was retiring as his mother said she didn’t want him to fight anymore without his father being around to see him. His father (also his longtime trainer) died earlier this year due to complications from COVID-19. All he wants at this point is to be ranked the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC when the rankings are released Tuesday.

At the press conference afterward, Dana White said Nurmagomedov’s corner said he almost wasn’t able to fight due to either a broken foot or broken toes suffered three weeks ago.

The 32-year-old has been in the UFC since January 2012, winning the vacant lightweight title in a dominant victory over last minute replacement Al Iaquinta in April 2018. He defended the title three times, most notably against rival Conor McGregor in his first title defense. McGregor did send out a congratulatory tweet after the fight.

The loss snapped Gaethje’s four fight streak of wins and finishes. 

If the retirement sticks, that eliminates a rematch against McGregor that the former champion has wanted as well as a dream fight against George St. Pierre that both men discussed wanting with White as the barrier. Then, there’s the Tony Ferguson fight that almost happened so many times for fate to repeatedly take it away.

It’s likely that if McGregor and Dustin Poirier have their rematch in late-January as both men have discussed, it will be for the vacant title.

UFC 254 live results: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje, emanating from the Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

The UFC wraps up five straight weeks on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi with arguably the biggest fight of the year as one of the biggest stars in the sport fights for the first time in over a year.

UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will square off with Interim UFC Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje in a title unification bout in the main event. Nurmagomedov will step foot into the Octagon for the first time since a September 2019 win over Dustin Poirier. Gaethje looks to become the undisputed champion after defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in May.

In the co-main event, a potential title shot in the middleweight division is up for grabs as former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker takes on Jared Cannonier. Also on the main card is a heavyweight bout between Alexander Volkov and Walt Harris, and a light heavyweight fight with lots of bad blood as Magomed Ankalaev finally squares off with Ion Cutelaba in a rematch of their first fight, which ended in controversial fashion.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 10:30 a.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].

ESPN+ PRELIMS | 11 AM ET/8 AM PT

> Joel Alvarez (17-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. Alexander Yakovlev (24-9-1, 3-5 UFC)
Lightweights* (Alvarez missed weight by 3.5 pounds)

Alvarez missed weight for the fight. They are trading kicks to start the fight. Yakovlev got a takedown and Alvarez grabbed the neck and was working for a guillotine. Yakovlev is able to escape and is landing body punches from the top as Alvarez is looking for elbows from the bottom. Alvarez now looks for an armbar. He has it locked in and Yakovlev taps. Nasty armbar from the guard by Alvarez to kick things off.

Official Result- Joel Alvarez def. Alexander Yakovlev by submission (armbar) at 3:00 of Round 1

> Liana Jojua (8-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Miranda Maverick (7-2, 0-0 UFC)
Women’s Flyweights

Maverick is making her UFC debut. They were trading early as Jojua was landing the right hand as Maverick was landing leg kicks. Maverick lands a combo ending with a leg kick. Jojua is bleeding from the mouth. Maverick with an inside leg kick. Maverick still landing combos. Maverick with a body kick. Maverick mixing up her strikes well. Maverick lands a standing lead elbow and then follows with a head kick. Maverick with a back elbow that busts Jojua’s nose open. Jojua still throwing but Maverick landing more as the round ends. 10-9 Maverick.

They stopped the fight in between rounds as Jojua’s nose was bleeding badly and they couldn’t stop it from bleeding, so the doctors called it off. Impressive debut win by Maverick.

Official Result- Miranda Maverick def. Liana Jojua by TKO (doctor stoppage- cut) at 5:00 of Round 1

ESPN2 PRELIMS | 12 PM ET/9 AM PT

> Da Un Jung (13-2, 2-0 UFC) vs. Sam Alvey (33-14 1 NC, 10-9 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

Not much happening early as Jung is stalking Alvey around the Octagon. Jung with a body kick. Alvey lands some leg kicks and a left hand. They both start throwing punches and Alvey stuns Jung with a counter left hand. They clinch and both battling for position. Jung pokes Alvey in the eye but the referee missed it and Jung lands some follow-up punches. Alvey landing more as the round goes on. Alvey lands a right hand. Alvey with a late combo than lands a lot. 10-9 Alvey.

Alvey starts with a nice combo and now Jung lands a combo. Alvey keeps fighting with his back near the fence. Alvey with a leg kick. Jung still coming forward and Alvey is landing the counter punches. Jung with a body kick. Alvey with a nice combo. Alvey with more outside leg kicks. Jung lands a right hand, then a left hook and follows with a right hand. Alvey lands a nice uppercut. Alvey with a late combo. 10-9 Alvey, 20-18 Alvey.

Alvey starts the third with an outside leg kick. Alvey landing a leg kick and following with a combo. Jung drops Alvey with a right hand and they go to the mat but Alvey is able to scramble up. Jung has the back against the fence. It was an elbow that dropped Alvey. They break the tie-up. Alvey lands a short left hand. Alvey lands an uppercut. They trade punches. Alvey with another uppercut. Alvey with another one. Jung with another elbow that stuns Alvey. They clinch against the fence. They break and Jung lands another big elbow. Close fight. 10-9 Jung, 29-28 Alvey.

Official Result- Da Un Jung vs. Sam Alvey ends in a split draw (29-28, 28-29, 28-28)

> Alex Oliveira (22-7-1 2 NC, 11-6 1 NC UFC) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov (12-0, 0-0 UFC)
Welterweights* (Oliveira missed weight by 2 pounds)

Rakhmonov is making his UFC debut while Oliveira missed weight for the fight. Oliveira lands a right hand. Rakhmonov with a leg kick. They were trading and Rakhmonov lands a big knee to the body. Rakhmonov with some flurries against the fence before they clinch up. Rakhmonov with a knee to the body as they battle for position against the fence. They remain clinched as Oliveira is looking for the takedown. Rakhmonov has the neck and drops down and has a guillotine choke locked in and Oliveira taps! Big win in his debut for Rakhmonov.

Official Result- Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Alex Oliveira by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:40 of Round 1

> Nathaniel Wood (17-4, 4-1 UFC) vs. Casey Kenney (15-2-1, 4-1 UFC)
140-Pound Catchweights

Wood lands a left hand as they come out with a quick pace. Wood landing some leg kicks early. Wood landing kicks as both are throwing punches. Kenney lands a big right hand. They are trading kicks. Wood with some inside leg kicks. Kenney with a nice left hand. Wood with a leg kick and follows with a combo. Kenney with a left hand. Wood with some leg kicks and Kenney lands a left hand. Kenney with another hard left hand. Wood with a leg kick and Kenney counters with a left hand. Kenney with a spin kick to the body. Kenney with a leg kick and then another spin kick to the body. Great round. 10-9 Kenney.

They both come out throwing and Kenney with another spin kick. They are both throwing and Kenney with an elbow. They trade leg kicks. Kenney with a body kick. Wood with a combo. Wood with a leg kick and Kenney counters with a combo. They trade kicks. They trade punches. Kenney with a combo. They trade and Kenney throwing more. Kenney lands a hard left hand and follows it with some more punches and a leg kick. They both land in close range with Wood landing a little better. Kenney loading up on his punches but he still lands a couple of left hands. Kenney with an inside kick. Fun second round. 10-9 Wood, 19-19.

Wood with some inside leg kicks to start the third. Wood landing more at the start of the third. Kenney throwing some punches and lands a left hand to the body. Wood with a leg kick and Kenney lands a left hand. Kenney goes for a takedown and takes the back of Wood against the fence as he looks to complete it. Kenney still working hard for the takedown as they scramble. They break and Kenney lands a combo. Wood goes for a takedown but Kenney defends and Wood lands as they break. They both land in close range. Kenney shoots for a takedown but Wood stuffs it. Kenney with a hard left hand. They trade punches. They clinch and trade late. Outstanding fight. 10-9 Kenney, 29-28 Kenney.

Official Result- Casey Kenney def. Nathaniel Wood by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

> Stefan Struve (29-12, 13-10 UFC) vs. Tai Tuivasa (9-3, 3-3 UFC)
Heavyweights

Tuivasa with a leg kick. Tuivasa comes in and they clinch and Tuivasa with some body punches. Tuivasa controlling against the fence and lands a couple more body punches and they break. Tuivasa with a right hand. Struve with a leg kick. Struve lands a head kick and Tuivasa eats it. They clinch and Tuivasa with a knee and then lands a left hand as they break. Tuivasa with a leg kick. Tuivasa with another leg kick. Struve with some front body kicks. Tuivasa with another leg kick. Tuivasa with some punches. He throws Struve to the ground and starts landing punches. Struve gets up and Tuivasa drops him with an uppercut and finishes it off. Big win for Tuivasa.

Official Result- Tai Tuivasa def. Stefan Struve by knockout (punches) at 4:59 of Round 1

ESPN+ PPV MAIN CARD | 2 PM ET/11 AM PT

> Magomed Ankalaev (#11, 14-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Ion Cutelaba (15-5 1 NC, 4-4 UFC)
Light Heavyweights

Cutelaba with a front body kick and Ankalaev with a leg kick. Ankalaev with a body kick and follows it with a right hook. Ankalaev with an inside leg kick and Cutelaba counters with a right hand. Cutelaba with another right hand. Ankalaev with a body kick. They trade punches. They are both landing short punches. Ankalaev drops Cutelaba with a straight left hand but Cutelaba gets right up. Ankalaev lands a left hand that drops Cutelaba again as Cutelaba rushes in and Ankalaev gets on top and was landing punches and then knocked Cutelaba out cold on the mat. What a knockout by Ankalaev.

Official Result- Magomed Ankalaev def. Ion Cutelaba by knockout (punches) at 4:19 of Round 1

> Lauren Murphy (#5, 13-4, 5-4 UFC) vs. Liliya Shakirova (8-1, 0-0 UFC)
Women’s Flyweights

Shakirova is making her UFC debut on short notice. Shakirova with an inside leg kick. Shakirova with a right hand. Murphy comes forward and lands a body kick. Shakirova with a leg kick as Murphy lands a right hand. Shakirova with a spinning back fist. Shakirova tires for a takedown but Murphy slips away and they break. Shakirova with some body punches and lands a right hand. Shakirova with a spin kick. They trade kicks. Shakirova tries a single-leg takedown but Murphy defends and lands some elbows against the fence. They break and Shakirova with a teet kick to the body. 10-9 Murphy.

Murphy lands a kick. Murphy coming forward but not landing. Murphy coming forward with punches and Shakirova circles away. They trade in close range and Murphy lands a couple of knees. They trade again in close range and Murphy with a knee in the clinch. Murphy gets a takedown and is in the guard of Shakirova. Murphy lands a couple of punches from the top. Murphy gets the back of Shakirova and locks in a rear-naked choke. Shakirova taps! Big submission win for Murphy.

Official Result- Lauren Murphy def. Liliya Shakirova by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:31 of Round 2

> Jacob Malkoun (4-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Phillip Hawes (8-2, 0-0 UFC)
Middleweights

Both men are making their UFC debuts. This didn’t last long as Hawes rocked Malkoun with a right hand and then unloaded a flurry of punches against the fence that sent Malkoun down and out cold. What a finish by Hawes.

Official Result- Phil Hawes def. Jacob Malkoun by knockout (punches) at :18 of Round 1

> Alexander Volkov (#7, 31-8, 5-2 UFC) vs. Walt Harris (#10, 13-8 1 NC, 6-7 1 NC UFC)
Heavyweights

They were trading early and traded kicks. Harris with a leg kick. Volkov lands a right hand. Harris with an inside leg kick. Volkov with a body kick. Volkov with a jab and follows it with a combo. Harris with a right hand. Volkov lands a combo as Harris rushes in. Harris with a right hand off a kick from Volkov. Volkov lands some right hands. Volkov with a leg kick. Harris with an inside leg kick. Volkov with a combo. Volkov rocks Harris with a left hand and Harris is covering up as Volkov rushes in with a flurry. Harris lands a left hand and Volkov backs off and they reset. Volkov with a knee. 10-9 Volkov.

Harris lands a left hand. Harris shoots for a takedown but Volkov easily defends. Volkov with a combo. Volkov lands a big front kick to the body that hurts Harris and then lands a flurry and the fight is stopped. Excellent finish by Volkov.

Official Result- Alexander Volkov def. Walt Harris by TKO (strikes) at 1:15 of Round 2

> Robert Whittaker (#1, 21-5, 12-3 UFC) vs. Jared Cannonier (#2, 13-4, 6-4 UFC)
Middleweights

Cannonier with a hard leg kick right away. Whittaker with a leg kick. They trade leg kicks and both men slipped. Whittaker with a body kick. Whittaker with the jab. They trade leg kicks. Cannonier lands a couple more. Whittaker lands a counter right hand. Whittaker with a head kick but Cannonier checks it. Whittaker with the jab and Cannonier lands a leg kick. Whittaker landing more as the round goes on. Whittaker with a high kick that partially landed. Cannonier did some damage to the lead leg in the first. 10-9 Whittaker.

Whittaker lands a jab as Cannonier lands a leg kick. Cannonier with a body kick. Cannonier with a leg kick and then another. They trade and Cannonier lands a good counter right hand. Cannonier lands a hard right hand and Whittaker lands a counter left. Whittaker with the jab. They trade and Cannonier with a leg kick. Whittaker gets a brief takedown but they get up and break. Whittaker with a jab as Cannonier lands leg kicks. Whittaker with a right hand. Whittaker with another right hand. 10-9 Whittaker, 20-18 Whittaker.

Whittaker with the jab. Whittaker with another jab. Whittaker with a head kick and Cannonier is in trouble. Cannonier falls to the mat and Whittaker gets on top and is landing but stops the flurry and gets into the half-guard. Whittaker gets the back of Cannonier, who is busted up and bleeding. Whittaker looking for a choke but they scramble to their feet. They’re clinched and Cannonier with some knees. They break. Whittaker with the jab. Whittaker lands another left hand. Cannonier with a body kick. Whittaker with the jab. Cannonier hurts Whittaker with a right hand. Cannonier trying to land a big shot but Whittaker ducks under. They are clinched and Cannonier just misses a big knee as the fight ends. Great showing by Whittaker, good fight overall. 10-9 Whittaker, 30-27 Whittaker.

Official Result- Robert Whittaker def. Jared Cannonier by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Khabib Nurmagomedov (C, 28-0, 12-0 UFC) vs. Justin Gaethje (IC, 22-2, 5-2 UFC)
UFC Lightweight Championship

Gaethje first to land with an inside leg kick. Gaethje with another inside leg kick. They trade right hands. Nurmagomedov lands a jab and Gaethje with a leg kick. They are both scrambling around. Nurmagomedov tries a takedown but Gaethje defends. Gaethje lands a right hand and then a leg kick. Nurmagomedov with a body kick followed by a jab. Nurmagomedov with a running knee. Nurmagomedov keeps coming forward and lands a combo. Nurmagomedov with another jab. They trade leg kicks. Gaethje lands a left hook and lands another leg kick. Gaethje with a right hand. Nurmagomedov with a front kick and Gaethje lands a counter left hand. Nurmagomedov gets a takedown. Nurmagomedov gets the mount. He looks for the arm but time runs out on the round. 10-9 Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov with a right hand. Gaethje with a left hook. Nurmagomedov with a leg kick and then follows with a combo. Gaethje lands a left hand. Gaethje with a leg kick. Gaethje with another leg kick. Nurmagomedov gets a takedown and has the back and then transitions to the full mount. Nurmagomedov looking for a triangle choke and has it locked in and Gaethje taps! Gaethje was tapping several times before it was stopped and he looked out after it was released. Unbelievable performance by Nurmagomedov as he moves to 29-0 and retains the title.

Official Result- Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Justin Gaethje by submission (triangle choke) at 1:34 of Round 2 to retain the UFC Lightweight Championship