Despite both Houston and Dallas, Texas, declining to host UFC shows for the time being, the organization continues to get good news in terms of both PPV buys and wider exposure.
Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand reported Wednesday that this past Saturday’s UFC 259, headlined by Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya in a champion vs. champion fight, generated 800,000 pay-per-view buys worldwide. 600,000 of those were from the U.S. on ESPN+ with another 200,000 internationally.
The show featured two other title fights in addition to Adesanya vs. Blachowicz with both the men’s bantamweight title and women’s featherweight championships on the line.
While numbers weren’t revealed for February’s UFC 258 (welterweight champion Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns), January’s UFC 257 headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier brought in 1.6 million worldwide buys.
**********
On Thursday, UFC announced their Saturday, April 10th show will be on both ABC and ESPN+ with the main card starting at 3 PM Eastern opposite The Masters golf tournament.
Darren Till vs. Marvin Vettori in a clash of middleweight contenders is the headliner with Mackenzie Dern vs. Nina Ansaroff and Sodiq Yusuff vs. Arnold Allen also slated for the show.
Opposite an NFL playoff game, UFC debuted on ABC in January with an afternoon show that saw Max Holloway dominate Calvin Katter in the main event — a show that averaged 1.2 million viewers. At the time, Ourand reported the number convinced ABC executives to find more opportunities to feature UFC on the network.
The story of Jim Crockett Jr., and the rise and fall of Jim Crockett Promotions is the lead story in the current double-sized issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We look at the death of Crockett, the Crockett’s family original involvement in wrestling, how Jim took over the moves he made in building a small market territory into one of the big three companies in the U.S., original plans and why they changed, the rise of Ric Flair, where Jm was a Hall of Fame promoter, the fight with Vince McMahon from 1984-88, getting the TBS deal, what led to JCP selling to Turner, the framework of the NWA in the 70s and 80s, the rise of the super show concept, mistakes made at the end, what happened when TBS took over, attempts to get back in wrestling and life after wrestling.
Also in this issue:
NXT to Tuesday, why, what should be expected for the unopposed shows, WrestleMania plans, Takeover plans and how this affects the industry as a whole.
We also look at the next four PPV shows in pro wrestling with current plans and what happened this week to change plans.
A court case that has major ramifications on major wrestling companies.
A new documentary from a WWE star away from WWE.
Raw conflicting with college basketball, how other sports do on TV against AEW or WWE, Canadian rating updated, where wrestling stands with mother major sports programming, WWE losing a time slot to AEW, WWE injury dates, Ric Flair talks his angle being dropped, WWE market value and the most-watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network.
New Japan Cup and company plans going forward, Castle Attack shows, injury update, business notes and stadium shows.
Stardom’s biggest show in its history at Budokan Hall.
Life and times of Dean Higuchi, or Dean Ho, one of the major babyface stars of the 70s and his debut in Hawaii, his notoriety prior to wrestling, and his biggest career runs in WWWF and for Roy Shire.
Saturday’s UFC show.
The life of Art Michalik, who was responsible for a major change in pro football, his NFL career, getting into pro wrestling, headlining in Japan and life outside of wrestling.
The life of Johnny DeFazio, one of the most famous local stars in Pittsburgh, the heyday of Studio Wrestling and his life outside of wrestling including being a union head and for decades later a councilman.
The career of Don Serrano, who spent decades in wrestling and certain firsts he was involved in.
The life of Ann Casey, a noteworthy woman wrestling star of the 60s and 70s.
More into detail on the ratings than any other source, we have how every segment on NXT and AEW did as well as how it did with different age groups, genders and more, plus a look at all other wrestling shows of the past week.
Results of the major pro wrestling events of 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 covering AEW Revolution, the Adam Birch lawsuit against ROH, open scoring and other subjects. You can send questions to the show to [email protected]
AEW Revolution takes place today starting at 7 p.m. Eastern time with the pre-show with the main card scheduled from 8 pm.. until 11:30 p.m. to midnight Eastern. The only thing we’ve been told officially is that it will end after 11 p.m. The pre-show match is Riho & Thunder Rosa vs. Britt Baker & Rebel (there is an angle where Rebel doesn’t want to be in the match due to an injury), the PPV opener is Young Bucks vs. Chris Jericho & MJF. The main event is Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley in an explosive barbed wire match. Sting & Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage & Ricky Starks is a pre-taped cinematic match. A sellout crowd of 1,300, the second largest crowd for an American pro wrestling show since the pandemic, will be there.
Riho & Rosa vs. Baker & Rebel
Young Bucks vs. Jericho & MJF for the tag titles. This should be more of a brawling style of match than usual given the storyline of Jericho & MJF beating up Papa Buck.
Miro & Kip Sabian vs. Orange Cassidy & Chuck Taylor – They seem to be grooming Miro to be in the world title picture, so him beating Charles could be the result
Casino tag team Battle Royal for a shot at the tag team titles
Hikaru Shida vs. Ryo Mizunami for the women’s title. This match could be a surprise. Mizunami, who doesn’t have a lot of exposure, was put over in the tournament for the specific reason of having a great PPV match with Shida.
Matt Hardy vs. Adam Page in the big money match
Sting & Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage & Ricky Starks in the cinematic street fight match
Ladder match for a TNT title shot on Wednesday with Cody Rhodes, Scorpio Sky, Penta El Zero M, Max Caster, Lance Archer and a mystery sixth man
Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley for the AEW title in an explosive barbed wire match Omega would be the favorite to retain although I’ve seen no actual odds listed for this show.
On last night’s show that Bryan and I did, we discussed the two surprises.
We are doing polls on four shows this week. Today is the last day for our polls on the Stardom show Wednesday and the New Japan anniversary show on Thursday from Budokan Hall. We also have a poll up for UFC 259 last night and AEW tonight. For each show, you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
Regarding last night’s UFC main event, Judge Derek Cleary gave rounds one, two, four and five to Jan Blachowicz as well as a 10-8 fifth. Judge Sal D’Amato gave one, two, four and five to Blachowicz. Judge Junichiro Kamiyo gave one, three, four and five to Blachowicz and a 10-8 fifth round. Dana White after the show said it was nuts, saying in no way did Blachowicz win four rounds and that the final round shouldn’t have been a 10-8. Based on tons of different fan scores, the general feeling was Blachowicz 48-47, winning rounds two, four and five. To me, rounds one and two could have gone either way. Most had Israel Adesanya in round one and Blachowicz in two, but either way was fine. Round three was Adesanya, but not a blow out. Four and five were Blachowicz. Ten point must sucks because you could have easily scored it 48-47 for Adesanya while thinking Blachowicz really won the fight. For me using current scoring I had 48-47 Adesanya, but if it was half point scoring I’d have had I’d have had it 48.5 to 47.5 for Blachowicz.
Even though all three judges gave Blachowicz four rounds, of 28 media scores, only one gave him four and not one of 28 gave the last round 10-8. Of the scores we’ve seen it was 76-24% in favor of Blachowicz.
Adesanya last night said that there should be open scoring. It will never happen because we will never learn from foreign countries. I’ve been to shows with open scoring in Japan. It’s better for the fans and much better for the fighters. It makes it more exciting. But it doesn’t matter, commissions take forever to change and those in power don’t watch Japan or other places to learn, so they don’t learn and just go into the idea of what would happen (fighters ahead will stall knowing they are ahead) even though their idea really doesn’t happen often, and no more then when fighters already assume they are ahead.
We’ve been told today’s Dragon Gate main event with Shun Skywalker vs. Kaito Ishida was super.
In the New Japan Cup, there is no show tonight/early tomorrow. There is a Tuesday show from Okayama that starts at 4:30 a.m. with Yuji Nagata vs. Yota Tsuji and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Sanada. Matches set up for the second round are Evil vs. Jeff Cobb and Great O’Khan vs. Toru Yano on 3/11, Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi and KENTA sv. Minoru Suzuki on 3/13 and Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. on 3/14.
The next ROH PPV show on 3 /26 will be headlined by Rush vs. Jay Lethal for the ROH title.
WWE
WWE’s first non-pro wrestling documentary, “Heaven” about a girl wrestler in North Carolina who beat all the boys to win the state title at 106 pounds, is up on the network right now.
The Denver Post has a story today about Bobby Lashley winning the WWE title. Lashley is from Denver. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk and Barry Werner)
UFC
SportsBetting.ag has these odds for matches coming out of last night.
Petr Yan -250 vs. Aljamain Sterling +210
Jan Blachowicz -155 vs Glover Teixeira +135
Dana White said he wants to rematch Yan vs. Sterling as soon as possible. The issue is Sterling was knocked out and you can’t rush that rematch.
It’s a big day for Tony Khan since Fulham won 1-0 at Liverpool, which is only the second time that has happened since 1875.
OTHER NEWS
Kazushi Sakuraba’s first pro wrestling title reign ended earlier today, as Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya won the GHC tag titles from Sakuraba & Takashi Sugiura at the Yokohama Budokan.
With the death of Jim Crockett Jr., the Raleigh News-Observer ran a story on the era when the tapings of Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling and World Wide Wrestling were done at the WRAL-TV studios. (thanks to Jeff Hamlin)
Stardom ran Korakuen Hall today with the fallout from Wednesday. Giulia, after losing the main event and getting her head shaved, said she wanted to be in the opener. She was not bald but had short hair: Giulia b Gokigen Death, Konami b Lady C, Momo Watanabe & AZM & Saya Kamitani won a three-way for a trios title shot over Himeka & Maika & Natsupoi and Natsuko Tora & Saki Kashima & Ruaka, Bea Priestley won a three-way over Utami Hayashishita and Syuri by pinning Hayashishita to set up their 4/4 title match, Tam Nakano & Mina Shirakawa & Unagi Sayaka b Mayu Iwatani & Starlight Kid & Saya Iida to keep the trios titles.
Nakano & Shirakawa & Sayaka defend against Watanabe & AZM & Kamitani on 3/26 at Korakuen Hall. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and Tomi Yamada)
Women’s Pro Wrestling Assemble from Ueno Park in Tokyo yesterday: Mikoto Shinda b Ai Houzan, Chihiro Hashimoto & Maami b Dash Chisako & Kanon, Chikayo Nagashima & Makoto & Asuka (Veny inAEW) b Yumiko Hotta & Tsubasa Kuragaki & Riho Kawahata, Hanako Nakamori & Akari b Leon & Rydeen Hagne, Arisa Nakajima & Riko Kaiju b Nanae Takahashi & Honori Hana, Mei Hoshizuki & Maria b Mio Momono & Rin Kadokura, Mayu Iwatani & Starlight Kid b Momo Watanabe & AZM, Nargisa Nozaki won a four-way over Sakura Hirota, Yumi Ohka and Yuki Miyazaki (thanks to Shannon Walsh and WrestlingwithDemons.com)
Daneille Moinet, formerly known as Summer Rae, is the new co-host of “Always Be Racing” on ABR Live.
Tokyo Joshi Pro from yesterday in Tokyo: Sasikama & Mei Saint-Mchel (Mei Suruga) b Hikaru Noa & Sena Shiri, Maki Itoh & Miyu Yamashita b Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao, Marka Kobashi & Mahiro Kiryu & Raku & Nao Kakuta b Mirai Maiumi & Suzume & Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo, Yiku Kamifuku won three-way over Mizuki and Haruna Neko to keep the International Princess title, Yuka Sakazaki & Yuki Aino & Nodoka Tenma b Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe & Pom Harajuku,Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel won the tag team tournament over Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and Wrestlingwithdemoncom)
MLW on Wednesday night has Alex Hammerstone vs. L.A. Park for the National title, ACH vs. Kevin Ku plus the top five middleweight rankings.
SHWA from last night in Western Australia: Cal Collins & Zenith won three-way over Ryan Allen, Dizzy Videl & Michael Morleone b Casey Johns & James Hartness, James Draker & Julian Ward won three-way over Jordan Bishop, Dave Marshall b Great George, Jules Canan & Ryan Rivera b Chris Target & Blake Walker, Taylor King b Seth Kincaid-DQ, Del Cano b Chadwick Johnson-DQ, Chadwick Johnson b Del Cano to win Pride title
Deathmatch Downunder from last night in Melbourne, Australia: Mad Dog b Fox, Anti-Death match, Party b Raw Beef, Kid Valiant & Zane Zodiac b Toast of the Upper Crust, Caveman Ugg b Gore, Robbie Eagles b Mark Davis, Callen Butcher & Viksin b Gweedo & York, JXT b Ritchie Taylor, Royce Chambers b Murdoch, Charli Evans b Joel Bateman in a death match. They announced a doubleheader on 5/21 and 5/2 in Melbourne.
EPW on 3/20 in Perth with a school show and 4/17 with a bigger show. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
In their latest champion vs. champion fight, UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz defeated middleweight champion Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision to retain the title at UFC 259 in Las Vegas, NV.
The Polish-born fighter won two 49-45 cards with another at 49-46 in the first defense of the title he won in a victory over Dominic Reyes after Jon Jones vacated the title. Afterward, he said he wants to defend against top contender Glover Teixeira next.
Blachowicz’s size and ground game was too much for Adesanya in spots even though he managed to do damage and connect frequently using his speed. Afterward, he intimated he would like to fight at 205 pounds again but was focusing on defending his middleweight title next. This was the first loss of his MMA career.
In the first of three title fights, Aljamain Sterling made history by winning the UFC bantamweight title via DQ over Petr Yan due to an illegal knee strike in the fourth round. In the process, Sterling earned the distinction of becoming the first fighter in company history to win a title in that fashion.
While Sterling was competitive, Yan was fairly dominant as the fight wore on. As Sterling was on his knees, Yan threw a knee right up the middle that connected flush, hurting Sterling badly. After several minutes and two doctor visits, the referee finally called the fight off, initially leading to speculation as to whether it would be a DQ or a no contest.
After being awarded the belt, Sterling threw it down as he didn’t want it. Likely concussed, UFC still had Joe Rogan interview Sterling even though he had to be helped to the interview area.
In the co-main event, Amanda Nunes ran through Megan Anderson, submitting her at 2:03 in the first round to successfully defend her featherweight title for the second time. Also the women’s bantamweight champion, Nunes hurt Anderson with her hands and worked on the ground to submit Anderson with a great looking reverse triangle complete with an armbar to finish it up. She now has twelve straight wins, second longest in the UFC behind welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya, emanating from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A stacked card with three title fights headlines the first of two pay-per-view events for the UFC in the month of March, with this show capped off by an undefeated fighter looking to become a two-division champion.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz defends the title against UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya in the main event. Blachowicz became the champion at UFC 253 when he defeated Dominick Reyes for the vacant title, and, later in that night, Adesanya defeated Paulo Costa to retain his middleweight title and remain with a perfect record for his career at 20-0.
In the co-main event, UFC Women’s Featherweight and Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes makes her second defense of the featherweight title as she welcomes the challenge of Megan Anderson. Nunes was last in action in June, making a successful featherweight title defense against Felicia Spencer. Anderson hasn’t fought since last February, when she beat Norma Dumont.
In the third title fight on the card, UFC Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan defends the title for the first time against top contender Aljamain Sterling. Yan won the vacant title at UFC 251 in July, finishing Jose Aldo in the fifth round in a dominant showing. Sterling gets the title shot riding a five-fight win streak, capped off by a quick submission win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250 in June.
Also on the main card, lightweights on impressive win streaks battle as Islam Makhachev puts his six-fight win streak on the line against Drew Dober and his three-fight win streak, and light heavyweight sluggers Thiago Santos and Aleksandar Rakic kick off the main card.
In a stacked preliminary card, former UFC & WEC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz returns to action against Casey Kenney, Song Yadong looks to remain unbeaten in the UFC against Kyler Phillips, former flyweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez battles Askar Askarov, and notable fighters such as Livinha Souza, Tim Elliott, Jake Matthews and Kai Kara-France are also in action.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 5:15 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].
ESPN2 & ESPN+ PRELIMS | 5:15 PM ET/2:15 PM PT
> Mario Bautista (8-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Trevin Jones (12-6 1 NC, 0-0 1 NC UFC) Bantamweights
Jones with a quick leg kick. Bautista landed a body kick and Jones landed a couple more leg kicks. Bautista came forward with a combo and they clinch against the fence and trade knees. Jones has the body lock looking for a takedown but Bautista defending with some punches. Jones landing some knees to the thigh. They continue to battle for position against the fence. They break as Jones lands a knee. Jones with a couple of leg kicks. Bautista lands a right hand and Jones lands an inside leg kick. Jones has been active with the leg kicks in the first. They trade nice punches. Jones with a couple more leg kicks. Jones lands a left hand and shoots for a takedown but time runs out. 10-9 Jones.
Bautista misses a high kick to start the second. They trade kicks. Bautista with a nice flurry. Jones drops Bautista with a right hand and then starts landing hammerfists until it is stopped. Great finish by Jones.
Official Result- Trevin Jones def. Mario Bautista by TKO (punches) at :40 of Round 2
Medic landing a lot of punches and kicks early. Medic has Cruz in trouble early with big punches. Cruz stumbling around after being rocked and Medic drops him with a flying knee and is pounding away on Cruz. Cruz taking a lot of punishment and moving around enough to keep the referee from stopping it but it’s going on too long. Medic landing more and Mark Smith finally stops it. What an impressive showing by Medic and a terrible job of officiating by Smith.
Official Result- Uros Medic def. Aalon Cruz by TKO (punches) at 1:40 of Round 1
They circle around in the first thirty seconds and Lemos misses a head kick. Lemos lands a couple of jabs. Souza with a leg kick and Lemos backs her up with a combo then lands a leg kick. Lemos with a head kick. Lemos then drops Souza with a right hand and is pounding away with punches from the top. She looks for a guillotine but lets go and lands more punches and then looks for a guillotine again. Lemos lands an elbow and stands and Souza looks for a leg lock. Lemos being warned to not grab the fence. Lemos lands an elbow and some punches and they stand and break. Lemos with a leg kick. Lemos then drops Souza again with a punch and a couple more punches ends it. Fantastic showing by Lemos.
Official Result- Amanda Lemos def. Livinha Souza by TKO (punches) at 3:39 of Round 1
> Sean Brady (13-0, 3-0 UFC) vs. Jake Matthews (16-4, 10-4 UFC) Welterweights
Matthews lands a quick combo. Brady with a left hook. Brady with a leg kick. Matthews with a jab and then a right hand to the body. They trade punches. Brady with a combo but eats a left hook from Matthews. Matthews with a left hand to the body. They trade and Matthews lands a right hand and Brady goes down and Matthews jumps down for a guillotine and Brady reverses to the top in side control. Brady trying to work from the top but is just looking for the neck. Brady with some elbows and short punches from the top. Brady grabs the chin again and looks for a guillotine. Brady ends the fight landing from the top. 10-9 Brady.
Matthews with a front kick to the body. They trade punches. Matthews with a right hand. Both looking to land and Brady gets a takedown and is in the guard. Brady moves it next to the fence as he switches to the half-guard. Brady lands some punches as he looks to take the back but then moves back to the top and lands punches as he looks for the neck. Brady with continuing smothering from the top as he has the neck of Matthews and is landing punches. Brady with continued pressure from the top as the round ends. 10-9 Brady, 20-18 Brady.
Brady with an inside leg kick. Matthews throwing punches and kicks but not landing much. Brady with a leg kick. Brady rocks Matthews with a left hook. Brady gets a takedown and is working from the top. Matthews grabs a leg and gives up his back and Brady landing with heavy punches from the back. Brady with more punches from the back as he has control. Brady gets on top and is looking for an arm-triangle, and he has it locked in and Matthews taps! What an impressive showing by Brady, who looked absolutely outstanding.
Official Result- Sean Brady def. Jake Matthews by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:28 of Round 3
> Kennedy Nzechukwu (7-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Carlos Ulberg (3-0, 0-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Ulberg lands some early kicks. Ulberg with a front kick up the middle. Ulberg with a combo and then a lands a head kick that rocks Nzechukwu. Ulberg clinches up against the fence and lands a knee followed by some punches as Nzechukwu is in trouble. Ulberg with a knee then an elbow as they move back to the center. Ulberg with a high kick. Ulberg with a body kick then lands a right hand. Nzechukwu with a left hand. Nzechukwu lands a combo. Ulberg with a leg kick. Ulberg with a body kick then lands a right hand. Nzechukwu with a left hand. Nzechukwu with a hard right hand. Nzechukwu with another big left hand. Ulberg is slowing down. Ulberg with a front kick to the body. Ulberg with some big punches to the body and goes to the head and then lands a knee and back to the body shots. Ulberg with more punches. Nzechukwu lands a couple of left hands. Nzechukwu with a combo. Ulberg with a short uppercut and a leg kick. Nzechukwu with a high kick and then a body kick. What a round. 10-9 Ulberg.
Ulberg lands a left hook. Ulberg with a front kick to the body. Ulberg with a combo. Ulberg with a spinning back fist. Nzechukwu lands a combo. Nzechukwu with another combo as Ulberg is showing no head movement. Ulberg lands some hard body kicks and Nzechukwu is claiming that he was poked in the eye but Herb Dean didn’t see it but then Ulberg does actually poke him in the eye and we have a brief timeout. They get back to action and Ulberg with an inisde leg kick. Nzechukwu lands a left hand. Ulberg with a combo and head kick. Nzechukwu lands a left hand. Ulberg lands a right hand. Nzechukwu then drops Ulberg with a right hand and lands more from the top and finishes it. What a crazy fight as Nzechukwu gets the comeback win.
Official Result- Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Carlos Ulberg by TKO (punches) at 3:19 of Round 2
> Tim Elliott (#12, 16-11-1, 5-9 UFC) vs. Jordan Espinosa (15-8 1 NC, 2-3 UFC) Flyweights
Elliott coming forward and lands a couple of left hands and they clinch against the fence. They break and Espinosa lands a hook and Elliott tries again to find the takedown against the fence. Elliott lands a knee. They break. Espinosa lands a grazing head kick and Elliott grabs him and takes him down and has the back and looking for a choke as he lands punches. Elliott lands some more and Espinosa defending well. Espinosa looking for a kimura from the bottom as Elliott lands punches to the body. Elliott finishes the first on top. 10-9 Elliott.
Elliott gets a quick takedown but they get back to their feet. Elliott gets another takedown and is working in the half-guard and lands a couple of left hands. They work their way to the fence and Elliott looks to take the back of Espinosa. Elliott lands and has his arm around the neck of Espinosa. Espinosa escapes. Elliott then gets on top and is talking trash to Espinosa as he has his arm on his neck and lands some punches. 10-8 Elliott, 20-17 Elliott.
Espinosa with a jumping knee. Elliott gets a takedown against the fence. Elliott working from the top and lands a left hand. Elliott with more left hands to the body. Elliott gets in the guard of Espinosa and looking to set up a choke. Elliott gets cut open from an elbow from the bottom by Espinosa and Elliott is doing all he can to rub blood onto Espinosa’s face. Elliott landing more punches from the top. Espinosa looks for an armbar and almost had it but Elliott escapes and goes to side control. Elliott goes to the half-guard and Espinosa is just pinned to the mat. Elliott with some elbows and big left hands from the top at the end of the fight. Great showing by Elliott. 10-8 Elliott, 30-25 Elliott.
Official Result- Tim Elliott def. Jordan Espinosa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)
ESPN PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Rogerio Bontorin (#8, 16-2 1 NC, 2-1 UFC) vs. Kai Kara-France (#8, 21-9 1 NC, 4-2 UFC) Flyweights
Bontorin landing punches early on. Bontorin lands a right hand and gets a takedown against the fence and takes the back of Kara-France. Bontorin with some punches and is looking for a rear-naked choke. Kara-France gets out but Bontorin still has the back. Both landing punches on the mat. Bontorin with some body punches and Kara-France landing back punches. Kara-France gets to his feet but Bontorin still has his back and is jumped up and looking for a rear-naked choke from there. They go to the mat and Bontorin still has the choke locked in but Kara-France is able to escape. They stand and Bontorin is still jumped on the back of Kara-France. Kara-France gets him off the back and they separate and Kara-France lands some right hands. Kara-France rocks Bontroin with a right hand and then lands an uppercut and drops Bontorin with a right hand and Kara-France starts walking off and it looked like Herb Dean stopped it but there was some confusion but it was stopped. What a comeback by Kara-France.
Official Result- Kai Kara-France def. Rogerio Bontorin by TKO (punches) at 4:55 of Round 1
> Joseph Benavidez (#2, 28-7, 15-5 UFC) vs. Askar Askarov (#3, 12-0-1, 2-0-1 UFC) Flyweights* (Askarov missed weight by 1 pound)
Askarov with a front kick to the lead leg of Benavidez. Benavidez with a leg kick. Askarov with a right hand and Benavidez with a combo. Askarov with a front kick to the leg. Benavidez with a right hand and then lands a left hand. Askarov keeps throwing the front kick to the body and it is landing. Askarov with a combo and hurts Benavidez with a punch. They trade leg kicks. Askarov gets Benavidez down to the mat late and has the back of Benavidez as the round ends. 10-9 Askarov.
Askarov hurts Benavidez with some punches early in the second round. Benavidez is circling around and Askarov gets a takedown. Askarov landing from the top and takes the back of Benavidez and is landing punches. Benavidez with some back elbows. They scramble and Askarov ends up on top and then they scramble up and Askarov still has control. Askarov has the back of Benavidez and is landing right hands. Askarov has the body and lands some knees. Askarov with more right hands and he gets the back of Benavidez. They get to their feet at the end and Askarov lands some hard right hands at the end. 10-8 Askarov, 20-17 Askarov.
They both land to start. Benavidez lands a grazing head kick and Askarov tried to grab the body but they broke. Askarov with the jab. Askarov lands some punches and tries for a takedown but they break. Askarov with a high kick. They continue to trade but Askarov landing more as he is circling away and trying to stay out of trouble. Benavidez’ left eye is a mess. Askarov with a check right hook. Askarov stuns Benavidez with a right hand. Benavidez lands a right hand. Askarov lands late. 10-9 Askarov, 30-26 Askarov.
Official Result- Askar Askarov def. Joseph Benavidez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
> Song Yadong (#14, 16-4-1 1 NC, 5-0-1 UFC) vs. Kyler Phillips (8-1, 2-0 UFC) Bantamweights
Phillips lands a head kick. Phillips with a right hand. Phillips lands a jab and then a massive head kick that somehow Yadong didn’t fall from. Phillips with a spin kick to the body. Yadong still coming forward and he lands a spin kick that glances to the head of Phillips. Yadong with a body kick. Phillips lands a combo. Yadong with a flying knee attempt. Phillips lands a hard right hand. Phillips gets a takedown and lands an elbow from the top but they get to their feet. Phillips lands a left hook and Yadong counters with an uppercut and a right hand behind it. Phillips with a leg kick and Yadong lands a combo off of it. They tie up and battle for underhooks. They break and Yadong with an elbow and a spin kick to the body. Phillips with a late combo. Fun round. 10-9 Phillips.
Phillips lands a jab and leg kick. Yadong with a right hand. Phillips with a high kick. They trade wild punches. They trade and Phillips gets a brief takedown but they work to their feet and Phillips lands a spin kick to the body as they break. They trade jabs. They trade right hands at the same time. Phillips with a leg kick. They trade punches. Phillips lands a right hand. Yadong with a right hand to the body. Yadong with an uppercut. Phillips gets a takedown. He lands an elbow as he gets in the half-guard of Yadong. Yadong escapes and they get to their feet. Yadong lands a right hand. 10-9 Phillips, 20-18 Phillips.
Yadong with a leg kick. They trade. Phillips lands a left hand and gets a brief takedown as they explode up. Yadong with a combo to the body and ends it with a left hook to the chin of Phillips. Phillips with a leg kick. He lands another. Yadong with some leg kicks and lands a right hand. Yadong with another right hand. They trade right hands. Yadong with a combo. Yadong with another combo. Phillips just misses a spin kick to the chin. Yadong with another combo. Yadong lands a right hand. Phillips gets a takedown and they work to the fence. Phillips gets the back but Yadong spins into his guard. Yadong with a right hand to the body. Yadong ends the fight on top. Good fight, close fight. 10-9 Yadong, 29-28 Phillips.
Official Result- Kyler Phillips def. Song Yadong by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Cruz shoots for a takedown right away but can’t get it and they stand and break. Cruz with a leg kick. He lands another. They trade and Cruz with a head kick. They trade punches and Kenney lands a nice right hand. Cruz with a leg kick and then lands a right hand. Cruz with a quick hook and then a right hand. They trade kicks. Cruz with a right hand. Kenney lands a left hand. They trade kicks. Kenney lands a right hook to the body. They trade strikes. Kenney with a body kick and Cruz with a leg kick. Kenney with a leg kick. 10-9 Cruz.
Cruz with an inside leg kick. Kenney lands a leg kick. Cruz with a high kick. Cruz lands a right hand. Kenney lands a left hand. Cruz shoots for a takedown but Kenney defends. Cruz lands a right hand. Kenney with a leg kick and they trade punches. Cruz with a high kick and Kenney lands a leg kick. Cruz lands a left hand. Kenney with a left hand. They both land left hands. Kenney with a left hand. They trade body kicks. Cruz with a right hand to the body and Kenney counters with a left hand. Cruz with a nice combo. Cruz goes for a takedown and lands a left hand. Cruz lands a right hand. Kenney with an inside leg kick and Cruz counters with a right hand. They trade punches. Cruz with a left hook. Kenney lands a left hand. They trade late. Kenney tries for a neck but the round ends. 10-9 Cruz, 20-18 Cruz.
They trade to start the third and Cruz goes for a takedown and Kenney has the neck while Cruz is in side control. Cruz landing from the top as Kenney lets go of the neck and they scramble to their feet. Kenney with a leg kick. They trade punches. Kenney lands a right hand and Cruz lands a right hand. Kenney tries for a takedown attempt but Cruz easily defends. They trade wild punches. Cruz lands a combo. They trade wild punches. They trade right hands. Cruz ducks under some Kenney punch attempts. Kenney tries a takedown but Cruz stops it with a knee to the body. Cruz gets a late takedown. Cruz with lots of punches from the top to end the fight. 10-9 Cruz, 30-27 Cruz.
Official Result- Dominick Cruz def. Casey Kenney by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
ESPN+ PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Thiago Santos (#2, 21-8, 13-7 UFC) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (#4, 13-2, 5-1 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Santos with a leg kick. They trade punches. Rakic with a leg kick. Santos just misses a left hand and they trade body kicks. Santos with a body kick and Rakic counters with a leg kick. Rakic goes high with a kick but Santos blocks it. Santos with a body kick. Santos with a body kick, Rakic fires a leg kick back and then Santos counters with a left hand. Rakic with an inside leg kick and then they trade leg kicks. Rakic with a body kick. Rakic just misses a head kick. Santos with a body kick. Santos with a leg kick as Rakic lands a punch. Santos with a leg kick and Rakic lands a couple of body kicks. 10-9 Rakic.
They trade leg kicks. Rakic with a left hand. Rakic with a leg kick. Both are being patient in this round. Rakic with a leg kick. Santos just misses a couple of left hands. Rakic with a leg kick. They clinch against the fence and Rakic has control. They trade low knees as not much is going on. Santos with a couple of knees before they break. Rakic with a leg kick and it gets checked. They trade leg kicks. The pace has slowed late in the second. Rakic lands a nice counter combo after Santos. Santos tries a late flying knee but misses. 10-9 Rakic, 20-18 Rakic.
Rakic with a high body kick. They trade leg kicks. Santos with an inside leg kick. Santos shoots for a takedown but Rakic defends. They break and Rakic lands a hard leg kick. Santos lands some leg kicks. Santos just misses a left hand. Santos with a body kick. Santos with a high kick. Rakic with a leg kick then a right hand. Rakic tries a takedown but Santos landing a flurry of big elbows to defend. Rakic trying a single-leg and goes for the high-crotch but Santos defending. Santos with some shoulder strikes. They break and Rakic with a combo. Santos with a leg kick. Rakic with a leg kick. Santos with another leg kick. 10-9 Santos, 29-28 Rakic.
Official Result- Aleksandar Rakic def. Thiago Santos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
> Islam Makhachev (#14, 18-1, 7-1 UFC) vs. Drew Dober (23-8 1 NC, 9-4 1 NC UFC) Lightweights
Dober lands a couple of leg kicks. Makhachev gets a takedown and is working in the half-guard of Dober. Makhachev with some short punches from the top. Makhachev moves to the mount. Makhachev then moves to side control and has complete pressure on Dober. Makhachev with short punches and then moves to the mount and briefly takes the back before getting back on top and sliding to side control. Makhachev then gets an armbar and has it in deep but Dober gets out of it before the round ends. Just an absolute clinic on the mat from Makhachev. 10-8 Makhachev.
They trade punches. Makhachev with a knee and then goes for a takedown but Dober defends. Makhachev gets a trip takedown against the fence. Makhachev working in the half-guard. Makhachev working from the top and in control as he lands punches. Makhachev with more control from the top as Dober can’t do a thing to get out from the bottom. Makhachev lands from the top at the end of the round. 10-9 Makhachev, 20-17 Makhachev.
Makhachev gets an early takedown into the full guard of Dober. Dober is throwing elbows from the bottom but Makhachev blocking them and landing punches. Dober looks for a kimura from the bottom. Makhachev with more pressure from the top and has a head-and-arm choke locked in and Dober taps. What a performance by Makhachev, complete domination throughout the fight.
Official Result- Islam Makhachev def. Drew Dober by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 1:37 of Round 3
> Petr Yan (C, 15-1, 7-0 UFC) vs. Aljamain Sterling (#1, 19-3, 11-3 UFC) UFC Bantamweight Championship
Sterling comes forward right away and lands a body kick. Sterling with another body kick. Sterling with a right hand. Sterling with a body kick. Yan playing defense right now and then comes forward but Sterling avoids. Sterling with more body kicks and lands a flying knee. Yan backing up. Sterling with a leg kick. Yan with a body kick. Sterling with a combo ending with a leg kick. Yan gets a takedown off a kick and Sterling with a stomp to the knee before he stands. Sterling lands a right hand and then a flying knee. Sterling tries a takedown but Yan defends. Sterling gets a takedown and lands some right hands before Yan stands. Yan has the body lock standing. Yan lands a right hand before they break. Yan lands a right hand that sends Sterling to the mat but Sterling gets right back up. Yan lands a right hand and then a leg kick trips Sterling to the mat but Sterling gets up. Sterling with a combo to the body but Yan gets a takedown. Sterling looking for a leg and lands some hammerfists to the body. Yan escapes and they stand. Yan with a body kick. Yan gets the back standing and scores a takedown. Sterling reverses to the top and they stand and Sterling with a combo and knee at the end. Close round. 10-9 Sterling.
Sterling with a leg kick. They trade kicks and Sterling to the mat and Yan lands some leg kicks but the referee orders Sterling up. Sterling with a body punch and goes for a takedown but can’t get it completed. Sterling still working for it against the fence. Yan working hard to defend. Yan with some short punches. They break. Sterling with some punches and he looks for the takedown again against the fence. Sterling with heavy pressure against the fence and Yan landing short right hands. Yan lands a nice knee as Sterling tries for the takedown. They break and Yan lands a combo. Sterling with some short punches and lands a knee and some elbows. Sterling tries a takedown but Yan defends and Yan gets a takedown and has the back but they get to their feet quickly. Yan with a knee. Close round again. 10-9 Yan, 19-19.
Sterling with a body kick to start the third. Yan with a leg kick. Sterling with some right hands. Yan with a knee. Sterling with some punches. Yan with a right hand. Sterling tries a takedown but Yan defends and lands a knee. They trade body kicks. Yan with some punches as Sterling covers up. Sterling with some body punches. Yan gets a takedown. Sterling wants him on the mat but Mark Smith orders Sterling up. Yan with a right hand. Sterling with a combo and goes for a takedown against the fence. They break and Yan with a kick. They battle for position and Sterling goes to the mat and Yan with some leg kicks before Sterling stands. Sterling with a high kick and goes for a takedown. Yan with some right hands. Sterling with short punches. Sterling with a leg kick. Yan gets a late takedown. 10-9 Yan, 29-28 Yan.
Sterling with a couple of body kicks. Yan with a trip takedown and lands a leg kick as he doesn’t want to go to the mat with Sterling. Sterling stands and Yan with a knee to the body. Sterling with an uppercut. Yan lands a right hand. Sterling with a combo to the body and head. They trade leg kicks. They trade in close range. Sterling trying for a takedown and they both land leg kicks. Yan with a left hand. Sterling tries a takedown but Yan defends. Yan landing as they break. Yan with some right hands. Sterling with a combo and Yan lands a body kick. Yan with a left hand. Yan with a knee. Sterling with a body kick. Yan lands a hard punch. Sterling trying hard for a takedown but doesn’t have the energy. Yan with a nice combo. Sterling with a head kick. He lands another. Yan lands a vicious illegal knee and we have a timeout. Sterling is down and hurt and the referee and doctor are checking on him. This is taking some time. Sterling doesn’t want the fight to stop but says he can’t see straight. Sterling was clearly down and it was clearly illegal. The fight is stopped by the official and now we have an interesting situation.
It is being ruled that Yan intentionally threw the knee and he’s being disqualified, and Sterling is going to be the new champion. Sterling is emotional and upset about winning that way and threw the belt down, but it was the correct call. The knee was clearly illegal and Yan was told by the referee that Sterling was grounded about five seconds before he threw the knee, so it was clear as day.
Official Result- Aljamain Sterling def. Petr Yan by disqualification (illegal knee) at 4:29 of Round 4 to win the UFC Bantamweight Championship
> Amanda Nunes (C, 20-4, 13-1 UFC) vs. Megan Anderson (11-4, 3-2 UFC) UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship
Nunes with a leg kick. Nunes lands a right hand. Nunes lands another right hand and Anderson is wobbly. Nunes with another right hand and then a leg kick. Nunes gets Anderson to the mat and is landing big punches on the mat. Nunes has the back and is working for a choke. She’s now looking for an armbar. She has it locked in and Anderson taps! Nunes complete domination to retain the title.
Official Result- Amanda Nunes def. Megan Anderson by submission (armbar) at 2:01 of Round 1 to retain the UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship
> Jan Blachowicz (C, 27-8, 10-5 UFC) vs. Israel Adesanya (C MW, 20-0, 9-0 UFC) UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Adesanya with an inside leg kick. Blachowicz with a leg kick. Adesanya with a leg kick and then a body kick and a left hand. Adesanya with a left hand. They both just miss punches. Adesanya with a body kick. They both miss left hands. Blachowicz with a leg kick and one to the body. Adesanya with a leg kick. Blachowicz with two leg kicks. Adesanya with a body kick. Adesanya with more leg kicks and lands a left hand. Very technical first round. 10-9 Adesanya.
Adesanya with a leg kick. He lands a body kick. Adesanya with the jab. Blachowicz lands a right hand. Adesanya with a body kick. Adesanya lands and then Blachowicz lands a right hand and body kick. Blachowicz with a jab to the body. Adesanya with a leg kick. Adesanya throws a head kick and slips but gets right back up. Adesanya with a couple of leg kicks. They clinch but break quickly. Adesanya with a leg kick. Blachowicz with a body kick and follows with a jab. Adesanya with a body kick followed by a left hand. Adesanya with a low blow and we have a timeout. They get back to action quickly. Blachowicz with a flurry. Adesanya with a left hand. Adesanya with some leg kicks. Adesanya with the jab. 10-9 Blachowicz, 19-19.
Blachowicz with a body kick. He lands a right hand. Adesanya with a leg kick. Blachowicz lands a combo and then gets Adesanya down and has the back but they stand and break. Blachowicz lands a knee and Adesanya stuns Blachowicz with a punch. Adesanya with a head kick. Adesanya with a body kick then a combo and they clinch. Adesanya with some clinch strikes and they break and Adesanya with a leg kick. Adesanya with the jab. Adesanya with a leg kick. He lands another. They trade heavy jabs. Blachowicz with a nice left hand. They clinch and Blachowicz with a foot stomp. They break. Adesanya with a right hand. 10-9 Adesanya, 29-28 Adesanya.
Adesanya lands a combo and they clinch as Blachowicz is trying for a takedown. Blachowicz lands a right hand as they break. Blachowicz with a big right hand. Adesanya with a snapping jab. They trade and Blachowicz with a takedown. They trade in close range. Adesanya with a right hand. Adesanya with a combo and Blachowicz gets a takedown. Blachowicz keeping Adesanya on the bottom as he’s in the half-guard and landing some punches. Blachowicz with more right hands as he moves into side control. Blachowicz with a right hand and he goes back to the half-guard. Blachowicz ends the round on top. 10-9 Blachowicz, 38-38.
Adesanya with a leg kick. Adesanya lands a left hand. Blachowicz with the jab. Adesanya with a leg kick and Blachowicz with a right hand. They trade lefts. Blachowicz breathing heavy and carrying his hands low. Adesanya with a right hand. Blachowicz with the jab. Adesanya with a high kick. Adesanya with a spin kick to the body. Blachowicz lands a right hand. They trade. Blachowicz gets a takedown. Blachowicz lands from the top and gets into the half-guard. He lands more right hands from the top. Blachowicz ends the fight on top. This is going to come down to a couple of rounds, close fight overall. 10-9 Blachowicz, 48-47 Blachowicz.
Official Result- Jan Blachowicz def. Israel Adesanya by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-45, 49-45) to retain the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Dave Meltzer and I are back with Wrestling Observer Radio. We first talk about the passing of Buddy Colt and the bios that Dave wrote in this week’s newsletter.
We also look at UFC 259 and the big three title fights before pivoting back to pro wrestling to discuss the possibly of there being two NXT: TakeOver shows during WrestleMania week, Wednesday night ratings, leg slapping, and lastly, AEW’s upcoming Revolution PPV.
The story of Jim Crockett Jr., and the rise and fall of Jim Crockett Promotions is the lead story in the current double-sized issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We look at the death of Crockett, the Crockett’s family original involvement in wrestling, how Jim took over the moves he made in building a small market territory into one of the big three companies in the U.S., original plans and why they changed, the rise of Ric Flair, where Jm was a Hall of Fame promoter, the fight with Vince McMahon from 1984-88, getting the TBS deal, what led to JCP selling to Turner, the framework of the NWA in the 70s and 80s, the rise of the super show concept, mistakes made at the end, what happened when TBS took over, attempts to get back in wrestling and life after wrestling.
Also in this issue:
NXT to Tuesday, why, what should be expected for the unopposed shows, WrestleMania plans, Takeover plans and how this affects the industry as a whole.
We also look at the next four PPV shows in pro wrestling with current plans and what happened this week to change plans.
A court case that has major ramifications on major wrestling companies.
A new documentary from a WWE star away from WWE.
Raw conflicting with college basketball, how other sports do on TV against AEW or WWE, Canadian rating updated, where wrestling stands with mother major sports programming, WWE losing a time slot to AEW, WWE injury dates, Ric Flair talks his angle being dropped, WWE market value and the most-watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network.
New Japan Cup and company plans going forward, Castle Attack shows, injury update, business notes and stadium shows.
Stardom’s biggest show in its history at Budokan Hall.
Life and times of Dean Higuchi, or Dean Ho, one of the major babyface stars of the 70s and his debut in Hawaii, his notoriety prior to wrestling, and his biggest career runs in WWWF and for Roy Shire.
Saturday’s UFC show.
The life of Art Michalik, who was responsible for a major change in pro football, his NFL career, getting into pro wrestling, headlining in Japan and life outside of wrestling.
The life of Johnny DeFazio, one of the most famous local stars in Pittsburgh, the heyday of Studio Wrestling and his life outside of wrestling including being a union head and for decades later a councilman.
The career of Don Serrano, who spent decades in wrestling and certain firsts he was involved in.
The life of Ann Casey, a noteworthy woman wrestling star of the 60s and 70s.
More into detail on the ratings than any other source, we have how every segment on NXT and AEW did as well as how it did with different age groups, genders and more, plus a look at all other wrestling shows of the past week.
Results of the major pro wrestling events of 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.
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
Garrett Gonzales and I will be doing a show tonight which will be the first of of four straight nights I’ll be doing shows with UFC tomorrow and AEW Revolution on Sunday..
The new Observer not only has a ton of current news, but a lot of history pieces including one of the legendary feuds of the 50s, the heyday of Hawaii wrestling, as well as a look at Jim Crockett Promotions and Hulk Hogan’s first career matches.
UFC 259 weigh-ins for a 15 fight show that starts at 5:15 p.m. Eastern and scheduled to be an eight hour show. I promise, nobody ever under any circumstances should book an eight hour show. That said, this is an amazing show on paper with two intriguing title matches out of the three and a ton of talent underneath.
Prelims on ESPN+ starting at 5:15 p.m. Eastern
Trevin Jones (134.5) vs. Mario Bautista (135.5)
Usos Medic (156) vs. Aalon Cruz (155)
Livinha Souza (116) vs. Amanda Lemos (116)
Sean Bady (170.5) vs. Jake Matthews (169.5)
Carlos Ulberg (205 vs. Kennedy Mzechukwu (205.5)
Tim Elliott (125.5) vs,. Jordan Espinosa (126)
On ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. Eastern
Kai Kara-France (125.5) vs. Rogerio Bontorin (126)
Joseph Benavidez (125.5) vs. Askar Askarov (127) – Askarov missed weight and forfeits 20 percent of his purse to Benavidez
Song Yadong (13.5) vs. Kyler Phillips (136)
Dominick Cruz (136) vs. Casey Kenney (136)
PPV at 10 p.m. Eastern
Thiago Santos (206) vs. Aleksander Rakic (206)
Islam Makhachev (156) vs. Drew Dober (156)
Petr Yan (135) vs. Aljamain Sterling (134.5) for the bantamweight title
Amanda Nunes (145) vs. Megan Anderson (144.5) for the featherweight title
Jan Blachowicz (205) vs. Israel Adesanya (200.5) for the light heavyweight title
There are people noting Adesanya is the lightest under the weight class challenger for a title or for this title. Technically at 205 that is correct, but Frank Shamrock routinely weighed 190-192 or seven to nine pounds under the weight limit when he was fighting in the 200 pound weight class.
Smackdown tonight has Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso in a cage match and if Bryan wins, he faces Roman Reigns for the Universal title. Another match announced is Bianca Belair vs. Shayna Baszler.
New Japan runs at 3 a.m. Eastern tonight from Ota Ward Gym in Tokyo on New Japan World with New Japan Cup first round matches of Tomoaki Honma vs. Minoru Suzuki, Juice Robinson vs. KENTA and Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi. Okada and Takagi in October had one of the best matches of 2020.
They also run tomorrow night at 1 a.m., which should be right after UFC ends, from Yamanashi with Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Gabriel Kidd and Will Ospreay vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan.
Regarding the big surprise AEW signing on Sunday, both C.M. Punk and Daniel Cormier have denied it is them.
Some notes on the Wednesday ratings which are in more detail in the new issue. The high point of the night was 1.3 million viewers during the Shaquille O’Neal & Jade Cargill vs. Cody Rhodes & Red Velvet match, which averaged 1,166,000 viewers. The MJF, Chris Jericho and Young Bucks segment also averaged 1,004,000 viewers. Both shows started at more than 1 million viewers because NXT has the big lead-in, but it fell all the way to 575,000 during the Shaq match. NXT topped AEW in viewers (but not demo) during several AEW commercial breaks. The Paul Wight interview equaled the Shaq match average of 469,000 in 18-49. NXT peaked in 35-49 during the women’s tag title match but the 18-34 peak was Cameron Grimes vs. Bronson Reed. AEW’s peak in 18-34 was the Paul Wight interview and the Nyla Rose vs. Ryo Mizunami match. The AEW peak in 35-49 was the Shaq match.
We are doing polls on the following shows this week, both Wednesday’s Stardom show and Thursday’s New Japan at Budokan Hall, as well as tomorrow’s UFC and Sunday’s AEW Revolution. You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
WWE
We don’t know that this is the new site for WWE tapings in a few weeks, but they have been talking to the Yuengling Center at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
At yesterday’s Dragon Gate show, the new unit of Yamato, Dragon Kid, Ben K and Keisuke Okuda revealed their name as High-End.
New Japan’s show this week on The Roku Channel features Will Osperay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Former WWE wrestler Dan Rodimer is looking at running for office in Texas through connections with Donald Trump who he said urged him to run for the seat in the House of Representatives. (thanks to Lee Wall)
The New Jersey-based Synergy Pro Wrestling is shutting down after its owner Colin West (aka Patrick Shea) was exposed as a convicted child molester.
SWE Fury TV show results from this week’s episode #208 recorded in Irving Texas before 500 fans. 200 fans were turned away from this event due to COVID regulations. Rodney Mac retained the TV Title vs Heart Throb Jayden (Road Warrior Animals Son in Law), Teddy Long had an in-ring segment with Charlie Haas that Mark Henry appeared on where Haas got in a confrontation with Tim Storm.cJustin Credible defeated Edge Sloan, The Blood Hunter managed by Selina De La Renta defeated Frank Stone. Justin Credible confronted Blood Hunter at the end of the match. Selina De La Renta had a legit physical altercation with a fan at the start of the match, Jax Dane and Crimson defeated Jeff Jeffries and a local, Charlie Hass defeated Bam Bam Malone. The full episode can be seen on YouTube.
NFC MMA returns on 3/20 at The District in Atlanta.
Bare Knuckle Boxing tonight from Phuket, Thailand is on their streaming service with heavyweights Steve Banks (64-11) vs. Nikolayu Gussv (40-10) on top.
ACH vs. Kevin Ku has been added to Wednesday’s MLW Fusion show.
CWE has had to postpone its eight events this month in Manitoba and Alberta due to the province’s restrictions. They are hopeful of returning to action for a tour that would start on 5/7 in Winnipeg.
The UFC appears to be going down the three title fight pay-per-view path once again.
Thursday reports have bantamweight champion Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling rumored to be added to March’s UFC 259, joining middleweight champion Israel Adesanya vs. light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson.
MMA Junkie reported contracts have been issued to both men who were originally supposed to fight in December. However, the fight was postponed by Yan due to undisclosed reasons.
The venue and location for the event has yet to be announced.
The show will also feature the return of former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz vs. Casey Kenney, former light heavyweight title contender Thiago Santos vs. rising contender Aleksander Rakic, former flyweight title contender Joseph Benavidez vs. Askar Askarov, Drew Dober vs. Islam Makhachev, and more.
The UFC last held a three title fight pay-per-view with July’s UFC 251. The card featured welterweight champion Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway II, and Yan vs. Jose Also for the vacant bantamweight title.
As the calendars get flipped to 2021 in a matter of hours around the world, the UFC is already having to deal with a COVID-19 related main event change while booking a champion vs. champion fight for the first quarter of the year.
Reported Wednesday by ESPN, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will look to become the eighth two-division champion in UFC history when he faces light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in the main event of UFC 259 on March 6th, location TBA.
The undefeated Adesanya has been champion since October 2019 with two title defenses under his belt while Blachowicz defeated Dominick Reyes by second round TKO at UFC 259 in a bout for the vacant title. He’s won eight of his last nine.
**********
Fans were excited for the triple bill coming to Fight Island in mid-January including the Khamzat Chimaev vs. Leon Edwards main event set for Wednesday, January 20th that was already pushed back once due to Edwards testing positive for COVID-19. Then, ESPN reported earlier this week that Chimaev had to withdraw due to recovering from his own bout with the virus.
Edwards wanted to stay on the show, but the UFC will instead elevate Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny to the main event instead as they hope to rebook Chimaev vs. Edwards to a later date. Edwards, a winner of eight straight, hasn’t fought since July 2019 due to the pandemic canceling a high-profile fight against Tyron Woodley.
