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Sunday News Update
We have a fantastic show Garrett and I did with Bryan Danielson up, which is two hours talking about every topic from pro wrestling to social media to depression and all kinds of interesting discussions on different aspects of pro wrestling.
Bryan and I also have a show up covering last night’s news with a lot of WrestleMania updates, UFC 272, Smackdown, Rampage and more.
Bryan and I will be up tonight covering AEW Revolution as well.
Plus we had one of the most in-depth Observer issues with news on a ton of different subjects out this week. This is a great time to become a subscriber with all the content coming out.
We also have our annual convention in Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend which includes only our second Q&A show and meet and greet with Bryan and I since the pandemic, a dinner, a suite party, as well as the ability to sit together with web site members and Observer readers for AEW shows in Las Vegas that week. For more details you can go here.
We’re looking for your thoughts on last night’s UFC 272 and tonight’s AEW Revolution show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
We’re also looking for reports from tonight’s WWE show in Laval, Quebec, tonight’s WWE show in Allentown, PA and tonight’s Impact tapings in Louisville to [email protected]
AEW
AEW Revolution will be a nearly five hour show starting at 7 p.m. with a one-hour pre-show and three matches. It is a very loaded show as far as talent and probable great matches. It’s also looking to be the longest show in company history.
Pre-show at 7 p.m. Eastern —
Kris Statlander vs. Leyla Hirsch
Hook vs. QT Marshall
Penta Oscuro & Pac & Erick Redbeard vs. Malakai Black & Brody King & Buddy Matthews
Main card at 8 p.m. Eastern —
Andrade El Idolo & Matt Hardy & Isaiah Kassidy vs. Sting & Darby Allin & Sammy Guevara in a tornado match
Jade Cargill vs. Tay Conti for the TBS title
Keith Lee vs. Christian Cage vs Orange Cassidy vs. Ricky Starks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs Wardlow in a ladder match to determine the top contender for the TNT title
Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Kingston
Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley
Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. Young Bucks vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish for the AEW Tag titles
Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women’s title
C.M. Punk vs. MJF in a dog collar match
Adam Page vs. Adam Cole for the AEW title
No word on the match order past Page vs. Cole going on last.
Danielson vs. Moxley matches the winner of this year’s Best Technical Wrestler vs. this year’s Best Brawler.
There seems to be a lot of hardcore interest due to match quality and the show is sold out, but that’s because an 8,200 seat building is a small size for an AEW PPV show. Last year’s show did about 140,000 PPV Buys and that’s one of the highest in company history. AEW has never had a show on PPV that didn’t beat the number of the year before but this was the one that the comparison is tough because last year had the Moxley vs. Kenny Omega explosive death match and a lot of people bought the show for the main event gimmick. This is a better lineup but as far as gimmicks go, explosive death match beats dog collar match.
Kambi has star rating odds for both Revolution that you can bet over and under on —
Danielson vs. Moxley 4.75
Punk vs. MJF 4.5
Jericho vs Kingston 4.0
Hook vs. Marshall 3.0
House of Black vs. Penta & Pac & Redbeard 3.75
Statlander vs. Hirsch 3.25
Tornado match 3.75
Cargill vs. Conti 2.75
Tag title three-way 4.75
Baker vs. Rosa 4.5
Page vs. Cole 4.75
Regarding the tickets for Double or Nothing, as noted on Friday, the first day ticket sale made it the first AEW show to top $1 million in ticket sales. The show is not sold out as there are about 12,500 tickets out and a sellout would be about 14,000. With three months left and no card announced, it looks like they will sell T-Mobile out which is a good showing because the 2020 show before the pandemic that got canceled was not a lock to sell out the smaller MGM Grand Garden Arena. It would currently be the second largest non-WWE gate in U.S. pro wrestling history to the 2019 MSG show with New Japan and ROH. It is almost a certainty that this show will break that mark. If you adjust for inflation, there are a handful of shows in the territorial era and a few of the biggest WCW shows that would top that, and WWE has topped it many times with the record being $17.3 million. But it is still a great milestone for AEW.
Rampage on 3/18 will be airing at 11:30 p.m. Eastern due to the NCAA basketball tournament on TNT.
WWE
WWE’s Gable Steveson of the University of Minnesota faces Tony Cassioppi of the University of Iowa tonight in the Big 10 heavyweight championships match. Steveson beat Mason Parris, also signed with WWE, by a 14-6 major decision in the semifinals. Cassioppi reached the finals beating Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State 6-4 in overtime.
Jinder Mahal was in Montreal yesterday to promote today’s house show in Laval, Quebec. He was a special guest for Major League Soccer’s Montreal FC opening game at Olympic Stadium and was interviewed during the pregame show on TVA Sports. (thanks to Pat Laprade)
Kambi has star rating odds for WrestleMania that you can bet over and under on —
Styles vs. Edge 4.5
Lesnar vs Reigns 4.0
McIntyre vs. Corbin 3.5
Knoxville vs. Zayn 2.0
McAfee vs. Theory 3.5
Lynch vs. Belair 4.0
Mysterios vs. Miz & Paul 3.0
Flair vs. Rousey 4.0
Women’s tag title 2.5
Other Wrestling
wXw 16 Carat Gold from today in Oberhausen, Germany: Robert Dreissker b LuFisto in the semifinal, Jonathan Gresham b Shigehiro Irie in the semifinal, Baby Allison b women’s champion Ava Everett in a non-title match, Cara Noir b Dennis Dullnig, Maggot won four-way over Shotgun champion Ninja Mack, Edner Kara and The Rotation to win the title, Axel Tischer b Fuminori Abe, Ace Romero & Aigle Blanc & Senza Volto b Dover & Icarus & Peter Tihany, Jonathan Gresham b Robert Dreissker to win the 16 Carat Gold tournament.
St. Louis Anarchy results from Friday night in St. Louis: Christian Rose b Moonshine Mantel, Evan Gelistico & Adrian Surge & Nick King b Sean Orleans & Anakin Murphy & Deacon Cash, Jeremy Wyatt b Old Lane, Billie Starkz b Victor analog, ACH b Kenny Alfonso, Angelus Layne & Jake Dirden won three-way over SK Bishop & Campbell Meyers and Hoodie Howlett & Anaya Howlett, Chip Day b Thomas Shier, Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett b Davey Richards & Warhorse, Camaro Jackson b Big Beef, Gary Jay b Anthony Henry to keep Gateway Heritage title (thanks to Sophie King and Patrick Brandmeyer)
GOUGE from yesterday in Raleigh, NC: TIM won Redneck Rumble, Dirty Daddy b Olly Primo Victor Andrews b Garrett Sinclair, Danny Vegas & Hazakiah & Jebediah Hoskins b Gem Stone & Bobby Wohlfert to wi tag titles, Snooty Fox b Caribbean Tiger, Waylon Maze b Inut Joe, TIM b Seymour Snott to win the Gouge title. Next shows are 6/4 and 6/5 in Raleigh at the Jim Graham Building.
XICW from last night in Detroit: Jontae Keith b Mark Ross, Soultaker b Forever Young, Billy Ray Daniels & LJ Lawrence b Grey Wolves, Drew Jacobs b TJ Meyer, Mongo b Sheepy, Schwartzy b Jamiy Coxxx, Randi West b Thunder Kitty, DBA b Hoodfoot Mo Atlas, Malcolm Monroe III b Simon Gotch (thanks to Leonard Brand)
A correction on the Jeopardy note regarding the Monday show, in the category of Sports by Their Honors and one of the clues was Slammy Awards, the correct answer that the contestant got was What is WWE, not what is a pro wrestler (thanks to Grant Zwarych).
UFC
Last night’s UFC 272 was a solid show but the main card was largely one-sided fights. The first round of Alex Oliveira vs. Kevin Holland was good. Colby Covington’s win over Jorge Masvidal was one-sided as Masvidal couldn’t stop Covington’s wrestling early and then Masvidal tired quickly. Masvidal hurt Covington in the fourth round but by that point was too tired to follow up.
Regarding the Masvidal vs. Covington feud ending with the one-sided bout, Masvidal said he wrestled like shit, and it sucks because Covington talked about his kids and that if he sees Covington in the the streets, “I’m going to give him everything I’ve got to break his f***ing jaw. It doesn’t matter if I lost wrestles scrambles tonight, I still think he’s a f***in’ pussy.”
Drake bet $275,000 on Masvidal. Masvidal said he owes him dinner when he comes to Miami.
Regarding the scorecards, in the main event, Sal D’Amato gave Covington all five rounds, Junichiro Kamijo gave Masvidal round two and Covington the other four. Derek Cleary gave Covington every round with a 10-8 fifth round
In the Marina Rodriguez vs. Yan Xiaonan fight, it was close with Michael Bell giving Rodriguez two and three, Derek Cleary giving Rodriguez only round three and Ron McCarthy giving Rodriguez two and three. Media scores were 50% for each fighter which tells you how close it was.
In Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu (pronouncing those names was a nightmare), Doug Crosby gave Nicolae the first two rounds, Sal D’Amato gave Kenny rounds all three rounds but three would be 9-9 with the one point docked for his third eye poke. Tony Weeks gave Nicolae rounds one and two. So even without the foul point the judges were with Nicolae. I had it 28-28. Notable that only 7% of the media scored it for Nicolae with 53 % for Kennedy and 40% had it a draw.
Greg Hardy, in the last fight of his contract, lost in just 2:16 of round one to Serghei Spivac.
Bryce Mitchell on the air said he would donate half of his purse ($45,000 of $90,000) to care for children in Arkansas suffering from major health issues. Dana White after the show said that he would cover the $45,000 so Mitchell didn’t have to.
As far as Google searches for the week, last night’s UFC show did 2.3 million, which is a normal number for a good UFC PPV show. It was the single most searched topic on Google last night. Besides the main eventers, Masvidal and Covington, who are factored into the No. 1 spot, three other fights made the top 20 with 100,000 with Bryce Mitchell at No. 9, Greg Hardy at No. 11 and Rafael dos Anjos at No,. 13.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Octagon remains in Las Vegas, but shifts to the T-Mobile Arena for this pay-per-view event headlined by a five-round grudge match between two heated rivals.
Former best friends and teammates Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal square off in the main event in a fight that has been building for years. The two used to be long-time training partners at American Top Team, and even lived together at one point, but their relationship deteriorated as Covington was straining his time at the gym. Both are coming off losses in title fights to UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman.
In the co-main event, it will be another five-round bout as lightweights Rafael Dos Anjos and Renato Moicano meet in a 160-pound catchweight bout. Moicano is stepping in on just a few days’ notice after Rafael Fiziev was forced out after testing positive for COVID-19. Also on the main card is a featherweight bout between Edson Barboza and Bryce Mitchell, a welterweight bout pitting Kevin Holland against Alex Oliveira, and a heavyweight fight as Serghei Spivac takes on Greg Hardy.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6 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].
ESPN+ PRELIMS | 6 PM ET/3 PM PT
> Light Heavyweights- Dustin Jacoby (16-5-1, 4-2-1 UFC) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (16-4 1 NC, 4-2 1 NC UFC)
Jacoby lands a combo and a leg kick as Oleksiejczuk was coming forward. Jacoby with a leg kick. Oleksiejczuk lands a left hand. We have a timeout for an eye poke. They get back to action and Oleksiejczuk lands a straight left hand. Jacoby throws a high kick but eats a left from Oleksiejczuk. Jacoby tries a leg kick but Oleksiejczuk grabs it and throws Jacoby to the mat but they get up and break. Jacoby lands a left hook. Oleksiejczuk with a left hand. Jacoby with a step-in knee and looks for a takedown against the fence. They’re trading in close range at the end. Oleksiejczuk with a left hand. Close round. 10-9 Oleksiejczuk.
They’re trading and Jacoby tags Oleksiejczuk with some punches and knees and Oleksiejczuk goes down for a moment. Jacoby looking to finish but Oleksiejczuk gets to his feet and both are throwing. They’re inside the pocket against the fence and both throwing and landing. They break to the center. They tie up against the fence and Jacoby gets the takedown. They get up and Jacoby with a knee. They break. Jacoby landing and looks for a takedown against the fence but Oleksiejczuk reverses. Both slowing down. Oleksiejczuk lands a left hand. Jacoby throws a left hand and they tie up against the fence. They stay clinched at the end of the second. 10-9 Jacoby, 19-19.
Jacoby lands some short shots to start the third. Oleksiejczuk lands a left hand. They’re both landing in short range. Oleksiejczuk gets poked in the eye again and we have another timeout. They get back to action and Jacoby lands a nice jab. They trade in close range. Jacoby throwing the jab. Oleksiejczuk lands a nice right hand. They clinch and Jacoby lands a knee as he’s working for a takedown. Jacoby with a right hand as he’s pressuring against the fence. Jacoby working hard for the takedown. Jacoby with a knee then two elbows. Close fight. 10-9 Jacoby, 29-28 Jacoby.
Official Result- Dustin Jacoby def. Michal Oleksiejczuk by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Lightweights- Devonte Smith (11-3, 3-2 UFC) vs. Ludovit Klein (17-4, 1-2 UFC)
Both looking for openings to start the fight. Klein lands a body kick. Smith with a leg kick. Klein with a head kick. They trade punches. Klein lands a hard left hand and a flurry against the fence as Smith clinches him up to stop the flurry. They remain clinched and both landing knees. They’re broken up by referee Marc Goddard. Smith with a leg kick. Klein with a head kick following two punches and had Smith hurt late. 10-9 Klein.
Smith landing lots of kicks to start the second, landing some hard kicks to the body. They clinch and Klein with some shoulder strikes. They break to the center and Smith landing some kicks and following it with right hands. Klein with a leg kick. Klein throws a kick but misses Smith and Smith went for the takedown but Klein defended. They clinch and Klein with some inside knees to the thigh of Smith. Smith with some knees and a right hand. Klein with a short uppercut. They break and Smith almost gets a takedown but Klein defended well and Smith pushes it against the fence. Klein with some shoulder strikes. 10-9 Smith, 19-19.
Smith with two leg kicks to start the third. Klein with a front kick to the body and Smith is retreating. Klein with more body kicks. They clinch against the fence. Klein landing to the body and Smith lands as they break. Smith with a body kick. Klein with a left hand. They trade body kicks. Klein with a leg kick. They clinch against the fence. Klein with some shoulder strikes. They break. Smith with the jab and a left hand. Smith with a combo and Klein lands a body kick. Smith lands the jab. Smith with a right hand. They trade in close and Smith lands a big knee and follows it with an elbow. Klein goes for the takedown but Smith defends against the fence. They break to the center. Klein with a leg kick. Klein with a body kick. Close fight. 10-9 Klein, 29-28 Klein.
Official Result- Ludovit Klein def. Devonte Smith by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
> Flyweights- #13 Tim Elliott (17-12-1, 6-10 UFC) vs. #15 Tagir Ulanbekov (13-1, 2-0 UFC)
Elliott come forward with his lead leg up. Elliott with some low kicks. Ulanbekov with the jab. They trade kicks. Elliott gets a takedown. Elliott lands a knee as Ulanbekov was getting up, and it may have been illegal. Elliott still landing on the feet. Ulanbekov with a right hand. Elliott gets another brief takedown but they’re right back to the feet. They break as both land a jab. Elliott gets another takedown. Ulanbekov with a right hand. They trade in close range. Ulanbekov with the jab as Elliott lands a combo. Elliott lands a left hand and Ulanbekov goes to his knees for a moment but gets up. Elliott gets a takedown but they get up and are clinched. They break at the end. 10-9 Elliott.
Ulanbekov with a right hand. Ulanbekov shoots for a takedown but Elliott sprawls away. Ulanbekov lands a right hand. Elliott with a combination to the body. Ulanbekov gets a takedown. Ulanbekov gets the back as they stand. Elliott scrambles out and lands a right hand as they break. Elliott with a right hand as he grabbed the glove of Ulanbekov, which is illegal. They clinch and sprawl and Elliott ends up in the mount but they stand and break. Ulanbekov gets a takedown but Elliott uses some momentum to get back up. They clinch and Ulanbekov with some uppercuts. They’re tied up against the fence. Ulanbekov drops for a takedown but Elliott defends. 10-9 Elliott, 20-18 Elliott.
Elliott with a body kick. Elliott with some body shots in close range. Ulanbekov lands a right hand. Ulanbekov lands a combination. Ulanbekov landing punches as Elliott is trying to land leg kicks. Ulanbekov gets a brief takedown and has the back of Elliott as they stand. Ulanbekov trying hard for the takedown. Ulanbekov has the back and is landing knees to the thighs and legs of Elliott. Ulanbekov jumps on the back and has the body triangle as they go to the mat and Ulanbekov looking for the neck. He has the neck crank in as he’s trying to find the rear-naked choke. Ulanbekov with some left hands. Ulanbekov is bleeding pretty good right now. Ulanbekov with some left hands. Elliott survives but a big third from Ulanbekov. Close fight. 10-9 Ulanbekov, 29-28 Elliott.
Official Result- Tim Elliott def. Tagir Ulanbekov by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Featherweights- Brian Kelleher (24-12, 8-5 UFC) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (13-0, 1-0 UFC)
Nurmagomedov with a front kick. Nurmagomedov with a head kick. Both miss on their punches as they clinch against the fence. Nurmagomedov has the double underhooks against the fence. They break and Nurmagomedov goes for a takedown but Kelleher defends and they clinch again. Nurmagomedov has the back and the neck and gets the rear-naked choke locked in and Kelleher taps!
Official Result- Umar Nurmagomedov def. Brian Kelleher by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:15 of Round 1
ESPN PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Women’s Flyweights- Maryna Moroz (10-3, 5-3 UFC) vs. Mariya Agapova (10-2, 2-1 UFC)
They feel each other out in the early going before they clinch as Moroz has the body lock. Agapova with some short punches. Moroz trying hard for the takedown as Agapova lands some hard elbows. Some of those were 12-6 elbows. Moroz gets the takedown and has the back of Agapova. Moroz looking for the choke. Moroz has the hooks in. Moroz still working for the choke. Agapova fighting it. It might be in. Agapova gets out and Moroz grabs the arm and has an armbar in but Agapova escapes and has the back. They’re clinched against the fence and end the round there. 10-9 Moroz.
Moroz throws some punches before they clinch against the fence. They battle for underhooks. Moroz trying for the takedown and gets it to the mat. Moroz has the back and is landing punches from the top. Moroz with some big elbows from the mount. Moroz has the back and is landing punches. Moroz goes for the arm-triangle choke. It is in deep and Agapova taps! What a finish by Moroz.
Official Result- Maryna Moroz def. Mariya Agapova by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 3:27 of Round 2
> Light Heavyweights- Nicolae Negumereanu (11-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu (9-2, 3-2 UFC)
They start slow in the first minute as Negumereanu lands a couple of punches. Negumereanu lands some leg kicks. Nzechukwu lands a jab. Negumereanu with a leg kick. Negumereanu is trying to rush in but Nzechukwu keeping him at a distance. Nzechukwu with a body kick. Negumereanu with a right hand and Nzechukwu lands some counter punches. They trade late. Close round. 10-9 Nzechukwu.
Negumereanu coming forward to start the second and Nzechukwu landing the counter shots as Negumereanu is coming forward. Negumereanu gets the body lock looking for the takedown. Negumereanu trying for the takedown as they go to a knee for a moment. Negumereanu with some knees. They’re separated by referee Mark Smith. Negumereanu with a right hand. Nzechukwu with a leg kick. He lands a jab then a left hand. Nzechukwu with a hard jab and then lands a hard combination that hurts Negumereanu. Nzechukwu lands some left hands. Negumereanu tries for a takedown against the fence but time runs out. 10-9 Nzechukwu, 20-18 Nzechukwu.
Nzechukwu pokes Negumereanu in the eye at the start of the round and there’s a timeout. A point is taken away from Nzechukwu. They get back to action and Nzechukwu lands a big knee and some punches. He lands another big knee and Negumereanu gets a takedown but they quickly get up. They break the clinch and Nzechukwu did grab the fence at one point. Nzechukwu lands a left hand. They trade and Nzechukwu lands more in close range. Negumereanu lands a right hand. Nzechukwu lands some punches and lands a solid combination. Negumereanu with a right hand and Nzechukwu lands some counters. Nzechukwu lands a nice left hand. Nzechukwu landing punches. Nzechukwu with big shots and they trade big punches at the end. 9-9 Nzechukwu with the point deduction, 29-27 Nzechukwu.
Official Result- Nicolae Negumereanu def. Kennedy Nzechukwu by split decision (27-29, 29-27, 29-27)
> Women’s Strawweights- #3 Marina Rodriguez (16-1-2, 5-1-2 UFC) vs. #4 Yan Xiaonan (13-2 1 NC, 6-1 UFC)
They’re both throwing early and Xiaonan has landed a leg kick and right hand. Xiaonan with an overhand right. Rodriguez with a leg kick. Xiaonan with a combination. Xiaonan with a leg kick. Rodriguez lands a combination. Xiaonan with a leg kick. Rodriguez with a leg kick. Xiaonan with an inside leg kick. They trade in close range and we have a timeout for a low blow on Xiaonan. They get back to action and trade and Xiaonan with a late takedown. 10-9 Xiaonan.
Rodriguez tries for a takedown but Xiaonan defends. Rodriguez with a leg kick. Xiaonan with a combination. Rodriguez with a leg kick. Xiaonan with a close range combo. Rodriguez lands and Xiaonan looks for the body lock but lets go. Xiaonan goes for the takedown and has the back as they’re on their knees on the mat. Xiaonan has the body as they stand and now has the back. They break. Rodriguez with a combo and lands a knee and then has the back as they scramble for a moment. Rodriguez with a knee to the body and an elbow as they break. Rodriguez lands a big right hand late. 10-9 Rodriguez, 19-19.
Xiaonan with a leg kick. Rodriguez throws some punches but misses. They both land in close range. Xiaonan with a leg kick and Rodriguez lands a counter left. They trade jabs as Rodriguez is the one pressuring. Rodriguez lands a knee to the body as they clinch and then lands an elbow before they break. They’re trading in close and Rodriguez lands a big left hand. Rodriguez with a combo and Xiaonan lands a nice left hand. Xiaonan with a big left hand. Rodriguez with an overhand right. Rodriguez with a big knee and several elbows against the fence. Close fight. 10-9 Rodriguez, 29-28 Rodriguez.
Official Result- Marina Rodriguez def. Yan Xiaonan by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
They both land some hard punches. Turner with a body kick. Mullarkey with the jab. Turner lands a big right hand and Mullarkey looks for the takedown. They break and both land big shots and Turner gets wobbled. They clinch against the fence. Mullarkey with an elbow. They break and Turner lands some big kicks. Turner lands a right hand. Turner lands a big combination. They both land in close range. Mullarkey throws a head kick and Turner catches it and puts him on the mat for a moment. Mullarkey stands and eats some body punches from Turner. Mullarkey lands a right hand. Turner with some nice right hands. Mullarkey with a high kick. Mullarkey gets a takedown and is in side control. Mullarkey tries to get the full mount but Turner gets him inside his full guard. 10-9 Turner.
Turner lands a right hook that hurts Mullarkey and Mullarkey goes down and Turner starts unloading with punches on the mat and it is all over. Big finish from Turner as he scores his fourth straight win.
Official Result- Jalin Turner def. Jamie Mullarkey by TKO (punches) at :46 of Round 2
Hardy with a leg kick. Spivac goes for the takedown and they tie up and Spivac gets the big takedown. Spivac lands a right hand. Spivac has the back as they stand but Spivac gets it down again. They get back up and Spivac gets him back down. Spivac gets the mount and lands big punches and it is over! Big finish by Spivac.
Official Result- Serghei Spivac def. Greg Hardy by TKO (punches) at 2:16 of Round 1
> Welterweights- #14 (MW) Kevin Holland (21-7 1 NC, 8-4 1 NC UFC) vs. Alex Oliveira (22-10-1 2 NC, 11-9 1 NC UFC)
Oliveira with a leg kick. Holland landing a lot of leg kicks. Oliveira lands some leg kicks that trip up Holland. Oliveira gets a takedown but they get up. They both land punches that hurt each other. Oliveira with a body kick. Holland continuing with the leg kicks. Holland still landing the calf kicks. Oliveira lands a nice leg kick and then another and gets a brief takedown and has the back and has a rear-naked choke but Holland is giving a thumbs up at the end of the round. 10-9 Oliveira.
They trade leg kicks to start the second. Holland lands a right hand that drops Oliveira and he’s landing big punches looking for the finish. Holland with big elbows and it’s all over! What a finish by Holland in his welterweight debut.
Official Result- Kevin Holland def. Alex Oliveira by TKO (strikes) at :38 of Round 2
Barboza with some leg kicks to start. Barboza with a leg kick. Barboza with more kicks. They trade kicks. Mitchell drops Barboza briefly with a right hand and is now looking for a takedown. He gets it and is in the closed guard of Barboza and landing punches. Mitchell with an elbow from the top. Mitchell lands more from the top. Mitchell continues to work from the top and is landing some shots but not a ton is happening. Barboza kicks Mitchell off and they stand. They trade late. 10-9 Mitchell.
Mitchell gets a takedown and is in the guard of Barboza. Mitchell continuing to land from the top. Mitchell with pressure as the guard is closed. Barboza is not doing anything to get out from the bottom. They get to their feet for a moment but Mitchell gets it back down and is landing punches. Barboza grabbed the fence at one point. Mitchell with more smothering from the top as this is a dominant round. 10-8 Mitchell, 20-17 Mitchell.
Mitchell throws a kick and Barboza lands a right hand and Mitchell falls to the mat for a moment. Mitchell gets the takedown and is working in the closed guard. Mitchell with some more work from the top and Barboza looks to be throwing up for a triangle choke or an armbar. Mitchell gets out and is back on top and in full mount from the top. He moves to the side and then back on top and is switching positions consistently while landing from the top. He finishes the fight on top and in dominant fashion. 10-8 Mitchell, 30-25 Mitchell.
Official Result- Bryce Mitchell def. Edson Barboza by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27)
> 160-pound Catchweights- #6 (LW) Rafael Dos Anjos (30-13, 19-11 UFC) vs. Renato Moicano (16-4-1, 8-4 UFC)
They trade in close range as Moicano lands a body kick and they clinch. Moicano gets the back of Dos Anjos but Dos Anjos scrambles away. They break and Dos Anjos with a combo and a body kick. Dos Anjos gets the takedown. They get to their feet. Dos Anjos with a knee to the body. Dos Anjos ducks under a Moicano right hand and gets a big takedown. Dos Anjos in side control against the fence. Dos Anjos is smothering from the top as he lands some left hands. Dos Anjos with full control from the top as he lands some punches and elbows. 10-9 Dos Anjos.
Dos Anjos with a body kick. Dos Anjos tries for a single leg but Moicano slips out. Dos Anjos lands a nice left hand. Moicano with a right hand. Dos Anjos tries for a takedown and gets the back of Moicano. They break and Dos Anjos lands some left hands and a body kick. Dos Anjos with a body kick. Dos Anjos gets the takedown. Dos Anjos working from the top and is in the guard of Moicano. Dos Anjos with some big elbows. Dos Anjos ends the second on top. 10-9 Dos Anjos, 20-18 Dos Anjos.
Dos Anjos landing to start the third but neither doing a whole lot. Moicano lands an uppercut followed by a left hand. Dos Anjos with a head kick and then a knee. Dos Anjos lands a head kick and Moicano starts to run away. Dos Anjos gets Moicano down and is landing big punches and looking for the finish. Dos Anjos with big left hands and this should be stopped. Dos Anjos working in the half-guard and has slowed down. Dos Anjos with some elbows and punches. Dos Anjos ends the round on top with a big round. 10-8 Dos Anjos, 30-26 Dos Anjos.
They check on Moicano and let him continue, though the fight should’ve been stopped by someone already. Dos Anjos with a combination. Moicano lands a right hand. Dos Anjos gets the takedown and is working from the guard of Moicano. Dos Anjos continues to work from the top as Moicano is exhausted on the bottom. Dos Anjos with more elbows and punches. Dos Anjos with more nasty elbows that cuts Moicano open again. They get up at the end and this fight should be stopped. 10-8 Dos Anjos, 40-34 Dos Anjos.
Marc Goddard is letting it go on. Moicano with a right hand. Moicano misses a spinning back fist. Moicano with a high kick. Dos Anjos with a combo. Dos Anjos with a high kick. Dos Anjos gets a takedown. They get to their feet. They trade punches. They trade and Moicano making a strong comeback late and landing some solid punches. Moicano with a right hand and a jab. Moicano with an uppercut and Dos Anjos lands a left hand. 10-9 Dos Anjos, 50-43 Dos Anjos.
Official Result- Rafael Dos Anjos def. Renato Moicano by unanimous decision (49-45, 49-44, 50-44)
Masvidal with a leg kick. Covington lands and Masvidal complains about an eye poke. Covington goes for a takedown but Masvidal defending. Covington still has the back and they go to the mat. Covington has a hook in and has the neck. Covington landing punches from the back. Covington landing but some are to the back of the head and he’s getting warned by Herb Dean. They get to their feet and Covington with some elbows before they break. They trade kicks. 10-9 Covington.
The each block kicks as Covington slips. Masvidal with a leg kick and lands a left hook. Masvidal with another leg kick. Masvidal with a body kick followed by a couple of jabs. Masvidal lands the jab. Covington goes for a takedown and Masvidal lands some hard elbows to defend. We have a groin strike but they get back to action and Masvidal lands some good punches. Masvidal drops Covington with a punch and Covington moves to the back and looks for a choke. They got up and separated. Covington throws wild strikes. Covington with the jab. Masvidal lands a combo. Masvidal with a leg kick. Covington lands a left hand and then another. 10-9 Masvidal, 19-19.
Covington with a combo as he pressures Masvidal to the fence. Covington goes for a takedown but Masvidal defends. Covington lands a combo. Covington gets a takedown. Covington with some elbows and body punches from the top. He lands more elbows. Covington with more smothering ground-and-pound from the top as he moves to the half-guard. Covington looks for a choke but lets go. Covington tries again but Masvidal scrambles and Covington gets his back once again. Masvidal gets up late and lands a left hand. He lands another. 10-9 Covington, 29-28 Covington.
Masvidal with a high kick then a leg kick. Covington with a head kick. Covington lands a combo. Covington lands a big punch and looks for the takedown. Covington with a big flurry and he’s looking to finish Masvidal against the cage. Covington presses it against the fence again. They break and Masvidal with an elbow then a body kick. Masvidal lands a right hand that hurts Covington and he’s landing more that has Covington backing up. Covington lands a combo. Covington lands against the fence and they clinch up. 10-9 Covington, 39-37 Covington.
Covington lands a combo and has Masvidal against the fence and gets it to the mat. Covington in the half-guard and the crowd is booing. They get to their feet and Covington still has the back. Covington gets it down and still has the back. Covington hanging on and Masvidal is trying to escape but Covington keeps control of the back. Covington trying to get a choke and is looking for a neck crank but gets the mount for a moment and is landing punches. He gets it back and Covington is talking trash at the end. 10-9 Covington, 49-46 Covington.
Official Result- Colby Covington def. Jorge Masvidal by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-44, 50-45)
The WWE’s road to WrestleMania took a detour on 1/1 due to COVID-19, but the original plans on the final destination are said to be still in play.
Roman Reigns tested positive for COVID-19, with the WWE reporting it hours before the show started. The decision was made to move Brock Lesnar into the WWE title match, and make it a five-way. Lesnar won the match, pinning champion Big E after an F-5, none of which was part of the original plans.
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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
Our podcast schedule for the weekend is TBD. The plan is to do a show on WrestleKingdom with Fumi Saito which is our annual tradition at some point, as well as something with Garrett Gonzalez and a Saturday night show with Bryan Alvarez.
One of the four wrestlers a main event in tomorrow night’s Battle of the Belts show, which is listed as Britt Baker vs. Riho for the women’s title and Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara for the TNT title is out of action due to medical protocol. Tony Khan has confirmed that as has AEW Twitter. They will announce a new match on tonight’s Rampage show for tomorrow night’s show in Charlotte. There will also be a full house show card live.
Smackdown tonight on FOX is from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. The show is basically sold out (there are a few scattered tickets). Announced are The Usos vs. New Day in a street fight for the tag titles, Rick Boogs vs. Sami Zayn and the show is being built around a confrontation between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar.
AEW airs Rampage at 10 p.m. Eastern tonight on TNT with Adam Cole vs Jake Atlas (TV debut,this is the match where Atlas was injured), Ruby Soho & Riho vs. Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter and Eddie Kingston & Santana & Ortiz vs. 2.0 & Daniel Garcia in a no DQ match that was said to be wild.
Regarding the ratings for Wednesday’s Dynamite, the 18-34 number was far above what the show has done in a long time. It beat Raw in that demo, and Raw did its best number since September in 18-34 on Monday night. The 238,000 viewers was the most for any cable wrestling show since the 9/6 Raw show. It was the most for any AEW show since 2019 when there were far more homes who had access to cable and fourth most in AEW history. While minute-by-minute numbers are not available, based on quarters, besides the title match, the big success was the Ruby Soho vs. Jade Cargill match.
CMLL announced that tonight’s show at Arena Mexico as well as all CMLL shows between now and Tuesday are off. CMLL said the shows being canceled are preventative measures to protect people from COVID. Polvora publicly tested positive but a number of stars missed shows this past week.
The third night of WrestleKingdom, a sold out event at the Yokohama Arena featuring New Japan vs. NOAH matches, airs on PPV tonight with an English language option with Kevin Kelly and Chris Carlton, on ABEMA TV:
Kosei Fujita vs. Yasutaka Yano
Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Yuji Nagata vs. Mohammed Yone & King Tani & Akitoshi Saito
The big stuff on the show will be the generational battle of Okada vs. Muto for the first time, at least since Okada has become a star, as well as the Takagi vs. Nakajima match-up in the semi.
ESPN reported today that the just announced Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway fight scheduled for 3/5 is off due to Holloway aggravated a prior injury. Ariel Helwani has thrown out the name Chan Sung Jung, noting that Volkanovski’s side wants him as the replacement and Jung is up for it.
ROH will have its awards TV show airing this weekend. They will announce winners of the Male Wrestler of the Year, Female Wrestler of the Year and Tag Team of the Year, as well as the top five for Match of the year.
The Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame issue will be out on late Thursday night. There are five new inductees in this year’s class voted on by reporters, historians, active and former wrestlers and industry professionals from all over the world.
For this weekend WWE has house shows tomorrow night in Glens Falls, NY and Sunday at the TD Gardens in Boston. We are looking for reports on these shows as well as from the full AEW show in Charlotte tomorrow and major indie shows to [email protected]
We are doing polls currently on the following shows: New Japan’s 1/4 and 1/5 Tokyo Dome shows, 1/8 Yokohama Arena show and Impact’s Hard to Kill tomorrow night in Dallas on PPV. You can leave a thumbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
WWE
The company will have its fourth quarter earnings report on 2/3 with Vince McMahon, Nick Khan, Stephanie McMahon and Frank Riddick.
MMA Junkie reported Derrick Lewis vs. Tai Tuivasa for the 2/12 PPV show at the Toyota Center in Houston, which is Lewis’ hometown.
Rafael Fiziev vs. Rafael dos Anjos is earmarked but not signed for a 2/19 show according to MMA Fighting.
OTHER NOTES
Impact has reached a deal with Allen Media Group and Sports.TV. It will feature 60 sports channels including The Fight Network from Canada MMA TV and Impact.
New Japan posted the January 4, 2020, match with Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi on YouTube. This was one of the best matches in Tokyo Dome history, and really in company history as well (thanks to Suju Abraham).
The Orpheum in Ybor City, FL, which in its time has seen some of the best current wrestlers in the U.S. perform under the Evolve banner, announced that they were closing. Evolve ran shows there from 2012 to 2020 featuring The Young Bucks, Eddie Kingston, Malakai Black, Sammy Guevara, Joey Janela, Ruby Soho Serena Deep, Thunder Rose, Drew McIntyre, El Generico, Matt Riddle, Ricochet, Apollo Crews, The Street Profits, Roderick Strong, Zack Sabre Jr., Rocky Romero, Johnny Gargano, Chris Hero, Rich Swann,Davey Richards, EC 3, Homicide, Jonathan Gresham, Tessa Blanchard, Jazz and Ember Moon.
Defy Wrestling announced its fifth anniversary show on 2/12 at Washington Hall in Seattle. Christopher Daniels will defend his Defy interim title on that show.
An interview with Kerry Morton, son of Ricky Morton, talking about the start of career and being on the debuting NWA USA show on YouTube.
AIW on Thursday night in Lakewood, OK at the Winchester Music Tavern headlined by Max Caster.
Cage Fury Fighting Championships, the MMA group that C.M.Punk does the announcing for, has its first show of the year on 1/29 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Middleweight champion Aaron Jeffrey (10-3) faces Rex Harris (12-5) in a title match. The CFFC shows air live on UFC Fight Pass.
Bellator announced Leah McCourt (6-1) vs. Sinead Kavanagh (7-5) for its 2/25 show in Dublin, Ireland headlined by Gegard Mousasi defending the middleweight title against Austin Vanderford. Vanderford was one of the ATT fighters in the AEW Dan Lambert angle and is 11-0, but Mousasi is a giant step up in competition for him.
