Tag: Ufc 286

Daily Update: Bray Wyatt, UFC 286, AEW House Rules

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

Highlights include:

  • Match of the week and performer of the week
  • WrestleMania updates, including status of different matches that have been planned and not announced
  • Ticket sales notes and demand for tickets, plus notes on NXT Stand & Deliver
  • A study of the buying patterns of PPVs for AEW, including comparisons with one year ago, how many shows the average AEW PPV buyer purchases each year, the difference between satellite owners and others in the viewing patterns, update on Revolution numbers and how many different people bought an AEW PPV this past year
  • Letters from WWE to the Alamodome in San Antonio show how WWE counted Royal Rumble attendance, along with the actual numbers from the show
  • Richard Schaefer, the famed boxing promoter, heading Anthem’s wrestling, MMA and new boxing divisions and what are future plans for the divisions
  • New Japan Cup coverage with all the matches from the past week
  • Notes on AEW’s Canada tour
  • Mexican star taken to prison on domestic violence charges against another Mexican wrestling star
  • Full coverage of this past week’s major pro wrestling events and the UFC show
  • Update on the WWE Hall of Fame including stories on the careers of the inductees
  • Coverage of the WWE’s return to its most famous arena, Madison Square Garden
  • The life of former wrestler Jeff Gaylord and his very checkered life after wrestling and during wrestling
  • The most detailed look at the weekly television ratings, competition, how segments did, where shows are strong and weak.
  • Promotion adding a ton of new talent after young wrestlers impress in a special format
  • Mainstream angle being done in Mexico
  • Joint show announced in Japan for the Himeka retirement
  • A look at the Guerrero wrestling family
  • Legendary athlete passes away that a wrestling move done all over the world was named after including the person who actually named the move
  • New promotion starting taking the name of a legendary regional company
  • International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame 2023 inductions and ceremony
  • Ric Flair Twitter war of words
  • Lots of indie notes including some big crowds this week
  • 16 Carat Gold tournament in Germany news
  • Notes on recent Will Ospreay matches
  • Notes on major AEW negotiations
  • AEW cancels TV tapings and why
  • Update on social media abuse of Riho
  • Chris Jericho honored
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • Streaming numbers for WWE & AEW this past week
  • International TV ratings updates including a company sets its all-time viewing record in Canada
  • Notes on AEW signees
  • UFC TV renewal talk even though it’s years away
  • Former UFC champion Benson Henderson retires
  • Update on WWE’s attempt to get legalized betting on its matches
  • Update on Jay White
  • Interest level mainstream of UFC, WWE and AEW big shows including geographical popularity split between AEW Revolution and WWE Elimination Chamber
  • Update on MLW lawsuit against WWE
  • What are the key new things in the suit
  • WWE injury updates and returns

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter:

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Sunday Update

Bryan and I did our weekend show last night covering UFC, Smackdown, Rampage, the first AEW house show in a long time and other news notes. We will be back tomorrow night after Raw.

Sanada faces David Finlay in Tuesday’s New Japan Cup finals in Nagaoka. Sanada beat Mark Davis and Finlay beat Tama Tonga on today’s show to reach the finals.

On A&E tonight, the Jerry Lawler biography is at 8 p.m. and the Paige biography is at 9 p.m., plus WWE Rivals is Lita vs. Trish Stratus at 10 p.m.

There was a split-second Bray Wyatt sign on Smackdown that was very easy to miss. I guess that’s the signal saying that he’s around. He was originally scheduled on Friday’s show and wasn’t there. Wyatt is reportedly ill and we don’t have definitive word on the status of his match with Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania, which wasn’t pushed or mentioned on either television show this week.

Rolling Stone had a story about Tom Cole which is an excerpt from the new book “Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmasking of America” by Abraham Josephine Riesman. There’s nothing really new past it’s the story from 1992 brought back in the book.

Just a note regarding the Tony Khan Twitter mention of me on Friday. I had been asked a question more than a week ago regarding whether WWE still didn’t pay for talents hotels and rental cars while on the road, and answered that they do pay for that internationally but at the domestic house shows they don’t. Khan responded that it was mistaken and hat he pays for that stuff even though other companies don’t and noted he pays millions a year in covering hotels and cars for the talent, but that this isn’t the case with other companies. But the question didn’t even involve AEW that I was answering. Khan and I cleared it up already, very quickly as he said he didn’t know and only saw the answer and not the question. Everything is fine past people using it for a headline when it was all cleared up immediately.

Notes from last night’s UFC 286 PPV event. At the post-fight press conference, Dana White said that Colby Covington would be the next contender for Leon Edwards, who beat Kamaru Usman to retain the welterweight title in the main event from London. That decision has been heavily criticized, including by Edwards, noting Covington hasn’t even fought in the last year and a half. Edwards said as champion he thinks he should decide who was next, and wants to face Jorge Masvidal, although Masvidal last lost three in a row, including to Covington, and his last win was late 2019. Belal Muhammad has eight wins and a no contest (with Edwards) in his last nine fights and Khamzat Chimaev is undefeated. Covington is the No. 2 contender behind Kamaru Usman, who lost last night, in UFC’s own rankings. White said Chimaev will be fighting at middleweight next and wants him to face a top ranked guy in the division there. Chimaev missed weight badly. Dana White talked about Shavkat Rakhmonov for an opponent for Muhammad.

White said last night’s fight was tough to score. Both myself and Ryan Frederick had it 48-46 for Edwards, The MMA Decisions web site wasn’t up so we don’t have how other reporters had it, but judges Ben Cartilage and Chris Lee both had it the same. David Lethaby had it a draw, giving Edwards rounds one, four and five and a 10-8 third for Usman due to the penalty point. You could reasonably score it a draw but not an Usman win. Edwards was the better fighter most of the way, but he also committed four flagrant fouls, two low blows (appearing to be accidental), a fence grab blatant that he lost a point for and grabbing Usman’s glove which was also blatant and he was warned. 

White also said they would be taking Power Slap events to the U.K

The UFC show last night had 1.1 million searches, which is not that big for a major UFC event. It was still one of the four biggest searched for items in the U.S. this weekend. The biggest was the death of Lance Reddrick while the UFC show, Donald Trump and Barcelona vs Real Madrid in soccer were the other big ones. 

We’re looking for reports tonight from the WWE shows in Springfield, IL and Sioux Falls, SD, and the AAA Lucha Libre World Cup from Guadalajara (on FITE) tonight with results, finishes and highlights from both events.

Thanks to John Edwards Adam Adkins and Shannon Walsh for the WWE and AEW reports from the weekend shows.

There were AEW Dark banners up at last night’s house show in Troy, OH and they wee filming. ROH’s Bobby Cruise was used as the ring announcer. We got questions from a few people who were hoping for a wider variety of merchandise to be available but they enjoyed the show and it was 200 tickets shy of a sellout in a 3,400-seat set up, so that was a success.

Jake Lee beat Kaito Kiyomiya with a front high kick to win the GHC tile earlier today at a show at the Yokohama Budokan. 

WWE last night in Milwaukee:

      • Bianca Belair retained the women’s title over Becky Lynch, Bayley and Chelsea Green
      • Bronson Reed b Johnny Gargano
      • Dominik Mysterio b Santos Escobar
      • Michin & Candice LeRae b Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky when LeRae pinned Kai. Bayley was booted out before the finish
      • Cody Rhodes b LA Knight
      • Ricochet & Braun Strowman b Maximum Male Models
      • Bobby Lashley b Baron Corbin
      • Austin Theory b Seth Rollins to keep the U.S. title. You know the drill there.

WWE last night in Fargo, ND:

      • Usos b Butch & Ridge Holland to keep the tag titles
      • Shotzi b Shayna Baszler
      • Viking Raiders b Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro
      • Charlotte Flair b Sonya Deville to keep the women’s title
      • Rhea Ripley b Raquel Rodriguez. Ripley beat her down until Liv Morgan ran out
      • Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson & Drew McIntyre b Gunther & Ludvig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci
      • Solo Sikoa b Sami Zayn after a ref bump and interference from the Usos. Holland & Butch tried to make the save but they were beaten down until McIntyre made the save (thanks to Shannon Rose and Steve Nixon)

Warrior Wrestling announced some changes in Saturday’s show in Grand Rapids, MI. Eddie Kingston vs. Sam Adonis is off because Kingston has COVID and Adonis was booked for a show n Mexico. Queen Aminata is out with a knee injury so Warhorse now faces Max the Imapler. With Davey Richards retiring, Clark Connors will now face Jake Something.

Scrapper Mania from yesterday in Dublin, Ireland: Don’t have results but told Robbie X vs. Pac vs. Big Damo vs. Leon Slater was great in a four-way that Pac won. Santino Marella worked a comedy match doing the snake bit. The crowd was hot for everything but the card was hurt by Kingston not being there due to COVID (thanks to Tony Coleman)

Other Notes

The brother of Matt “Kid Zombie” Mann on his facebook page said that Matt Mann passed away in San Francisco this weekend. Mann and I were contact all the time years ago and helped me out a ton. He was an insider fan who did a lot of podcasts and worked with a lot of West Coast independent promotions over the years. He had a show on Karl Stern’s network called Life and Times with KZ where he’d talk about his time in independent wrestling. He was going to appear as a guest on the Wrestling with the Dawg podcast but missed the show and Eric Darsie tried to get a hold of him and found this out. (thanks to Karl Stern)

Matt Cardona did an angle for a match with Mark Long, a reality show star of The Challenge, Challenge All-Stars, Road Rules and Worst Cooks),. The two are scheduled for a 5/7 match for Boca Raton Championship Wrestling. (thanks to Scott Yager)

Lance Anoa’i was announced for the 4/8 MOW Battle Bowl event on Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena.

United Wrestling Coalition in New Egypt, NJ on 3/25 at the American Legion has a Conquering Cancer event.

Want to mention Jay Dumont, who we actually wrote about this past week in the new issue of the Observer for the situation with Riho. He’s been battling health issues for three years now and his situation has been serious for some time. If you know him through twitter as the Great Fowler, just send him nice words of encouragement please. 

Kirk White’s Big Time Wrestling from last night in Newark CA: Bret the Hart b Eddie Cuervo, Tru X b Levi Shapiro, Sir Samurai b Kal Jak, The Freaks b Too Fresh, Aaron Solo (AEW) b Big Fronz, Willow Nightingale b Viva Van, Colt Cabana b Kaka Meng. The show sold out and the next show is 5/13 (thanks to Jim Davis)

Pure Pro Wrestling from last night in Flint, MI: Mason Keller b Tango Jones, Brett Bahama b David Weston, Don Tone Leone b G-Money, Alpha Adams and Big Buford, Road Rash & Shaun Moertakai b Vinny Davinci & Noah Raditz, Danny Astro b Gideon Malice, Nick Xero & Mr. One Night Only b Abdul Hakim & Global Flyer Drake, Luerano b Father Time, Dylan Derringer b Jheras Grey, Betty Bruiser & Sophia Beretta & Maddy Red & Khaos b Princes Tenshi & Hannah Henderson & Alexis Royale & Heather Blue, Dylan Night b Tommy Dreamer (thanks to Leonard Brand)

Total Kaos Wrestling in Taylor, MI at the Taylortown Trade Center on 4/21 with a fans bring the weapons match.

Pro Wrestling Phoenix from Thursday night in Omaha: Arjun Singh b James Moore, Joey Daniels b Luke Luna, Purple b Chaac, Vic Douglas b Xander McIntosh Kit Sackett b Ryan Romantic, Omar Pachecco b Kyle King, Duke Cornell b Nono Hatcher, Pat Powers & Moonshine Russell & Jack Darling b Con Artiest & Angus Keyser & Tank Bryson. Next show is 4/19 at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha.

Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel have been added to House of Glory Final Hour on 4/14 in Queens, NY at the NYC Arena.

UFC 286 live results: Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

The Octagon is back at the O2 Arena in London, England, for Saturday’s UFC 286 — the first UFC pay-per-view to be held in England since October 2016. 

UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards makes his first title defense in his home country as he looks to end the trilogy with the man he defeated for the title in Kamaru Usman. Edwards scored the massive upset at August’s UFC 278 while Usman won their first clash.

In the co-main event, arguably the most exciting fighter currently on the UFC roster, Justin Gaethje, battles another violent striker in Rafael Fiziev. The main card also features Gunnar Nelson vs. Bryan Barberena, Jennifer Maia vs. undefeated prospect Casey O’Neill, and Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze in the main card opener.

ESPN+ PRELIMS | 12:30 PM ET/9:30 AM PT

> Women’s Flyweights- Juliana Miller (3-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Veronica Hardy (6-4-1, 1-4 UFC)

Hardy with a leg kick to start. She lands a couple more then starts landing punches. Hardy knocks Miller to her butt for a brief second. Miller recovers and lands a few. They clinch and Hardy lands some punches while Miller lands a knee on the break. Hardy with a leg kick. Hardy lands some left hands. Hardy with a leg kick and Miller lands a counter left. Miller lands a nice right hand. They trade in close range and Hardy landed the better punches. They clinch with Miller pushing it against the fence. They go to the mat and Hardy lands from the top. Miller attacks the arm but Hardy escapes. They get to their feet before time runs out. 10-9 Hardy.

They both land and clinch against the fence. Miller tries for a takedown but Hardy ends up on top. Miller is attacking the arm again. She almost had it in but Hardy spins out and lands some left hands. Hardy working from the half-guard and landing some left hands and elbows. They get to their feet. Miller with a leg kick. They tie up and go to the mat and Miller is looking for the arm again. Hardy lands some elbows and looks to take the back as the round ends. 10-9 Hardy, 20-18 Hardy.

Hardy with a side kick. Miller lands a left hand as she charges in and Hardy grabs the back against the fence and scores a takedown. Miller is trying for a kimura. Hardy escapes and lands some punches. Miller now looks for a leg but Hardy is landing some hard body shots. Miller lets go of the leg. They get to their feet. They go back to the mat as Miller is looking for the arm again. Hardy escapes and stands. Hardy with some leg kicks as Miller gets to her feet. Hardy lands a left hand and scores a takedown. Hardy gets to her feet and Miller stands. Hardy lands a massive head kick that rocks Miller. Hardy grabs the body lock against the fence. Hardy gets another takedown and ends the fight landing from the top. 10-9 Hardy, 30-27 Hardy.

Official Result- Veronica Hardy def. Juliana Miller by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Lightweights- Jai Herbert (12-4, 2-3 UFC) vs. Ludovit Klein (19-4, 3-2 UFC)

Herbert with a head kick. Herbert with another high kick. Klein gets a takedown. Herbert looking for an armbar from the bottom. Klein gets to his feet and Herbert lands some upkicks. They get to their feet and trade kicks and Klein is cut open. They trade and clinch where Herbert lands a knee. They’re trading punches. Klein with a leg kick. 10-9 Herbert.

They’re trading to start the second and Klein is getting the better of it. They clinch for a moment but break and then start to trade leg kicks. Herbert lands a leg kick and Klein shoots for a takedown against the fence. Klein lands an elbow on a break. Klein with a combo. Klein with a left hand and Herbert lands a high kick. Close round. 10-9 Klein, 19-19.

Klein with a high kick. Herbert lands a knee then a high kick. Klein with a leg kick as Herbert is against the fence. Klein lands a combo and they tie up. We have a timeout for a low blow by Herbert. Klein lands a knee to the body as they return to action. Both trade inside the pocket. Herbert lands a knee to the head of Klein. Herbert lands a right hand. We have another low blow by Herbert and another timeout. Herbert has a point taken away. They get back to action. Herbert lands a right hand. They clinch and Herbert gets a takedown into side control. Herbert with some hammerfists from the top as Klein lands an elbow from the bottom. Herbert controlling from the top. They scramble up and Klein gets a takedown. They get to their feet. Herbert takes the back standing. Herbert with some left hands. Herbert with more punches as the fight ends. 9-9 round due to the point deduction on Herbert, 28-28 DRAW.

Official Result- Jai Herbert vs. Ludovit Klein ends in a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)

> Women’s Flyweights- Joanne Wood (15-8, 7-8 UFC) vs. Luana Carolina (8-3, 3-2 UFC)

They quickly clinch against the fence and trade knees. Wood lands a right hand as they break. Carolina with a body kick. Wood with some teet kicks. They clinch but nothing happens. Wood lands a jab as Carolina is throwing a lot of wild punches that aren’t coming close to landing. Wood with a front kick. They clinch and both land knees before they break. They trade in close range. 10-9 Wood.

They trade to start the second with Carolina throwing looping punches before they clinch. Both land knees before breaking. They trade punches inside the pocket. Carolina lands a combo. Carolina throws a kick but Wood grabs the leg and lands a right hand then lands a knee to the body before they clinch. They break and both are landing but Wood landing with more volume as she lands a nice body kick. Wood gets Carolina to the ground but stays on her feet and lands some leg kicks. Close round. 10-9 Wood, 20-18 Wood.

Wood with a body kick. They trade right hands. They clinch for a second and Wood lands an elbow. They break and both are landing shots. They clinch again and both land knees as Wood is landing slightly more. They continue to trade and Wood gets Carolina down to the ground but Carolina gets up. They both land some big shots at the end and Wood lands a punch that puts Carolina on her knees at the end. 10-9 Wood, 30-27 Wood.

Official Result- Joanne Wood def. Luana Carolina by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

> Flyweights*- Jake Hadley (9-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Malcolm Gordon (14-6, 2-3 UFC)

*Gordon missed weight by 3.5 pounds

They trade leg kicks to start before trading punches. Hadley lands a left to the body and then drops Gordon with a body shot and tees off from the top to get the stoppage. What a finish from Hadley!

Official Result- Jake Hadley def. Malcolm Gordon by TKO (punches) at 1:01 of Round 1

> Middleweights- Christian Duncan (7-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Dusko Todorovic (12-3, 3-3 UFC)

Todorovic with a leg kick. Duncan lands a jab. They trade kicks. Duncan with a body kick followed by a left hand. They clinch and then something happens to Todorovic and he falls to the mat holding his knee and the fight is stopped. His knee popped as he was reversing position in the clinch. An unfortunate end to the fight.

Official Result- Christian Duncan def. Dusko Todorovic by TKO (injury) at 1:52 of Round 1

> Featherweights- Lerone Murphy (11-0-1, 3-0-1 UFC) vs. Gabriel Santos (10-0, 0-0 UFC)

They scramble to the mat early and Murphy is on top landing punches. Santos is throwing up his legs and looking for a triangle choke. Murphy lands from the top and stands. Santos gets to his feet. Murphy with a leg kick. Santos with some calf kicks. Murphy lands some punches. Santos with a big body kick. They trade in close range and Santos gets a brief takedown. Santos lands some punches in close range. Murphy with a body kick followed by a combo. Santos with an inside leg kick. Murphy with a big body kick. Santos with a late flurry and Murphy lands a big right hand. 10-9 Santos.

Murphy lands a left hand. Santos with a knee and Murphy is landing body shots while they’re clinched up. Murphy gets a takedown and is landing from the top. He lets Santos gets up and lands some body shots. Murphy with a left hand. Santos lands a leg kick and Murphy counters with a left hand. We have a timeout for a groin strike. They trade big shots inside the pocket. Santos with a leg kick and Murphy trips to the mat. Santos lands a left hand. Santos gets a takedown and Murphy has the neck. Santos gets the back of Murphy. Santos is landing from the back and looks for an armbar but Murphy escapes before the round ends. 10-9 Santos, 20-18 Santos.

Santos is pressing forward but Murphy lands a big combo that Santos eats. Santos shoots for the takedown against the fence and is able to complete it. Santos gets the back of Murphy but they end up scrambling to their feet. Murphy lands a combo. Both land inside the pocket as Murphy is picking up the volume. Santos lands a left hand. Santos with a body kick. Murphy lands a left hand. Murphy with a question mark kick. Murphy lands a big right hand. Santos picks Murphy up and slams him to the mat. They get up and Santos with a high kick and Murphy lands a flurry late. 10-9 Murphy, 29-28 Santos.

Official Result- Lerone Murphy def. Gabriel Santos by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

ESPN NEWS PRELIMS | 3 PM ET/12 PM PT

> Flyweights- #12 Muhammad Mokaev (8-0 1 NC, 3-0 UFC) vs. Jafel Filho (14-2, 0-0 UFC)

They trade kicks to start. Mokaev lands a leg kick and Filho falls to his butt for a second. Filho grabs the neck as Mokaev went for a takedown. They get to the mat and Mokaev pops his head out. Mokaev takes the back and lands some left hands. He lands more from the back and switches into the guard of Filho. Mokaev in control from the top landing punches. Mokaev ends the round on top. 10-9 Mokaev.

They trade to start the second. Filho lands a right hand. Mokaev lands a body kick then a right hand. Filho lands a body kick. There’s been a lot of pressing forward from both but not much landing. Filho tries for a takedown but Mokaev defends and pushes it against the fence. Mokaev gets it to the mat and is working in the guard of Filho. 10-9 Mokaev, 20-18 Mokaev.

Mokaev goes for the takedown right away and nearly gets it to start the third. Mokaev drags it down as he has the back. Mokaev has the body triangle in and is looking to set up a rear-naked choke. They scramble to their feet. Mokaev gets a takedown but grabs the back as they scramble up. Filho is looking for a kneebar and has it locked in. Mokaev is trying to push off with his other leg. Mokaev somehow gets out and gets the back. Mokaev is grimacing as he has the back. Mokaev with left hands from the back. Mokaev looking for a choke. He lets go and has top control. Mokaev looking for the choke again and has it in and Filho taps! Mokaev gets the late finish and he can barely stand from the kneebar. What a finish from Mokaev.

Official Result- Muhammad Mokaev def. Jafel Filho by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:32 of Round 3

> Lightweights- Sam Patterson (10-1-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Yanal Ashmouz (6-0, 0-0 UFC)

Not much happening inside the first minute. Ashmoz drops Patterson with some big punches and gets on top and is unloading with punches and it is stopped. What a big finish from Ashmoz.

Official Result- Yanal Ashmouz def. Sam Patterson by knockout (punches) at 1:15 of Round 1

> Lightweights- Chris Duncan (9-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Omar Morales (11-3, 3-3 UFC)

Duncan with some early leg kicks. Morales with a leg kick. Duncan is landing a lot of leg kicks as Morales is starting to find his range with punches. Morales rocks Duncan with some punches and Duncan was trying for a takedown. Duncan then hurts Morales with an uppercut but taunts instead of capitalizing. 10-9 Duncan.

Duncan goes for a takedown against the fence and briefly gets Morales down. Duncan landing some knees against the fence. They get to their feet. Morales lands a leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Duncan with the jab. Duncan shoots for the takedown against the fence after an exchange. Morales defending as Duncan is landing some knees. They separate. They trade late. 10-9 Duncan, 20-18 Duncan.

Duncan with a body kick then lands a left hand. Duncan with a leg kick. Morales with a right hand. Duncan gets the fight to the mat for a moment. Morales stands but Duncan is dragging him to his knees against the fence. Duncan keeping Morales on the mat. Duncan with some knees. They get to their feet but Duncan is holding onto the back. They get to their feet and separate. Morales lands a big uppercut. Duncan tries a late takedown and gets it. 10-9 Duncan, 30-27 Duncan.

Official Result- Chris Duncan def. Omar Morales by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)

> Featherweights- #15 BW Jack Shore (16-1, 5-1 UFC) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (17-8, 7-6 UFC)

Shore grabs Amirkhani and pushes him against the fence right away. Amirkhani reverses position. Amirkhani with some knees to the body. They separate. Amirkhani with a nice jab. Amirkhani gets a takedown and is in the guard of Shore. They scramble and Amirkhani is able to remain on top. Amirkhani staying on top and in control as the round ends. 10-9 Amirkhani.

They both try for a takedown to start the second and then trade on the feet. Shore with a combo and they clinch. Shore lands the jab after both miss on takedown attempts. Shore lands a right hand. Shore landing with more volume. Shore gets a takedown. Shore is in control from the top and is able to get the back. Shore locks in a rear-naked choke and Amirkhani taps. What a finish from Shore.

Official Result- Jack Shore def. Makwan Amirkhani by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:27 of Round 2

ESPN+ PPV MAIN CARD | 5 PM ET/2 PM PT

> Middleweights- #4 Marvin Vettori (18-5-1, 8-4-1 UFC) vs. #9 Roman Dolidze (12-1, 6-1 UFC)

Vettori landing a lot of leg kicks early on and lands a body kick as well. Dolidze lands a big flurry against the fence. Vettori lands a combo. They continue to trade and Vettori is getting the better of the exchanges. Dolidze with a leg kick followed by a right hand. Vettori with a leg kick. They have a timeout for a clash of heads. They get back to action and Dolidze lands some hard body kicks. Vettori with some left hands. Dolidze with a right hand. He rocks Vettori with some right hands. Vettori lands a right hand. Dolidze with some more right hands and lands a knee. They trade at the end. 10-9 Dolidze.

Dolidze landing more to start the second but Vettori now starting to land the left hand. Vettori with a body kick then some leg kicks. Dolidze with a right hand to the body. They trade punches. Dolidze with a right hand. Vettori with a leg kick. Vettori with the jab and a couple of leg kicks. Vettori landing with more volume in the second as Dolidze has slowed down. Dolidze lands a right hand but Vettori lands more at the end including a nice left hand. 10-9 Vettori, 19-19.

Both throwing body kicks as Vettori lands a couple of jabs. Dolidze with a right hand. Vettori with a leg kick. Dolidze lands a right hand. Dolidze with a flurry against the fence. They both land inside the pocket. Dolidze with a combo. Dolidze lands some hard punches. They trade inside the pocket as Vettori lands some leg kicks. Vettori lands a nice combo. They trade and Dolidze lands against the fence. Vettori with a body kick. They trade big shots late. Very close fight. 10-9 Dolidze, 29-28 Dolidze.

Official Result- Marvin Vettori def. Roman Dolidze by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

*Breaking- Anderson Silva has just been announced for the 2023 UFC Hall of Fame class

> Women’s Flyweights- #8 Jennifer Maia (20-9-1, 5-5 UFC) vs. #12 Casey O’Neill (9-0, 4-0 UFC)

Maia landing a lot of punches to start the first and lands a big combination. O’Neill lands some punches. They trade punches. Maia lands the jab and O’Neill fires one back. They trade combinations. O’Neill goes for a takedown but Maia defends and lands on the break. Maia with a combination. They trade late. Lots of output by both in the first. 10-9 Maia.

Both are landing a lot to start the second. O’Neill is pressing forward and landing some good right hands. They trade combinations in close range. Both are landing with a lot of volume. O’Neill continues to press forward and is landing solid right hands. O’Neill with a hard right hand and Maia lands a counter combo. They continue to land with O’Neill landing some right hands and a nice body kick. O’Neill with a big jab at the end. Close round. 10-9 Maia, 20-18 Maia.

They trade to start the third and Maia pushes O’Neill against the fence. They break and Maia lands a jab. Maia with a combo. O’Neill is landing slightly more in this round. Maia lands a right hand. O’Neill with a leg kick as they trade punches. O’Neill with a combo. They trade inside the pocket. They trade late. Good fight. 10-9 O’Neill, 29-28 Maia.

Official Result- Jennifer Maia def. Casey O’Neill by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

> Welterweights- Gunnar Nelson (18-5-1, 9-5 UFC) vs. Bryan Barberena (18-9, 9-7 UFC)

Barberena lands some leg kicks. Nelson lands a right hand as he rushes in. Nelson gets a takedown and is working from the half-guard. Nelson landing elbows from the top. Nelson gets the full mount and lands some elbows then locks in an armbar and Barberena taps! What a showing from Nelson!

Official Result- Gunnar Nelson def. Bryan Barberena by submission (armbar) at 4:51 of Round 1

> Lightweights- #3 Justin Gaethje (23-4, 6-4 UFC) vs. #6 Rafael Fiziev (12-1, 6-1 UFC)

Gaethje with a leg kick. Gaethje with a body kick. Fiziev lands a body kick. Fiziev with a leg kick then a left hand. They trade kicks and both land punches in close. Gaethje rocks Fiziev with a right. Fiziev with a body kick. They clinch and Fiziev lands a knee on the break. Gaethje with a left hand. Fiziev with a combo to the body. They trade inside the pocket. Fiziev lands an uppercut. Fiziev with a body kick. Gaethje lands a right hand. Gaethje with a heavy leg kick. Fiziev with a big knee to the body. Gaethje lands a left. 10-9 Fiziev.

Fiziev with a hard body kick then a right hand. Fiziev with a knee to the body. Gaethje lands a right hand. Gaethje lands a head kick. Fiziev with a leg kick. Fiziev with a body kick. They trade inside the pocket. Gaethje lands a nice combination. Gaethje lands a right hand. He lands another. They trade in close range. Fiziev with a leg kick. Gaethje with a leg kick. Gaethje lands a left hand. Fiziev with a body kick and Gaethje with a left hand. 10-9 Gaethje, 19-19.

Fiziev lands a right hand. They trade and Fiziev lands a hard left hand. Fiziev lands a body kick. They clinch and Gaethje lands a right as they break. Gaethje lands a left hand. Fiziev with a body kick. They trade inside the pocket. Gaethje lands a combo. Gaethje grabs the single leg but lets go. Gaethje lands the jab. Gaethje lands a right hand. Gaethje lands the jab after a combo then lands a big right hand. Gaethje with the jab. Fiziev is bleeding from his face. They trade inside the pocket. Gaethje with the jab. Gaethje with a massive uppercut. Gaethje with another big uppercut. Gaethje gets a late takedown. 10-9 Gaethje, 29-28 Gaethje.

Official Result- Justin Gaethje def. Rafael Fiziev by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)

> UFC Welterweight Championship- C Leon Edwards (20-3 1 NC, 12-2 1 NC UFC) vs. #1 Kamaru Usman (20-2, 15-1 UFC)

Usman lands to the body. Usman lands the jab. Edwards with some leg kicks. Usman lands a right hand then a jab. Edwards lands a body kick that hurts Usman and follows it with another one. Edwards with a leg kick. Usman shoots for a takedown against the fence but Edwards is defending it. They break. Edwards with more body and leg kicks. 10-9 Edwards.

Edwards with some leg kicks and we have a timeout for a groin strike. They get back to action and Edwards with another leg kick. Edwards with a body kick. Usman lands a jab. They trade and Edwards wobbles Usman with a knee. Usman lands a left hand and then connects to the body. Edwards with a leg kick. Usman lands a nice right hand and then gets a takedown. Usman has the back against the fence. They get to their feet but Usman is landing left hands. They separate. Edwards tries a takedown but Usman easily defends. They get to their feet and trade. Edwards lands a left hand. Edwards with a body kick. Usman lands a right hand. 10-9 Usman, 19-19.

Edwards with some leg kicks. Usman gets a takedown. They get to their feet and Usman pushes it against the fence and tries for a takedown but Edwards grabbed the fence. Herb Dean calls a timeout. Edwards has a point taken away. They get back to action and trade leg kicks. Usman lands the jab. They trade leg kicks. Edwards with a leg kick and it lands low. We have a brief timeout. Edwards with a body kick and Usman was complaining it was low but it wasn’t. Edwards lands a knee to the body. Usman lands a jab. Edwards with more kicks as Usman lands a jab. Edwards with a body kick. Usman lands to the body then to the head. Usman pushes it against the fence. 9-9 round due to the point deduction, 28-28.

Edwards lands the jab. Edwards with a leg kick. Edwards with another leg kick. They trade and Usman slips after Edwards lands a leg kick. Usman is able to recover and push it against the fence and they quickly separate. Edwards with a leg kick. Edwards with a left hand. Usman is pressing forward but not doing a ton. Usman goes for a takedown and got it for a second. They get to their feet and Usman goes for another takedown but Edwards is defending against the fence. They break. Usman lands a jab. Edwards with a left hand. Close round. 10-9 Edwards, 38-37 Edwards.

Usman lands a right hand. Edwards with a big body kick. Usman goes for a takedown against the fence but Edwards defends. They break and Edwards lands a flurry. Usman tries for another takedown but Edwards defends again. Usman lands a right hand and goes for the takedown again but Edwards defends and they break. Edwards with a body kick. Usman lands a right hand. Usman gets a takedown. They get to their feet and Edwards lands a knee. Usman lands a right hand and shoots for the takedown. Edwards lands a knee as they break. Edwards with a leg kick. Edwards with a bod kick. Usman lands a right hand. Close fight overall. 10-9 Edwards, 48-46 Edwards.

Official Result- Leon Edwards def. Kamaru Usman by unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 47-47) to retain the UFC Welterweight Championship

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