One of the biggest issues of the Observer is out this week. Tons of interesting information on current news and lots of historical figures. It’s full coverage of a weekend of major events.
Poll results on all the major shows
Historical nature of WrestleMania 40 including business notes in depth, gate, PPV, attendance, merch, it’s all there.
Ticket demand
Historical nature of Rhodes’ win
How WWE has changed due to Dwayne Johnson
A look at the booking of both nights
Internal talk on Rock vs. Rhodes
More changes from WWE to TKO
How many WWE PPV buyers watched Revolution and Hard to Kill
How the WWE/AEW dynamic has changed
Future WWE direction
A look at Dynamite with the Jack Perry/CM Punk footage and Will Ospreay interview
Whose ideas these were and what the background was
Different lines and why they were said
Full Stand & Deliver coverage
The life and times of Akebono, a Japanese cultural figure
The early 90s heyday of sumo
The Bob Sapp fight and doing kickboxing and MMA
The long pro wrestling career and his various roles
His brief WWE run
UFC 300 looked at
AEW 2024 PPV plans
New Japan Sakura Genesis coverage and next major shows
Bryan Danielson vs. Blue Panther singles match looked at
ROH Supercard of Honor coverage
Gary Shaw, a controversial figure in MMA and his role in promoting Kimbo Slice and putting women’s MMA on the map against major opposition
Jon Jones’ latest incident
A look back at Al Zinck and the heyday of pro wrestling in the Maritimes
The most detailed look at the ratings of the past week, weekly standings, placings for the night and time slot, major competition for each show, segment-by-segment numbers and more.
Rey de Parejas tournament from Dragon Gate
One of the greatest U.S. amateur wrestlers in history may retire in a few weeks, or this summer
A look at the Olympic trials
Wrestling TV show headed to Netflix
Indie Hall of Fame
The Boys answer back at charges they were fired for no-showing
International TV ratings
Ticket sales for all the upcoming WWE & AEW shows
Update on lawsuit filed by former MMA superstar against Disney, backed by Elon Musk
Vince McMahon’s stock sales, how much cash he’s made, value of current shares and how much does he still own
How much Dwayne Johnson has made for his being on the TKO Board thus far
Changes in WWE management
Why so many wrestlers today as compared to the past get busted mouths
– Both of our weekend shows are already up. On Friday night, Garrett and I covered the week’s news and talked about New Japan Windy City Riot. Last night Bryan and I talked with Paul Fontaine about the 2024 Hall of Fame ballot and how the modern ballot is ridiculously tough and Cody Rhodes as a candidate, plus UFC 300, Collision, Smackdown, and more.
– UFC 300 was one of the great shows in company history. The show did a $16.5 million gate, the third largest of all time and the largest without Conor McGregor. Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje was a match of the year and knockout of the year contender. Jiri Prochazaka vs. Alexander Rakic, Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan, and Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller were outstanding as well. We talked about the show in-depth on the audio show last night.
– The show did 2.3 million Google searches, and for all we talked about how much interest there was last week in Mania, this did about double, with Holloway, Tsarukyan, and Holly Holm all in the top 20 yesterday. Conor McGregor, who faces Michael Chandler at 170 pounds on 6/29 officially, was No. 6 as of today. Nothing else in combat sports cracked the top 20 for any specific day.
– As far as the two split decisions on the show went, media scores were 86 percent for Jessica Andrade (who won) vs. Marina Rodrigues. Adelaide Byrd gave Andrade the first two rounds. Derek Clearly gave Andrade only round one. David Lethaby gave Andrade the first two rounds. I felt Andrade won 29-28.
– In Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan, it was very close and could have gone either way. I had rounds one and three for Oliveira due to the near submissions, although Tsarukyan won more of the round but Oliveira was close to finishing both. 71 percent of media scores were for Tsarukyan. Michael Bell had the same rounds that I had. Byrd gave Tsarukyan rounds two and three and Ron McCarthy had the same, so it ended up coming down to round three.
– Islam Makhachev defends the lightweight title against Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 302 on 6/1. Dana White also last night announced Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa, a fight Strickland had gone public with a few days ago.
– I was devastated to find out last night about the death of Tony Jones, a long-time independent wrestler in the Bay Area, who was also an avid reader and listener to our shows. On almost every show I went to in the Bay Area, he’d come up and we’d talk, usually right after the show or right before, as well as at times at MMA shows. I’ll always remember how he kept such a brave face when his daughter, Selina, was battling cancer from a young age and passed away at the age of 14 in 2014. Wikipedia lists that he beat Stephen Neal (a Hodge trophy winner and considered the best wrestler in the world in 1999 regardless of weight), but he told me it was just that he once took down Neal in a practice match. He was in tournaments with Kurt Angle but they never wrestled each other.
Tony was nicknamed Shooter because he was a good college wrestler at San Francisco State University before pro wrestling. Tony died Thursday night of a heart attack while watching a movie. He was 53, having celebrated his birthday by watching day one of WrestleMania. He was a big MMA and pro wrestling fan. I didn’t know of him having any health issues and he always kept in good shape. He was always very proud of his son, Tony Jr. He was probably best known for appearing in Beyond the Mat and having a tryout match in Sacramento in 1998 that Vince McMahon and Jim Ross commented on including Ross telling him he should try and add muscle to his chest and shoulders.
– Rossy Ogawa’s new women’s promotion in Japan has a press conference at 3:30 a.m. Eastern late tonight/early a.m. on both YouTube and Wrestle Universe. They will both introduce the new promotion with its name, the roster and announce the first shows. It being on Wrestle Universe would indicate that the big events will be on that platform. (thanks to Jose Gonzalez)
– Voices of Wrestling had a poll where the Action Dean show was listed as the best show of Mania weekend in Philadelphia. Night two of Mania tied with ROH Supercard of Honor for third place. The top five bouts were voted as Demus vs. Mad Dog Connelly dog collar at Action Wrestling Dean, Mark Briscoe vs. Eddie Kingston, Kyle Fletcher vs. Lee Johnson was third, Daniel Makabe vs. Timothy Thatcher at Action Wrestling Dean was fourth and Adam Priest vs. Slim J from Action Wrestling Dean was fifth. The highest WWE bouts with Gunther vs. Zayn at No. 7 and Rhodes vs. Reigns at No. 10.
– Sheamus returns on Raw tomorrow night in Montreal, which wasn’t sold out today but is close enough that it should be by tomorrow. Jey Uso vs. Finn Balor, Chelsea Green & Piper Niven vs. Katana Chance & Kayden Carter and Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable are announced, plus Cody Rhodes will be there.
– Riho is in Japan getting her visa renewed.
– On last night’s show, Bryan mentioned the AEW show in Highland Heights, KY, drew 1,800. We don’t have a final figure at press time but WrestleTix had the number at 2,511. It was 1,759 in the Observer that came out Thursday night but that was the advance number. It’s not a good number, but it’s the largest crowd ever in that city for wrestling. There were only three prior significant shows, a WWE show that did 2,000 in 2011, a TNA show that did 500, and an NXT show that did 1,500. I’m not saying it’s good, but it does appear to be the city record.
– Atsushi Onita, who went to Amarillo to put flowers on the grave of Terry and Vicki Funk, said that he wanted to run one last show at Kawasaki Baseball Stadium for an explosive barbed wire match against Dory Funk Jr. Dory is 83 and I strongly suspect that one isn’t happening.
– Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano & Oleg Boltin won today’s tournament for the vacant Never trios titles that Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii & Kazchika Okada held when Okada left New Japan. They beat Evil & Sho & Yoshinobu Kanemaru in the finals in Taiwan.
– WWE wrestlers taped a Celebrity Family Feud episode on Friday. The teams were men vs women with Sonya Devlle, Jade Cargill, Michin, Bianca Belair, and Zelina Vega against LA Knight, Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory, and The Street Profits.
– Akbebono was honored last night at the sumo world championships at The Theater in Madison Square Garden.
– The Fairmont Hotels issued an apology to Chelsea Green after kicking her out of the hotel last week in thinking she was an escort.
– There will be a Wrestling at the Chase event on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Mirowitz Center in St Louis. Ed Wheatley, who wrote a book about that era, will talk about the glory days of St Louis wrestling. The event is free but you have to register at [email protected] or call 314-733-9813.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with a packed show! Dave and Paul Fontaine run down UFC 300, plus talk the post-show and the Hall of Fame, then Bryan and Dave discuss Vince McMahon and whether he could start a new company, Kenny Omega, Smackdown, Collision and Battle of the Belts, AEW Dynasty and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: Death of Tony Jones
9:11: UFC 300 recap
56:47: Observer Hall of Fame discussion
1:05:09: Vince McMahon selling the rest of his TKO stock
1:09:06: Kenny Omega talks CM Punk, possible surgery
1:10:47: NJPW Windy City Riot notes
1:15:10: AEW Collision & Battle of the Belts X recaps
It’s a historic night for the UFC as the Octagon returns to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for UFC 300, an action-packed card featuring a record 12 former or current UFC champions on the card, capped by three title fights.
The main event sees UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira making his first title defense against Jamahal Hill, a former champion who vacated due to injury before being able to defend it. There is added heat and a revenge factor to the fight as Hill beat Pereira’s head coach and mentor, Glover Teixeira, for the title.
In the co-main event, it will be the first-ever UFC title fight with two Chinese women as UFC women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili defends against Yan Xiaonan. Weili is coming off a title defense over Amanda Lemos in August while Xiaonan has won eight of her ten UFC bouts.
The third title fight sees the ceremonial BMF Championship on the line in what could be an all-time classic as current title holder Justin Gaethje faces Max Holloway. UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman, who recently saved his parents from a house fire, will present the championship to the winner.
Among other stories on the loaded card:
Bo Nickal looks to remain undefeated when he gets a prime main card spot against Cody Brundage.
Former two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison makes her much-anticipated UFC debut, taking on former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm.
Jim Miller completes the trifecta, becoming the only fighter to compete at UFC 100, UFC 200 and UFC 300. He also is looking to make it 3-0 in those bouts.
Garbrandt with a pair of leg kicks. He lands another hard calf kick. Garbrandt lands a left hook as Figueiredo lands a calf kick. Garbrandt lands a right hand then a leg kick. Figueiredo lands a body kick as Garbrandt throws a wheel kick. Garbrandt with a calf kick. They trade kicks. Garbrandt lands a left hand and Figueiredo tries to pull guard but they scramble up. Garbrandt lands a combo. Figueiredo lands a left hand. Garbrandt lands a right hand. Figueiredo gets a late takedown but they scramble up and Figueiredo lands a right hand on the way up. 10-9 Garbrandt.
Garbrandt lands a right hand. Figueiredo looks for a takedown and takes the back, but Figueiredo is able to trip it to the mat. Figueiredo has the back and flattens Garbrandt out. Figueiredo with some right hands from the back and now looks for an arm-triangle choke. He has it locked in and Garbrandt is fighting it. He lets go and lands a right hand. Garbrandt tries to explode out from the bottom but Figueiredo gets the mount. Figueiredo gets the back and has the body triangle in and locks in a rear-naked choke. Garbrandt taps! Awesome work from Figueiredo on the mat to get the submission.
Official Result- Deiveson Figueiredo def. Cody Garbrandt by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:02 of Round 2
> Lightweights- #14 Bobby Green (31-15-1 1 NC, 12-10-1 1 NC UFC) vs. Jim Miller (37-17 1 NC, 26-16 1 NC UFC)
Green with a front kick to the body and lands a right hand. Green with a combo and Miller lands a left hand. Miller lands a right hand. Green with a body kick. Green with a combination. Green with a jab. Green lands a body kick then a leg kick and right hand. Miller lands a leg kick as Green lands a left hand. Green lands a pair of left hands. Green with a right hand as Miller lands a leg kick. They trade left hands. Miller with a leg kick. Miller stuns Green with a left hand and Green retreats. Miller landing left hands and Green lands a knee. Green with a flying knee. 10-9 Miller.
They trade to start the second. Both land in close range. Green lands a combination. Miller with a head kick. Green landing with more volume as he is landing in close range. Green picking up the volume as Miller is busted up. Miller with some leg kicks as Green lands a right hand. Miller is bleeding badly from under his right eye. Green lands a right hand as Miller lands a body kick. Green with a combination. 10-9 Green, 19-19.
Green landing lots of early punches. Miller lands a right hand. Green lands a combination and Miller lands a left hand. Green with another combo. They trade kicks. They trade punches. Green with a combo and Miller lands a right hand. Miller is still bleeding badly from his eye. Green with a flurry of punches. Green lands a big right hand. Miller lands a pair of left hands and they clinch. They separate. Miller with a leg kick. They trade punches. Miller lands a big left hand then Green hurts Miller and Miller goes to the mat. Green is landing from the top as Miller is trying to sprawl. Green with right hands as they stand. Green gets a takedown and lands from the top as the fight ends. 10-8 Green, 29-27 Green.
Official Result- Bobby Green def. Jim Miller by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 29-26)
Rodriguez lands a right hand as Andrade lands a leg kick. Rodriguez with a body kick. Andrade lands a leg kick. Andrade with a pair of leg kicks. Rodriguez lands a combo then a front kick. They trade leg kicks. Rodriguez lands a right hand. Rodriguez with a hard leg kick. Rodriguez with a combination. Andrade with a leg kick. Rodriguez lands a high kick but slips to the mat. Andrade gets on top and lands some punches before getting the half-guard. Andrade with some left hands. Andrade stands up. Andrade spins to get back inside the guard of Rodriguez. Andrade lands from the top before getting to side control. Rodriguez looks for a D’Arce choke from the bottom but Andrade escapes and continues to land from the top. 10-9 Andrade.
Rodriguez lands a right hand and Andrade with a leg kick. They trade punches. Andrade lands a combination. Rodriguez lands a right hand. Rodriguez lands another right hand. Andrade with more leg kicks. Andrade lands to the body as Rodriguez lands a combination. Rodriguez landing more punches inside the pocket. They clinch and Rodriguez lands on the break. Rodriguez with another combination. Andrade lands a quick flurry. Andrade lands a right hand. Rodriguez is retreating away. Rodriguez lands a knee as they clinch. Andrade with some big right hands. Andrade lands a combo and Rodriguez is circling away and hurt. Rodriguez lands some knees. 10-9 Andrade, 20-18 Andrade.
Andrade with some leg kicks. Rodriguez lands a spinning back fist. Andrade with more leg kicks and Rodriguez lands a right hand. Rodriguez with some big combinations. They trade and Andrade grabs a leg and scores a takedown. They get to their feet and Andrade lands a right hand against the fence. Rodriguez lands a right hand. Rodriguez lands another right hand then a combination. Andrade with a few leg kicks. Rodriguez tries a flying knee but Andrade grabs the leg. Rodriguez looks for a standing guillotine choke. She lets go and they trade combinations. Rodriguez with a combo. Andrade with a hard leg kick and Rodriguez goes down for a moment then lands. They clinch and trade at the end. 10-9 Rodriguez, 29-28 Andrade.
Official Result- Jessica Andrade def. Marina Rodriguez by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Moicano with a body kick. Turner lands a body kick that hurts Moicano. They clinch but separate. Moicano is looking for the takedown. He is able to get it to the mat. Moicano working from the top looking to set up a choke. Moicano landing from the top. Turner is able to get to his feet and they break. Turner with a high kick that Moicano blocks. Moicano lands to the body. Turner drops Moicano with a left hand and walks away, which lets Moicano up. 10-9 Turner.
Turner lands a right hand. They trade in close range. Moicano lands a right hand. Moicano is able to get a takedown. Moicano is working from the top and landing as Turner is unable to do much on the bottom. Moicano turns Turner away from the fence. Moicano gets the mount and is landing a big flurry. Turner is covering up as Moicano is reigning down a lot of left hands and it is stopped! What a comeback from Moicano to get the finish!
Official Result- Renato Moicano def. Jalin Turner by TKO (punches) at 4:11 of Round 2
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> Featherweights- #13 Sodiq Yusuff (13-3, 6-2 UFC) vs. Diego Lopes (23-6, 2-1 UFC)
Lopes with a pair of calf kicks. They clinch and Lopes drops Yusuff with an uppercut and starts landing from the top trying to finish. They get to their feet and Lopes drops Yusuff again. Lopes gets on top and starts landing and Yusuff gives up his back and Lopes continues to land until it is finished. Lopes with an absolute thrashing.
Official Result- Diego Lopes def. Sodiq Yusuff by TKO (punches) at 1:29 of Round 1
> Women’s Bantamweights- #5 Holly Holm (15-6 1 NC, 8-6 1 NC UFC) vs. Kayla Harrison (16-1, 0-0 UFC)
Harrison lands a jab. Harrison with an inside leg kick. They trade and clinch and Harrison gets a big judo throw takedown, but Holm is able to reverse to the top. Harrison works her way to the feet and they remain clinched with Harrison landing a knee. Holm tries for a takedown but Harrison is on top. Harrison stands and lands some big punches. Harrison in the half-guard and landing big punches. Harrison with big left hands from the mount and lands a few elbows now. Harrison with punches from the top. Harrison with lots of big shots from the top. Harrison ends the round on top. 10-9 Harrison.
Holm with a side kick. Harrison lands a head kick and looks for a takedown as she grabs the neck. Harrison lands a knee as she lets go of the neck. Harrison gets a takedown and quickly gets the mount. Holm gives up her back. Harrison locks in a rear-naked choke and Holm taps! Complete domination from Harrison in her debut.
Official Result- Kayla Harrison def. Holly Holm by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:47 of Round 2
Sterling lands some leg kicks. Kattar lands a jab. Sterling continues to land leg kicks and lands a few punches. Sterling gets a takedown against the fence. Sterling lands as he is looking to take the back. They get to their feet as Sterling still has the back and Sterling gets it back down and still has the back. They get to their feet. Sterling gets a takedown and ends in side control. 10-9 Sterling.
They clinch right up after Sterling lands some leg kicks. Sterling is looking for a takedown against the fence. Sterling holding Kattar down but they get up and Sterling still has the body lock. Sterling with some knees against the fence as they’re tied up. They separate. Sterling lands a leg kick then scores a big takedown. Sterling ends the round in side control. 10-9 Sterling, 20-18 Sterling.
Sterling with a leg kick and tries for a takedown as he gets the back. Sterling gets a takedown against the fence and is keeping Kattar pinned against the fence. They scramble up and Sterling lands a power bomb on Kattar and starts landing punches from the top. Sterling with some elbows to the body. Sterling in side control and lands to the body and head as the fight ends. 10-9 Sterling, 30-27 Sterling.
Official Result- Aljamain Sterling def. Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Light Heavyweights- #2 Jiri Prochazka (29-4-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. #5 Aleksandar Rakic (14-3, 6-2 UFC)
They trade leg kicks. Rakic with more leg kicks. Rakic with more leg kicks and lands a right hand. Prochazka lands a left hand and Rakic lands a right hand. Rakic with a leg kick. Rakic with a hard leg kick and lands another. Prochazka lands a left hand. Rakic with more leg kicks. Rakic lands a right hand. Rakic lands a right hand. Prochazka with a body kick. Prochazka lands a high kick. Prochazka lands a big right hand and Rakic is hurt. Rakic lands an uppercut then a right hand. Rakic with a right hand. 10-9 Rakic.
Rakic lands a right hand. Prochazka with a high kick. Rakic lands a right hand. Rakic lands a right hand. Rakic with a jab. Prochazka lands a jab and Rakic lands a right hand. Prochazka with a head kick and they trade big shots inside the pocket. Rakic with a knee to the body and a left hand. Prochazka with a big right hand and Rakic is hurt and retreating. Prochazka with a big knee then a flurry. Prochazka throws Rakic to the mat and starts landing from the top. Prochazka with big elbows and punches from the top and it is stopped! What a massive finish from Prochazka!
Official Result- Jiri Prochazka def. Aleksandar Rakic by TKO (strikes) at 3:17 of Round 2
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> Middleweights- Bo Nickal (5-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Cody Brundage (10-5, 4-4 UFC)
Brundage with a body kick. Both are throwing big punches. Nickal gets a brief takedown but they scramble up. Nickal has the back of Brundage against the fence. Nickal puts Brundage on his knees as he has back control. Nickal is looking for a choke. He lets go. Nickal gets the mount and lands some big elbows. Nickal has the back and Brundage is taunting him. They make it to the end of the first. 10-9 Nickal.
Nickal with a body kick. Brundage tries a kick and Nickal catches it but Brundage shakes him off. Nickal gets a takedown and has the back. Nickal looks for a choke but Brundage spins out. Nickal gets the mount. Both are landing on the mat. Nickal lands and Brundage gives up is back. Nickal with right hands from the back. Nickal locks in a rear-naked choke and Brundage quickly taps. Nickal gets the win in dominant fashion.
Official Result- Bo Nickal def. Cody Brundage by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:38 of Round 2
> Lightweights- #1 Charles Oliveira (34-9 1 NC, 22-9 1 NC UFC) vs. #4 Arman Tsarukyan (21-3, 8-2 UFC)
They trade leg kicks and Tsarukyan lands a right hand. Oliveira lands a leg kick that trips Tsarukyan up. Oliveira grabs the neck in the sprawl position. Oliveira locks in a guillotine choke and it is in tight. Tsarukyan pops his head out but Oliveira ends up in the mount and lands an elbow. Oliveira working from the top but Tsarukyan is able to reverse to the top. Tsarukyan with a big elbow from the top. Oliveira landed an illegal upkick as they were on the ground and we have a timeout. They get back to action and Tsarukyan lands an elbow from the top. Oliveira reverses and they get to their feet and Oliveira lands a knee. Close round. 10-9 Oliveira.
Tsarukyan with a body kick. Tsarukyan lands a jab and Oliveira lands a nice right hand. Tsarukyan lands a combo. Tsarukyan with an axe kick. Tsarukyan tries for a takedown but they scramble to the feet. Tsarukyan pushes Oliveira against the fence. Tsarukyan gets the takedown. Tsarukyan with an elbow from the top and Oliveira throws a pair of elbows on the bottom. Oliveira is cut open as Tsarukyan lands more elbows from the top. Tsarukyan with some ground-and-pound late. 10-9 Tsarukyan, 19-19.
Oliveira lands a right hand. They tie up and Tsarukyan pushes it to the fence. Oliveira with a knee to the body and Tsarukyan lands an elbow as they break. Tsarukyan with a leg kick. Tsarukyan shoots for a takedown but Oliveira defends. Tsarukyan with a jab. Oliveira with a body kick. Tsarukyan lands a high kick. Tsarukyan scores a takedown. Tsarukyan working from the top and takes the back of Oliveira. Oliveira slips out and is looking for a choke. Oliveira has a D’Arce choke locked in. Tsarukyan gives a thumbs up and survives. Close fight. 10-9 Oliveira, 29-28 Oliveira.
Official Result- Arman Tsarukyan def. Charles Oliveira by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
> BMF Championship- C Justin Gaethje (25-4, 8-4 UFC) vs. #2 FW Max Holloway (25-7, 21-7 UFC)
Gaethje with a leg kick. Holloway lands a leg kick. Gaethje with some hard calf kicks. Gaethje connects with a right hand. Holloway with an uppercut and a left hook hurts Gaethje. They trade leg kicks. Holloway with a right hand to the body. Gaethje with a hard leg kick. Holloway with an uppercut. Gaethje with a leg kick and Holloway counters with a right hand. Gaethje lands a right hand. Holloway lands a spin kick to the body. 10-9 Holloway.
Holloway peppering some short leg kicks. Gaethje lands a left hook. Holloway with a leg kick then a high kick. He lands a body kick. Gaethje lands a leg kick. They both swing and we have a timeout for an eye poke. They get back to action and trade body kicks. Holloway with a right hand to the body. Gaethje with a jab to the body. Holloway fires a combination. Gaethje lands a right hand followed by a leg kick. Gaethje lands a right hand and there’s another eye poke. They get back to action. Gaethje with a leg kick. Holloway lands a right hand. Holloway with a spin kick. They connect late. 10-9 Holloway, 20-18 Holloway.
They trade leg kicks. Holloway with a body kick. Gaethje lands a leg kick. Gaethje lands a right hand and Holloway lands a left hook. Holloway lands a leg kick. Gaethje lands a left hook. Holloway lands a stiff right hand then a spin kick to the body. Holloway hurts Gaethje with a combination. Gaethje lands and lands a hard leg kick. Holloway with a body kick. Holloway with another spin kick. Holloway lands an uppercut. Gaethje with a leg kick and Holloway lands a right hand to the body. Holloway lands a right hand. Holloway with a body kick. 10-9 Holloway, 30-27 Holloway.
Holloway with a leg kick then a pair of front kicks. Holloway lands a right hand to the body then a body kick. Gaethje with a solid combination. Gaethje lands a solid right hand. Gaethje lands a stiff jab. Holloway hurts Gaethje with a right hand. Gaethje lands a combination. Holloway partially lands an uppercut. Holloway lands a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Holloway with a knee to the body. Gaethje knocks Holloway down to his knees for a second with a right hand. They trade right hands. Gaethje lands a right hand and body kick. 10-9 Gaethje, 39-37 Holloway.
Holloway with a body kick. Holloway lands a combo. Holloway lands a hard spin kick to the body. Gaethje with a leg kick. Holloway lands a big right hand and Gaethje is hurt. Holloway is pouring it on and Gaethje is covering up. Holloway lands to the body against the fence and Gaethje lands a right hand. Holloway with a spin kick to the body. Holloway lands a right hand. Gaethje with a left hand. Holloway with a left to the body followed by a right hand. Gaethje lands a right hand. Holloway with a spin kick. Gaethje lands a jab. Holloway with a body kick. They start swinging for the fences and both connect and Holloway lands a massive right hand that puts Gaethje out cold right before the buzzer. What a finish from Holloway! One of the craziest knockouts in UFC history.
Official Result- Max Holloway def. Justin Gaethje by knockout (punch) at 4:59 of Round 5 to win the BMF Championship
> UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship- C Zhang Weili (24-3, 8-2 UFC) vs. #1 Yan Xiaonan (17-3 1 NC, 8-2 UFC)
Xiaonan lands a right hand. Weili with a calf kick. Weili looks for a body kick but Xiaonan grabs the leg and lands a pair of right hands before they clinch. They separate. Weili lands a leg kick and they both swing wildly. Weili lands a left hand and Xiaonan gets a takedown. They get to their feet. Xiaonan lands a left hook and Weili stumbles but collects herself. Weili with a high kick. Weili lands a body kick followed by a spinning back fist. Weili lands a right hand and gets a big throw takedown. Weili gets the back and lands some punches. Weili has a choke locked in but Xiaonan looked to survive the round. She looked out as the horn sounded and Weili let the choke go. 10-8 Weili.
They trade and Weili gets the back and scores a takedown and has the back. Weili with some right hands but Xiaonan spins and Weili stands. Weili gets back on top and they transition around and Weili is in side control. Weili lands a few elbows. Xiaonan gives up her back and Weili flattens her out. Weili with big punches and is looking for the choke. Weili with lots of punches. Weili gets on top and locks in an arm-triangle choke. Xiaonan escapes and is able to get on top. They get to their feet. They trade right hands. 10-9 Weili, 20-17 Weili.
Xiaonan lands a side kick to the body. Xiaonan lands a right hand. Xiaonan lands and Weili drops to the mat. Xiaonan landing leg kicks as Weili is throwing upkicks. Xiaonan with more leg kicks until Weili is ordered to her feet. Weili lands a body kick and Xiaonan lands a leg kick. Xiaonan lands a right hand and Weili goes to a knee looking for a takedown. Xiaonan gets the takedown and is in the half-guard. Weili kicks Xiaonan off and they get to their feet. Xiaonan gets a takedown after sweeping the leg. They stand and separate. Xiaonan lands a side kick. Weili lands a right hand and Xiaonan with a knee to the body. 10-9 Xiaonan, 29-27 Weili.
Xiaonan lands a right hand. Xiaonan drops Weili to her butt with a right hand though Weili gets right up. Weili looks for a takedown and Xiaonan about reversed it but Weili ends up with back control. Weili lands a knee. Weili with left hands. Weili has the back and lands some left hands. Xiaonan grabbed the fence. Weili with punches from the back and flattens Xiaonan out. Weili continues to land from the back. 10-9 Weili, 39-36 Weili.
Weili with a head kick. Xiaonan lands an inside leg kick. Weili gets a takedown. They scramble to their feet. Weili lands a right hand and scores another takedown. Weili is working from the half-guard. Weili lands and gets the back of Xiaonan. Xiaonan spins and Weili is now on top and landing. Weili landing to the body then mixes to the head as the fight ends. 10-9 Weili, 49-45 Weili.
Official Result- Zhang Weili def. Yan Xiaonan by unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45) to retain the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
> UFC Light Heavyweight Championship- C Alex Pereira (9-2, 6-1 UFC) vs. #1 Jamahal Hill (12-1 1 NC, 6-1 1 NC UFC)
Pereira with a leg kick. Hill with a leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Pereira with a body kick and Hill lands a right hand. Hill with a pair of leg kicks. Pereira lands a jab. Hill with a high kick that Pereira blocks. Hill with a body kick. Hill with a pair of kicks. Pereira drops Hill with a left hand and starts landing hammerfists and it is all over! What a finish from Pereira!
Official Result- Alex Pereira def. Jamahal Hill by knockout (punches) at 3:14 of Round 1 to retain the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including full coverage of the RAW after WrestleMania and everything they’ve set up for down the road, upcoming line-ups including Dynamite, the Draft, Vince sells more stock, UFC 300 this weekend, mailbag and so much more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: Bryan Alvarez’s travels
3:42: WWE Raw recap
34:42: This week’s lineups
37:52: Vince McMahon sells more stock, WWE Draft dates, Matt Hardy is a free agent, Mick Foley no longer doing one more match
After weeks of speculation and buzz, UFC head Dana White has announced the main event for April’s UFC 300 — one that had some fans disappointed given the hype going into it.
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will defend against former champion Jamahal Hill in the pay-per-view headliner, set for Saturday, April 13th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
White revealed the fight after UFC 298 Saturday night, adding that welterweight champion Leon Edwards accepted three different opponents for the event, but no fight could be made.
In the weeks leading up to the event, White had pushed that the main event would be a “huge” one in his effort to make the 300th PPV a great one. White said he had talked to “lots of people, trying to make lots of fights.”
Some speculation was whether Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler would be pushed up to the event or possibly Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title.
In the end, White turned to Pereira, who will make the first defense of the title he won last November, and Hill who hasn’t fought in over a year due to a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in July during a pickup basketball game.
White said the difficulties were trying to put together great lineups for UFC 298, 299 and 300 and that money demands from potential fighters didn’t have anything to do with it.
“It was all about timing. We’ve got three killer cards in a row and in this business, you have injuries and all kinds of other bullsh*t that goes on behind the scenes. We have been talking about 300 forever. We were just trying to make the best fights that we could possibly make. We had two more fights to make and we’re trying to put on two bad ass fights,” he said.
Here’s the current card:
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defends against Jamahal Hill
UFC women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili defends against Yan Xiaonan
