Tag: ufc 311

Daily Update: UFC 311 fallout, Christopher Daniels, TNA & GCW

Posted on by Bryan Rose

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Sunday Update

— We have our two weekend shows up on the site. The first covers all the news from the past week and last night’s show ran down the UFC and all the news that came out of it, the news coming out of Collision and SmackDown as well as the TNA alliance with WWE.

— It appears last night’s Christopher Daniels vs. Adam Page Texas death match was Daniels’ last career match. He will continue to work in talent relations for AEW, ending a 32 plus year in-ring career. It wasn’t brought up like that or pushed on television, but that was his call not to make a big deal about it. But backstage talent was there Thursday night with that impression and he was very emotional backstage when he got back. I do know he’ll be on Talk is Jericho this week discussing this.

— Our new back issue on the site was week four of our Chris Benoit coverage in 2007 can be found here.

— Lots of stuff coming out of last night’s UFC show. Among the key points:

  • Dana White said Arman Tsarukyan was not getting the next lightweight title shot even though unless they move up Ilia Topuria, there is no other viable contender. Tsarukyan was injured on Thursday and was the clear top contender. Tsarukyan said he was fine with facing Charles Oliveira (the next contender down and former champion) a second time to earn the shot that he already earned. That was just weird to take away an earned title shot.
  • Craig Piligian, the producer of the Ultimate Fighter reality show from the start, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July.
  • UFC did 1.1 million searches on Google yesterday. For the weekend, it’s behind only several NFL related topics and Tik Tok stories.  
  • Islam Makhachev, who Dana White called the beat pound-for-pound fighter in the world (he’s in the discussion for sure) said that he is interested in moving up in weight as a challenge, but since welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is his teammate, he brought up facing middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. That’s a little too much of a jump. But he said he wants a second world title, that he can’t make 145, so 185 is the only place to go.
  • Dana White gave an indication that the matchmakers want both Aaron Pico (whose Bellator contract has expired) and Patricio Pitbull Freire (who PFL released this past week).

— TNA/NXT Genesis tonight in Garland, TX. They are pushing hard surprise NXT talent on the show:

  • Nic Nemeth vs. Joe Hendry for the TNA title
  • Moose vs. Ace Austin for the X title
  • Masha Slamovich vs. Rosemary in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match for the Knockouts title
  • Hardys vs. Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel for the tag titles
  • Mike Santana vs. Josh Alexander I Quit match
  • Tessa Blanchard vs. Jordynne Grace
  • Dani Luna & Jody Threat vs. Ash by Elegance & Heather by Elegnace for Knockouts tag titles
  • Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers vs. Eric Young & Steve Maclin
  • Leon Slater vs. Frankie Kazarian

— GCW’s The People vs. GCW show tonight at the Hammerstein Ballroom:

  • Mance Warner defends the GCW title
  • Effy vs. Allie Katch – Winner faces Warner for the title
  • Matt Tremont vs. Matthew Justice vs. Drew Parker vs. John Wayne Murodch vs. Brandon Kirk vs. Rina Yamashita in a Doors, ladders and Chairs match for the Ultraviolent title
  • Dominic Garrini & Keivn Ku vs. Alec Price & Cole Radrick in a ladder match for the tag titles
  • Homicide & Grim Reefer & Amazing Red vs. Tony Deppen & Kerry Morton & Griffin McCoy
  • Yoshihito Tajiri & Super Crazy & Little Guido vs. Gringo Loco & Jack Cartwheel & Arez
  • Richard Holliday vs. Charles Mason cage match
  • Josh Barnett vs. Tom Pestock (Baron Corbin) under Bloodsport rules
  • El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Sydney Akeem (Scripts)
  • Masato Tanaka vs. Joey Janela
  • Plus Sabu, PCO and Maki Itoh

— We’re looking for your thoughts on the TNA Genesis show and the GCW show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match from each show to [email protected]

— The episode of Dynamite that aired on Friday night in the U.K., from Wednesday, was the largest audience for the first-run airing of a show in that country in more than two years. I should note U.K. numbers are released differently, and also I don’t think the ratings are anywhere near as accurate as Canada, let alone with the U.S., due to the extreme fluctuations we see each week. So it’s more the trends you look at.

Also, in the U.K., the numbers aren’t released for a week because they include DVR viewing in the ratings. For example, this week we’ll only be getting the rating for the episode that aired in the U.K. on 1/3 and the number for this episode won’t be released for another two weeks. Based on adding in DVR numbers, we don’t know if it’ll be the highest, only that the first night number was. They’ve had increased numbers for Dynamite in recent weeks.

— C.J.  Perry, the former Lana, is recovering from undisclosed surgery.

— Coming off the Netflix airing of Raw, the Dallas show tomorrow night has sold 2,900 tickets in the last eight days. They were 1,600 shy of a sellout as of today.

— The match everyone is raving about for this weekend was Venny beating Sareee for the Seadlinnng title. I saw it. It’s a great technical match, real solid work, and strong near falls. Lots of callbacks as well.

— Lince Dorado wrestled on the Friday night NXT show in Citrus Springs, FL, because he’s been hired by WWE as a coach.

— House of Glory from Friday night in Chicago for a sold out show:

  • Phumi Nkuta b Joe Alonzo
  • Idris jackson b Koda Hernandez
  • Raheem Royal & Jay Armani b Ringmasters Miidas & Lyon and Gringo Loco & Arez to keep the House of Glory tag titles
  • Blair Onyx b Laynie Luck
  • Darren Richardson won over Rochie Roach, Ben Ruten, Oni King, J Boujii, August Matthews and Davey Bang to keep the cruiserweight title
  • Charles Mason b Amazing Red
  • Mustafa Ali b Matt Cardona
  • Mike Santana b Ricky Starks via DQ to keep the HOG title.  They will return to Chicago on 5/8.  They are running 1/25 in New York (thanks to Samuel Rosenthal)

— The Saya Kamitani vs. Suzu Suzuki World of Stardom title match will be on 2/2.

— Mick Foley set a goal of losing 80 pounds by his birthday of June 7. He said he weighed 279.9, down 80 from his 360 start weight of nine months ago. He said he did cheat by using Wegovy, but also had worked on his diet and exercise and credited DDP as well.

Wrestling Observer Radio: UFC 311 recap, more on the WWE & TNA partnership

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back with our post UFC 311 episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. Paul Fontaine joined us to go over the show as well as the news coming out of it.

Here were some of the rest of the topics we covered:

  • More on the WWE & TNA partnership
  • Lineup for TNA Genesis
  • Lince Dorado
  • AEW Collision
  • WWE SmackDown
  • WWE RAW preview

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube (video sub needed)

UFC 311 live results: Two title fights from Los Angeles

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

The first UFC pay-per-view event of the year is here as the Octagon debuts inside the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California for UFC 311.

The main event has undergone come late changes in a wild past 48 hours. UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev defends the title against an unexpected challenger, as Renato Moicano steps in on short notice.

Moicano replaces Arman Tsarukyan, who was forced to pull out with a back injury early Friday morning. Moicano was scheduled to fight Beneil Dariush in a main card bout, but steps in for a title shot on the heels of four straight wins. Makhachev makes his fourth title defense on the heels of a 14-fight win streak.

The co-main event is a second title bout as UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili makes his first title defense against undefeated challenger Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishili defeated Sean O’Malley for the title in September, running his win streak to eleven straight. Nurmagomedov gets his first shot at championship gold after 18 straight wins to start his career.

The rest of the main card sees a pivotal light heavyweight battle between former champions Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill; a heavyweight tilt pitting Jailton Almeida against Serghei Spivac; and a middleweight bout between Kevin Holland and Reinier de Ridder.

FX PRELIMS | 6 PM ET/3 PM PT

> Flyweights- #11 Tagir Ulanbekov (15-2, 4-1 UFC) vs. Clayton Carpenter (8-0, 2-0 UFC)

Ulanbekov lands a hard calf kick and follows with a left hand. Carpenter connects with a stiff jab and then a left hook. Ulanbekov just misses a front kick to the face. Carpenter with a calf kick. Ulanbekov looks for a takedown but Carpenter defends and reverses against the fence. Carpenter lands a knee and Ulanbekov reverses position. Ulanbekov is able to score a takedown. Carpenter throws some elbows from the bottom. Ulanbekov with a pair of left hands from the top. Ulanbekov with some big elbows from the top. Ulanbekov with some ground-and-pound from the top. Carpenter is cut open above the eye but he scrambles to his feet. Carpenter with a leg kick. They trade kicks. Ulanbekov with a jab. 10-9 Ulanbekov.

Carpenter lands a left hook. They trade leg kicks. Carpenter scores a takedown. He’s working from the half-guard looking to set up a choke as he lands. Ulanbekov gets him back inside his full guard. They scramble to their feet as Carpenter complains that Ulanbekov grabbed his shorts. Ulanbekov shoots for a takedown but Carpenter sprawls. Carpenter lands a knee as they get to their feet. Ulanbekov scores a takedown. Ulanbekov with some body shots. Ulanbekov controlling and landing from the top as both are trying to find openings. Ulanbekov ends on top. Close round. 10-9 Ulanbekov, 20-18 Ulanbekov.

Carpenter lands a leg kick. Ulanbekov lands a straight right hand. Carpenter with a high kick and a body shot. Ulanbekov with a quick flurry. Carpenter lands a left hand as Ulanbekov lands. Carpenter pushes it against the fence and lands some knees. Ulanbekov reverses position and scores a takedown. Ulanbekov working inside the guard. Carpenter with some shots from the bottom, though Ulanbekov is also landing from the top. Ulanbekov looks to get up but transitions to side control and has the body lock. Ulanbekov with some elbows from the top. 10-9 Ulanbekov, 30-27 Ulanbekov.

Official Result- Tagir Ulanbekov def. Clayton Carpenter by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Bantamweights- Ricky Turcios (12-4, 2-2 UFC) vs. Bernardo Sopaj (11-3, 0-1 UFC)

Sopaj with a partially landed head kick. Turcios with a high kick. Sopaj lands a head kick. He lands a jab as Turcios lands a leg kick. They trade leg kicks and Turcios lands another pair of them. Turcios with a spin kick. Turcios with a leg kick and Sopaj lands a counter combination. Turcios with a body kick. They trade and Turcios looks for a takedown against the fence. Turcios is chasing after it as he has Sopaj against the fence. They separate. Turcios with a body kick and almost scores a takedown but Sopaj defends. Turcios ends up with a takedown and takes the back, but Sopaj squirms out. Turcios with some elbows from the bottom as Sopaj pops his head out. They get to their feet as Sopaj lands a knee. Sopaj lands an elbow as they break. Turcios lands but Sopaj lands a clean right hand. Turcios with a leg kick and lands some knees. 10-9 Turcios.

Turcios lands a leg kick. Sopaj works the jab. They trade and Turcios looks for a takedown but Sopaj is defending. Sopaj with a leg kick. Turcios lands a leg kick and then another. He lands another. Sopaj lands a right hand and Turcios started to run away. Sopaj with a leg kick and a right hand. Sopaj connecting better but Turcios is landing. Sopaj scores a takedown. They scramble to their feet and separate. Sopaj lands an uppercut. Sopaj lands a knee in a brief clinch as Turcios lands a left hand on the break. Sopaj taking deep breaths. Turcios pushes it against the fence and lands some knees. Sopaj lands a knee. Sopaj with an elbow and a left hook. He lands a right hand. Sopaj with a short left hand. Turcios with a late clinch. 10-9 Sopaj, 19-19.

Sopaj drops Turcios with a body shot to start the third. Sopaj landing from the top as Turcios is trying to crawl away. Sopaj with an elbow from the top. They scramble up. They trade punches. They clinch and Turcios with several uppercuts. Sopaj with a knee to the body. Turcios looking for a takedown and has the back. Sopaj trips Turcios down to the mat after taking the back. Sopaj now in side control. They get to their feet. Sopaj lands a right hand. Sopaj with a jumping knee and a leg kick. Turcios lands a knee and Sopaj lands an uppercut. Turcios lands a leg kick. Sopaj with a spin kick to the head and they scramble to the mat late. 10-9 Sopaj, 29-28 Sopaj.

Official Result- Bernardo Sopaj def. Ricky Turcios by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Bantamweights- Rinya Nakamura (9-0, 3-0 UFC) vs. Muin Gafurov (19-6, 1-2 UFC)

Nakamura lands a leg kick after Gafurov barely lands. Nakamura with a body kick. Gafurov with a left hook and a hard right hand. Gafurov lands a head kick but slipped on it. Gafurov lands a body kick. Nakamura landing lots of leg kicks. Gafurov with a left hook. Gafurov with a head kick. Gafurov lands a big right hand and Nakamura gets tripped up to the mat. Gafurov lands from the top and goes into the guard. Gafurov lands some shots from the top. He lands more from the top to end the round. 10-9 Gafurov.

Gafurov lands a body kick. Nakamura lands a left hand. Gafurov connects and has Nakamura stunned for a brief moment. Gafurov lands a body kick. Gafurov with a heavy right hand. Gafurov with a spin kick to the body. Nakamura lands a left hand. Nakamura shoots for a takedown but Gafurov defends. Nakamura with a leg kick. Gafurov drops Nakamura with a huge right hand. Nakamura immediately tries to go for a takedown but Gafurov sprawls and has neck control. Gafurov with some knees. He lands some more. They separate. Gafurov with a combination ending with a head kick. 10-9 Gafurov, 20-18 Gafurov.

Gafurov rocks Nakamura with a big right hand. Nakamura recovers and Gafurov lands a switch kick. Gafurov with a side kick to the body and Nakamura goes to his butt briefly. Gafurov with a spin kick. Nakamura lands a body kick. They scramble to the mat and Nakamura ends up on top. Nakamura with some left hands as he has neck control. Nakamura looking for a guillotine choke and has it locked in. Gafurov fights it off. They scramble up. Gafurov lands a left hand. Gafurov with a combination. Gafurov lands a spin kick. Gafurov with a high kick and a right hand. 10-9 Gafurov, 30-27 Gafurov.

Official Result- Muin Gafurov def. Rinya Nakamura by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Women’s Bantamweights- #9 Karol Rosa (18-6, 7-3 UFC) vs. #13 Ailin Perez (11-2, 4-1 UFC)

Perez with a brief body lock and lands an elbow as they break. Rosa lands a leg kick. Perez scores a takedown into the half-guard. Perez landing from the top and keeping Rosa pinned on the mat. Rosa landing short punches from the bottom. Rosa lands an upkick as they get to their feet. Rosa with a pair of leg kicks. Perez with a spinning back fist. Rosa lands a leg kick. They trade jabs. Perez lands a body kick. Rosa with a pair of strong leg kicks. 10-9 Rosa.

Rosa landing some kicks and Perez complains of a groin strike. They get back to action and clinch but quickly separate. Perez with a body kick. Rosa lands a right hand. Perez with a spin kick. Rosa with a leg kick and a jab. Rosa lands a knee and Perez tries a takedown and ends up completing it. Rosa landing short shots from the bottom and staying active as Perez tries to improve position. Perez now landing from the top. They both land. 10-9 Perez, 19-19.

Rosa lands a right hand. Rosa lands a leg kick. They trade kicks. They trade and Perez clinches against the fence. They separate and Rosa lands a leg kick. Perez with a spinning back fist. Rosa lands a left hook. Rosa landing slightly more. Perez with another spinning back fist. Rosa with a combination. Rosa lands a knee and a right hand. Close fight. 10-9 Rosa, 29-28 Rosa.

Official Result- Ailin Perez def. Karol Rosa by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

FX PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

> Lightweights- Grant Dawson (22-2-1, 10-1-1 UFC) vs. Diego Ferreira (19-5, 10-5 UFC)

Dawson lands a spin kick and then a wheel kick. He lands another spinning back kick. Dawson with more kicks and they trade punches. Dawson shoots for a takedown and gets it. They scramble to their feet and Dawson has body control. They scramble and Dawson has control and lands a pair of head kicks. Dawson has it down and is on Ferreira’s back and lands some punches. They scramble and Dawson gets inside the guard of Ferreira. Dawson with punches from the top and Ferreira landed an upkick. 10-9 Dawson.

They trade and Dawson goes for a takedown but they scramble to the mat. Ferreira gets the back as they stand but Dawson shakes him off and they are separated. Ferreira with some solid right hands. Dawson with a left hand. Dawson scores a takedown. Dawson working from the top. Dawson landing to the head and body from the top. Dawson in total control from the top as he lands a big elbow. Dawson with several more elbows from the top. 10-9 Dawson, 20-18 Dawson.

They scramble right to the mat as Dawson looks for a takedown. Dawson reverses into the full guard of Ferreira. Dawson with punches from the top. They are stood up by referee Frank Trigg while Dawson was landing. Dawson rocks Ferreira on the feet and they trade punches. Dawson shoots for the leg and scores the takedown. Dawson with lots of punches and some elbows from the top. Dawson with lots of right hands from the top. Dawson with a pair of hard elbows. Dawson gets the back and lands. 10-9 Dawson, 30-27 Dawson.

Official Result- Grant Dawson def. Diego Ferreira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Light Heavyweights- #13 Bogdan Guskov (16-3, 2-1 UFC) vs. Billy Elekana (7-1, 0-0 UFC)

Guskov lands a leg kick. He lands two more. Elekana with a teet kick. Elekana gets a takedown and takes the back of Guskov. Elekana still attacking the back as Guskov is trying to escape. Elekana with some elbows from the back. Elekana looking for a choke. He lets go but is still controlling from the back and landing. Guskov escapes and starts landing punches from Elekana’s back. Guskov landing heavy shots. Guskov looks for a choke late but Elekana survives. Elekana did tap but it was after the horn sounded. 10-9 Elekana.

Guskov lands a right hand. Elekana lands a left hand and a jab. Elekana with a left hand. Guskov pressuring as both look for openings. Guskov lands to the body and then to the head. Guskov with a right hand to the body. Guskov with a combination to the head and body and starts unloading with uppercuts and two knees. Elekana goes to a knee and Guskov is landing lots of punches. Guskov landing a lot and grabs a guillotine choke and Elekana taps. It wasn’t pretty, but Guskov picks up the win.

Official Result- Bogdan Guskov def. Billy Elekana by submission (guillotine choke) at 3:33 of Round 2

> Middleweights- Zachary Reese (8-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Azamat Bekoev (18-3, 0-0 UFC)

Bekoev lands a body kick. Reese with a knee to the body as Bekoev looks for a takedown. Bekoev gets it down but Reese is looking for an armbar. Bekoev gets out as they both land hammerfists. Bekoev lands to the body as Reese missed an upkick. Bekoev with some heavy shots from the top. Bekoev continues to land from the top. Bekoev with a big right hand and starts teeing off and he knocks Reese out cold as it is stopped! What a debut for Bekoev!

Official Result- Azamat Bekoev def. Zachary Reese by knockout (punches) at 3:04 of Round 1

> Bantamweights- Payton Talbott (9-0, 3-0 UFC) vs. Raoni Barcelos (18-5, 7-4 UFC)

Barcelos looks for the takedown immediately and pushes it to the fence as he has a single leg. Talbott grabs the neck but Barcelos completes the takedown. They get to their feet. Barcelos jumps onto the back of Talbott, but he gets back to his feet. Barcelos maintains back control. Barcelos looks to get the hooks in. Barcelos looks for the choke. He lets go but lands punches. Barcelos in the mount. Barcelos with some big elbows from the top. Barcelos looking for an arm-triangle choke from the half-guard. He lets go of it. Barcelos still working from the top as he gets back to full mount. Barcelos with some shots from the top. 10-8 Barcelos.

Talbott lands a leg kick and is pressuring, but Barcelos scores a takedown. Barcelos landing from the top and keeping Talbott down. Talbott is able to scramble to his feet. Talbott lands a short right hand and Barcelos looked a little hurt from it, but Barcelos is able to score another takedown. Barcelos gets the full mount. They scramble to their feet and Barcelos lands a spinning back fist. Barcelos with an uppercut and a right hand. Talbott lands an uppercut. Talbott lands a body kick. Barcelos grabs the single leg and scores a takedown. Barcelos with a pair of big elbows from side control. 10-9 Barcelos, 20-17 Barcelos.

Talbott lands an uppercut. Barcelos looks for a takedown but Talbott reverses into his own takedown and lands from the top. Talbott controlling from the top and Barcelos is rolling for an arm, but he grabbed the fence so timeout is called. Talbott is given the position back and they trade as they stand. They trade big punches. Talbott lands a flying knee but Barcelos gets a takedown. Talbott stands and shakes Barcelos off and starts landing. Barcelos lands a right hand. Talbott lands a spin kick. Talbott lands a right hand but Barcelos scores a takedown. Barcelos in the full mount and lands to the body. Barcelos with big shots from the top as he closes the fight out strong. 10-9 Barcelos, 30-26 Barcelos.

Official Result- Raoni Barcelos def. Payton Talbott by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

ESPN+ PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT

> Middleweights- Kevin Holland (26-12 1 NC, 13-9 1 NC UFC) vs. Reinier de Ridder (18-2, 1-0 UFC)

de Ridder gets Holland to the mat immediately and is inside the guard of Holland. Holland is attacking the arm and throwing from the bottom. Holland throwing kicks from the bottom. de Ridder lands an elbow from the top. de Ridder with some body shots and a cut is opened up on Holland. de Ridder with some ground-and-pound from the top. de Ridder transitions to the back of Holland. Holland stands with de Ridder on his back. de Ridder looking to attack the arm but gets the body triangle locked. de Ridder locks in a rear-naked choke and Holland taps! Impressive first-round finish from de Ridder.

Official Result- Reinier de Ridder def. Kevin Holland by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:31 of Round 1

> Heavyweights- #6 Jailton Almeida (21-3, 7-1 UFC) vs. #7 Serghei Spivac (17-4, 8-4 UFC)

Spivac with a body kick. Almeida lands a leg kick. They tie up and Spivac scores a takedown. He gets inside the guard of Almeida. Spivac with a right hand from the top. Spivac with some punches and elbows from the top. Almeida is able to sweep to the top. Almeida in the half-guard and then gets the mount before he takes the back of Spivac. Spivac is able to turn into the guard of Almeida and starts landing punches. Almeida is able to sweep to the top. Almeida lands some big shots on Spivac and Spivac is in trouble. Almeida gets a takedown and starts landing from the mount. Almeida gets the back and starts landing as he flattens Spivac out and it is stopped! What a finish out of nowhere from Almeida.

Official Result- Jailton Almeida def. Serghei Spivac by TKO (punches) at 4:53 of Round 1

> Light Heavyweights- #2 Jiri Prochazka (30-5-1, 4-2 UFC) vs. #3 Jamahal Hill (12-2 1 NC, 6-2 1 NC UFC)

Hill lands a leg kick. Prochazka lands a body kick. Prochazka with a right hand. Prochazka lands a left hand. Hill with a quick flurry and lands a knee. Prochazka lands a left hand. Hill with a jab. Prochazka lands a body kick. Prochazka drops Hill with a left hand. Hill is able to scramble up. Hill landed a nice right hand. They trade punches. Prochazka lands a combo and a pair of knees to the body. Hill lands a knee. Hill lands a right hand. Prochazka with a body kick. Prochazka with a big left hand. 10-9 Prochazka.

Prochazka with a high kick. Prochazka with a pair of body kicks. They trade high kicks. Prochazka with a jumping knee. Timeout is called for an eye poke on Hill, but they get back going fairly quickly. Hill lands a left hand. Hill with an uppercut. Prochazka lands a left hand. Prochazka gets poked in the eye and timeout is called. They get back going after a couple of minutes for Prochazka to recover. Prochazka lands a big right hand. Hill with a right hand. Hill lands a pair of right hands. Prochazka lands a left hand. Hill with a right hand. Prochazka lands a pair of kicks. They trade in close range. Close round. 10-9 Hill, 19-19.

Hill lands a left hand to the body. Prochazka with a body kick and then hurts Hill with a flurry of shots. They tie up and both land. Hill lands inside the pocket. Prochazka with a left hook. Prochazka with a right hand to the body followed by a body kick and a left hand. Hill lands a big knee. Prochazka drops Hill with a right hand and he starts landing from the back. Hill gets up and Prochazka is swarming on him and he throws Hill to the mat. Prochazka with big strikes on the ground and it is stopped! What a finish from Prochazka!

Official Result- Jiri Prochazka def. Jamahal Hill by TKO (punches) at 3:01 of Round 3

> UFC Bantamweight Championship- C Merab Dvalishvili (18-4, 11-2 UFC) vs. #2 Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0, 6-0 UFC)

Both being patient as no one lands inside the first minute. Nurmagomedov lands a right hand. Dvalishvili lands a right hand and a pair of leg kicks. Dvalishvili lands a right hand. Both finding their range and Nurmagomedov looks for a takedown, but Dvalishvili defends and they separate. Dvalishvili with a right hand. Nurmagomedov with a body kick. Nurmagomedov lands a big right hand. Nurmagomedov with a body kick. 10-9 Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov with a right hand and a series of body kicks. Nurmagomedov lands a left hand as Dvalishvili was coming in. Dvalishvili grabs a leg but Nurmagomedov is able to sprawl and defend and then scores a takedown after he grabs the back of Dvalishvili. They get to their feet and separate. Dvalishvili lands a right hand. Nurmagomedov lands a knee. Nurmagomedov with an inside leg kick. Dvalishvili pressing forward and lands to the body. Dvalishvili with a right hand and looks for a takedown. They separate. Nurmagomedov lands a right hand. Nurmagomedov with a body kick. 10-9 Nurmagomedov, 20-18 Nurmagomedov.

They trade and Dvalishvili briefly gets it down but they scramble right up. Dvalishvili lands a big right hand. Dvalishvili pressing forward and lands more. Nurmagomedov with an inside leg kick. Dvalishvili lands as he comes forward. Dvalishvili comes forward and just throws punches but a few do connect. Dvalishvili gets a takedown but lets Nurmagomedov right back up. Dvalishvili gets a takedown but Nurmagomedov is able to reverse immediately to the feet. They are tied up but break apart. Nurmagomedov with an inside leg kick. Nurmagomedov grabs a leg and then takes the back. He is able to get it down as Dvalishvili was showboating. 10-9 Dvalishvili, 29-28 Nurmagomedov.

Dvalishvili with a right hand to the body. Dvalishvili almost gets a takedown. Nurmagomedov lands a left hand. They trade inside the pocket. Dvalishvili gets a takedown but Nurmagomedov gets up. Dvalishvili shoots for a takedown against the fence and they fall to the mat, but get up and Dvalishvili lands a knee on the break. Dvalishvili with a right hand. Nurmagomedov with a head kick that is blocked. They trade punches. Dvalishvili with a combo. They trade jabs and Dvalishvili lands a right hand. Nurmagomedov looks for a takedown but Dvalishvili slips away. Dvalishvili with a pair of right hands. Dvalishvili lands a left hand. Nurmagomedov is looking tired. Dvalishvili with a left hand then a big right hand. Dvalishvili scores a takedown. They get up and Dvalishvili lands against the fence. 10-9 Dvalishvili, 38-38.

Dvalishvili pressing forward and looks for a takedown but Nurmagomedov defends. Nurmagomedov lands a left hand. Dvalishvili with a pair of leg kicks. Dvalishvili looks for a leg and lands a right hand. Dvalishvili with a right hand. Nurmagomedov lands a left hand. Dvalishvili looks for the takedown against the fence. Dvalishvili lands as they separate. Nurmagomedov looks for a takedown but to no success. Dvalishvili gets a brief takedown and lands as they separate. They trade punches. Nurmagomedov with a left hand and a body kick. Nurmagomedov with a pair of kicks but eats a big right hand from Dvalishvili and then Dvalishvili gets a takedown, but Nurmagomedov pops right up. Dvalishvili gets another takedown from the back. They stand and Dvalishvili gets another takedown. Dvalishvili taunts late. 10-9 Dvalishvili, 48-47 Dvalishvili.

Official Result- Merab Dvalishvili def. Umar Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to retain the UFC Bantamweight Championship

> UFC Lightweight Championship- C Islam Makhachev (26-1, 15-1 UFC) vs. #10 Renato Moicano (20-5-1, 12-5 UFC)

Moicano with a high kick. Moicano with a leg kick and a right hand. Makhachev lands a left hand. Moicano with a leg kick. Makhachev lands a body kick. Makhachev lands a left hand. Moicano connects with a left hand and Makhachev almost went down and he was hurt from it. Makhachev scores a takedown. Makhachev lands some short left hands. Makhachev locks in a D’Arce choke and it gets Moicano to tap! Easy night at the office for Makhachev as he defends the title.

Official Result- Islam Makhachev def. Renato Moicano by submission (D’Arce choke) at 4:05 of Round 1 to retain the UFC Lightweight Championship

Daily Update: UFC 311 card changes, Chris Weidman, Logan Paul

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

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Friday Update

– Our weekend schedule is that I’ll be doing a week in review show with Garrett Gonzales today and it’s a huge week of news. We will also be back tomorrow night talking about the weekend news and the first UFC PPV event of the year.

– The new issue of the Observer up on the site is a monster issue with our annual business year in review:

  • The biggest attended shows in combat sports of 2024
  • Who drew the most big crowds of the year
  • What companies drew the biggest crowds
  • Amazing UFC PPV gates
  • The biggest pro wrestling drawing card by year from 1916 to 2024
  • The biggest enduring drawing cards of all-time and where the modern stars rank with the historical stars
  • Updating all the Vince McMahon legal issues, from the SEC findings, the criminal investigation and the lawsuits, plus several things that have happened regarding the Grant case this past week and who are with Vince for his start of a new company
  • WWE and NBC book Saturday Night’s Main Event head-to-head with All In Texas
  • The history of this tactic, and an estimate of how much revenue it would cost AEW
  • WWE on Netflix, what episode one did for business, trying to figure out what the numbers mean, time of show and more
  • WWE & TNA make deal
  • New Japan Battle in the Valley coverage
  • The arenas in the U.S. that have held pro wrestling for the longest amount of time
  • Bret Hart talks his favorite wrestler and the life of Sweet Daddy Siki
  • What is up with Corey Graves
  • Death of Ray Richard
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings over the past week and key takes
  • Blue Panther vs. Hechicero
  • Athena tours Stardom
  • New Japan big shows coming up
  • Thoughts on the death of Bob Uecker
  • VOW best wrestlers of 2024
  • More on the AEW show in Brisbane, Australia
  • Lots more on AEW ratings declines and where
  • Darby Allin update
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • Conor McGregor sued again in a sex case
  • PFL drops the Bellator name, releases Bellator’s biggest star and cuts tournament prize money in half
  • Lots of new stuff from GFL
  • WWE sets more business records
  • Notes on the next Saturday Night’s Main Event
  • Paul Heyman talks booking

– Arman Tsarukyan’s back went out while riding a stationary bike last night. UFC tried to get him medical help but there was no way he could fight tomorrow, so Islam Makhachev will now defend the lightweight title against Renato Moicano. Moicano was scheduled against Beneil Dariush but that’s off and Dariush isn’t fighting. Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spirvac is being moved to the PPV show and Merab Dvalishvili’s bantamweight title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov is now going on last. The show is sold out at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

– Dana White said that Moicano was told about the change before weigh-ins because Moicano had to make 155, rather than 156 for a non-title fight. White said that when they told Makhachev about Tsarukyan being out and offered Moicano, he agreed to it without hesitation. Tsarukayn was considered a far tougher opponent.

– The prelims, originally on ESPN News, will still be there but FX is also going to be airing them.  Disney + is as well.

New lineup starts at 6 p.m. Eastern on Disney +, FX and ESPN+

  • Tagir Ulanbekov (125.5) vs Clayton Carpenter (125.5)
  • Ricky Turcios (136) vs. Bernardo Sopai (135)
  • Rinya Nakamura (135.5) vs. Muin Gafurov (136)
  • Karol  Rosa (135.5) vs. Allin Perez (135)
  • Zachary Reece (185.5) vs. Azamat Bekoev (185.5)
  • Grant Dawson (156) vs. Diego Ferreria (156)
  • Bogdan Guskov (205.5) vs. Billy Elekana (200)
  • Payton Talbott (135.5) vs. Raoni Barcelos (135.5)

PPV at 10 p.m.

  • Kevin Holland (183.5) vs. Reinier de Ridder (184.5)
  • Jailton Almeida (235) vs. Serghei Spivac (233)
  • Jiri Prochazka (204.5) vs. Jamahal Hill (205.5)
  • Islam Makhachev (154.5) vs. Renato Moicano (155) for the lightweight title
  • Merab Dvalishvili (134) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (135) for the bantamweight title

– Want to thank people for the feedback on the Sweet Daddy Siki story in today’s issue.

–SmackDown is tonight in San Diego. Tiffany Stratton vs. Bayley for the women’s title, Nia Jax & Candice LeRae vs. Bianca Belair & Naomi, Jimmy Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes plus Motor City Machine Guns vs. Los Garzas for a tag team title match have been announced, along with the return of Solo Sikoa. They had 9,800 tickets out as of last night and a sellout for the set-up is 10,700 so it should end up sold out.

– Chris Weidman, 40, the former UFC middleweight champion who ended Anderson Silva’s reign as champion in one of the biggest fights in history, announced his retirement today.  Weidman lost his last fight in December to Eryk Anders.

– The NCAA announced that women’s wrestling has been added as a recognized championship sport and the first national tournament will be for the 2026 season. There were 76 schools that had women’s wrestling teams last season.

– Tammy Sytch’s appeal to get her prison sentence cut back was denied.

– A few notes on the AEW quarter hours from Wednesday. The high point of viewers, as is almost always the case, was Kenny Omega vs. Brian Cage (831,000/0.19) at the start of the show. The high point with men 18-49, overall 18-49 was the Casino Battle Royal. Jon Moxley vs. Powerhouse Hobbs at the end was the second highest in 18-49 behind the Casino Battle Royal. The high point in every women’s demo was Omega vs. Cage, but the first segment almost always is that because so many women watch Big Bang Theory that Q1 is always the strongest for them. For 18-34 the high point was MJF and Jeff Jarrett. Keep in mind this is only TV viewers and doesn’t include MAX viewership.

– Logan Paul on his podcast said that Conor McGregor called him and said that the boxing match McGregor has talked about could happen in India. Paul said if the $250 million purse is real, he’s got to take that unless Nick Khan matches it. Like that’s going to happen. Paul noted that McGregor couldn’t do the fight without UFC approval. Dana White has said that the fight isn’t going to happen.

– The reason we haven’t heard much on the Dark Side of the Cage ratings is because episode one on 1/8 featuring Kimbo Slice only did 51,000 viewers. That’s well under half of what event the lowest rated wrestling episodes have done.

– CMLL is now headlining Mistico & Mascara Dorada & Neon as The Sky Team. Basically they are going to be the top main event trio going forward. Their first match together since being given the name is tonight at Arena Mexico against Volador Jr. & Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja.  Tonight also features a rematch of one of the best matches of last year at Arena Mexico with Hechicero vs. Euforia vs Valiente vs. Esfinge, the anniversary show main event.

– Clay Guida is off the UFC roster. He’s been with the company since 2006 and has had the fourth most bouts in UFC history. Giuda had lost three in a row and had some of the greatest fights in history with the likes of Diego Sanchez and Benson Henderson. If he wants to continue, the GFL is being built on 40+ year old former UFC stars.

– Ozawa makes his first GHC title defense on 2/11 against Galeno del Mal, the son of Dr. Wagner Jr.

– GCW’s show on Sunday at the Hammerstein Ballroom will start at 7 p.m. Eastern.