Tag: Uriah Hall

UFC on ESPN 28 live results: Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC on ESPN 28: Hall vs. Strickland, emanating from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The UFC wraps up a busy month of July with another event at their headquarters in Las Vegas, this time with a 13-fight card headlined by a pair of middleweights looking to break into the upper echelon of the 185-pound division.

Uriah Hall will welcome Sean Strickland to his first ever headline spot as the two middleweights square off in the five-round main event. Both are ranked middleweights, with Hall coming in ranked eighth and Strickland ranked eleventh, and both men are riding four-fight win streaks headed into this showdown. The winner could find themselves fighting top-five opposition next.

Also on the main card is a women’s strawweight fight between Cheyanne Buys and Gloria de Paula, a welterweight contest pitting Niklas Stolze against Jared Gooden, a featherweight bout between newcomers Collin Anglin and Melsik Baghdasaryan and a welterweight bout between Bryan Barberena and Jason Witt.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.

ESPN PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT

> Phil Rowe (7-3, 0-1 UFC) vs. Orion Cosce (7-0, 0-0 UFC)
Welterweights* (Rowe missed weight by 2.5 pounds)

Cosce with some kicks to start. They clinch against the fence. Cosce with the takedown and is in the half-guard. Cosce in the full guard and Rowe looking to use his legs against the fence to escape. Not much is happening on the ground. They get to their feet and Cosce lands an uppercut before they clinch back up. They briefly go back to the ground but stand and Cosce is looking for the takedown. Cosce lands an elbow. Rowe pulls guard and eats some punches from Cosce as he stands. Rowe lands a knee. Cosce with a spinning elbow as they break and trade at the end. 10-9 Cosce.

Cosce with some kicks to start the second and they clinch up against the fence. They break and Rowe lands some shots to the body. They both look to trade and Rowe lands a kick to the groin and we have a time-out. They get back to action and Cosce with a front kick. Rowe lands a right hand and then stuns Cosce with a combo. Cosce looks for a takedown and Rowe landing and now they trade big punches and both rock each other. Rowe lands a flying knee and a right hand and Cosce tries a takedown. They break. Rowe lands more hard right hands and then a knee and is landing right hands. Cosce now firing back. Rowe with uppercuts to the body. Cosce with a left hand. They clinch against the fence with Cosce having the control. Cosce lands a few left hands and they break. They trade and Cosce swinging away and Rowe lands some knees right to the head of Cosce. Rowe landing some combos and then lands a right hand that drops Cosce and it is stopped. This was a fun fight.

Official Result- Phil Rowe def. Orion Cosce by TKO (punches) at 4:21 of Round 2

> Ryan Benoit (10-7, 3-5 UFC) vs. Zarrukh Adashev (3-3, 0-2 UFC)
Flyweights

Adashev starts with a heavy calf kick and lands a combo. Adashev with another heavy calf kick. Benoit lands a couple of left hands. They both land punches and Adashev landed a nice right hand then a flying knee followed by a right hand. Adashev with another heavy leg kick and then a body kick. Adashev with another leg kick and Benoit with a combo. Benoit switching stances. Adashev with a body kick. Adashev with a heavy leg kick. They trade in close range. Adashev with a hard leg kick and now Benoit is hobbling around. Benoit lands a left hand. He lands another. Adashev with another hard leg kick. Adashev with another hard leg kick. That leg of Benoit looks groos. Benoit then drops Adashev with a punch and lands some and they scramble up. Benoit pulls guard looking for a guillotine but they stand. Adashev looks for a late guillotine. 10-9 Adashev.

Adashev with a quick combo. Benoit lands a left hand. Benoit coming forward more and Adashev lands a body kick. They trade in close range. They both land inside the pocket. Adashev with a hard leg kick. Benoit lands a right hook that makes Adashev stumble. Adashev with a body kick. Adashev with a leg kick. Benoit with a combo and they clinch. Benoit tried to land a punch but fell down due to his leg damage but was able to get back up. 10-9 Adashev, 20-18 Adashev.

Benoit comes forward and looks for a takedown against the fence but they break. Benoit still coming forward and lands and Adashev circles out. Benoit coming forward and they clinch against the fence but break. Benoit lands a left hand. Adashev lands a counter right. They are both landing and Adashev lands a nice punch but Benoit eats it and keeps coming forward. They clinch and Benoit with some clinch strikes and looking for the takedown. Adashev with a right hand. They swing late. 10-9 Benoit, 29-28 Adashev.

Official Result- Zarrukh Adashev def. Ryan Benoit by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Jinh Yu Frey (10-6, 1-2 UFC) vs. Ashley Yoder (8-7, 3-6 UFC)
Women’s Strawweights

They trade kicks to start. Yoder rushes in with some punches and they clinch. They break and Yoder lands a combo with some left hands. They trade kicks and Frey lands a left hand. Frey grabs a leg on a kick and Yoder goes to the mat. Frey with a heavy leg kick before Yoder stands and then they trade. Yoder with a leg kick and a left hand. Frey with a combo. Frey lands a left hand. They trade in close range before clinching. They break. Frey with a left hand. Frey with a left hand to the body. Yoder with a leg kick. Frey with a leg kick. Yoder with a leg kick and Frey with a left hand. They both land some good punches late. 10-9 Frey.

They trade leg kicks. Frey with a left hand and Yoder tries a takedown but Frey defends and lands another left hand that hurts Yoder. Yoder in trouble and Frey lands more. Yoder then lands a left hand but Frey still putting on pressure. Frey with a combo. They clinch and Frey with a left hook. Frey with a leg kick. Both land a left hand and Frey landing more leg kicks. Frey with some left hands. Yoder with a leg kick. Frey with some more left hands. They trade leg kick. They both land left hands and Yoder stuns Frey with a left hand. Yoder lands a few more left hands and is finding a home for them. Frey with a left hand. They trade late. 10-9 Frey, 20-18 Frey.

They both look to land to start the third and Yoder looks for a takedown but Frey defends. They both land peppering jabs. Yoder lands a left hand as they circle. Both still looking for openings. Yoder with a left hand. Frey with a leg kick and Yoder with a combo. Frey lands a left hand that pops Yoder’s head back. They are both landing inside the center and Yoder with a leg kick. 10-9 Yoder, 29-28 Frey.

Official Result- Jinh Yu Frey def. Ashley Yoder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Danny Chavez (11-4, 1-1 UFC) vs. Kai Kamaka (8-4, 1-2 UFC)
Featherweights

Chavez with a high kick. They trade leg kicks and Kamaka makes Chavez spin off the leg kick. Chavez with a right hand to a high kick. Kamaka lands as Chavez circles. Chavez gets a takedown but Kamaka gets right up and looks for a single-leg takedown but they break. Kamaka with a leg kick. Chavez with a right hand to the body. Chavez with a body kick and Kamaka and Chavez trade leg kicks. Kamaka with a leg kick. Chavez with a hook kick but Kamaka blocks it. Kamaka with a calf kick. Kamaka with more hard leg kicks. Chavez with a body kick. Chavez with a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Kamaka with a combo. 10-9 Kamaka.

Kamaka with some punches and then lands a calf kick. Chavez with some punches and Kamaka with a leg kick. Kamaka with another leg kick. Chavez lands a combo. We have a bad eye poke on Chavez and a timeout. It was a horrible eye poke and Chavez gets lot of time to recover. Chavez is able to continue and he comes out swinging and lands. They trade and clinch and then Kamaka lands a knee that hits the groin and we have another timeout. It looked to hit the belly but the leg hit the cup. Kamaka gets a point taken away and they continue. They land in close range and Chavez lands a big combo. Kamaka with a leg kick. Chavez with a spinning hook kick. Kamaka with a leg kick. 9-9, 19-18 Kamaka.

Chavez comes out swinging and lands a combo and then they trade leg kicks. Kamaka with a leg kick and they clinch and Kamaka with a knee to the body. Kamaka with some foot stomps. They trade left hands in the tie-up. Chavez with some side elbows as Kamaka is trying hard for the takedown. Kamaka with some more foot stomps. Kamaka with some knees and then lands a right hand to the thigh of Chavez. Chavez with a knee. Kamaka with a foot stomp and Chavez lands another knee. Chavez with some right hands. Chavez looking for a kimura to defend the takedown. Chavez with some hard side elbows as they scramble up. Chavez with a knee. They break. Chavez with a left hook. Chavez chases a takedown but Kamaka defends and they tie-up against the fence. They break and Kamaka with a leg kick while Chavez tries a combo. Kamaka with a leg kick. 10-9 Kamaka, 29-27 Kamaka.

Official Result- Danny Chavez vs. Kai Kamaka ends in a majority draw (27-29, 28-28, 28-28)

> Chris Gruetzemacher (14-4, 2-3 UFC) vs. Rafa Garcia (12-1, 0-1 UFC)
Lightweights

Garcia with a combo to start. Gruetzemacher with a leg kick. They trade and Garcia lands a right hook that stuns Gruetzemacher and they clinch against the fence. Garcia with some heavy left hands as he has the back. Garcia lands a knee and they break. Garcia lands a combo. They trade left hands. Garcia with a left hook. Gruetzemacher with a leg kick. They trade punches. They trade kicks. Garcia with a right hand. Garcia gets a takedown right into the half-guard. Garcia with an elbow and they get up. Gruetzemacher with a quick combo. Garcia with a hard knee to the body then Gruetzemacher lands a combo. We have a timeout for a groin shot. They get back to action and start trading punches. They clinch and Garcia looking for a takedown and Gruetzemacher lands an elbow. They trade and Garcia lands a knee. Garcia looks for a takedown against the fence. Gruetzemacher with an elbow. Gruetzemacher with a knee and he slips but gets right up. They both land in the clinch and Gruetzemacher with a knee. Garcia with two left hooks at the end. 10-9 Gruetzemacher.

Gruetzemacher walking Garcia down and landing to start the second. They trade and Gruetzemacher lands a knee as they clinch.Gruetzemacher with a right hand and a knee to the body and then Garcia lands as they break. Garcia gets a takedown and is in side control. They get up and Garcia looks for a standing guillotine but they break and Gruetzemacher with some body shots. Gruetzemacher continues to come forward. Garcia ducks under a punch and looks for a takedown. They remain clinched against the fence. Garcia with some short knees. They break and Gruetzemacher with a left hand and Garcia with a hard leg kick. Garcia with a combo. Gruetzemacher keeps pressing forward. Garcia with a leg kick and Gruetzemacher just landing lots of shots to the body. Gruetzemacher with a combo and Garcia gets the back standing. They break and both land and Garcia with a late takedown. 10-9 Gruetzemacher, 20-18 Gruetzemacher.

Gruetzemacher coming forward and landing punches as Garcia is retreating. Gruetzemacher with some body shots and he lands to the head. Gruetzemacher with a stiff jab and Garcia is busted open. Garcia able to get the takedown. Garcia in side control by the fence. Garcia landing from the top and keeping Gruetzemacher pinned down but they work up and break. Gruetzemacher with a hard uppercut. He lands another. They are trading in close range and Gruetzemacher with some hard short punches. Garcia is landing as well. Garcia gets a takedown. Garcia landing from the top as he’s keeping Gruetzemacher down. They get to their feet and Gruetzemacher with a hard knee. Garcia with a late right hand. Really fun fight. 10-9 Garcia, 29-28 Gruetzemacher.

Official Result- Chris Gruetzemacher def. Rafa Garcia by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

ESPN MAIN CARD | 9 PM ET/6 PM PT

> Bryan Barberena (15-7, 6-5 UFC) vs. Jason Witt (18-7, 1-2 UFC)
Welterweights

Both looking for openings and Barberena lands a right hook. Witt with a body kick. Witt gets a takedown against the fence and is in the half-guard. Witt with some left hands from the top. Witt lands an elbow as Barberena landing right hands from the bottom. Witt with more left hands. Barberena trying to work his way to his feet. They get up and Barberena lands a right hand that trips Witt up. They trade in close range. Witt gets a takedown and works in the half-guard at the end of the round. 10-9 Witt.

Barberena landing some punches in close range to start the second and Witt circles away. They each land in close range. Barberena with a quick combo. Barberena with a left hand as Witt throws a high kick. Witt lands a right hand. Witt lands a right hand and Barberena falls to his butt but gets right up. Barberena throws a left hand but Witt ducks under and gets a takedown. Witt trying to set up an arm-triangle. They get up. Witt drops Barberena with a right hand and then grabs a guillotine choke. Barberena trying to defend. Barberena is able to get out and they scramble up. Barberena with a left hand and Witt lands a head kick. Witt shoots for a takedown against the fence and completes it. Witt ends the round on top. 10-9 Witt, 20-18 Witt.

They trade to start the third. Barberena lands a left hand. Barberena lands a punch that hurts Witt and looks to finish but Witt gets up and comes forward looking for the takedown. Witt gets the back and gets a big takedown but they pop right up and Barberena has the neck. Witt gets a big takedown to escape the neck control and is in the half-guard. They get to their feet and both swinging hard and landing. Witt goes for a takedown and is on his knees and Barberena is teeing off and rocks Witt. Witt stands and Barberena landing big punches that have Witt in trouble. Barberena with a punch that drops Witt to his knees and is landing and Witt grabs a leg and gets a takedown. They get up and Barberena looking for a kimura and Witt rolls out and they stand. Witt holding on to Barberena. Barberena with a hard left hand and it knocks the mouth piece of Witt out. Witt goes to pick it up and Barberena is landing big punches and almost gets the finish. They end up trading hard punches at the end. 10-9 Barberena, 29-28 Witt.

Official Result- Jason Witt def. Bryan Barberena by majority decision (28-28, 29-27, 29-28)

> Collin Anglin (8-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan (5-1, 0-0 UFC)
Featherweights

Both men making their UFC debuts. Baghdasaryan landing some big punches and kicks early. Anglin lands a right hand and circles away. They clinch and Anglin with a knee and they break. Anglin with a body kick and they clinch. Anglin with a knee before they break. Baghdasaryan with a combo. Baghdasaryan with a couple of left hands and they clinch and Anglin with some knees before they break. Baghdasaryan with a leg kick. Baghdasaryan with a left hand to the body and they trade knees. They clinch and Anglin with an elbow. They trade kicks. Anglin with a takedown. Baghdasaryan with an elbow. They scramble to their feet. Baghdasaryan with a left hand as they clinch against the fence. Anglin with an elbow as they break. Baghdasaryan with a left hand that hurts Anglin and starts landing some hammerfists. Anglin with a knee. They break and Baghdasaryan with a leg kick. Anglin with a right hand. 10-9 Baghdasaryan.

They trade kicks to start the second. Baghdasaryan with some left hands. He keeps landing as he has Anglin against the fence. Anglin with a right hand. Baghdasaryan with a head kick and Anglin goes down and another punch gets the finish. Great finish by Baghdasaryan.

Official Result- Melsik Baghdasaryan def. Collin Anglin by TKO (head kick & punches) at 1:50 of Round 2

> Niklas Stolze (12-4, 0-1 UFC) vs. Jared Gooden (17-6, 0-2 UFC)
Welterweights

Stolze with a spin kick to the body to start. Gooden with a leg kick. Gooden lands a left hook and then a right hand and gets a takedown. Stolze grabs the neck and looks for a guillotine but they get to their feet. Stolze circles away. Gooden with a leg kick and Stolze lands a leg kick. Gooden drops Stolze with a massive right hand and it is stopped by Herb Dean. What a finish by Gooden.

Official Result- Jared Gooden def. Niklas Stolze by TKO (punches) at 1:08 of Round 1

> Cheyanne Buys (5-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Gloria de Paula (5-3, 0-1 UFC)
Women’s Strawweights

Both landing to start the fight. Buys with a combo and a body kick and then gets a takedown. De Paula with an elbow from the bottom. Buys stands and then lands a big head kick right as De Paula was getting up that sends De Paula back down and some big punches and elbows from the mount gets the finish for Buys. What a finish by Buys.

Official Result- Cheyanne Buys def. Gloria de Paula by TKO (head kick & punches) at 1:00 of Round 1

> Uriah Hall (#8, 17-9, 10-7 UFC) vs. Sean Strickland (#11, 23-3, 10-3 UFC)
Middleweights

They trade jabs to start. Strickland with another jab. Strickland still landing the jab. Strickland with a right hand and then a jab. They trade jabs. Strickland with a combo. He’s back landing the jab. They trade jabs. Hall with a leg kick. They trade and Hall with a nice right hand. Strickland lands a right hand. Hall is backing up. Strickland back with the jab. Hall lands a right hand that snaps Strickland’s head back. Strickland with a combo as he keeps coming forward and landing. Hall lands a right hand. Hall lands a right hand late. 10-9 Strickland.

Strickland landing first and Hall with a right hand. They trade jabs. Strickland with a combo. Hall has his back against the fence and Strickland lands a lot of punches. Strickland goes for a takedown but Hall defends. Strickland with a left hand against the fence. They break. Hall with a leg kick. Strickland with the jab. They are both trading. Both landing punches. Strickland with a high kick. Strickland lands a groin shot and we have a timeout. They get back to action and both are landing. Hall with a wheel kick late and a right hand to the body. 10-9 Strickland, 20-18 Strickland.

Hall landing the jab early in the third. Hall with some leg kicks and now landing the jab to the body. Hall with a right hand as he’s working hard. Hall with a front kick to the body. Hall with a leg kick and then a jab. Strickland lands a jab. Strickland with a right hand and then gets a takedown and is landing big punches looking to finish. Hall is able to survive and works his way up and Strickland has the back against the fence. Strickland drags Hall back down and is in the half-guard. Strickland working for an arm-triangle. Hall gets out but Strickland still on top and lands an elbow. Strickland gets the back and is looking for the choke. Hall survives the round. 10-8 Strickland, 30-26 Strickland.

They trade to start the fourth and Hall with a leg kick. Hall with another leg kick. They trade jabs. They trade jabs again. Hall with a leg kick. Strickland lands the jab. They’re both landing as Strickland is keeping his distance. Hall lands the jab.Strickland with a jab. Hall with a combo to the body. Strickland with a combo and then hurts Hall with a punch. Strickland starting to unload against the fence and then gets a takedown and has the back. They stand and Strickland with some knees. They break and Strickland lands a left hand. Hall has a cut open around his left eye. Hall with a leg kick and then a big right hand. 10-9 Strickland, 40-35 Strickland.

Hall landing to start the fifth. Hall with a leg kick and he keeps landing. Strickland with a big right hand. Hall lands a combo. Strickland pushes Hall against the fence and has position. They break and Strickland lands some punches and now Hall landing. Strickland with a right hand. Strickland with a combo and Hall is eating shots but is landing a few as well. They clinch against the fence. They break and Strickland with a right hand. They trade punches. They clinch back up and Strickland with a shoulder strike. They break and Hall lands a jab. They both land in close range. Strickland with a spinning elbow and a late knee as he lands a flurry at the end. 10-9 Strickland, 50-44 Strickland.

Official Result- Sean Strickland def. Uriah Hall by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-45, 49-46)

Daily Update: Bella Twins, John Renesto, NJPW TV deal

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

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WON NEWSLETTER: February 1, 2021 Observer Newsletter: WWE Network-NBCU Peacock deal

The most in-depth look at the WWE’s new deal with the Peacock Network is the lead story in the new double-issue of the Observer.

We look at who the deal was put together, the finances behind it, is it a good deal for all parties, what goals there are for each side, how this affects the TV landscape and Smackdown in particular, how much money WWE was getting before and after from the Network, television vs. streaming when it comes to homes in the U.S., comparisons to UFC’s deal with ESPN, quotes from the key parties, the financial viability of NBC purchasing WWE, the stock price, network subscriber numbers, money in modern PPVs, WWE projected profitability, why the method wrestlers are paid makes no sense in today’s game, and notes fromall ke parties.

Also in this issue:

NBC shutting down NBC Sports Network affects both the USA Network and how it could impact WWE.

Amanda Huber’s timeline of the death of Brodie Lee from her interview with Tony Schaivone and Aubrey Edwards this week, his symptoms, treatments, and what the doctors thought.

UFC 257, including an update on the business of the show and television viewership, plus full coverage of what could end up as the biggest show of the year, and was one of the biggest PPV events in history.

2021 Royal Rumble, people rumored to be in that won’t be, others that could be, and thoughts on the build and the matches.

WrestleMania, Young Rock, Daniel Bryan talks his future, WWE talent listed among the most marketable in sports and losses in ad revenue to performs in social media accounts, Undertaker says current wrestles are soft and Bill Goldberg, Mick Foley and Drew McIntyre respond, Nick Khan talks future of rights fees, where AEW stands, NXT India, Teases of Japanese star signing, International TV ratings, most-watched  shows on the WWE Network and strongest athletes in WWE developmental.

New Japan’s show at Ota Ward Gym this past week with its parody main event plus the big shows upcoming this week.

WWE’s TV special for India and look at the talent from that country that the company wants to build a promotion around.

A huge story on Hank Aaron, Civil Rights, Bill Watts and how they all intersected in the early 90s.

Comparison piece on the greatest MMA fighters of all-time, looking at their wins, losses, bouts with major names and where they stand in relation to each other.

The death of El Hijo de Anibal and the legacy of the mask created by his father, one of the biggest stars of the 1970s, including the match that was the first big title match to give the UWA credibility.

 Television ratings of the past week, including segment-by-segment numbers for the past two weeks on Wednesday, who was watching in different age groups, how different segments did on Raw & Smackdown and more.

ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

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In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

Garrett Gonzalez and I will be doing a weekend show tomorrow covering the news of the week as well as tomorrow’s New Japan show in Nagoya. Bryan and I will be back on Sunday covering the Royal Rumble. We’ll be doing polls on both shows, so you can leave a thumbs up, down or middle, best and worst match to [email protected]

Smackdown, riding high on the back of recent ratings that aren’t that far off from last year, has Bayley vs. Bianca Belair tonight. 205 Live has Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Marina Shafir & Zoey Stark (formerly Lacey Ryan) and August Gray vs. Jake Atlas vs. Ariya Daivari.

Just an update on the New Japan television deal. The deal is completed and has been since December.  It’s just a matter of making the announcement.

New Japan’s New Beginning in Nagoya show is at 3:30 a.m. Eastern and 12:30 a.m. Pacific on New Japan World:

  • Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano vs. Evil & Yujiro Takahashi
  • Kota Ibushi & Tomoaki Honma & Sho & Master Wato vs. Sanada & Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi
  • Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Great O’Khan – loser can no longer use Mongolian chops
  • Satoshi Kojima vs Will Ospreay – no DQ
  • Shingo Takagi vs Hiroshi Tanahashi for Never Open weight title

Game Changer Wrestling’s Fight Forever 24 hour show starts at 8 p.m. tonight. It airs free on YouTube and FITE TV, but they are asking for donations to help pay wrestlers impacted by COVID this past year. Lio Rush vs. Blake Christian 2/3 falls is the main event tonight. Others on the show are Joey Janela, Myron Reed, Matthew Justice, Calvin Tankman. AJ Gray, Lee Moriarty, Homicide, Mad Man Pondo, Shlak, Jimmy Lloyd, Wheeler Yuta, Eli Everfly, Lucky 13, Parrow & Odinson, Shane Mercer, Solo Darling, Colby Corino, Cheeseburger, Besties in the World, Rohit Raju, Effy, Allie Kat, Ricky Morton, Rickey Shane Page, Gregory Iron, Chris Dickinson, G-Raver and more.  The Jordan Oliver vs.Tony Deppen 60 minute Iron man match is scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow.

The Bella Twins were on the Ellen show (Mario Lopez hosts) and said they were coming out of retirement and talked about wanting to wrestle at WrestleMania next year in Dallas and the year after in Los Angeles. Nikki Bella also announced she was getting married in November to Artem Chigvintsev on last night’s episode of Total Bellas.  

Regarding the item in the current issue with Megan Anderson and Casey Kenney where Kenney was asked on a podcast essentially if he’d have sex with Megan Anderson, and he was screwed no matter what he’d say, he has apologized after Anderson got mad about it. “I’m sorry this upset you.  I will be more careful with my words. I was just answering a question and thought it was all a joking matter. I see I was wrong and I’m sorry. Best of luck with training camp and your fight.”

John Renesto, a longtime referee out of Dallas, passed away. Renesto refereed for World Class Championship Wrestling in the 80s and was part of the famous Renesto wrestling family, headed by Tom Renesto, a Hall of Famer as part of the Bolos and Assassins tag team and who booked in many parts of the country.

The Zero-1 planned show at Sumo Hall on 3/14 is being moved to 2022. Zero-1 lost the date when the sumo tournament scheduled for Osaka in March was moved to Tokyo.

Legacy Fighting tonight on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. Eastern from Park City, KS:

  • Zac Pauga (204.6) vs. Ashby Thomas (198.2)
  • Joshua Silveira (200.6) vs. Matt Paul (202.8)
  • Tabatha Ricci (115.4) vs. Marie Grimes (115.4)
  • Dakota Bush (156) vs. Austin Clem (156.6)
  • Richard Palencia (136) vs. Jeimeson Sandino (135.4)
  • Lucas Clay (156) vs. J.J Okanovich (155.4)
  • Josh Friend (185.6) vs. Bruno Oliveira (185.2)

KSW on www.KSW.TV tomorrow from Lodz, Poland headlined by Salahdine Parnesse (145) defending the featherweight title against Daniel Torres (144).

WWE

  • Rey Mysterio talks to DAZN.
  • Drew McIntyre and The Miz will take part in The Shaq Bowl, hosted by Shaquille O’Neal,at 3:00 pm ET on Superbowl Sunday, February 7. They will be on opposite teams and compete in viral challenges. It will stream live on Facebook and on SHAQBowl.com.

UFC

  • Chris Weidman tested positive for COVID so his 2/13 fight with Uriah Hall is off. They hope to make the fight on 4/24.
  • Ben Rothwell vs. Phillipe Lins has been added to the 3/13 show.
  • Chase Sherman vs. Parker Porter has been added to the 4/17 show.

AEW

  • Shaquille O’Neal talked about his match with Cody Rhodes on Inside the NBA on TNT last night.  He said that Rhodes could name the place, which is presumably the next PPV show.  
  • Cody Rhodes talks about judging on Go Big Show. (thanks to Jeff Cohen)

OTHER NOTES

  • Wrestling Travel’s Wrestle Kingdom 16 Packages for 2022 are available now. Following their groundbreaking trip in 2020, Two package-date options are now available, which include; roundtrip airfare, 8-night hotel stay near Tokyo Dome City, Tickets to Wrestle Kingdom 16, Airport Transfers, Guided Tours, Special Guests Appearances, Exclusive Merch and more! Plus now included, tickets for an exclusive Q&A with Wrestling Observers Dave Meltzer at Toudoukan Wrestling Store! Secure your place today at WrestlingTravel.Org and use code ‘OBSERVER50’ for $50 off!
  • The Washington Post weighs in on the craziness that is Tito Ortiz as a mayor. (thanks to Chris Cruise)
  • Kevin Eck’s weekly ROH news review.
  • Iran executed another wrestler. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)
  • MLW got a national AP story on using former NBA referee Tim Donaghy who was kicked out of the league in 2007 for betting on games he was officiating. (thanks to Paul Kacprzak)
  • With WWE now announcing Meiko Satomura and regarding her as “The Best In The World” whom Kay Lee Ray was challenging last week, the two have had one match together with what appears to be the exact same storyline at EVE’s WrestleQueendom event, the match is free to watch on the EVE youtube channel.
  • Pro Wrestling Australia announced Robbie Eagles vs. Jessica Troy for the PWWA title on 2/12 airing on FITE TV.
  • CFFC kicks off this year with shows on 3/11 and 3/12 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.  The first night is headlined by Alberto Trujillo (5-1) defending his flyweight title against Pumi Nikuta (2-0).  the second night has middleweight champion Collin Huckbody (9-2) defending against Aaron Jefferey (9-2) as well as a heavyweight title match with Jamelle Jones (10-6) vs. Cody Goodale (7-4). C.M. Punk and John Morgan will be announcing both shows for Fight Pass.
  • NFC tomorrow at District in Atlanta for 7 p.m. Jiu Jitsu show.
  • AXS TV will be airing the 2009 Final Resolution PPV show at 4 p.m. on 2/9 headlined by A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels, Kurt Angle vs. Nigel McGuinness, Scott Steiner vs. Bobby Lashley plus Raven, Mick Foley, Kevin Nash, Samoa Joe and others are on the show.
  • Wrestler Brady Roberts has a movie called “In Plainview” that  was released today on Amazon Prime, iTunes and Google Play across North America. It’s a revenge thriller set in the Canadian Prairies.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Cena defeats Styles for WWE title at Royal Rumble 2017

CONTACT INFORMATION

Daily Update: Anderson Silva, UFC fallout, Ultimate Fighter

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

WON NEWSLETTER: November 2, 2020 Observer Newsletter: WWE Q3 financials, more

An in-depth look at WWE finances and the company going forward is the lead story of the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Our lead story not just looks at the investors call this week, but goes through financial details and what they mean from the call, and looks at the landscape as well as things said that were misleading.

The new issue also covers:

TV ratings, streaming, value of the Thunderdome setting, Nick Khan’s debut on the call and his main comments, Vince McMahon talks his new management team, WWE numbers, new programming, plight of furloughed employees, company market value, cutbacks in expenses, Saudi Arabia, costs going up next month, how many people view the free tier of the WWE Network, Vince talks ratings, network subscriptions in the U.S. and abroad, how much money the company makes from television, and unique notes about merchandise sales.

Daniel Bryan’s statements regarding his career, how much longer he wants to do this, what he’s said about his own athletic ability, where he can be valuable and Roman Reigns’ opponens.

Hell in a Cell, a look at Survivor Series, changes from last year, the top of Raw, Money in the Bank, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

Khabib Numragomedov’s last fight, Dana White talks if he will retire, Khabib says he will, plus UFC 254 with match-by-match coverage and poll results.

WWE talent and Twitch and comments by Paige, update on Thunderdome location after the end of November and why they have to move, we update the latest COVID outbreak in WWE, why Matt Riddle got a name change, brutal WWE match this past week, where wrestling stands in sports ratings, Canadian and U.K. ratings, donors to Trump and Biden’s campaign,why little was announced ahead of time for Smackdown, new names for lots of WWE talent, what former wrestler is WWE trying to keep from using his WWE name, and the most-watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network.

Impact’s Bound for Glory.  We look at the situation with Kylie Rae, the injuries, Ken Shamrock in the Hall of Fame and his relationship with Dwayne Johnson, Mick Foley and Bret Hart, Shamrock’s background plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings.

TripleMania press conference, the matches announced, the unique new promotional tie-in with Marvel and the first show announced with no date and why.

Detailed look at the television business, with ratings breakdowns in every segment for Wednesdays and every category for other shows, looking at stats not available elsewhere to get the deepest read into how shows are doing, what categories are doing well and how shows compare with previous weeks and one year ago.  

Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week. 

ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE

We’ve got two new shows up this weekend. I did a show late Friday night with Garrett Gonzalez talking about all the news of the past week including the Vince McMahon documentary, finances, Wednesday ratings and today’s show with Bryan Alvarez talking Smackdown, UFC and the rest of the news.

After last night’s UFC show ended, Israel Adesanya told Megan Olivi that he wanted to fight Jon Jones in 2021 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas when fans can return. He told Olivi it would be the biggest fight in history. He noted that he and Robert Whittaker hold the company’s all-time attendance record of 57,127 fans in Melbourne at UFC 247.

Regarding Anderson Silva, MMA Fighting translated a statement he made regarding retirement that read: 

Good morning, my people. Today is a different day for a simple reason, say goodbye to an entire life dedicated to my sport. Yesterday was so special, I went there to do what I love. I didn’t imagine I would be as happy as I am now. Even in defeat, I’m feeling at peace.

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, my team, my family, my friends, and everyone who watched the fight, know that it was always a great honor to fight all these years with your support.

I want to thank the God for granting me the gift of the fight! Thank you my people for all understanding, for all your support and for all your amazing moments that we live in this sport together!

I hope I left it in memory and in the heart of each of you a little of who I am, that you can overcome difficulties, every second of uncertainty and to overcome obstacles in your lives!

Never think about giving up, as hard as things get at some point; know that I leave all my love, all my respect for you!

Anderson Silva was the seventh most searched term on Google yesterday with 200,000. Earlier this morning Greg Hardy was No. 14 for today at 20,000. Sean Connery was at 10 million which is a monster number. Nothing from last night’s boxing or anything from WWE or anything else from combat sports registered this week.

More notes from last night’s show. Charles Ontiveros was taken to the hospital after a hard slam in the fight with Kevin Holland.  He felt his neck popped and told the ref he was submitting.  He was taken out on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital. Dana White said they examined him and said he’s okay.  He’ll have a stiff neck but he’s healthy.

The lineup for the Best of the Super Juniors tournament will be announced at tomorrow morning’s New Japan show at Korakuen Hall. Keep in mind with the time change, the Korakuen Hall shows now start at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time.  The lineup has Yota Tsuji vs. Gabriel Kidd, Kazuchika Okada & Yuya Uemura vs. Will Ospreay & Great O’Khan, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi vs. Minoru Suzuki & Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi & Tomoaki Honma vs. Jay White & KENTA & Chase Owens, Tetsuya Naito & Sanada vs. Evil & Yujiro Takahashi and Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. defend the IWGP tag titles against Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi.

The Ultimate Fighter will be returning as a series on ESPN+. UFC announced yesterday they are taking remote casting applications through 11/13 for male bantamweights and middleweights. The coaches have yet to be announced. They wanted Conor McGregor to coach.  ESPN+ has also made a deal where every episode of the previous 28 seasons will be available shortly on the streaming service. Application information is to contact Gary DeFranco at [email protected]  The show will begin airing in March.

WWE

  • There was no meeting on Friday regarding the situation with talent and Twitch.   
  • With the signing of Rampage Brown for the U.K. division, the company has taken out a trademark for his name.
  • The worked injury story on Daniel Bryan from the Friday attack by Jey Uso is bruised kidneys and strains and contusions throughout his thoracic and lumbar regions.
  • Awful Announcing talks being skeptical of what the Vince McMahon documentary will be.

UFC

  • Felipe Colares, who was scheduled to face Gustavo Lopez on this coming Saturday’s show in Las Vegas, tested positive for COVID.  Colares said he had no symptoms.  UFC is looking for a new opponent for Lopez.

AEW

  • At last night’s show, UFC announced Islam Makhachev vs. Rafael dos Anjos as the main event of the 11/14 show. Dos Anjos is returning to lightweight. This fight was scheduled for 10/24 but dos Anjos tested positive for COVID and it was moved back.  
  • There’s no word how the lockdown in the U.K. affects the status of PAC, who will be appearing in some form on Wednesday’s television show.
  • Billy Gunn, who wrestles on Wednesday’s Dynamite, turned 57 today.
  • As of right now, the “Get In” price for Saturday’s Full Gear show on Stubhub is $90. 
  • Lei’d Tapa, who was pushed years back in Impact, debuts on Dark Tuesday but it’s against KiLynn King so unless most debuts and tryouts where the person coming in gets to put over an AEW wrestler, she looks to be winning. Tapa was in Impact 2013-2015 and worked one match in NXT in 2017. She also is 2-0 as a boxer and 0-2 as an MMA fighter, both in Japan, including appearing on the New Year’s Eve Rizin show losing to Gabby Garcia.
  • Dave Dutra, a longtime top Northern California indie guy, like Will Hobbs, debuts against Ricky Starks.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • A couple of notes on different pro wrestling related books that I’ve seen. Randy Hales has a new book out called “Living the Dream:  Memphis Wrestling” talking about his life from childhood being around Jarrett Promotions and the characters there, including as the company’s General Manager, as well as his experience in running Power Pro Wrestling after the USA folded.  Rock Rims has a new book called “Legends and Icons:  A History of the Olympic Auditorium and Southern California Professional Wrestling” which is a great piece on the history of Southern California wrestling from 1900 to the closing of the LeBell NWA office in 1982.  James Romero has a book called “Dwayne The Rock Johnson:  The People’s Champion – from WWE to Hollywood” that will be released on 11/29.  My own new book The 1997 Wrestling Observer Yearbook, covering one of the most important years in the history of pro wrestling is also available, a book that covers in detail every major news story from the year, and there were a lot of them, including all the politics in a year that changed the face of both pro wrestling and MMA.  All of these books are at amazon.com in the U.S.
  • Impact announced Turning Point, an Impact Plus exclusive, for 11/14.  They will likely start promoting the show this Tuesday. 
  • JR Kratos will debut with New Japan Pro Wrestling this coming Friday teaming with Rust Taylor vs; Jeff Cobb & Rocky Romero on the show from California.  Kratos and Cobb have worked together in Northern California for years and are best friends..
  • There is advertising for 30 spots available to be in a movie with Rob Van Dam and Effy which may be called “Fist Combat.” They are looking for people to be in the audience for the main event wrestling scene in a wrestling movie. Ten of the 30 will get a line in the movie. It will be filmed on 11/9 in downtown San Diego. The cost is $100 per person and there are 18 spots said to be left and with it you get to meet the cast on set and get photos with them, an autographed movie poster and two tickets to the premiere in the spring. For more info you can go to venmo.com/fistcombattv  Besides Van Dam and Taylor Gibson (Effy), other names listed in the cast are MMA Roasted Host Adam Hunter, Matt Sydal, Mariachi Loco, Katie Forbes, Sabu and the famous Tommy  Chong of Cheech and Chong fame.
  • wXw aired a very touching tribute to Karsten Beck on its YouTube channel.  A lot of the talent and office members talked about him and their experiences with him along with his battle with cancer. Tassilo Jung talked about how he met Beck for dinner in August and the cancer was advanced and he was in rough shape. People talked about his sense of humor, his hard work mentality, going from being an overweight teenage fan with no athletic talent to becoming the face of the company and how Vince Russo talked wXw from what was planned as a short world title run into a much longer run. They are also releasing a tribute T-shirt with proceeds going to German cancer aid (thanks to Markus Gronemann)
  • Innovate Wrestling returns on 11/7 at the SOM Studios in Chuckey, TN.
  • One of our best correspondents, Markus Gronemann, has had a personal tragedy with the death of his grandmother and is looking to raise money to help pay for the funeral via Go Fund Me.
  • A Go Fund Me for funeral costs for Tracy Smothers has been set up.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: WWE Taboo Tuesday 2005

CONTACT INFORMATION

Uriah Hall fails to weigh in, fight with Vitor Belfort canceled

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Two scheduled fights, including the co-main event, are off tomorrow’s UFC show in St. Louis.

Vitor Belfort’s fight with Uriah Hall was canceled today as Hall didn’t get weighed in before weigh-ins ended. Ariel Helwani reported that Hall was on weight and headed to weigh-ins when he suddenly fainted. It’s since been reported that he was hospitalized with kidney issues and in stable condition.

As noted almost weekly, there are real problems with weight-cutting in the sport that need to be addressed.

The UFC had announced last night that Zak Cummings vs. Thiago Alves was off the show due to an injury. That was also related to weight-cutting. Cummings said he had one of his best weight cuts, but when getting out of the tub, he slipped and cracked his skull on the handrail. He noted he was furious because he had a baby three months ago and missed most of that period due to being on location training.

In addition, Mads Burnell, who is facing Mike Santiago in the show’s opening fight, missed weight by four pounds. The fight is still taking place but Burnell has to forfeit 20 percent of his purse to his opponent.

Here’s new match order with weights at this morning’s weigh-ins:

Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time —

  • Mads Burnell (150) vs. Mike Santiago (146)
  • J.J. Aldrich (115.5) vs. Danielle Taylor (113.5)
  • Jessica Eye (126) vs. Kalindra Faria (124.5)

FS1 at 8 p.m. —

  • Guido Cannetti (135) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (135.5)
  • Irene Aldana (135) vs. Talita Bernardo (134.5)
  • Matt Frevola (156) vs. Marco Polo Reyes (155.5)
  • James Krause (155.5) vs. Alex White (155)
  • Michael Johnson (145) vs. Darren Elkins (145.5)
  • Emil Meek (170.5) vs. Kamaru Usman (169.5)
  • Jessica-Rose Clark (125.5) vs. Paige VanZant (125.5)
  • Jeremy Stephens (145.5) vs. Doo Ho Choi (146)

UFC Fight Night 99 live results: Gegard Mousasi vs. Uriah Hall 2

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 99: Mousasi vs. Hall 2, eminating from The SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

This is the first of two UFC events today and the first time the Octagon has visited Northern Ireland since UFC 72 in June 2007. The event is headlined by a five-round middleweight bout as Gegard Mousasi and Uriah Hall meet in a rematch. Mousasi and Hall fought in September 2015, a fight dominated in the opening round by Mousasi. However, in the second round, Hall knocked out Mousasi with a spinning back kick in one of the biggest upsets in MMA in 2015. Mousasi has won three straight since then and is looking for revenge.

This event airs entirely on UFC Fight Pass and features a host of European fighters, including a co-main event pitting England’s Ross Pearson against Scotland’s Stevie Ray. Also on the main card is the UFC debut of former Bellator Heavyweight Champion Alexander Volkov, who takes on Timothy Johnson. In a strong preliminary card bout, it is a pair of former flyweight title challengers as Kyoji Horiguchi takes on Ali Bagautinov.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 12:30 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.

Some additional coverage:
– UFC Fight Night 99 DFS Playbook

UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 12:30 PM ET/9:30 AM PT

> Charlie Ward (3-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan (6-0, 0-0 UFC)
Welterweights

Both men were making their UFC debuts. This didn’t last long. They were throwing big fists early and Alhassan dropped Ward several times and then dropped him with a big right hand and finished it early as the referee stepped in. It was quite a slugfest and went less than a minute.

Official Result: Abdul Razak Alhassan def. Charlie Ward by knockout (punches) at :53 of Round 1

> Brett Johns (12-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Kwan Ho Kwak (9-0, 0-0 UFC)
Bantamweights

Another fight with two men making their UFC debuts. Johns made the first round a grind, scoring six takedowns in the opening five minutes. Kwak had no answer for them and he couldn’t get up from the bottom. There wasn’t much action on the feet and a clear round for Johns. Johns rocked Kwak early in the second round, but instead of going for a finish, went back to the grinding takedown gameplan. It allowed Kwak to recover and they were trading. Johns threw a flying knee in while Kwak threw a spin kick. Johns rocked him again and took him down again. It was another round for Johns. Kwak came out firing in the third knowing he had to score a finish. Johns was eating punches but then went right back to taking Kwak down. Johns was just hitting him all over with punches from the top and Kwak had no answer. Kwak did tee off late on Johns but they survived the fight. Johns looked really good here and this was a good fight. I had it 30-27 Johns.

Johns won all three rounds on all three scorecards. All were good scores.

Official Result: Brett Johns def. Kwan Ho Kwak by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Marion Reneau (#15, 6-3, 2-2 UFC) vs. Milana Dudieva (11-4, 1-1 UFC)
Women’s Bantamweights

This is Dudieva’s first fight since giving birth. It was primarily a striking battle early until Dudieva got a takedown off a kick. They got back to their feet and Reneau landed some punches late. Reneau landing better gave her the round. Reneau came out pressuring Dudieva against the fence and took the back in the second. Dudieva got a judo throw. Reneau got up and hurt Dudieva against the fence with elbows and knees. Reneau almost finished Dudieva late. It was another round for Reneau. Reneau was pressuring in the third and got a takedown into mount. Reneau trapped her arms and was landing big punches until the fight was finally stopped. Reneau looked impressive in the third round. She called out Bethe Correia after the fight.

Official Result: Marion Reneau def. Milana Dudieva by TKO (punches) at 3:03 of Round 3

> Zak Cummings (19-5, 4-2 UFC) vs. Alexander Yakovlev (23-7-1, 2-3 UFC)
Welterweights (Cummings missed weight coming in at 172.8 pounds)

Neither man did a whole lot in the first as it was a lot of circling around and Cummings controlling the center of the Octagon. Cummings landed more but Yakovlev landed harder punches. It was close but I had it for Cummings. Not a whole lot happened in the second round as Cummings was landing. Yakovlev wasn’t returning a lot of strikes and was more eating punches. Cummings threw off a takedown attempt from Yakovlev. Cummings then grabbed an arm and got in an armbar and Yakovlev quickly tapped out.

Official Result: Zak Cummings def. Alexander Yakovlev by submission (armbar) at 4:02 of Round 2

> Justin Ledet (7-0 1 NC, 1-0 UFC) vs. Mark Godbeer (11-2, 0-0 UFC)
Heavyweights

They were trading early and Ledet got a takedown. They got up and went back down as Godbeer drug it down to the mat by grabbing a leg. Ledet jumped on the back and locked in a rear-naked choke and Godbeer tapped out.

Official Result: Justin Ledet def. Mark Godbeer by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:16 of Round 1

> Anna Elmose (3-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Amanda Cooper (1-2, 0-1 UFC)
Women’s Strawweights

The first round was all striking on the feet until late. Cooper was more aggressive but Elmose did drop her as she was coming forward. Elmose landed some elbows from the top and cut Cooper open. Close until the end which got Elmose the round. They traded and Elmose slipped and Cooper almost capitalized but ended on her back. Cooper got a takedown and was controlling the top and landing punches. Cooper almost got an armbar late. It’s even after two rounds. They were trading in the third with Cooper landing the better shots, mixing in kicks. Neither lady was making it a clear round for them when they were needing to. Cooper was mixing more and got a takedown late and that should seal her the fight. Solid fight from both, I had it 29-28 Cooper.

Cooper got the decision. One judge gave her all three rounds, which I don’t see how that is possible with that first round.

Official Result: Amanda Cooper def. Anna Elmose by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

> Kevin Lee (13-2, 6-2 UFC) vs. Magomed Mustafaev (14-1, 2-0 UFC)
Lightweights

Mustafaev came out strong early but Lee got a takedown. Mustafaev threatened with a choke but Lee got out after another takedown. Mustafaev landed all kinds of spinning stuff and Lee got a takedown. Lee got a big slam late and the first round was his on the strength of takedowns. Lee got some more takedowns in the second. Mustafaev threatened with submissions but Lee would get positioning back when he found himself in trouble. Lee making it a grind but not really going for a finish. Then he got Mustafaev’s back and locked in a choke and tapped him out. Strong showing by Lee against a tough opponent. Lee cut a passionate and colorful promo after the fight saying he’s the best lightweight and he’d put Conor McGregor down. The crowd didn’t like that, and McGregor is in attendance.

Official Result: Kevin Lee def. Magomed Mustafaev by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:31 of Round 2

> Kyoji Horiguchi (#4, 17-2, 6-1 UFC) vs. Ali Bagautinov (#8, 14-4, 4-2 UFC)
Flyweights

They traded early and Bagautinov got a brief takedown. Horiguchi got up and took the fight to the mat and had Bagautinov’s back and was landing. Bagautinov got up and scored a big takedown. They got up and Horiguchi landed a big punch. Close round I had for Horiguchi. Both men were looking for an opening in the second and Horiguchi found it by stunning Bagautinov with a left hand. Horiguchi landed follow punches and forced the fight into a grind. Horiguchi took the fight down and landed more and landed more on the feet. I had the second round a little more clear for Horiguchi. They came out swinging in close range. Horiguchi was getting the better of the striking and Bagautinov went for the takedown but it was defended. He went for it again but again it was stuffed. Horiguchi separated and landed some good punches at the end. Solid fight and I had it 30-27 Horiguchi.

Straight 30-27 scores for Horiguchi.

Official Result: Kyoji Horiguchi def. Ali Bagautinov by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Magnus Cedenblad (14-4, 4-1 UFC) vs. Jack Marshman (20-5, 0-0 UFC)
Middleweights

Marshman dropped Cedenblad early with a left hand. Cedenblad recovered and scored a big takedown. Cedenblad controlled with big punches from the top, opening a cut on Marshman’s eye. Marshman had no answer to getting up from the bottom. Nice comeback in the round from being rocked for Cedenblad as he took round one. Marshman came out and landed another big left hand that hurt Cedenblad. Marshman is getting the better of the striking battle. Marshman landed a big right hand and then dropped Cedenblad with another and swarmed on him with a bunch of punches before the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. Impressive finish by Marshman as he was in trouble in the first.

Official Result: Jack Marshman def. Magnus Cedenblad by TKO (strikes) at 3:32 of Round 2

UFC FIGHT PASS MAIN CARD | 4 PM ET/1 PM PT

> Artem Lobov (12-12-1 1 NC, 1-2 UFC) vs. Teruto Ishihara (9-2-2, 2-0-1 UFC)
Featherweights

They were trading and Ishihara got a brief takedown. Lobov landed a big right hand and then another. Ishihara was mixing his strikes while Lobov was primarily punching. Ishihara landed a couple of kicks. Lobov landed a big right hand and a left hook that rocked Ishihara. Lobov hurt him again late with a kick and punches. Lobov got the first round. Lobov rocked Ishihara again with some punches. They were trading kicks and Lobov was landing his punches. Ishihara slowing down a lot. Ishihara landed a big left hand. Lobov landing at will and Ishihara started to run away. Both men starting to land solid shot. Lobov has more volume. Lobov’s leg kicks making the difference and he’s controlling the center better. Lobov got the second round as well. Ishihara visibly tired. Lobov landing the left hand and front leg kick at will. Ishihara then rocked Lobov with a left hand and dropped Lobov. Ishihara right into the guard and landed some punches. They got back to their feet. Lobov stuffed a takedown and then got a takedown himself late in the fight. Lobov ended the fight strong on top. I give Ishihara the last round though. Overall, I have it 29-28 Lobov. Good fight, Conor McGregor came into the cage to congratulate Lobov.

Lobov got the decision winning on all scorecards.

Official Result: Artem Lobov def. Teruto Ishihara by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Tim Johnson (#14, 10-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. Alexander Volkov (26-6, 0-0 UFC)
Heavyweights

Volkov is a former Bellator champ making his UFC debut. They traded early and Volkov rocked Johnson with several right hands and pushed him into a clinch. Johnson then rocked Volkov with a big right hand uppercut and is looking for the finish. Johnson giving Volkov a lot of time to recover. Johnson landing big from the top. Volkov got to his feet and Johnson is bleeding badly from his nose. They survived the round, which I give to Johnson. Johnson landed some big punches to start the second but Volkov answered back. Johnson got a brief takedown but they got up. Johnson is landing short punches and Volkov isn’t doing much. Johnson landed a big right hand on a break of a clinch. Both men are tired. Johnson got the second round. The third starts off with both landing and landing knees in a clinch. The fight has slowed considerably. Volkov landed a big knee to the gut. This fight has turned into a very boring one. Johnson went for a takedown but Volkov landed a knee. Third round to Volkov. I have it 29-28 Johnson.

Volkov got the decision, winning two rounds on two scorecards. Johnson won all three rounds on the other scorecard. I’m not so sure about this decision at all.

Official Result: Alexander Volkov def. Tim Johnson by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

> Ross Pearson (19-12 1 NC, 11-9 1 NC UFC) vs. Stevie Ray (19-6, 3-1 UFC)
Lightweights

Pearson is on his fifth UFC fight this year. Ray getting the better of the striking through the first 90 seconds. They traded leg kicks. Pearson landed an uppercut and Ray followed with a leg kick. They traded big leg kicks. A lot of circling around and Pearson with a body kick. They traded body kicks. Ray got a big slam late and grabbed the back and landed a knee. I think that got him the round. Ray with the first on my scorecard. Ray came out landing kicks. Pearson has been unable to really get a groove going. Ray doing a good job of circling around and he shot for a takedown. They trade leg kicks. Ray definitely using his range well. They’re just trading with neither man having a clear power edge. Ray has just a little more volume and connection on his strikes. Ray landed a big body kick. Close round but I had it for Ray with him winning both. The pace slowed down and Ray was keeping Pearson off balance with his movement. Ray landed some big body kicks. Ray landed a glancing head kick. Pearson having trouble connecting. Ray landing big leg kicks. They traded kicks late. This one will be interesting as rounds were close but I had it 30-27 Ray.

Two judges had the same score, 30-27 for Ray. One judge had it 30-27 for Pearson. I don’t see how that score is possible.

Official Result: Stevie Ray def. Ross Pearson by split decision (27-30, 30-27, 30-27)

> Gegard Mousasi (#5, 40-6-2, 7-3 UFC) vs. Uriah Hall (#10, 12-7, 5-5 UFC)
Middleweights

Hall was landing leg kicks early and Mousasi landed a nice jab that snapped Hall’s head back. Hall landed a spin kick right to the chin, much like their first fight. Hall missed another spin kick attempt. Mousasi got a takedown and started landing a lot of punches. Hall was eating them and the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. First round finish and win for Mousasi. Mousasi then said he’s coming for the title. This is his last fight on his current UFC contract.

Official Result: Gegard Mousasi def. Uriah Hall by TKO (punches) at 4:37 of Round 1

UFC Fight Night 94 Hidalgo live results: Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Johnson

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

Welcome to our live coverage of UFC Fight Night 94: Poirier vs. Johnson, emanating from the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. 

The show is headlined by a five-round lightweight bout as Dustin Poirier puts his four-fight win streak on the line against Michael Johnson. In the co-main event, Uriah Hall takes on Derek Brunson in a battle of top-ten ranked middleweights.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 PM EST.

Some additional coverage:

– UFC Fight Night 94 DFS Playbook

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UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT)

> Alejandro Perez (17-6, 3-1 UFC) vs. Albert Morales (6-0, 0-0 UFC)
Bantamweights

R1- They spent the round on the feet with both men trading punches and kicks. Morales was landing harder and kept Perez on the retreat. Morales controlled the center of the Octagon and was the better defensive fighter. Perez did open a cut on the cheek of Morales with a left hand. Morales landed more of his strikes and this was his round. They both landed punches after the bell and got warnings from the referee. Solid round, but not spectacular. 10-9 Morales.

R2- This fight remained on the feet and Perez started landing more than he did in the first round. Both men landed big punches and Morales’ right eye was starting to swell up. Morales was working well by landing the leg kicks and hindered the movement of Perez. Morales was the one backing up Perez. It was a better round for Perez and again both men landed punches after the bell. Closer round. 10-9 Morales, 20-18 Morales.

R3- Perez got deducted a point before the round for landing a punch after the bell in round two. I don’t agree with that. They both came out swinging and Perez got a takedown and was looking for the finish. Morales was in a lot of trouble. Perez then went down and Morales landing a blatant illegal knee that went uncalled. Perez survived and both got up and Morales was very tired. Morales was very bloodied up. Both men got tired but survived to the end. Solid fight. 9-9, 29-27 Morales.

Official Result- Alejandro Perez vs. Albert Morales declared a majority draw (27-29 Morales, 28-28, 28-28)

Instant Analysis- I have to start off by saying this. Kerry Hatley is one of the worst referees in the sport. Not only was his point deduction of Alejandro Perez a bad call, since both men should’ve been deducted since they both landed punches after the bell, he missed a blatant illegal knee from Albert Morales that anyone could see. The call cost Perez the fight, but I thought Morales won the fight so we were looking at a potential bad decision. The fight was solid but both men have a long way to go if they are ever going to contend. 135 pounds is a tough division, and I don’t like future contention status for either fighter.

> Erick Montano (7-3, 1-0 UFC) vs. Randy Brown (7-1, 1-1 UFC)
Welterweights

R1- Brown worked early in the clinch looking to use his size advantage. Montano was able to hit Brown but Brown went right back into the clinch and almost scored a big takedown but then landed a nice flying knee. It was mostly clinching in the round and neither man was able to land solidly when they were separated. Montano did land some leg kicks towards the end before Brown pushed him against the fence. 10-9 Brown.

R2- Brown went back to work in the clinch and finally got the takedown he was looking for but Montano got to his feet and got his own takedown. Montano landed a big right hand from inside the guard. Brown got to his feet and grabbed the fence to avoid a takedown but Montano ended up scoring it anyways. Brown wasn’t doing much to get out of danger on the bottom as Montano had him planted down good. A great round for Montano. 10-9 Montano, 19-19.

R3- Morales went right for a takedown but Brown got him in a front choke and Montano tapped out! Finish out of nowhere for Brown.

Official Result- Randy Brown def. Erick Montano by submission (guillotine choke) at :18 of Round 3

Instant Analysis- Randy Brown got a solid victory after pulling the submission out of nowhere, but the fight showed some holes he still needs to improve on. He called out Bryan Barberena after the fight but that is a tough call out. Brown has to improve on his defense on the mat as his striking is solid for his experience level. Erick Montano was doing great until he found himself caught in the submission. It was a solid showing for him but he tapped quickly once he was in trouble. He will be looking to work his way back as the abilities are there, and finishes will come along.

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FS1 PRELIMS (8 PM ET/5 PM PT)

> Jose Quinonez (4-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Joey Gomez (6-1, 0-1 UFC)
Bantamweights

R1- Quinonez got a couple of early takedowns but Gomez was able to get up both times. They were both landing solid punches and kicks. Quinonez got another takedown and was in control on the mat. Quinonez landed some body kicks that knocked Gomez down and he looked for the finish but Gomez landed an upkick and they got to their feet. Quinonez went back and landed more body kicks and this was his round. 10-9 Quinonez.

R2- Gomez was doing better on his feet but Quinonez scored a takedown and worked from the top. Gomez was able to get up. Gomez started getting the better of the striking and dropped Quinonez with a left hand but Quinonez recovered to his feet. Gomez continued to find openings but Quinonez was pressuring him and looking to score the takedown. Close round but Gomez won the battle on the feet. 10-9 Gomez, 19-19.

R3- The pace slowed at the start until Quinonez dropped Gomez with a knee but left enough time for Gomez to recover, but then Quinonez was able to get into full mount on the mat. Quinonez was controlling on the mat and looking for submissions and almost had Gomez in a choke but Gomez escaped to his feet. They traded on the feet and both men had solid finishes to the fight. 10-9 Quinonez, 29-28 Quinonez.

Official Result- Jose Quinonez def. Joey Gomez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Instant Analysis- This was a very good fight between both men. Both are lower-level bantamweights, but they are solid fighters for their position. Jose Quinonez showed good takedowns and good top control, and his striking was very good. Joey Gomez also had good striking, and while his defense on the mat needs work, he was able to escape from being mounted to his feet, so that was good for him. As back-and-forth as it was early, Jose Quinonez definitely won this fight.

> Antonio Carlos Junior (5-2 1 NC, 2-2 1 NC UFC) vs. Leonardo Augusto Leleco (11-2 1 NC, 0-1 UFC)
Middleweights

R1- Nothing much happened early in this fight until Leleco landed a right hand. Carlos Junior then went for a takedown but couldn’t score on it. Leleco showed good takedown defense and Carlos Junior went for more and landed an illegal knee so there was a break. Carlos Junior was deducted a point for that knee. Carlos Junior went quickly back to work and scored a takedown as he needed to get this as an even round. Carlos Junior with a late takedown. 9-9.

R2- Carlos Junior came out looking to grapple and scored a takedown and was dominant from the top as Leleco had no answer to getting up from the bottom. Carlos Junior just kept landing punch after punch and Leleco was doing nothing to get up. He finally got to his feet against the fence but was taken back down. Leleco went for a guillotine but didn’t have enough time. Complete dominant round for Carlos Junior. 10-8 Carlos Junior, 19-17 Carlos Junior.

R3- Leleco was needing a finish but looked exhausted as Carlos Junior went to work in the clinch. Carlos Junior got the takedown but Leleco got back to his feet. Leleco kept grabbing the fence in looking to defend the takedown but Carlos Junior got a big takedown. Leleco has done absolutely nothing in this fight and is very tired. Carlos Junior working for the rear-naked choke. He got it locked in and Leleco tapped out with just 15 seconds left.

Official Result- Antonio Carlos Junior def. Leonardo Augusto Leleco by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:46 of Round 3

Instant Analysis- Antonio Carlos Junior completely dominated this fight to get back on the winning track. The point deduction was very bad and it showed the inconsistencies in referees as the same situation didn’t see a deduction in an earlier fight. Thankfully, the hand being down rule is going away on January 1. Leonardo Leleco had an awful performance and was just overmatched in this fight. With an 0-2 record and being finished twice, and putting on bad performances, he’s likely going to be cut from the roster. Carlos Junior is a former TUF winner and he’s had his ups-and-downs, but I like his potential at just 26-years-old.

> Augusto Montano (15-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Belal Muhammad (9-1, 0-1 UFC)
Welterweights

R1- Montano fighting for the first time in 15 months. He landed an early groin strike, probably to get it out of his system. Muhammad hurt him with a right hand. Both men were trading punches and kicks. Montano poked Muhammad in the eye and got another warning. Muhammad landed a head kick as Montano kept his hands low. Montano with some inside leg kicks. Montano was getting his timing down on his leg kicks and defended a takedown. Muhammad landed another head kick. 10-9 Muhammad.

R2- They came out trading with both men landing but Montano was getting the better of it. Muhammad got a takedown. Muhammad easily passes guard and takes the back. Muhammad got to the top but Montano scrambled to his feet. Muhammad misses a head kick. Montano lands a combo. Muhammad with a short elbow. Close round. 10-9 Muhammad, 20-18 Muhammad.

R3- They were trading. Muhammad scored the takedown and took the back looking for the choke. Montano survived the attempt and they got to their feet and traded. Muhammad got a big takedown with some big ground-and-pound looking for the finish. Muhammad with a lot of punches and Herb Dean finally called it off. Big win for Muhammad.

Official Result- Belal Muhammad def. Augusto Montano by TKO (punches) at 4:19 of Round 3

Instant Analysis- Belal Muhammad had a solid showing in a losing effort to Alan Jouban in his UFC debut, but he backed that up with an impressive win here in becoming the first fighter to stop Augusto Montano. He showed excellent timing on his takedowns, and got them at the right moments, and Montano had nothing for him on the mat. His ability to turn on the pressure late made the difference in the fight. He is a solid addition to the 170-pound roster. Montano falls to 1-2 inside the Octagon, and that was coming off of a year-long suspension. He’s had two straight bad showings after an impressive debut, and I do think he’s going to get cut from the roster. I believe that would be justified because he doesn’t seem well-prepared for UFC competition.

> Gabriel Benitez (18-5, 2-1 UFC) vs. Sam Sicilia (15-6, 5-5 UFC)
Featherweights

R1- Benitez went right after Sicilia with leg kicks. They started trading as both men were looking for that knockout blow. Benitez showing off strong leg kicks. Sicilia landed a strong body kick but Benitez fired back with some strong leg kicks. Those kicks are massive and Sicilia isn’t checking them. Sicilia just looking for the big right hand. Benitez with a strong right due to those leg kicks and it’ll be interesting to see how Sicilia responds now. 10-9 Benitez.

R2- Benitez landed a straight left hand and dropped Sicilia. Big elbows from Benitez but Sicilia survives and gets to his feet. Benitez with more leg kicks. Benitez locked in a guillotine as Sicilia went for a takedown and Sicilia is out cold! Benitez with the big submission win!

Official Result- Gabriel Benitez def. Sam Sicilia by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:20 of Round 2

Instant Analysis- This was the best fight of the night so far with a lot of good action. Gabriel Benitez was excellent on his feet in constantly landing those leg kicks which took away some of Sam Sicilia’s offensive attack. He dropped Sicilia with a left hand and was able to counter a takedown attempt nicely with the guillotine choke. It is the best he has looked in the UFC as he has now won three of four. It will be interesting to see his further progression, but he looked really impressive here. Sicilia is now 5-6 in the UFC but he always comes to fight. He showed serious improvements early but his inability to check leg kicks hindered him. He tried to go to his wrestling but left his neck open and Benitez capitalized. I would like to see him remain in the UFC as he is a fun featherweight fighter.

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MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1 | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)

> Chas Skelly (15-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Maximo Blanco (12-7-1 1 NC, 4-4 UFC)
Featherweights

R1- They both went right away and landed flying front kicks and Skelly locked in an anaconda choke and Blanco went to sleep. Less than 30 seconds. Big finish.

Official Result- Chas Skelly def. Maximo Blanco by submission (D’arce choke) at :19 of Round 1

Instant Analysis- This was so quick that any analysis would be hard to say. Chas Skelly went right out and pulled a trick out of Maximo Blanco’s playbook with a flying front kick to start the fight and capitalized on Blanco being in bad position. Interesting win for Skelly as he moves to 5-2 and he should get a solid opponent in his next bout. Blanco always plays with fire and he lost here. He falls to 4-5 in the UFC but he always brings good action to the Octagon. Go out of your way to watch a replay of this.

> Chris Wade (11-2, 4-1 UFC) vs. Islam Makhachev (12-1, 1-1 UFC)
Lightweights

R1- They traded early and Makhachev went right for the takedown. Wade had his neck but he got out. Wade reversed to top position. Makhachev went for a triangle choke but Wade defended well and Makhachev got warned for his toes being locked onto the cage. Wade got into more dominant position and landed from the top but the crowd started booing. Slow close round. 10-9 Makhachev.

R2- Makhachev landed a left hand and Wade grabbed the neck for a guillotine choke and ended up on top in dominant position. Makhachev rolled out and took the back but Wade reversed into the neck but Makhachev swept into side control. Good ground action here. Makhachev has dominant side control. He takes the back looking to get the hooks in. They scramble and Makhachev remains with back control. Lots of scrambling. Wade looking for a late heel hook. 10-9 Makhachev, 20-18 Makhachev.

R3- Lots of grappling in this round as both men scramble and spent time on top. Wade went for a guillotine but didn’t have it and it allowed Makhachev to end up on top against the fence. Makhachev in the half-guard and landing from the top as he gets to mount and then takes the back. Makhachev lands punches from the back. Makhachev just dominating this round on the mat but he doesn’t have Wade in any real danger. Some excellent grappling in this fight though it slowed in the third. 10-9 Makhachev, 30-27 Makhachev.

Official Result- Islam Makhachev def. Chris Wade by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Instant Analysis- This fight had some high-level grappling though it slowed in the third round. Islam Makhachev bounced back nicely and showed he is one of the better grapplers in the division, but his striking still needs some work, though there was improvement. He has some good skills and trains with a top camp, so the future is bright for him. For Chris Wade, this is now two straight losses after four straight wins to start his UFC career. For the second straight fight, he was just out-grappled, which leaves a lot of questions to be answered for a strong wrestler like him. His striking is solid, but not great, and he definitely needs a win when he gets another fight inside the Octagon.

> Roan Carneiro (20-10, 3-4 UFC) vs. Kenny Robertson (15-4, 4-4 UFC)
Welterweights

R1- Carneiro quickly took the fight to the mat. Robertson scrambled to his feet. Carneiro with the tie-up but Robertson slipped out and landed a right hand. Robertson telegraphing himself and Carneiro with a big body kick. Both men missing on wild punching attempts. Carneiro with a big leg kick. You can see both mens’ punches coming a mile away. Not the most exciting round. Close round. 10-9 Carneiro.

R2- Carneiro scores a takedown after Robertson misses some loopy punches. Robertson swept and landed a hammerfist. Robertson landing short elbows from the top. Carneiro goes for a submission but Robertson gets out. Carneiro not doing much from the bottom. Carneiro had a shoulder lock and swept into full mount. Carneiro not doing much from the mount. Crowd boos. Close round. 10-9 Robertson, 19-19.

R3- Neither man doing much early but Carneiro landing the jab. Carneiro lands a big uppercut that stuns Robertson. Robertson caught his bearings. Very slow pace here. Robertson lands a right hand. They trade jabs. Robertson with a left hand. Robertson with a combo as the crowd boos. Both men very tired. Carneiro with an uppercut. Carneiro clinches. Close fight all around. 10-9 Carneiro, 29-28 Carneiro.

Official Result- Roan Carneiro def. Kenny Robertson by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

Instant Analysis- This was a very boring fight. The weight cut looked to slow down Roan Carneiro late, and Kenny Robertson wasn’t much better. Neither man could get the edge anywhere in the fight and it was three close rounds. Unfortunately, they were also three bad rounds. Carneiro is getting up there in age and I don’t sense he has much left. Robertson didn’t fare much better. Neither man deserves to be anywhere near the main card. Onto the next one.

HOT RUMOR ALERT- Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor is a done deal for UFC 205.

> Evan Dunham (#15, 17-6, 10-6 UFC) vs. Rick Glenn (18-3-1, 0-0 UFC)
Lightweights

R1- Dunham with a combo and then scores a takedown. Dunham postured up and Glenn tried to land some upkicks but Dunham went back into the guard. Dunham takes the back and has the rear-naked choke locked in. Glenn fights to survives and somehow gets out. That was an incredible escape. Dunham ends up on top to end the round. Big round for Dunham. 10-8 Dunham.

R2- Glenn lands a left hand but gets taken down by Dunham. Dunham is by far the superior ground fighter. They get to their feet. Dunham has the body locked and lands a knee. Dunham looking fantastic here. Dunham lighting Glenn up with some combos. Glenn firing back. Dunham slowing just a little. They trade strikes. Time out called due to a groin strike. Back to action but round ends with nothing happening. 10-9 Dunham, 20-17 Dunham.

R3- Glenn coming out strong as he needs to finish Dunham here. Dunham with the clear advantage in strikes landed. They trade left hands. Glenn is landing and hurts Dunham. Glenn has more energy at this stage. Dunham lands a combo. Dunham lands another combination. Dunham lands a big head kick followed by a hard right hand. Both men tired. Back-and-forth on the feet and both men are landing. Dunham with a big head kick. Dunham hurts Glenn with a punch. Dunham tries a late armbar. Fun fight. 10-9 Dunham, 30-26 Dunham.

Official Result- Evan Dunham def. Rick Glenn by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Instant Analysis- This was a fun fight, especially the latter stages of the final round as both men started swinging while clearly tired. Evan Dunham looked fantastic early, and even when his conditioning started going, he was still effective on his feet and had Rick Glenn hurt late. It was a solid showing on short notice for Glenn, who has earned himself a couple of fights in the UFC with this effort. Dunham is back into contention with four straight wins, and time for a top match-up for him. This is a very solid win for Dunham. Glenn may settle back to the featherweight division, and I look forward to more fights inside the Octagon for him.

> Uriah Hall (#9, 12-6, 5-4 UFC) vs. Derek Brunson (#10, 15-3, 6-1 UFC)
Middleweights

R1- Hall came right out after Brunson and they clinched. Brunson with a big knee against the fence. Brunson drops Hall with a big left hand and then lands punches on the ground and Herb Dean stops it! Hall protests but Brunson gets the big win.

Official Result- Derek Brunson def. Uriah Hall by TKO (punches) at  1:41of Round 1

Instant Analysis- Derek Brunson now has four straight first-round wins with this stoppage, and he has put himself in line for a chance at getting a title shot. This is a big win for him and one that he needed to get if he were ever going to contend. A 7-1 record in the UFC middleweight division is very, very good. Uriah Hall came out strong but got caught. He probably could’ve continued and the replay shows it was probably early. He is now 5-5 in the UFC but still a quality fighter and with this controversial stoppage, he shouldn’t lose much ground.

> Dustin Poirier (#7, 20-4, 12-3 UFC) vs. Michael Johnson (#10, 16-10, 8-6 UFC)
Lightweights

R1- They trade punches and kicks early. Johnson lands a solid combo and Poirier is cut a little under his eye. Johnson with a big left hand that knocks Poirier down and he finishes him off with several more punches on the ground! Big knockout for Johnson.

Official Result- Michael Johnson def. Dustin Poirier by knockout (punches) at 1:35 of Round 1

Instant Analysis- This is a huge win for Michael Johson, who had lost his last two fights. Another loss would’ve knocked him out of the title picture completely, but this is a statement win, and his biggest win to date in the UFC. He has earned himself a big fight in his next bout and adds to the stacked lightweight title picture. Dustin Poirier was on the cusp of title contention but now suffers his first loss since dropping down to 155 pounds. He is still one of the best fighters at lightweight, but he has lost every opportunity he has had to break into that true elite category. He takes a step backwards, but with his talent, he should be able to put together some wins and get himself back into contention.

Final Thoughts- This was a show of highs-and-lows. Michael Johnson and Derek Brunson had excellent victories in the two big fights to put their names into crowded title pictures. Evan Dunham had an excellent showing despite slowing down late. Chas Skelly had one of the more memorable finishes in recent UFC memory, and that quick win is worth going out of your way to see. Gabriel Benitez had a very impressive showing in finishing Sam Sicilia. That was the good. There was some bad, and some bad fights, but more good than bad. Not the best of shows, but not the worst of shows either, and the two last fights having good performances gave the event a boost.

UFC Fight Night 94 DFS Playbook: Who to target & who to avoid

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

Here’s some advice for who to pick in your DraftKings lineup for Saturday’s UFC Fight 94 in Hidalgo, TX, headlined by Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Johnson on FS1.

TOP TARGET: Sam Sicilia ($11,200)

Sam Sicilia steps into the Octagon for the first time since November when he takes on Gabriel Benitez in the featured preliminary bout.

Both men are looking to get back into the win column after suffering knockout losses in their most recent fights, and Siclia is the betting favorite between the two. He is also the fighter I favor in this bout. He has struggled in the UFC, compiling just a 5-5 UFC record, but when he has won, he has been very impressive. He is a knockout artist by trade, having scored eight of his 15 career wins by knockout. He also has some solid wrestling, at least against lesser opponents.

Benitez is at a lower level than Sicilia, but do not let that fool you as he is a finisher himself, having scored 15 of 18 career wins by knockout or submission. Sicilia can be finished as four of his five UFC losses have seen him knocked out or submitted, but when he is on, he is tough.

Sicilia has the takedowns and the top control to plant Benitez on the mat and keep him there, but Sicilia likes to stand and try to knock out his foes. It has cost him in the past, but it has also been to his advantage. Benitez is coming off a big knockout loss to an opponent with less power, and Sicilia is looking to make a statement.

I like Sicilia to win, and I think he gets the job done in devastating fashion inside the first round. This is a tough card to predict good fantasy players for, and while he has the highest salary, I like Sicilia as my top target.

VALUE TARGET: Dustin Poirier ($10,400)

Poirier is in the headliner position Saturday against Michael Johnson. He is looking to continue his hot streak since moving up to 155 pounds (4-0) against the always-tough Johnson in a battle of top 10 fighters looking to make that push towards a title shot. Poirier is coming off an impressive first-round knockout win over Bobby Green at UFC 199 in June while Johnson looks to end his 2-fight losing skid since a tough loss to Nate Diaz last December.

Poirier has gotten much better on his feet as he has advanced his career, and he is a much better version of himself than he was years ago. A past legitimate title contender at 145 pounds, he finds himself just as close as a lightweight.

Johnson has great striking with a lot of power, and he is going to have to watch out for the excellent counterstriking from Poirier. Poirier is strong inside the pocket, but so is Johnson. Poirier has the better takedowns of the two though Johnson has strong takedown defense. Both men are southpaws and Johnson had a lot of trouble in his fight with Diaz, who is also a southpaw.

Poirier isn’t the volume striker that Diaz is, but he has more power, and Diaz was able to rock Johnson multiple times. This is a fight made for Poirier to win, but Johnson is capable of pulling off the upset.

I’m actually surprised that Poirier doesn’t have a higher salary, so his price of $10,400 is excellent value. I expect him to finish Johnson, even if it comes in the later rounds, which gives him more scoring opportunities.

TARGET TO AVOID: Chas Skelly ($10,300)

Chas Skelly is looking to rebound from a disappointing loss to Darren Elkins at March’s UFC 196  when faces Maximo Blanco on Saturday night. Skelly was defeated by Elkins in similar fashion to the way he himself likes to work: scoring takedowns and dominating on the mat. Blanco had his three-fight win streak snapped by Luke Sanders in January, and he looks to get back into fringe top-15 status against Skelly here.

Blanco is one of the most exciting, yet wild and reckless, fighters at 145, while Skelly is a strong wrestler with a strong top game on the mat. Blanco is a solid striker with a lot of power, and he mixes solid combinations well and throws out flying knees and spinning kicks. Skelly isn’t going to be able to hang with Blanco on the feet, so he will be looking for the takedown.

The problem there is Blanco has strong takedown defense, and can score some powerful takedowns of his own. Blanco does tend to falter when there is pressure on him, so Skelly needs to bring the fight to him quickly, much like Sanders did. Skelly is bad defensively on the feet as he looks to rush in for the clinch, but he doesn’t have strong takedown defense despite being primarily a wrestler. Neither fighter has solid conditioning.

This fight actually favors Blanco although he has been known to make a lot of mental, and just plain bad, mistakes in fights. Skelly has too high of a salary to trust, and even if he is able to win, I see it by decision, and one where he doesn’t get enough points to justify his salary. With all of that being said, Skelly is my top must-avoid target on the card.

UNDERDOG TARGET: Uriah Hall ($9,400)

Hall makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon as he takes on Derek Brunson. Both men are ranked inside the top 10 at 185 pounds, with Hall ranked ninth and Brunson ranked tenth. Brunson is looking to extend his four-fight win streak, and both men have been looking to fight each other for a while. Hall is going to come into the fight fired up as Brunson has made allegations of performance enhancing drug usage by Hall. Expectedly, Hall hasn’t been happy about that at all.

Hall is still looking to live up to the potential given to him after his performances on TUF, and while he had a big upset win over Gegard Mousasi, he suffered a setback to Robert Whittaker in his last fight. Hall is a dangerous kickboxer who works well when he has a lot of space, so Brunson is going to be looking to pressure him quickly. Hall has trouble defending takedowns while Brunson has never been taken down in his career.

Hall should avoid being on the bottom as Brunson is a heavy ground-and-pound attacker, but he also has a solid submission game. Hall is going to be best served keeping this fight on the feet and at a distance. If Brunson is able to get on the inside, he packs a serious left hand.

Hall has a lot of tools, but he has been so up-and-down that it is hard to trust him. However, if he is able to put it all together, this is a very winnable fight for him. Hall is a solid underdog pick, and I think he has the ability to get the win, and the motivation to do so.

SURPRISE TARGET: Kenny Robertson ($9,300)

Robertson returns to action for the first time in almost 14 months when he squares off against Roan Carneiro on Saturday night. Robertson is coming off a close split decision loss in his last fight against Ben Saunders in July 2015, a loss that halted his three-fight win streak. Carneiro is returning to the welterweight division after suffering a February knockout loss to the aforementioned Brunson, ending his six-fight win streak.

This is a close fight on paper and in the betting odds, but Carneiro has a sizeable advantage in the fantasy salaries which makes Robertson an interesting play for someone looking to score a surprise. Carneiro is very well-rounded, but he struggles in putting it all together. Robertson is a hard-nosed veteran who has more skills than may appear, and he is a quality submission specialist.

Carneiro has good top control, but being on the bottom allows Robertson to go after one of his favorite attacks: leg locks. Robertson is an undervalued finisher as well as 13 of his 15 career wins have come by stoppage, and he has only been stopped once in his career. Robertson is also the better striker, and Carneiro has been knocked out three times in his career, and submitted four times in his career.

This is a close fight, but my official pick is Robertson. I think he stops Carneiro in some fashion, and is a good pick for a fighter to score a surprise.

OUR LINEUPS: 

Ryan: Randy Brown ($10,900), Dustin Poirier ($10,400), Uriah Hall ($9,400), Kenny Robertson ($9,300), Maximo Blanco ($9,100)

I’m not using all of my available salary as I think this is a solid team with the potential to score a lot of points. Brown has a high salary, but he has a ton of talent and a very high ceiling. He was stopped in his last bout against a tough opponent in Michael Graves, but I see him bouncing back against Erick Montano, a TUF Latin America winner.

Poirier is on a roll, and I think the matchup is too good for him, plus Johnson has trouble with the elite of the division. Poirier has established himself as an elite 155-pound fighter, and I see him wearing Johnson down for a late finish.

I’m buying in on Hall with Brunson. He is very streaky, but he is dangerous when he is in the right frame of mind. Brunson’s accusations and trash talk are hopefully motivation, and if he wins, it’ll be by finish. Robertson has excellent value at his salary, and Carneiro is a beatable and finishable opponent. I like Robertson’s chances at winning by stoppage. Blanco is undervalued, and much like Hall, a wild card. I think he can expose Skelly on the feet, and his ground game is too good to pass up. I like him at his salary.

PAUL FONTAINE: Leonardo Augusto Leleco ($9,500), Kenny Robertson ($9,300), Rick Glenn ($8,700), Erick Montano ($8,500) and Alberto Morales ($8,400)

You’ll notice I’m going with all underdogs on my team. On a show with no real standout stars, I have a feeling that some of these lesser known, but still talented, guys will try and make an impression before what will probably be nothing more than a hardcore audience.

Leonardo Augusto Leleco lost a decision in his UFC debut but it was against a late notice opponent. He had won seven straight against Brazilian opponents prior to that and here he’s up against another fellow countryman. Robertson has finishes in 3 of his last 4 wins: all in the first round. I look for another quick one against aging veteran Carneiro.

Rick Glenn has been one of my favorite non-UFC fighters for years, and the former WSOF featherweight champion will make his UFC debut on Saturday. He’s moving up a weight class to face veteran Evan Dunham and I’m calling for the big upset here. My pick of Erick Montano is more of one against his opponent Brown. Brown was found on Dana White’s “Looking for a Fight” show, and guys from that show have not fared well of late in UFC.

Lastly, I’m going with the debuting Alberto Morales who has been tearing it up on the regional circuit. He’s 6-0 in a young career that has seen him in fairly high profile non-UFC bouts. His fight Alejandro Perez should be quick either way as both guys have finishing power.

PEACHMACHINE: Poirier (10,400), Brunson (10,000), Wade (9,600), Glen (8,700), Benitez (8,200) 

This is an easy 5-0 night for me. Poirier is going to steam roll Johnson. Brunson is going to flatten Hall. Wade is going to smash Makhachev. Those three are gimmes. Glen is a tough kid and I like the upset factor here in facing veteran Dunham. Despite RFred’s high praise, I don’t exptect much from Sicilia. I’m taking his opponent Benitez.

UFC Fight Night 75 Preview: 5 storylines to watch, betting odds & predictions

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

After a three-week break, which in this day-and-age is a long break, the Octagon returns on Saturday night as the UFC makes its now annual trip to Japan for UFC Fight Night 75 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The main card airs on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday night, with preliminary action taking place on FOX Sports 2.

The event will be headlined by a five-round bout in the UFC’s heavyweight division as veterans Josh Barnett and Roy Nelson square off following a coaching stint on the UFC Fight Pass exclusive television show, UFC: Road To Japan. The finals of that reality event will also take place on the card as Mizuto Hirota meets Teruto Ishihara. In the co-main event of the evening, former Strikeforce and DREAM champion Gegard Mousasi takes on Uriah Hall, who steps in as an injury replacement for the toughest bout of his career. The rest of the card will be filled with Japanese fighters. Let’s take a closer look at the night’s action and find five storylines to keep an eye on as we head into Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night 75 event.

1. Who has more left to give in their career: Josh Barnett or Roy Nelson?

Josh Barnett and Roy Nelson meet in the main event of Saturday’s event, and it is an interesting time in both men’s careers as they head into their headline bout. They coached eight fighters during UFC: Road To Japan in the lead-up to this event, and now they meet in a fight where both could be fighting for their UFC futures. It’s not to say either man will be cut due to the depth issues in the UFC’s heavyweight division, but Barnett is 37-years old and Nelson is 39-years old, and their best days are likely behind them. Barnett also hasn’t fought in over a year-and-a-half as he was last seen in the Octagon eating elbows from Travis Browne in a 60-second loss at UFC 168 in December 2013. Nelson has lost four of his last five fights, and he hasn’t looked all that competitive in those losses. His only win in over two years was a knockout win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who recently retired.

Barnett has had a lot of success in his career in Japan, and returning to action there may be quite the confidence boost for him. His time away should have gotten him healthy, but it will be interesting to see if he suffers from any form of rust. His only losses since 2006 have come to Browne and Daniel Cormier, so it’s not like he has been getting blown away by lesser fighters. Meanwhile, Nelson has only fought once in Japan, and it came one year ago when he was knocked out by Mark Hunt. It was the only time in Nelson’s career he has truly been knocked out, and it came at the hands of one of the hardest hitters in the sport. It is hard to envision a repeat of that on Saturday night.

All of Nelson’s wins in the UFC have come by knockout and he will be looking to do the same for Barnett. It has seemed for the longest time that Nelson has given up on following a gameplan in looking to headhunt. He either gets the knockout or he struggles mightily and doesn’t look good. Barnett has good wrestling and good submissions and a style to make Nelson look bad if Nelson can’t land the big right hand. Barnett will probably look to drag the fight out, but he will also want to test the chin of Nelson to see if there is anything left there. It’s heavyweights and anything can happen, but this fight has the chance to be a long, drawn-out and not neccessarily exciting fight. I like Barnett to get the win in this one as I see him having more to give at this stage in his career.

2. Can Uriah Hall score the upset win over Gegard Mousasi?

Gegard Mousasi is one a decent roll in the UFC’s middleweight division, scoring wins in his last two fights. His only UFC losses have come to Lyoto Machida and Ronaldo Souza, and he is currently ranked sixth in the UFC’s middleweight rankings. He is on the cusp of title contention, but has yet to beat a top-five ranked opponent. He was to face Roan Carneiro at this event, but with Carneiro being forced out due to injury, Uriah Hall stepped in to take a huge opportunity. It is going from a ranked opponent to an unranked opponent for Mousasi, but this is probably a more dangerous fight for him due to the striking prowess of Hall. Hall has solid kickboxing skills and is a violent opponent if he can connect. He fought recently, scoring a first-round TKO win over Oluwale Bamgbose on August 8 in Nashville. Stepping in on short notice will receive some good faith from the UFC brass, but he has a tough test.

Mousasi tends to, at times, fight below his skill level. He is highly talented and a legitmate contender to be a title challenger in the near future. He can have a boring and plodding style, but it is effective. Hall sometimes comes up mentally short, and he tends to fight below his skill set. Fighting Mousasi can be extremely frustrating, and it will likely get in the head of Hall. Mousasi may look to take the fight to the mat, and Hall would prefer to keep the fight on the feet. For all of Hall’s flashy kickboxing skills, Mousasi is a better overall striker. This is definitely Mousasi’s fight to lose. I don’t see Hall being able to score the upset, but funnier things have happened in the UFC. However, Mousasi will take this fight the distance and score an uneventful decision win.

3. Can Kyoji Horiguchi and Takeya Mizugaki rebound in their home country?

Kyoji Horiguchi and Takeya Mizugaki are the only Japanese fighters ranked in the top ten of their divisions, and both have fought for championships during their time under the Zuffa banner. Horiguchi is coming off a loss to Demetrious Johnson when he challenged for the UFC Flyweight Championship at UFC 186 in April. Mizugaki challeged for the WEC Bantamweight Championship in his Zuffa debut, losing a decision to Miguel Torres in April 2009 in one of the best fights in WEC history. Mizugaki is looking to bounce back from two straight losses to Dominick Cruz and Aljamain Sterling that ended his five-fight win streak.

Horiguchi will take on Chico Camus, who is looking to bounce back from a loss to Henry Cejudo at UFC 188 in June. Camus was looking to get into title contention after an impressive flyweight debut win over Brad Pickett, and he will be looking to improve on his record of just three wins in seven UFC bouts. Mizugaki will be taking on long-time UFC and WEC veteran George Roop, who returns after being out of the Octagon since a first-round knockout loss to Rob Font at UFC 175 in July 2014. Roop is just 4-5 since returning to the UFC following the WEC merger, and he could very well be fighting for his UFC future. The same could be said for Camus, so Horiguchi and Mizugaki will need to be impressive in front of their home country fans.

4. Katsunori Kikuno and Diego Brandao both have title aspirations. Who takes a step forward?

Admittedly, this fourth storyline was originally written about Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto, who was scheduled to compete on this card against Matt Hobar. However, both Yamamoto and Hobar fell victim to the injury bug, and the bout was scrapped from the card. The featured preliminary bout between Katsunori Kikuno and Diego Brandao was moved to the main card, and it takes this spot on our preview. Brandao is a former winner of The Ultimate Fighter, but he has had mixed success, sporting a 5-3 record in the Octagon, but those losses have come to Darren Elkins, Dustin Poirier and current interim champion Conor McGregor, all tough opponents. He won his last bout by stopping Jimy Hettes at the end of the first round in April.

Kikuno is just 2-2 in the UFC and is coming into the fight off a first-round knockout loss to Kevin Souza in March. He has talked lately about his big aspirations of being champion, but it is entirely possible that he is fighting for his UFC career in this bout. Both of his losses have come by knockout in the first round, but he did score an impressive submission win over Sam Sicilia in Japan last September. Both men are far away from title contention, but should be able to put together a nice little scrap on Saturday night. Brandao has a penchant for being violent, and Kikuno does have the suspect chin. I expect to see Brandao getting his hand raised and taking a step forward in the 145-pound division.

5. What else on the card is there to look forward to?

With this being a fight night event in Japan, the card is filled with Japanese fighters. In fact, nine of the eleven total bouts feature Japanese fighters. The fight card also features the finals of the “UFC: Road To Japan” when featherweights Mizuto Hirota and Teruto Ishihara meet. Hirota has fought in the UFC twice before, losing both bouts, but he returns on the heels of a three-fight win streak. Ishihara will grace the Octagon for the first time, and both of his career losses have come to fighters who have UFC experience.

In preliminary action, Keita Nakamura makes his return to the UFC on short notice when he fights Li Jingliang. A pair of lightweight bouts take place as Germany’s Nick Hein takes on the debuting Yusuke Kasuya, and Naoyuki Kotani takes on Kajan Johnson. All four of those bouts take place on FOX Sports 2. In the lone bout on UFC Fight Pass, Shinsho Anzai takes on Roger Zapata, who will be making his UFC debut after competing on season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Full UFC Fight Night 75 Fight Card, Betting Odds and Predictions

MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)

Heavyweights: (#8) Josh Barnett vs. (#11) Roy Nelson
Betting Odds: Barnett (-260), Nelson (+220)
Prediction: Barnett by decision

Middleweights: (#6) Gegard Mousasi vs. Uriah Hall
Betting Odds: Mousasi (-450), Hall (+360)
Prediction: Mousasi by decision

Flyweights: (#7) Kyoji Horiguchi vs. (#13) Chico Camus
Betting Odds: Horiguchi (-365), Camus (+255)
Prediction: Horiguchi by decision

Bantamweights: (#8) Takeya Mizugaki vs. George Roop
Betting Odds: Mizugaki (-245), Roop (+175)
Prediction: Mizugaki by submission in round 2

Featherweights: Katsunori Kikuno vs. Diego Brandao
Betting Odds: Kikuno (+170), Brandao (-230)
Prediction: Brandao by knockout in round 1

UFC: Road To Japan Featherweight Finals: Mizuto Hirota vs. Teruto Ishihara
Betting Odds: Hirota (-245), Ishihara (+175)
Prediction: Hirota by submission in round 1

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 2- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)

Welterweights: Keita Nakamura vs. Li Jingliang
Betting Odds: Nakamura (+170), Jingliang (-230)
Prediction: Jingliang by knockout in round 2

Lightweights: Nick Hein vs. Yusuke Kasuya
Betting Odds: Hein (-280), Kasuya (+200)
Prediction: Hein by decision

Lightweights: Naoyuki Kotani vs. Kajan Johnson
Betting Odds: Kotani (+190), Johnson (-270)
Prediction: Johnson by submission in round 3

Welterweights: Shinsho Anzai vs. Roger Zapata
Betting Odds: Anzai (-130), Zapata (-110)
Prediction: Zapata by decision