*Full coverage of WWE Crown Jewel & New Japan Autumn Attack, business notes on both shows, how successful Crown Jewel was on Peacock, PPV, public interest and business notes on Autumn Attack, plus poll results and more. *What’s next for WWE and New Japan *Cain Velasquez granted bond, Daniel Cormier talks, and a look back at the situation *A look back at the 60s and 70s tag team of Kurt & Karl Von Steiger, including unique political moves, the night they won the AWA tag titles and why the team split up *Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show, including the probe on the suspicious gambling patterns on one of the fights *Dragon Gate’s Gate of Destiny coverage *PWG’s show on Sunday honoring Alan Denkenson and featuring one of the best trios matches of the year and in PWG history *The most complete look at the TV ratings for the past week *Streaming numbers *AEW has great success in one international market, not in another *Next Stardom PPV show *Update on the New Japan Tokyo Dome show *Crazy story of a plot to steal the NWA title by one of the biggest stars of all-time *More on Andre the Giant carer losses *A very important note on streaming ratings and what it says for viability of WWE & AEW next deals *The Nick Aldis-Billy Corgan split *The story behind former wrestling sponsor winning $75 million and getting national publicity *Politician wants to honor former national hero wrestler who has been forgotten about since his heyday was 40 yeas ago *Notes on the Teddy Hart documentary *A look at the veracity of stories on the Hawaiian episode of Tales from the Territories *Taryn Terrell career noes *Wrestler and promoter arrested *Movie on Baron Von Raschke *Full Gear notes as well as matches to be added *Notes on MJF’s first major Hollywood role *A look at AEW ratings in 2021 vs. 2022, what is up, what is down *Bandido contract notes *AEW woman star filming a movie *More on skirmish backstage at Anderson Silva vs. Jake Paul fight *Upcoming Raw and Smackdown notes *Sasha Banks training with former WCW star *WWE injury updates *Ticket sales for upcoming AEW and WWE events.
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Monday News Update
Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer Radio. You can now watch it live on video by subscribing to our video site. We’ll be talking Steve Austin, Raw and all the latest news. You can also ask questions live during the show.
Regarding Steve Austin and WrestleMania, there is smoke to that fire and there are discussions happening. How they will transpire isn’t known past Austin looks in great shape right now.
Raw tonight is in Louisville, KY. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor for the U.S. title has been announced. They announced the match days ago but today it was announced for the title. Also Matt Riddle vs. Chad Gable There were 6,900 tickets out as of this morning so a solid crowd. The last time Raw was in the building was one year ago and the paid for that show was barely 4,000 so things are stronger. The football game head-to-head is the Washington Commanders vs. Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles are the last undefeated team left at 8-0 in the NFL.
We’re looking for reports from Louisville with Main Event matches and any dark segments to [email protected]
We’re also doing a poll on UFC 281, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
AEW officially announced today what we had noted previously about Joe Hand Promotions bringing Full Gear to 300 movie theaters including Cinemark, AMC, Regal, Emagine and Marcus Theaters in the U.S. as well as Landmark Cinemas in Canada and Cinepolis in Latin America. The show will air from 7 p.m. to midnight.
Results from last night’s WWE house show in Madison, WI:
Seth Rollins kept the U.S. title in a three-way against Matt Riddle and Bobby Lashley. Austin Theory interfered and attacked Lashley
A.J. Styles & Asuka b Damien Priest & Rhea Ripley
Dana Brooke b Tamina
Sheamus b Gunther via DQ in an IC title match when Imperium interfered and the Brutes made the save
Sheamus & Butch & Ridge Holland b Gunther & Giovanni Vinci & Ludvig Kaiser
Drew McIntyre b Karrion Kross in a street fight
New Day & Braun Strowman b Usos & Solo Sikoa
(thanks to Natalie and Jacob Groskreutz)
Titus O’Neil was on Good Morning America today as a celebrity judge for a best pie contest held in Tampa.
Vitor Belfort pulled out of his scheduled Saturday night boxing match wit Hasim Rahman Jr., for Misfits Boxing in Austin, TX. Belfort pulled out for undisclosed reasons. Misfits Boxing is KSI’s promotion.
Kurt Angle and Mick Foley were filming an episode of WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures today.
Other Notes
Combate Global has its final event of the year on Friday night on Univision and Univision Deportes starting at midnight Eastern. The main event has Cristian Perez (10-1) vs. Gilber Orodonez Huila (10-5) in a men’s lightweight fight and co-main is Maritza Sanchez (3-1) vs. Dee Begley (3-1) in a women’s strawweight fight.
The date of the Miyu Yamashita vs. Millie McKenzie match for Yamashita’s Eve title that we wrote about yesterday is 11/27 at Korakuen Hall. (thanks to Shannon Walsh).
ICW No Holds Barred from Saturday night in Westville, NJ: AKIRA b Bam Sullivan, Aaron Williams b Gary Jay, Kristian Ross b Chris Bradley, Brandon Kirk b Danny Demanto, Hoodfoot b Dr. Redacted, Krule b Matt Tremont for the IWTV world title, Kasey Catal b Mickie Knuckles to keep the ICW American Death match title (thanks to Leonard Brand)
Rhia O’Reilly said that she suffered a fractured sternum and some cartilage inflammation yesterday on the EVE show in London where she defended her Eve tag team title with partner Skye Smitson over Hyper Misao (Tokyo Joshi Pro) & Session Moth Martina. She didn’t appear a scheduled on yesterday’s second EVE show with Nightshade replacing her and defending the title with Smitson and they announced it was Freebird rule O’Reilly did attack Charlie Morgan with a chair on the second show. O’Reilly wrote that she hopes to be back in action for the 1/7 Eve show in London.
After months of teasing a comeback against a former UFC champion, boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya has apparently found his man in former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort.
The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger first reported the news Thursday, saying the fight will be an exhibition held on Saturday, September 11th, likely in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be promoted by Triller who did the Ben Askren vs. Jake Paul boxing match.
Georges St. Pierre and Eddie Alvarez were other names rumored to take on De La Hoya throughout this year.
The 44-year-old Belfort (seen above) was last under contract with Asian-based MMA promotion ONE, but never fought for them. He hasn’t competed since May 2018 when he lost to Lyoto Machida at UFC 224 and retired afterward. He has 18 knockouts in 41 career MMA fights but hasn’t scored once since November 2015.
He does have one professional boxing match: an April 2006 first round TKO over Josemario Neves in Brazil and actually discussed going into business with De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions in 2008. At one point, he was going to box on this weekend’s now-postponed Triller fight card and has also talked about fighting Evander Holyfield this year.
The 48-year-old De La Hoya hasn’t competed since a December 2008 loss to Manny Pacquiao.
Belfort is the latest former MMA fighter to take advantage of the last celebrity boxing craze following in the footsteps of Askren, Floyd Mayweather and Tyron Woodley who will face Jake Paul later this year. Anderson Silva will step into the boxing ring this Saturday against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on the same card as his famous father.
Last week was a period of arrivals and departures for WWE.
Without much advance warning, Ricochet, Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa all debuted on Raw last Monday. After news of them being backstage was reported online, WWE tweeted out pictures of them to hype that they were at the show. Triple H then opened Raw and confirmed that they would be debuting later in the night. Ricochet made a save for Finn Balor and teamed with him to defeat Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush, Black defeated Elias, and Gargano & Ciampa got a win against Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival in a non-title match.
Roman Reigns (Leati Joseph Anoa’i, 33), returned to WWE after four months off, which included both a battle with leukemia as well as a role in the movie “Hobbs and Shaw” on the 2/25 show in Atlanta.
Georges St-Pierre announced his retirement on 2/21, seeming very happy to go out on his own terms but admitting that he was retiring now because UFC wasn’t interested in making a fight between him and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
New Japan this past week announced their first-ever 32-man New Japan Cup tournament, as well as announced its 47th anniversary show and sold out two joint Honor Rising shows with ROH.
Jeff Jarrett and his now-dormant Global Force Entertainment Company have filed a new $4.8 million lawsuit against Impact Wrestling and Anthem Entertainment in U.S. District Court in Tennessee on 2/21.
This week’s update on WrestleMania is that HHH vs. Batista is obviously a done deal.
The UFC debuted in the Czech Republic on 2/23 with a fight night event in Prague held on ESPN+ headlined by Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos in a light heavyweight bout.
Honky Tonk Man (Roy Wayne Ferris, 66) was announced on 2/26 as being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on 4/6 at the Barclays Center. Ferris had been asked in the past and turned it down because he didn’t like some of the restrictions in the contract claiming it would cost him independent money because he’d have to cancel dates.
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.
THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE
by Bryan Rose and Dave Meltzer
WWE
Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch spent most of the afternoon going after one another on Twitter. After calling out Rousey for using fake prison mugshot photos, Lynch took shots at her acting ability. Rousey replied with vulgar remarks about her armbar, which led to Lynch mocking Rousey’s husband Travis Browne. Rousey’s latest tweet doesn’t seem to indicate she’s taking things in stride.
Kofi Kingston wrote on Twitter: I need to take a couple of days to process what has actually happened. Shock, sadness, emptiness, frustration, anger, confusion are but a few feelings on a roller coaster of emotions. My entire career, has been a series of ups and downs, starts and stops. I really shouldn’t be surprised, but this one hurt. We came so close. And I was ‘we’ because this journey has been bigger than just me. It’s Woods’ journey, it’s E’s Journey, it’s every one of you who has followed and supported my career for the past 11 years. To have it all stripped away so suddenly is painful, to put it mildly. I appreciate you all more than you know and I thank you all for your love and support. Mark my words: We will be back. The journey does not end here.”
There was a story making rounds because Dean Ambrose was advertised on dates past April, with the idea that he may have now agreed to a new deal. According to WWE, the advertising was dated and he will no longer be promoted for those events.
WWE.com has a oral history article about the Nation of Domination featuring D-Lo Brown, Mark Henry, Ron Simmons and The Godfather.
WWE has video of wrestlers reacting “to the brutality of the Elimination Chamber”.
Luke Perry, best known for his role on Beverly Hills 90210 and the father of AEW star Jungle Boy is currently hospitalized after suffering from what is being reported as a massive stroke. The latest word is that he is currently sedated, but not in a coma.
Hiroshi Tanahashi’s IWGP title loss to Jay White will be featured on tomorrow night’s New Japan show on AXS TV. Next Friday’s show will have the Kazuchika Okada vs Bad Luck Fale and Taiji Ishimori vs. Ryusuke Taguchi jr. title match.
WWN is doing a recruitment camp from 4/12 to 4/14 in Port Richey, FL. Those instructing at the camp will be WWE personnel Terry Taylor, Norman Smiley, Serena Deeb, wrestler Oney Lorcan, referee Drake Wuertz and WWN head of creative Gabe Sapolsky. Those who stand out will get invited to a WWE Performance Center tryout and/or regular bookings for Evolve and other WWN events. Participants will get tryout matches and be allowed to use their footage, professional photos, and be taught wrestling, ring entrances, promos, usage of social media and working with the announcers. For more info go to www.WWNLive.com or write to [email protected].
ROH tickets for 6/1 in Kent, WA at the ShoWare Center and 6/2 in Portland, OR at the Viking Pavilion go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Jacob Fatu and Josef Samael will appear at MLW Intimidation Games this Saturday.
The term “Deadman Talking” that Starrcast applied for a trademark on was not for a podcast, but it was a name they would use for proposed speaking tour events. There is no deal in play for an Undertaker podcast.
CWE will be doing a 38 city tour across Canada including a show on 4/23 in Killarney, MB headlined by Psicosis, Vinny Marseglia, TK O’Ryan, Cheeseburger and Jimmy Jacobs.
Eve Pro Wrestling on 3/8 and 3/9 in Bethnal Green, London at the Resistance Gallery with Commando Bolshoi from Japan, Dr. Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, Nina Samuels, and Mercedes Martinez.
The German Wrestling Federation has a live streaming show on Saturday night at 1 p.m. Eastern time with the GWF Light Heavyweight World Cup with first round matches of El Phantasmo vs. Jonny Storm, Justin Wylde vs. A-Kid, Lucky Kid vs XCem Kalan and Matt Cross vs. Angelico. The winners meet in a four-way championship match. The show can be viewed free on YouTube and Twitch.
Saturday’s Wrestle Rampage show in Adelaide, Australia was canceled due to a heat wave. Well, as reasons go, that’s a new one. Adam Brooks, scheduled as a headliner, is now working AAW in Perth that night.
Some matches coming up in Australia are Joey Ryan vs. Jordynne Grace on 3/8 in Melbourne, Brian Cage vs Scorpio Sky on 3/9 in Melbourne, Brody King vs. Jack Bonza vs, Matt Diamond vs. Abyss on 3/11 in Sydney. This will be Abyss’ last independent date in Australia.
Penta 0M & Rey Fenix vs. Sam Adonis & DJZ headlines tonight at the Rex Theater in Pittsburgh for WrestleRex, plus Sinn Bodhi vs. Beastman.
NFC MMA on 3/8 at Center Stage in Atlanta.
MCW on 3/9 in Hollywood, MD at the Volunteer Fire Department has appearances by Kevin Nash, Koko B. Ware and Madison Rayne.
Real Shoot Wrestling on Saturday night in Mannington, WV at the Mannington Gym.
Tennessee veteran Tony Givens is having what is billed as his retirement match on 3/30 in Kingsport, TN, teaming with Chase Owens against Chris Richards & Josh Cody in Kingsport TN at the Civic Auditorium for Innovate Wrestling.
UFC/MMA
According to Ariel Helwani, Vitor Belfort is on his way to Las Vegas and it is expected that he will announce that his officially a part of ONE Championship. He has been recently seen with CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
Conor McGregor will be in Chicago on 3/15 for a pre-St. Patrick’s Day kickoff event.
UFC has announced a multi-year marketing sponsorship with Oscar Mayer and Devour frozen foods. Both will become corporate sponsors of UFC and will launch UFC-themed products at retail locations around the country.
Ed in San Antonio presents the WRESTLEMANIAWeekend Events (more to be added):
Sunday, April 6th, at 12:00 pm: Lunch (all you can eat) at Churrascaria Plataforma ($90 per person), located at 316 W. 49th street in Manhattan. Purchase tickets here~!
Luxury Bus to MetLife Stadium for Wrestlemania: We will depart from the Hilton Midtown (site of Wrestlecon) located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas. Departure time is 4:00 pm and will return from MetLife approximately 30 mins after the event. Times are subject to change, and cost $67.00 per person for the round trip. Purchase tickets here~!
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)
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 106: Belfort vs. Gastelum, emanating from the Olympic Training Center in Fortaleza, Brazil.
The event is headlined by a five-round bout in the middleweight division as former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort looks to halt retirement talk and get back into the win column when he takes on TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum. Belfort has lost two straight fights and is looking for his first win since November 2015, while Gastelum is looking to win his third straight and improve to 4-0 at 185 pounds inside the Octagon.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua returns to action in the co-main event looking to win his third straight fight when he faces Gian Villante. Also on the main card is a lightweight bout featuring top-ten fighters as Edson Barboza squares off against Beneil Dariush.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 p.m. ET with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
> Garreth McLellan (13-5, 1-3 UFC) vs. Paulo Henrique Costa (8-0, 0-0 UFC) Middleweights
This one didn’t last long. Costa came out firing and McLellan was defending early and landing some knees in the clinch until Costa started swarming with some punches and kicks. Costa then dropped McLellan with some punches and then finished him off with some more punches on the ground. It went just over a minute. Costa looked very impressive in this fight.
Official Result- Paulo Borrachinha def. Garreth McLellan by TKO (strikes) at 1:17 of Round 1
> Rony Jason (14-6 1 NC, 4-3 1 NC UFC) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (9-0, 1-0 UFC) Featherweights
They were trading back-and-forth early on with Jason getting the better of it, even dropping Kennedy for a brief moment. Kennedy came back and scored some takedowns on Jason and was pressuring him against the fence while standing. Kennedy was landing some good elbows and punches from inside the guard of Jason as the round came to a close. 10-9 first round for Kennedy.
Jason was landing some good punches early in the second but Kennedy was firing back. Jason landed a flying knee that dropped Kennedy and Jason went hunting for the finish with some punches from the top. Kennedy hung on but was stuck on the bottom and unable to scramble out. Jason wasn’t able to pass the guard, either, but was landing from the top. They got stood up and Kennedy landed a low blow kick that caused a break, but nothing happened after they got back to action. 10-9 Jason in the second, 19-19 after two.
Jason was doing some showboating early in the third, including putting his hands behind his back, and it let Kennedy take him down with ease. Jason was able to get to his feet but Kennedy was relentless with a tie-up, but Jason was able to escape. Kennedy then scored another takedown in the center of the Octagon. Jason was landing elbows from the bottom but Kennedy was mixing it up from the top. Jason was going for submissions from the bottom but Kennedy was escaping and able to take Jason down again. Kennedy got another two more takedowns late and was landing at the end. 10-9 round three for Kennedy and I have it 29-28 Kennedy.
All of the judges had it for Kennedy, including a judge giving him a 10-8 round, which could have been the third.
Official Result- Jeremy Kennedy def. Rony Jason by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Michel Prazeres (21-2, 5-2 UFC) vs. Josh Burkman (28-14 1 NC, 6-9 1 NC UFC) Lightweights
Prazeres rocked Burkman early and often and had Burkman in a lot of trouble. Prazeres took him down and was pounding away from the back but Burkman was surviving. Prazeres took the fight down and had a north-south choked locked in which got Burkman to tap out. Impressive performance from Prazeres as he just dominated Burkman.
Official Result- Michel Prazeres def. Josh Burkman by submission (north-south choke) at 1:42 of Round 1
> Rani Yahya (#14, 23-8 1 NC, 8-2 1 NC UFC) vs. Joe Soto (17-5, 2-3 UFC) Bantamweights
Yahya was aggressive early but then got dropped by a right hand from Soto. Soto celebrated but Yahya got up and shook it off. Each man landed a hard punch and each shook it off. They were each landing some good punches and the grappling was being avoided for most of the round. Yahya got a takedown but Soto grabbed the neck looking for a guillotine but abandoned it. Yahya got into the guard and finished on top. Close, good round but I go 10-9 for Yahya there.
They clashed heads and Soto had a cut open and he was gushing blood. They had a break to get it checked but Soto continued on. Yahya was going for takedowns but they were getting defended. Soto was landing on the feet and defending takedowns. Yahya was landing some combinations and was getting desperate for the takedown. Soto still bleeding heavily. They were trading and both are looking tired. Soto reversed a takedown attempt and Soto ended on top and was landing. Soto got Yahya mounted and was landing late but both men survived. 10-9 second round for Soto and 19-19 after two.
Yahya had to be carried to the stool after the second round and he looks gassed. Yahya went for a takedown but Soto sprawled and ended up on top. Soto was landing from the top and Yahya wasn’t doing much to get up from the bottom. There is so much blood everywhere. Soto in complete control from the top and Yahya can’t do a thing from the bottom. Yahya got up and they were trading late. Yahya landed a nice combo but Soto got a late takedown. 10-9 Soto in the third, 29-28 Soto overall.
Soto took the decision on all scorecards, winning two rounds. Two judges had a 10-8, likely the third.
Official Result- Joe Soto def. Rani Yahya by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
Moraes landed a big right hand early on. They were trading with neither man getting any sort of an advantage. They aren’t doing much and the crowd started to boo. Ramos was looking to land the jab and did a couple of times. Not much happened in this round, Moraes was more aggressive. 10-9 for Moraes.
It was a lot of the same in the second but Ramos was on the more aggressive side early on. Moraes went for the front kicks but was eating a jab every time he got in close. Moraes was starting to land with more volume late. Ramos went for a takedown but Moraes sprawled away. 10-9 second for Ramos and I had it 19-19 after two.
Both men need this round and neither were doing much to win it. Moraes was throwing more but a lot of it was a staring contest. Ramos was starting to throw with volume but he wasn’t landing. Moraes was actually landing the punches he was throwing. This was real boring. 10-9 Moraes in the third. I had it 29-28 Moraes.
Moraes took all three rounds on all scorecards. Who cares though as this fight was bad. Neither man deserved to win.
Official Result- Sergio Moraes def. Davi Ramos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Francisco Trinaldo (#11, 21-4, 11-3 UFC) vs. Kevin Lee (14-2, 7-2 UFC) Lightweights
Trinaldo got Lee pressed against the fence early but Lee reversed to a takedown. Lee was on top but Trinaldo scrambled to his feet. Trinaldo rocked Lee with a left hand that had Lee hurt so Lee went in for a takedown but it was defended. Lee landed a right but Trinaldo fired back with a hard left hand. Trinaldo landed in the clinch. Trinaldo hurt Lee and stuffed a takedown and was landing big left hands. Lee landed a knee to the body. Lee went for another takedown with no success. Trinaldo landed a big left hand at the end. 10-9 Trinaldo.
They were going back-and-forth with their strikes early on in the second. Trinaldo cracked Lee with a left hand. Lee went for a long, telegraphed takedown that was easily stuffed. Lee landed a head kick that rocked Trinaldo. Trinaldo went for a takedown but Lee ended up in the mount. Lee took the back and was looking for a choke. Lee had it locked in and Trinaldo tapped! Big win for Kevin Lee as Trinaldo had won eight straight fights coming into this.
Lee called out Khabib Nurmagomedov after this fight. I don’t think he’s going to get that fight right now, though.
Official Result- Kevin Lee def. Francisco Trinaldo by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:12 of Round 2
FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Alex Oliveira (16-3-1 2 NC, 5-2 1 NC UFC) vs. Tim Means (26-7-1 1 NC, 8-4 1 NC UFC) Welterweights
Oliveira landed a body kick early and then scored a takedown. Means was able to get back to his feet but Oliveira had him pressed against the fence. Oliveira had a big slam but Means got up. Oliveira got another two takedowns. Means kept popping back up. Means then reversed another takedown and was in side control. Means landed a couple of short elbows. Good end of the round for Means but I still had it the other way, 10-9 Oliveira.
Oliveira did some dancing at the start of the round and was scolded by John McCarthy. Oliveira scored another takedown but Means popped up only to get taken back down. Oliveira had the back with the hooks in looking for the choke. He had it locked in and Oliveira got Means to tap out! Impressive showing by Oliveira.
Official Result- Alex Oliveira def. Tim Means by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:38 of Round 2
> Bethe Correia (#9, 10-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Marion Reneau (#13, 7-3, 3-2 UFC) Women’s Bantamweights
They were trading early and Reneau was getting the better of it. They clinched for a moment with nothing happening. Reneau landed with some knees in the clinch and a couple of body kicks. Correia was just standing in range but did land some punches. Reneau was landing better before Correia scored a takedown late and ended with some top punches. 10-9 Correia in the first,
Reneau was slowing in the second round and Correia was starting to find her punches even rocking Reneau with a right hand. Correia rocked her again with an uppercut. Reneau landed an uppercut herself. Correia scored a takedown into the guard. Reneau was looking for a triangle but Correia slid out. Correia ended the round on top. 10-9 Correia, 20-18 Correia after two.
Reneau stunned Correia with a head kick and was going after the finish with punches. Correia tried a takedown to recover but Reneau was able to slightly get the back and was landing some big punches and elbows. Reneau got into the mount and was unloading with punches looking to finish. It could be stopped as those punches are huge. Correia tried to reverse but Reneau reversed back to half-guard. Reneau landing lots of elbows. Reneau took the back and had the hooks locked in. Reneau was landing from the back but Correia somehow survived the round. 10-8 round for Reneau and I have it a 28-28 draw. Correia got to her feet and danced like she won the fight, but that is in question.
This one ended in a majority draw. One judge had it 29-27 for Reneau, giving her two rounds with a likely 10-8 in the third. The other two had it 28-28, likely with Correia winning one and two and Reneau with a 10-8 third. The fact that all of the judges seemed to score the third 10-8 for Renau is definitely the correct call, and surprising at the same time as judges can be stingy with that score. It was the correct call.
Official Result- Bethe Correia vs. Marion Reneau scored a majority draw (29-27 Reneau, 28-28, 28-28)
> Jussier Formiga (#3, 19-4, 5-3 UFC) vs. Ray Borg (#8, 10-2, 4-2 UFC) Flyweights
They were even on the feet early before the battle in the clinch took over. Both were landing knees but Formiga had the pressure. Borg landed on the break. Formiga was getting the better of the exchanges on the feet but Borg was landing as well. Formiga landed an excellent combination at the end and a spinning back fist at the end as well. 10-9 Formiga.
Formiga was landing some good strikes and Borg went in for a takedown but it was defended. Borg still had Formiga pressured up against the fence. Not much was happening so Mario Yamasaki broke them away from the fence. Both were landing some good strikes and Formiga in particular landed a nice leg kick. Borg went for a late takedown to no avail. Close round. 10-9 Formiga, 20-18 Formiga.
Formiga got a takedown and transitioned right to mount but Borg was able to scramble out and had the back for Formiga before they got upright against the fence. Formiga ended up getting Borg to the mat and had the back despite a big fence grab by Borg. Borg was able to switch and got to the top in the guard. Borg waslanding from the top and Formiga was cut open. Borg landing good with big elbows from inside the guard. Formiga scrambles and Borg takes the back. Formiga got Borg into his half-guard as the fight ended. Close fight overall. 10-9 Borg in the third but I have it 29-28 Formiga.
Borg got 29-28 scores on all three scorecards to take the decision. A very big win for him. After the fight, he said he has some things to work on with his coaches (he is coached by Greg Jackson, Mike Winklejohn, Brandon Gibson and that crew), but that he is coming after Demetrious Johnson.
Official Result- Ray Borg def. Jussier Formiga by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
They were firing away at each other early on. Dariush was landing some left hands but Barboza was landing the jab and a head kick. Barboza landed a big body kick but Dariush was landing the left hand in return. Dariush has been very busy this round. Barboza landed another body kick and then another. Barboza started to get busy late but it may have not been enough to get the round. Close round though. 10-9 Dariush.
Barboza with a body kick but Dariush landed a head kick that was partially blocked. Barboza landed a counter right hand but Dariush with a spinning back fist. Dariush went for a takedown but it is defended. Barboza landed a heavy leg kick. They were trading and then a groin shot on Dariush. Out of nowhere a big flying knee from Barboza knocked Dariush out cold. One of the best knockouts of this young year so far, an incredible finish from Barboza.
Official Result- Edson Barboza def. Beneil Dariush by knockout (flying knee) at 3:35 of Round 2
> Mauricio Rua (#6, 24-10, 8-8 UFC) vs. Gian Villante (#12, 15-7, 5-4 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Rua dropped Villante early but Villante got right back up. They were trading and Villante landed a left hook that had Rua rocked. Rua was in trouble but Villante clinched and Rua recovered. Rua landed a right hand after they broke that stunned Villante. Rua was landing his punches in close range. They were trading punches. Rua dropped Villante again but Villante up. Rua rocked him again. Rua started landing the jab. Villante landed the jab. Rua landed a late combo. 10-9 Rua.
They were trading again early. Zero head movement from Villante. Villante landed a nice left hook and had Rua retreating for a moment. Rua landed a big right hand countering a leg kick. They were trading and both men landed big punches. It feels like a knockout is coming at any moment. Rua landed a big right hand and Villante slipped to the mat. Rua landed a big right hand late. 10-9 Rua, 20-18 Rua after two.
Both men have been eating huge punches. Rua rocked Villante and started attacking the body. Villante was in a lot of trouble and Rua started teeing off against the fence with a barrage of punches and finally it was stopped by Mario Yamasaki. Great fight. Rua has now won three straight fights for the first time in ten years.
Official Result- Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua def. Gian Villante by TKO (punches) at :59 of Round 3
Belfort tried a spin kick early but Gastelum was too close for it to properly land. They traded left hands. Belfort just missed a flying knee but it did hit the chest. Spinning kick from Belfort lands. Gastelum drops Belfort with a left hand and is going for the finish but Belfort survives. Gastelum in the guard and looking for a choke. Belfort back to his feet. Belfort rocked Gastelum with a combo. Gastelum knocks Belfort down with another left hand and after another punch it is stopped by John McCarthy. Gastelum looked great here. He called for a fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 212 on June 3 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Belfort mentioned he has one fight left on his contract and hopes to fight in Rio as well.
Official Result- Kelvin Gastelum def. Vitor Belfort by TKO (punches) at 3:52 of Round 1
UFC returns to Fox Sports One Saturday with a fairly stacked show from Fortaleza, Brazil, headlined by former UFC titleholder Vitor Belfort taking on one-time welterweight Kelvin Gastelum.
The latter is unbeaten at 185 in the UFC, including a TUF tourney win at that weight several years ago.
Near the top of the card, former UFC light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua returns to battle journeyman Gian Villante while we get a must-see fight between two top 10 lightweight contenders in Edson Barboza and Beneil Dariush.
The show also features two flyweights looking to get a title shot (Jussier Formiga vs. Ray Borg) while former title challenger Bethe Correia fights on her home soil against Marion Reneau to round out the main card.
If you’re new here, our panel picks are listed below and listed alongside the fighter’s names are their worldwide FightMatrix rankings, as well as BestFightOdds.com betting odds. The panelist’s 2017 records is in parentheses, and we also have panel consensus picks as well as a line where we show how the betting favorites did:
Dave Meltzer (15-4; .789) — Wrestling Observer publisher
Front Row Brian (9-10; .474) — MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host
> Vitor Belfort (25-13) vs Kelvin Gastelum (14-2) MIDDLEWEIGHTS
The 39-year-old Belfort is a first ballot HOF’er and former two-time UFC champion, but is looking for his first win since 2015 after back-to-back losses to Jacare Souza and Gegard Mousasi.
Standing across the cage will be a man 14 years his junior in Gastelum. He has struggled with weight-cutting issues at 170 lbs but since moving to middleweight, he’s looked great. He finished the very tough Tim Kennedy last time out, sending him into retirement. After hitting 10-0, he’s 3-2 in his last five with a two-fight win streak.
Belfort’s UFC title opportunites are far behind him, but with a win here, Gastelum could enter the conversation in what is becoming a very crowded group at the top of the middleweight division. At the very least, he would remain the “interesting fight” category.
> Shogun Rua (24-10) vs Gian Villante (15-7) LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
Another former UFC champion, Rua has a mediocre 8-8 UFC record but has faced only the top level of competition during his run in the Octagon. Even for people calling for his retirement the past few years, he is on a two-fight win streak for the first time since 2009 as he makes one final run in his legendary career.
His opponent is also on a good run, having won four of his last six. This will be the biggest fight of his career. His last three wins have all come by KO, something Rua will have to watch for given that his last two defeats came via T/KO.
> Edson Barboza (18-4) vs Beneil Dariush (14-2) LIGHTWEIGHTS
Many experts are pointing to this as the fight to watch on this show. The 31-year-old Barboza beat former champions in each of his last two fights, scoring wins over both Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez in 2016, and is 3-2 in his last five.
Dariush has lost just one of his last eight fights and scored an impressive win over top prospect Rashid Magomedov in November after a June KO over rising division foe James Vick.
Both of these two are dynamic fighters and this has “fight of the night” written all over it.
> Jussier Formiga (19-4) vs Ray Borg (10-2) FLYWEIGHTS
If Barboza vs. Dariush doesn’t do it for you, this is the most relevant in terms of title contention of any fight on the show with two top flyweights vying to be the next in line to dethrone King Demetrious.
Formiga’s career goes all the way back to the WEC days. He’s won 4 of his last 5 fights, including a win over the next challenger to DJ in Wilson Reis. The 31-year-old is coming off a September decison win over Dustin Ortiz, rebounding from a split decision loss to title contender Henry Cejudo.
Borg has also won four of five and is just 23 years old. He beat Louis Smolka last time out, which was the biggest win of his career.
> Bethe Correia (10-2) vs Marion Reneau (7-3) WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS
The 33-year-old Correia is most famous for her feud with Ronda Rousey’s “Four Horsewomen”, which culminated with a title challenge defeat to Rousey at UFC 190 in Brazil. The “Pitbull” returns to her native country to compete for the first time since that defeat and is 1-1 in her last two.
Reneau is 39 years, but started lates so is not that old in “fighting years”. Her 3rd round KO win over Milana Dudieva in November snapped a two-fight losing streak and may have saved her job. A win here could put her in the top 10.
> Tim Means (26-7-1) vs Alex Oliveira (16-4-1) WELTERWEIGHTS
Means #23; -181 betting favorite
Oliveira #25; +205 betting underdog
> Francisco Trinaldo (21-4) vs Kevin Lee (14-2) LIGHTWEIGHTS
Trinaldo #13; +153 betting underdog
Lee #20; -149 betting favorite
> Sergio Moraes (11-2-1) vs Davi Ramos (6-1) WELTERWEIGHTS
Moraes #42; -211 betting favorite
Ramos #195 at lightweight; +215 betting underdog
> Joe Soto (17-5) vs Rani Yahya (23-8) BANTAMWEIGHTS
Soto #38; +191 betting underdog
Yahya #14; -175 betting favorite
> Josh Burkman (28-14) vs Michel Prazeres (21-2) LIGHTWEIGHTS
Burkman #94 at welterweight; -226 betting favorite
Prazeres #32; +241 betting underdog
> Rony Jason (14-6) vs Jeremy Kennedy (9-0) FEATHERWEIGHTS
Jason #81; -102 betting underdog
Kennedy #123 at lightweight; -105 betting favorite
> Garreth McLellan (13-5) vs Paulo Henrique Costa (8-0) MIDDLEWEIGHTS
McLellan #142; +252 betting underdog
Costa #96; -250 betting favorite
Action begins with the Fight Pass prelims at 7 PM EST and moves over to FS 1 at 8 PM EST. The main card continues on FS 1 at 10 PM EST, covered by our Ryan Frederick.
It’s midnight here in Manchester and we are live from cageside. It’s taken them thirteen years but finally the UFC have made British fans stay up all night to watch live action. You may think I’m annoyed but this actually saves me buying a hotel room so I’m a-ok with working to Zuffa o’clock! Plus it gave me a chance to check out today’s What Culture Pro-Wrestling show – which from what I saw was a lot of fun.
In the main event Michael Bisping defends his newly win middleweight title against Dan Henderson. I think the true brilliance of this fight has been lost by the predominately American media. Yes, Dan Henderson ending his career by winning the title at tender age of 46 years old would be an absolutely amazing story but Bisping finally get his hands on Henderson will also be a terrific story. That devastating two-punck knockout defeat at UFC 100 did lasting damage to Bisping’s career.
Not only did it prevent him getting a title shot when British MMA was at its hottest but it made him far more risk adverse in the Octagon. He would let fights drift rather than take risks to truly hurt his opponents – a failing that would cost him dearly against Wanderlei Silva. It’s only as he’s became more aggressive that he’s started to show fans what he can do. Until recently Bisping wouldn’t have sufficiently pushed the action against Anderson Silva to earn the decision, nor would he have had the killer instinct to finish Luke Rockhold.
Below the first lineal (as opposed to an interim) championship match on British soil since 2008 we have Gegard Mousasi being given the chance to annihilate the fighter formerly known as The New Vitor Belfort while Jimmi Manuwa faces Ovince St. Preux in the biggest fight of his career. Below that its very much a typical British card with local and European fighters such as Stefan Struve and Brad Pickett in winnable matches.
> Leonardo Santos def. Adriano Martins by split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29) Lightweights
This lightweight bout is the only one to not feature a single British or European fighter, with two Brazilian lightweights meeting. One predictable consequence of the late start-time is that the arena is packed for the first prelim, with there being barely any empty seats. I don’t what tonight’s arranagements are but I remember when I went to Carl Froch fight Andre Dirrell in the middle of the night, the arena demanded that everyone be in the arena for 11pm with no readmission allowed. God, they made us watch some awful fights that night.
Round One
Nothing much connected in the first round despite both men looking to throw, much to the annoyance of the crowd who quickly started whistling. It was a lot of circling around the Octagon, with neither man showing much ring intelligence as they one-dimensionally ran after each other. Santos probably did enough to earn the round but really you could score it either way given how little actually happened. 10-9 to Santos.
Round Two
Santos begins the round looking for a kick to the body. Martins coming forward but Santos lands a strong kick to the body. Santos misses with a high kick, and Martins lands a couple of kicks to the thigh in response. Martins blocks a high kick from Santos, as the crowd once again get irritated. Santos is the aggressor but he’s really not doing that much. Martins lands a leg-kick. Santos with a kick to the mid-section followed by a jab. Santos goes for a cross but Martins’ blocks. Neither man is really trying to put genuine combinations together which is making it easy to miss.
Santos land a decent high kick. Martins misses with a wild punch and then finds his kick to the body dropped. Santos lands a kick to the body but almost leaves his chin exposes, only just leaning back enough to avoid Martins’ punch. Both men miss shots, only for Santos to cleanly land a high kick. Fans again boo the fight but that was a marginally better than the first round. That was also more clearly for Santos, who now leads 20-18 on my scorecard.
Round Three
Both swinging and missing to begin the final round. Santos connects with a nice leg-kick. Santos connecting with the jab. Martins responds with a leg kick. Fans are once again getting bored of this fight. Santos has the first takedown attempt of the fight but its comfortably blocked. Santos lands a couple of punches. Martins at best grazes Santos with a straight punch. Martins trying to push Santos up against the cage, and actually connects with a couple of punches.
Martins has probably pushed the action more than Santos this round. He lands two good leg-kicks, as he does a good job of controlling the centre of the Octagon. Again Martins force Santos to circle along the Octagon wall, with the leg-kicks having clearly hurt Santos. Santos has been cut from one of Martins’ punches…and for a brief second it looks like there’s a chance of a finish. But Santos manages to ride out the clock.
That was definitively Martins’ round, with the last couple of minutes the first example of someone actually using superior footwork to control the fight.
However I have it 29-28 to Santos – although the first round had so little action it really could be judged either way. And the judges have it…as split decision for Leonardo Santos. A perfectly fair decision but by no means was that a good fight. The crowd boo Santos – I think we can say we’re going to have a rowdy crowd tonight. Can’t think what substance may be contributing to that.
> Mike Perry def. Danny Roberts by 3rd round TKO (4:40) Welterweights
Round One
A thunderous reaction for both fighters, with the partisan crowd buying into the British vs. American clash. Roberts goes low and then high with kicks to start. Perry chases him down and lands a low kick of his own. Both men exchange low kicks. Perry seemingly woke Roberts up, with the Brit landing two heavy punches.
Roberts doing well, including landing a Muay Thai knee to the head. Roberts still pushing the action, only to get caught by Perry. Perry follows up with a couple more punches to the head, rocking Roberts. Perry pushes the dazed Brit to the floor. Perry controlling Roberts on the ground, but despite giving up his back, Roberts manages to escape and make it back to his feet. Both men throwing and missing. Roberts connects with a couple of kicks but its Perry who finishes the round the stronger and comes very close to finishing the Brit.
Once again he connects with several punches and forces Roberts to the ground. He is trying to work his ground and pound, when the bell goes. Perry’s round – I suppose there’s an argument for 10-8 but I think Roberts’ probably did enough to keep it 10-9.
Round Two
The near-finish hasn’t dented Roberts’ natural aggression, with him still swinging for the fences against the American. Neither man is connecting with much compared to the first round – with Roberts noticeably missing with some wild kicks. Perry is trying to take control of the centre of the Octagon, but Roberts lands a nice straight jab. Perry connects with some good short punches in the clinch. Roberts misses with another Thai knee.
Perry tries to work over Roberts up against the fence, but Robert bulls his way out of it with a takedown attempt. Perry comes close with a right hand-left hand combination. Perry seems to be tiring, keeping his hands by his sides as Roberts lands several punches to the jaw. Perry seems absolutely exhausted and Roberts is literally landing punches at will. But the American has a granite jaw – never seeming in danger of being knocked down.
Then suddenly Perry lands a counter, knocks Roberts down, and is working over the Brit on the ground as the fight comes to an end. Great round. No idea how you score that – on balance I would probably say Perry did the most damage but Roberts more than played his part. He is however down 20-18 on my scorecard.
Round Three
The third round picks up where the last one left off. Perry works over Roberts up against the fence, but Roberts manages to get out. There’s an electric atmosphere for this fight. Perry looks very tired. Roberts lands a couple of good punches and goes close with a right-left. Perry is pushing forward but Roberts doing a good job of evading.
Roberts staggers Perry as the American tried to walk him down – landing a straight punch square on the jaw. Perry is a tough competitor – he has taken some real hard shots in this fight and has barely flinched. Perry blocks a high kick and threatens with a cartwheel kick! Roberts lands a head-kick square to the jaw that doesn’t faze Perry in the slightest. Roberts is bleeding badly from the left eye. Perry sneaks in some good punches when countering the increasing wild crosses of the Brit.
Roberts is starting to tire. They exchange up against the fence. Perry stuns Roberts with a knee to the head, Roberts staggers back, Perry lands a good punch, pushes him down, and then finishes the fight on the ground. Great fight – the fans loved that just as much as they hated the first one.
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS —
> Marc Diakiese defeated Lukasz Sajewski by 2nd round TKO (4:21) Lightweights
Round One
Diakiese is a genuine hometown fighter – hailing from Manchester itself. As you would expect strongly partisan reaction to the two fighters whose names are a livebloggers nightmare. Diakiese immediately tries to engage with Sajewski but it’s the Pole who wins the grappling tussel. Sajewski has side-control, much to annoyance of the fans. Diakiese manages to move back to half-guard but Sajewski is looking for the armbar.
Sajewski trying to throw elbows on the ground. Diakiese gets back to his feet, Sajewski going for the guillotine choke and Diakiese just dumps to the ground. That’s as near as you’re going to see to a body slam in UFC. Great spot. Diakiese tries to press the advantage but Sajewski manages to escape. The Pole takes the Brit down again. Sajewski quickly moves to half guard. Diakiese manages to roll through and briefly threaten with a knee-bar.
Back on the feet and Diakiese is looking to strike, landing some kicks that Sajewski manages to block. The Pole ties him up again against the fence as the buzzer sounds. Well there was only one winner of that round, no matter how awesome the slam was. 10-9 to Sajewski despite the oddly one-eyed highlights shown on the big screen that focus on what Diakiese did.
Round Two
Diakiese tries to push the action to begin with, connecting with an overhand punch. He connects with some good short punches and is looking to work Sajewski up against the cage. Diakiese doing a better job of not overcommitting this round, so making him less vunerable to the takedown. He lands a great jumping knee to the Pole’s jaw. Sajewski is clearly a fairly limited fighter on the feet, with Diakiese’s offnce being far crisper.
Sajewski makes a half-hearted attempt for the takedown but Diakiese is equal to it. Diakiese looking to land, misses with a wild cross. Both men seemed to have slowed down. Diakiese working over Sajewski up against the fence – landing some good straight punches. Sajewski tries to lunge after Diakiese, a reckless mistake that once again leaves up against the fence.
Diakiese unloads on the Pole, landing punch after punch, to an opponent that whilst he doesn’t seem in any danger of falling down, clearly isn’t defending himself. After standing up to numerous punches, when Sajewski legs momentarily buckle, the referee steps in to call it a night. Good victory for the hometown fighter.
> Leon Edwards def. Albert Tumenov by 3rd round submission (3:01) Welterweights
Round One
Edwards with a kick the body. And another. Edwards throwing the jab to keep distance. Tumenov not really doing anything so far. Edwards tries to land some punches but Tumenov does a good evasive job. Edwards somehow manages to take Tumenov down with a sloppy, lunging takedown. Edwards in half guard but not really doing anything from top position. Might be working for an arm-in-triangle choke. Moves to side-control.
Tumenov briefly threatens to get up but Edwards takes him down again. Tumenov tries to get back, but Edwards holds him up against the cage. Tumenov on his knees, with Edwards on his back, but nothing is happening. Despite the Brit winning the fans patience is being sorely tested. Not enough to boo the fight though. Edwards round 10-9.
Round Two
A very different round to the first one with most of the action taking place on the feet. Edwards tried to push the action to begin with but it certainly seemed that Tumenov was the person getting the better of the exchanges. It would be fair to say that this fight hasn’t exactly caught fire. Still its pretty funny to see how much more tolerant the crowd is of a British fighter stinking the joint out. 19-19 on my scorecard.
Round Three
Tumenov pushing the action, but Edwards fires back with a jab. Tumenov misses with a high kick. Tumenov is controlling the centre of the Octagon, forcing Edwards back against the fence. He lands a good right hand. Tumenov walking Edwards down, but good do with being more active. Edwards goes for a takedown but fails to get it. Just after successfully blocking a kick by grabbing Edwards’ leg, Tumenov makes the mistake of having his own leg caught from a kick. This gives Edwads the opportunity to take him down with half the round still to go. He takes Tumenov’s back, and quickly applies the rear-naked choke for the submission victory.
> Damian Stasiak def. Davey Grant by 3rd round submission (3:56) Bantamweights
Round One
Stasiak quickly takes Grant down, which is pleasing because after the Edwards fight people might get confused that British fighters are good at wrestling. Grant does a good job of using butterfly guard to stop him from pressing the advantage. They’re back to the feet, and Grant throws a flashy kick and back fist. Neither means much. Grant is going for the takedown, and gets it despite Stasiak’s resistance. They quickly get back to their feet however.
Grant performs a nice little trip but can’t control Stasiak. They’re grappling in clinch up against the fence, and ultimately separate. After the fight drifts for awhile, Stasiak goes very close with a spinning back kick. They end up on the ground, with Grant on top position but he doesn’t have time to press the advantage. Odd round. Plenty happened but little of it meant anything with both men neutralising each other. On balance Grant did more but it could be judged either way. 10-9 to Stasiak.
Round Two
Grant looking to push the action at the start of the second round. He unloads on Stasiak up against the fench, working over the body of the Pole with numerous punches. Grant hurts Stasiak with a good cross to the body. With Stasiak walking backwards as the Brit tries to press the advantage. Stasiak connects with a spinning backfist, he also badly misses with another. Stasiak manages to complete a takedown but Grant quickly gets back to the feet.
They’re against the fence again, and Grant gets some good shots in. Grant drops down, looking for an armbar. He doesn’t get it, with Stasiak taking top position. Stasiak is out of guard but Grant uses the fence to flip over and take Stasiak’s back. They disengage whilst still on the ground, Grant hesitates before throwing a punch, and Stasiak ends the round in top position.
Again a close round with both men doing a good job of keeping it tight. Stasiak probably got the better of the grappling but Grant landed the better strikes. It could go either way, but on balance I’d give that round to Grant, so giving him a clear edge on the scorecards. 20-18 to the Brit.
Round Three
Stasiak starts with a kick to the body. Grant misses with a straight punch and only grazes with a high kick. Stasiak tries to clinch, but Grant isn’t interested. Grant connects with a punch, but an attempted clinch goes nowhere. Stasiak completes a takedown up against the fence but Grant quickly gets back to his feet.
A second takedown from the Pole is reversed, with Grant in top position. Stasiak manages to lock in an armbar. Grant fights to escape, but in rolling over, Grant actually makes the angle more actue. He’s forced to tap but it takes the referee several seconds to notice.
Alcantara takes it to Pickett at the very start, landing some big shots – his kicks and knees look a ot sharper than anything the Brit can fire back with. The Brazilian knocks Picket down hard with a spinning back elbow. Pickett does well to not be finished with ground punches. Alcantara is literally sitting on Pickett’s chest.
Goes for a triangle, threatens to switch to the armbar, only to double down on the triangle choke. Pickett tries to roll out but is trapped up against the fence where he has no choice but to tap out. This might be it for Pickett – he’s not looked himself for a long time.
PPV MAIN CARD —
Welcome to the main card of UFC 204. It is 3am here in Manchester but the crowd is still going strong. Indeed, if anything they seem a bit louder than usual…as if they’ve been refreshed by beverages of one kind or another. If there’s any doubts about the attitude of this crowd then the loud boos when Dan Henderson appeared on screen should dispel them. This is Bisping country!
> Mirsad Bektic def. Russell Doane by first round submission (4:21) Featherweights
Round One
Doane causes Bektic to stumble after catching him with an overhand right. They both go for looping punches up close – neither seems to land. Bektic gets a takedown although Doane does a good job of first neutralising him in guard and then getting back to his feet. However Bektic won’t let go, and keeps trying to slam him back down. We seem to have hit a stalemate, with Bektic unable to complete the takedown but Doane unable to escape.
Doane really is working hard to avoid being put on his back. The referee is letting these rather than bloodless exchanges go on for a very long time. Which is just as well because Bektic’s patience is finally rewarded. Bektic finally gets the fight back to the ground, having Doane’s back whilst the American is sitting up.
He then gets underhooks in looking for the rear-naked choke. Doane does well to resist but there’s simply too much time on the clock, and Bektic gets the submission victory.
> Stefan Struve def. Daniel Omielanczuk by second round submission (1:41) Heavyweights
Round One
If you’ve never seen him in real-life you cannot understand just how enormous Stefan Struve is – he towers over Omielanczuk. Struve throwing kicks to the body, whilst Omielanczuk tries to bull forward. Omielanczuk lands a left hook to the jaw of Struve. Struve with some good kicks to the body. Omielanczuk sneaks in another punch to the chin of Struve – this shouldn’t be possible. Seriously why does no one try to teach Struve how to jab?
Omielanczuk continue to get shots in, and briefly gets a takedown. Omielanczuk pushing Struve up against the cage. Very even fight so far. Struve forces Omielanczuk to the ground, and has side-control. Struve transitions to top control, then takes Omielanczuk back when the Pole tries to escape. Struve looking for the rear-naked choke, with just over a minute left. Struve struggling to get it fully applied. It looks like the fighters will ride this position out to the end of the round. Very even on the feet due to Struve’s continued inability to make the most of his natural gifts but he was dominant on the ground. 10-9 to Struve.
Round Two
Both men try to go high to begin with, but both miss. Omielanczuk bizarrely tries to take Struve down again – clearly having learnt nothing from the Dutchman’s grappling advantage last time. Omielanczuk pushes Struve up against the fence, and predictably Struve reverses. The two men are grappling for control up against the fence, Struve gets the trip, and ends up in an unorthodox top position.
He then roles for an D’Arce choke, gets trapped up against the cage, flips Omielanczuk over and secures the submission. A deserved submission for his grappling dominance, and its baffling Omielanczuk didn’t learn the lesson of the 1st round. That is now the fifth submission victory in succession.
> Jimi Manuwa def. Ovince Saint Preux by second round KO (2:38) Light Heavyweights
It is now 4am here in Manchester and I have to admit that I’m starting to feel a little bit tired. But we push through, because this fight should be interesting. Given the shocking lack of depth at light heavyweight it’s no exaggeration to say that that the winner of this match could next fight for the title. Think about it – Jones is still suspended, Gustafsson has again withdrawn from injury, Glover was destroyed in his last fight. Who’s left to fight the winner of Daniel Cormier vs. Rumble Johnson?
Round One
Leg kicks from Manuwa, but OSP quickly ties him up against the cage. Knees to the body of Manuwa. OSP is working for a takedown but the Brit is doing a good job of defending. More knees from OSP, but eventually they separate. Manuwa tries to engage but OSP shrugs him off. If I were Manuwa I wouldn’t keep trying to go for a takedown – I doubt he’d do well on the ground against OSP. Manuwa just misses with a knee. They clinch up against the fence, and OSP just about completes the takedown.
Manuwa is in danger of giving up his back. They’re right up against the fence so there’s not a lot of room for OSP to get the submission. OSP seems to let Manuwa up so he can get a takedown away from the cage, Manuwa counters the takedown with a guillotine choke attempt. However its never properly applied, and so OSP is able to escape unharmed. OSP takes Manuwa’s back again, and peppers his head with punches. Manuwa makes it back to his feet as the round ends. That round was clearly Ovince Saint Preux’s, 10-9.
Round Two
OSP working Manuwa over with legs to begin with. Manuwa lands a nice right hand-left hand combination. OSP goes for a takedown but Manuwa shoots straight back up. OSP tries to push him against the cage, but they disengage. Manuwa lands a good combination, followed by a straight punch. The Brit’s striking is much sharper this round. OSP misses a punch, but lands a front kick. Manuwa lands a high kick of his own.
Manuwa lands some good punches to the body – he might have been looking for a liver punch. OSP rests against the fence, and Manuwa connects with a flying knee. OSP is starting to look tired. Manuwa goes down low again, then connects with a lovely right cross that causes OSP’s legs to buckle.
Manuwa misses with his next two punches but then a short left knocks Ovince St. Preux out cold! A huge victory for Jimi Manuwa – this could potentially set him up for a big fight next time out.
> Gegard Mousasi def. Vitor Belfort by second round TKO (2:43) Middleweights
Round One
A mixed reaction to Vitor Belfort – there were certainly some jeers but they ended up being drowned out by cheers. Mousasi with a leg kick, then a high kick. Another leg-kick from Mousasi. Belfort lands a left hook, goes forward, but Mousasi evades the next blow. Mousasi with a jab. Mousasi doing a nice job of walking Belfort down although he could do with being more aggressive. Mousasi uses a punch as a feint for the takedown, but Belfort blocks.
Mousasi goes in with a punch, misses, Belfort answers with one of his own. Given how bad Belfort has looked in recent fights, Mousasi should be looking for the finish rather than grinding him down. Belfort with a high-kick. Mousasi walking Belfort down but not throwing much – as always he’s a very cautious fighter. Jab from Mousasi. Leg-kicks from Mousasi. High-kick from Belfort. Mousasi clips him with a cross, Belfort looks stunned, but is able to tie Mousasi up when the Dutchman tries to press the advantage.
They clinch up against the cage, but Belfort manages to escape. Mousasi competes a takedown as the buzzer goes. Typical Mousasi fight – the striking is technically excellent but is taking no chances. 10-9 to Mousasi.
Round Two
Mousasi with a jab. Mousasi with a kick to the mid-section. Mousasi with a good jab. Belfort fires back with a punch. If Mousasi carries Belfort for fifteen minutes, then his next fight should be against Cain Velasquez. And just as I type that, Mousasi shows what he can actually do. He stuns with Belfort with a head kick, and then just unloads on the Brazilian up against the cage.
He worked Belfort over with numerous punches, showing tremendous handspeed and shot-selection. His uppercuts were particularly potent in opening up the former champion. A thrillingly violent dissection. Belfort manages to escape but is quickly taken down, where Mousasi finishes him with more punches. Great stuff – more of this from Gegard Mousasi would be most welcome.
> UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping def. Dan Henderson by unanimous decision
So it’s just a smidgen before 5am in the morning, and its time for our main event. It should be noted that this is a rare match where the entrances themselves are historic. For the final time ever, Dan Henderson walks out for a match. Few men in combat sports have been such a sustained presence in the elite ranks. He is a former UFC tournament winner, two-weight Pride FC champion and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion. He is the man who defeated Fedor Emelianenko and against Shogun Rua was one half of the greatest fight in the sport’s history. He deserves to get that final chance to win the title that always alluded him.
But Michael Bisping’s walkout is also historic. He truly was the man who put British MMA on the map, the charismatic face of the sport that turned followers of boxing and pro-wrestling into UFC fans. For him to walkout in his home town to defend the world championship is a sight even his most ardent fans had given hope of ever seeing. Whatever happens he deserves this moment of celebration and vindication.
Round One
As you would expect the crowd is rabid. Henderson is loudly booed, Bisping wildly cheered. Loud let’s go Bisping chant. Bisping with a high kick, and then a left cross. Bisping with a kick to the chest. Henderson throws a jab out. The atmosphere is electric – the crowd is doing football songs. Both men trying to feel each other out with the jab. Henderson misses with a wild swing, Bisping misses with some quick punches too. Henderson again goes for the overhand punch.
Bisping tying to strike from range, doing a good job of mixing the kicks. Henderson misses with a jab, Bisping can’t quite connect with his counter. Bisping misses with a high kick. The whole arena is on its feet chanting ‘Stand Up I f You Love Bisping’ at 5am in the morning. Bisping has been cut. Henderson lands a punch to the shoulder, and goes very close with the overhand right. Henderson rushes forward again, but doesn’t land. Henderson connects with the big right hand! Bisping is down. Henderson is all over the Brit. Bisping desperately trying to get Henderson off him.
Bisping’s face is a bloody mess. Bisping back to his feet. Bisping on the offensive, lands a high-kick. The buzzer goes and this atmosphere is electric. 10-9 to Henderson; could easily be 10-8 but Bisping had been in a control.
Round Two
Bisping is noticeably more aggressive in the second round. He’s walking Henderson down, looking to mix punches and kicks to keep Henderson the back foot. Bisping is starting to land punches to that once granite jaw of Henderson. Bisping with a high kick. Bisping misses with his own overhand right. Bisping gets a short punch in. Bisping misses with the left, but lands the right. Bisping lands a nice leg-kick, high-kick combination that staggers Henderson.
Bisping goes close with a high kick. This round has been all Bisping. Bisping lands another high kick. Follows it up with a punch. Bisping with a knee to the head. Bisping goes close with a front kick. Henderson tries to land a punch but misses. Bisping has Henderson in real trouble after putting together a solid combination following a potential low blow, but the American knocks him down again! This is real drama. They ride out the final minute with Henderson on top.
That was Bisping’s round and it’s all even on the scorecards.
Round Three
Bisping doing well to stay aggressive, and lands a high kick early. Bisping misses with a right hook. Bisping lands a leg-kick. Bisping misses the overhand right. Bisping is able to block the overhand right of Henderson. Leg kick from Bisping. Bisping lands a clubbing punch to Henderson’s head that staggers the American. Bisping misses a straight right. Bisping lands a smart leg kick. Henderson blocks a high kick. Bisping just misses a front kick.
Bisping walking Henderson down, connects with a right hand. Henderson feints a takedown, but Bisping still avoids the right-hand. Henderson goes for another takedown but Bisping stuffs it. Bisping lands another high kick. Bisping lands a strong right hand. Henderson is proving remarkably resilient. Henderson threatens to rush forward but Bisping steps back. Bisping connects with a high kick as the round ends. Clearly Bisping’s round, and so he takes the lead, 29-28.
Round Four
Bisping trying to work the jab to begin the round. Henderson attempts the high kick. Bisping connects with a weak one. Henderson with the leg kick. A less energetic round than the previous one as the battle starts to take its toll. Bisping lands a good high kick, but can’t follow it up. Henderson is hit low. Henderson taking his time with the restart, whilst Bisping plays to the crowd. Bisping lands a high kick, then a punch to the head.
Misses with a few jabs. Henderson rushes forward, but only connects with a leg kick. Bisping with a high kick. Bisping with an oblique kick. Bisping with a jab. Henderson misses with a wild kick. Bisping lands a couple of straight punches. Henderson goes very close with a right hand. Bisping gets a couple of good shots in. Bisping with the leg kick. Bisping misses with the front kick. Bisping lands a good boxing combination. Bisping with another oblique kick. Bisping with a high kick.
They try to engage but nothing comes of it. Another round to Bisping, with the Brit’s superior workrate telling now that he’s managing to avoid the H-Bomb. 39-37 to the champion.
Round Five
By my count Henderson needs a knockout. However he could easily have been given a 10-8 for Round One, or even judged to have squeaked Round Two. High kick from Bisping misses, Henderson lands a right hand but Bisping takes it and fires back. Both men are clearly very tired. Bisping with a kick to the shin.
Bisping lands a jab. Bisping lands a leg kick. Bisping lands a right hand. Bisping’s been opened up again. Bisping with a high kick. Bisping with a good kickboxing combination that finishes with a kick to the mid-section. Bisping misses with a crescent kick! Henderson goes for the body but misses. Henderson goes for an uppercut but misses. Henderson rushes Bisping, gets him down but Bisping gets back to his feet with no damage caused. Back on their feet,
Bisping lands a high kick. Bisping blocks the takedown from Henderson. Bisping blocks the overhand right. Bisping fires a kick back. The crowd is on the their feet as Bisping throws a high knee. Henderson tries to roll through.
Less action than the previous rounds and Henderson was more aggressive, but I still feel Bisping did enough to outpoint him. I have it 49-46 to the champion on my scorecard. I wouldn’t argue with a closer scorecard but I struggle to see how he doesn’t retain. The judges have it 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 for the winner….and still UFC Middleweight Champion, Michael Bisping. The crowd erupts!
Amazing scenes afterwards as the place erupts in love for the hometown champion. This is the key thing that is often overlooked by some commentators – Bisping is both one of the greatest heels and most beloved babyfaces the sport has ever seen. To prove that he quickly transitions from praising the crowd and thanking his family, to cutting a hilarious promo where he runs down the rest of the division.
The crowd then joins Bisping is doing a complete volte face on the former challenger, now loudly cheering Henderson. In emotional scenes the veteran announces his retirement as the crowd chants his name. A wonderful moment.
Well that was UFC 204. It was an incredible night with great action throughout the card and one of the most emotionally charged matches in UFC history. It’s 5.30am in the morning in Manchester, and I couldn’t be more awake.
Here’s some advice for who to pick in your DraftKings lineup for Saturday’s UFC 204 event in Manchester, England, headlined by UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping defending against Dan Henderson on pay-per-view.
Top Target: Mirsad Bektic ($9,700)
Mirsad Bektic is one of the rising prospects in a deep featherweight division, and he looks to remain undefeated in his career when he takes on Russell Doane in the main card opener of UFC 204 on Saturday. Doane is actually the third different opponent that Bektic has been slated to fight, and he took the fight on just five days’ notice as he looks to end his 3-fight win streak and end the undefeated mark of Bektic.
Bektic is stepping inside the Octagon for the first time since May 2015 as he has been out of action due to a torn ACL. Despite that, all of the factors leading into this fight have made Bektic the biggest betting favorite and the highest-salaried fighter on this card. Bektic has ten wins in his career, seven of which have come by stoppage. He trains with a top camp in the American Top Team camp in Florida, but his biggest key in the fight will have to be shaking off any ring rust that comes his way from being out of action for so long.
Doane has six losses in his career, three of which have seen him submitted. He’s also moving up a weight class for this fight, and with the short notice and his recent struggles, it’s hard to see him winning. It’s all about whether Bektic looks to use his strong wrestling and solid striking to go for the finish, or to play it safe and just get his feel back for being inside the Octagon and to stretch out the fight.
Either way, I see Bektic winning this fight pretty easily, and I do think he will finish Doane. He is definitely the top play of this card.
Value Target: Jimi Manuwa ($7,800)
Jimi Manuwa is also coming off a long layoff as he returns to action for the first time since UFC 191 in September 2015 when he takes on Ovince Saint Preux in a light heavyweight bout between top-ten ranked fighters. Manuwa is looking to get back on the right track as he has lost two of his last three fights after starting his career with a 14-0 record. Saint Preux is looking to rebound from a loss to Jon Jones in April where he broke his arm late in the fight, but was able to go the full 25 minutes with Jones.
Saint Preux is looking to get back into the title picture, but he has a tough draw in the form of Manuwa. Saint Preux is an imposing 205-pound fighter, but Manuwa is also a solid light heavyweight. Manuwa has the power edge between the two, and he is very good in the clinch. Manuwa also mixes his strikes better than Saint Preux, and he pressures his opponents well. Saint Preux is a more relaxed fighter, and he has good wrestling and good submissions on the mat. He isn’t as quick as Manuwa, and Manuwa’s speed may be the key difference in the fight. Manuwa has good defensive wrestling, but he isn’t particularly good on the mat. Saint Preux ending on top could lead to a lot of trouble for Manuwa.
This fight is a close one, and I like Manuwa to get the win. At his salary and being an underdog, he has very good value. He is well worth a look as a knockout win is definitely possible.
Target To Avoid: Vitor Belfort ($6,800)
It’s amazing how far Vitor Belfort’s stock has fallen in the last 18 months. In May 2015, he was challenging for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Less than one year ago, he knocked out the man challenging for that same championship in the main event of this card. Yet, Belfort finds himself as one of the biggest underdogs on the UFC 204 card with one of the lowest salaries. Belfort has definitely slowed down a lot, and he is coming off a completely dominant loss at the hands of Ronaldo Souza in May.
He is very much on the downswing, but he is still dangerous for the first round due to a powerful left hand. He has a tough match-up ahead of him in the form of Gegard Mousasi. Mousasi is a patient and technical fighter who has knockout ability as well. Mousasi also has a strong chin and good movement with his head and on his feet. Belfort comes out fast and is still technically skilled, so Mousasi will be needing to weather an early storm. Where Mousasi excels in the breakdown of this bout with Belfort is his crisp skill inside the clinch and his excellent grappling.
Belfort used to be a strong grappler, but the key words are used to be. He doesn’t have much of a ground game anymore, and is very bad when he’s found himself stuck on the bottom. I envision a scenario where Mousasi has to weather an early onslaught, but he takes Belfort down late in the first and finishes him with ground-and-pound. Belfort isn’t the conditioning machine that Mousasi is, and he will fade.
I see Mousasi getting the finish inside the first two rounds, and inside the first is more likely. I can see a lot of people picking Belfort in their line-ups due to his low salary and the fact that he is still a dangerous fighter, but I don’t think it is in anyones’ best ineterests. Avoid Belfort on this card.
Underdog Target: Dan Henderson ($7,100)
Dan Henderson is fighting for the last time in his illustrious career, and he couldn’t ask for a better sendoff at 46-years-old. He is challenging Michael Bisping for the UFC Middleweight Championship in the main event of UFC 204. A UFC belt is the only major company championship Henderson has yet to hold, and he will be looking to create magic when he enters the Octagon for the final time. Henderson holds a vicious knockout win over Bisping in July 2009 at UFC 100, and Bisping is looking for revenge and to send Henderson into the sunset on a loss.
It could end up being a magical night for Henderson, and he actually has a very decent chance to win the fight. It wouldn’t shock me at all and that is why he is my underdog target to watch. He has definitely slowed down in his skills, and his vaunted chin isn’t what it used to be. Henderson still has that deadly right hand, and if it connects, Bisping’s lights could go out once again. Bisping playing in the pocket with Henderson could be a deadly proposition, so Bisping will be looking to use his footwork to throw Henderson off balance.
Bisping is a much better fighter than he was in 2009, and Henderson has become slow and plodding and relying on his right hand in fights. Bisping is going to be mixing his strikes and looking to wear Henderson down early, and while he doesn’t have a lot of power, Bisping can still rock the old chin of Henderson. Henderson is still dangerous, and that right hand is too big of a tool to look past. I don’t expect him to win, but a knockout win wouldn’t be surprising.
At his low salary and a need for some underdogs in your line-up, Henderson has as good of a chance as the rest of fighters in the same range. I would feel comfortable putting him on your roster.
Our Line-Ups
Ryan Frederick: Mirsad Bektic ($9,700), Gegard Mousasi ($9,400), Mike Perry ($8,100), Jimi Manuwa ($7,800), Leonardo Santos ($7,600), Dan Henderson ($7,100)
I like Mirsad Bektic, Jimi Manuwa and Dan Henderson in my line-ups for the reasons I stated above, and I think Bektic gets the win while Manuwa and Henderson have solid chances. For the rest of my line-up, I have Gegard Mousasi. I have his opponent, Vitor Belfort, as the fighter to avoid, and I see Mousasi getting the win early. Two other guys in my line-up with no mentions above are Mike Perry and Leonardo Santos.
Perry has the same salary as his opponent, Danny Roberts, and when trying to pick between the two and among other fighters, I like Perry’s chances. He has knockout power, and if he can land that right hand, it could be lights out for Roberts. I admit to be taking a chance on him. Santos is unbeaten in the UFC, and he is actually the underdog to Adriano Martins. I like Santos in this fight, and he has underrated punching power. At worst, his takedowns and ground control will be a lot for Martins to handle. I like Santos in that fight.
Paul Fontaine: Gegard Mousasi ($9,400), Michael Bisping ($9,100), Ovince Saint Preux ($8,400), Danny Roberts ($8,100), Leonardo Santos ($7,600), Damian Stasiak ($7,400)
As long as Mousasi is facing a non-juiced Vitor Belfort, he should handle him pretty easily as he generally does when he faced a guy ranked lower than himself. Michael Bisping is unbeaten in England and that won’t change after Saturday night/Sunday morning. He’ll either outpoint Hendo for five rounds or surprise him with a KO like he did with Luke Rockhold. Either way, lots of points. OSP should take out hometown boy Jimi Manuwa with ease.
Danny Roberts should beat Mike Perry but I’m a little worried about that one. I had exactly $8,100 left after my first five picks and it was one of these guys so I picked the native Brit. The Leonardo Santos vs Adriano Martins fight is buried on the Fight Pass show (although it could be moved up due to the late withdrawal of Ian Entwistle) and it’s a sleeper of a great fight. I like Santos to extend his 10 fight unbeaten streak against the fellow Brazilian. Lastly, I’m going with Damian Stasiak to pull off the upset win over Davey Grant. This was another toss-up in my eyes and Stasiak seems more likely to score a win by finish so I went with him.
Peach Machine: Gegard Mousasi ($9,400), Albert Tumenov ($9,200), Ovince Saint Preux ($8,400), Danny Roberts ($8,100), Daniel Omielanczuk ($7,700), Dan Henderson ($7,100)
OSP looked good against Jones, and he’s a University of Tennessee alumni and the Vols are on a roll! Mousasi has the unenviable task of putting Belfort out to pasture. I hope he literally severs his head from his spine. Danny Roberts is a tough fighter, and really, I’d favor Mike Perry in this, but I can’t imagine Perry being OK after the hellacious war he was in a month ago with Hyun Gyu Lim. I really wanted to take Pickett instead of Omielanczuk but he would have put me 200 over, so I’m going with the potential KO option as Struve can be KO’d. Tumenov is just an awesome fighter. And my final pick is of course HENDO, because he’s my favorite of all time.
