Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira, emanating from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
The Octagon is back in the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden in New York City, with arguably the card of the year taking place, highlighted by two title fights and one of the most exciting match-ups of the year.
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya looks to remain at the top of the division as he defends against Alex Pereira in the main event. The two have a storied history as they fought twice while both were competing in kickboxing, with Pereira winning both fights and being the only man to ever knock Adesanya out. Adesanya will be making his sixth title defense while Pereira looks to shock the world and extend his six-fight win streak.
In the co-main event, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza defends the title for the first time since winning it for the second time as former champion Zhang Weili looks to regain the championship gold. Esparza won the title from Rose Namajunas at UFC 274 in May, her sixth straight win. Weili lost the title to Namajunas in April 2021, and got herself another opportunity at gaining it back after scoring a second-round knockout of Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 275 in June.
Also on the main card is arguably the most exciting match-up of 2022 as perennial lightweight contenders Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler go to battle. Also on the main card is Frankie Edgar, who will be fighting for the final time of his Hall Of Fame career, as he takes on Chris Gutierrez, and a lightweight battle between Dan Hooker and Claudio Puelles kicks off the main card. A loaded slate of prelims also takes place, highlighted by a lightweight match-up between Brad Riddell and Renato Moicano, and a light heavyweight battle pitting Dominick Reyes against Ryan Spann.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
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> Light Heavyweights- Carlos Ulberg (6-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Nicolae Negumereanu (13-1, 4-1 UFC)
Negumereanu lands a leg kick. Ulberg with a leg kick. He lands a hard leg kick. Ulberg lands a hard jab. Ulberg with a hard leg kick. Ulberg ducks under a Negumereanu right hand. Negumereanu tried a knee but slipped to the mat as his lead leg is damaged from Ulberg’s leg kicks. Ulberg lands a right hand. Ulberg drops Negumereanu to his knees with a left hook and finishes it off with another shot on the ground. What a finish.
Official Result- Carlos Ulberg def. Nicolae Negumereanu by knockout (punches) at 3:44 of Round 1
> Bantamweights- Julio Arce (18-5, 5-3 UFC) vs. Montel Jackson (11-2, 5-2 UFC)
Jackson goes for a takedown and pushes it against the fence right away. Jackson trying to get it down. Jackson with some punches as he has Arce pushed against the fence. Jackson lands a knee but still working to get Arce to the mat. They are broken up by Marc Goddard. Arce lands a body kick. Jackson lands a left hand. Arce with a combo to the body. They trade jabs. Arce lands a left and both land in close range. Jackson with a leg kick. Arce grabs Jackson and pushes him against the fence but is able to complete the late takedown. 10-9 Arce.
They’re both looking to land in close range to start the second. Arce is pressuring. Jackson lands a leg kick but Arce still coming forward and lands some punches. Jackson lands a nice jab. Arce still pressing forward. Jackson lands a right hand. Jackson with a combo. They trade in close range. Jackson shoots for a takedown and presses it against the fence. Jackson has body control and lands some short shots at the end of the round. 10-9 Jackson, 19-19.
Jackson landing the jab. Jackson lands a jab that hurts Arce and Arce falls to the mat and Jackson gets on top and is landing punches. Arce throwing up his legs looking for a triangle choke. Jackson goes to his knees looking to get inside the guard of Arce. Arce almost got the triangle choke locked in. They get to their feet. Jackson lands a right hand. Arce lands a left hand. Jackson lands a nice jab. They clinch against the fence. The quickly break. Jackson with a combo and Arce just misses a left hand late. 10-9 Jackson, 29-28 Jackson.
Official Result- Montel Jackson def. Julio Arce by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
> Featherweights*- Michael Trizano (9-3, 3-3 UFC) vs. Seungwoo Choi (10-5, 3-4 UFC)
*Trizano missed weight by 1.6 pounds
We have a double knockdown to start things out. Crazy. They get up and are trading. Trizano with a right hand. Choi with a left hand and Trizano lands a left hand. Choi with a leg kick. Trizano drops Choi with a left hand and lands from the top but Choi gets up and lands some knees. Choi with a leg kick. Choi lands a left hand. Trizano lands the jab. He lands another and follows it with a combo. Choi rocks Trizano with a left hand and they are swinging for the fences looking to connect. They trade jabs. Choi lands a left hook. Trizano with a leg kick. Trizano lands a right hand. Trizano drops Choi with a left hand and finishes it off. What a finish by Trizano.
Official Result- Michael Trizano def. Seungwoo Choi by knockout (punches) at 4:51 of Round 1
Both throwing jabs to start off. Juarez misses a couple of right hands. Juarez lands a right hand and leg kicks and Kowalkiewicz gets a takedown. Kowalkiewicz grabs the back and gets the hooks in. Kowalkiewicz has the body triangle locked on. Juarez trying to escape but Kowalkiewicz maintains back control. Kowalkiewicz with some right hands from the back. Kowalkiewicz working for the rear-naked choke but lets go. Kowalkiewicz with more right hands from the back. They break on their feet. Kowalkiewicz with the jab. Juarez lands a combo. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz.
Kowalkiewicz lands a right hand. They’re both landing in close range. Juarez with a left hand. Juarez lands a right hand. Kowalkiewicz with a right hand. Juarez with the jab. Juarez lands a combo. Kowalkiewicz lands a right hand. Juarez lands a right hand. Kowalkiewicz lands the jab. They trade inside the pocket and Kowalkiewicz lands a knee while they briefly clinch. Juarez with a right hand. Close round. 10-9 Juarez, 19-19.
They’re trading to start the third and both are landing. Kowalkiewicz lands a right hand. Kowalkiewicz lands the jab. Juarez with a combo. Both are landing and Kowalkiewicz is landing the jab quite often. Juarez lands a right hand. Kowalkiewicz lands a couple of right hands. Juarez with a right hand. She lands another. They trade inside the pocket. Kowalkiewicz lands a nice knee to the body. Kowalkiewicz gets the takedown. She looks to get the back as Juarez gets to her feet but they battle for underhooks inside the clinch. They break. Kowalkiewicz with a combo and lands a few knees. Juarez with a combo. Good fight. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz, 29-28 Kowalkiewicz.
There were some weird things going on with the scorecards after the fight, including an official coming in and writing new scores on Bruce Buffer’s sheet and some general just confusion. Hopefully, we’ll find out what was going on.
Official Result- Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Silvana Gomez Juarez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Lightweights- Matt Frevola (9-3-1, 3-3-1 UFC) vs. Ottman Azaitar (13-0, 0-0 UFC)
Frevola lands a body kick after they feel each other out. Frevola lands some punches. Azaitar lands a left hand. Frevola with a right hand. Azaitar lands a left hook. Frevola with a stiff jab. Frevola drops Azaitar with a left hand as they trade inside the pocket and Azaitar is out cold.
Official Result- Matt Frevola def. Ottman Azaitar by knockout (punches) at 2:30 of Round 1
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> Middleweights- Andre Petroski (8-1, 3-0 UFC) vs. Wellington Turman (18-5, 3-3 UFC)
Turman lands a right hand and they trade inside the pocket. Turman with a leg kick. Petroski lands a leg kick. Turman with a body kick and they trade shots. Turman with a hard body kick. Petroski lands a right hand. Turman with a left hand. Turman with a leg kick. They trade inside the pocket. Petroski lands a left hand. Petroski shoots for the single leg and pushes it against the fence to complete the takedown. They get to their feet and Petroski has the back. They break. Petroski lands a left hand. They trade punches. Petroski lands a left hand. Turman with a body kick. They trade left hands. Petroski grabs the single leg and pushes it against the fence. Petroski gets it back down but Turman lands some elbows. 10-9 Turman.
Petroski lands a left hand. Petroski with a body kick. Turman lands a leg kick. Petroski looks to drop for a takedown but Turman has the neck and locks in a guillotine choke as they go to the mat but Petroski gets out and has the neck of Turman in side control. Petroski gets the back and looked for a choke but Turman squirmed out and Petroski now on top. They scramble and Turman ends up in the guard of Petroski. They get to their feet. Turman gets it down but they pop right up. Petroski gets it down and is in the mount. He moves to the half-guard. Petroski lands some elbows late. 10-9 Petroski, 19-19.
They trade leg kicks to start the third. Petroski shoots for the takedown against the fence and gets the back to complete it. Petroski grabs the neck and looks for the guillotine choke and mounts him but lets go. Petroski lands some right hands. Petroski gets on top and lands. Petroski gets into Turman’s guard and is looking to improve as Turman throws from the bottom. Petroski gets the back of Turman. They get to their feet and Petroski slams Turman back to the mat. They get up but Petroski ends up getting it back down as he has back control. Petroski ends the fight with back control. 10-9 Petroski, 29-28 Petroski.
Official Result- Andre Petroski def. Wellington Turman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
They trade leg kicks. McCann lands a right hand. Blanchfield lands a right hand. Blanchfield with a leg kick then a right hand and scores a takedown. Blanchfield in side control. Blanchfield gets the crucifix position and is landing punches and elbows. McCann trying to fight out of it. Blanchfield with lots of left hands. Blanchfield now landing elbows. Blanchfield now looking for a kimura. She has it locked in. McCann gets out but Blanchfield retains the crucifix position. Blanchfield gets the kimura locked in and McCann taps. Just absolute domination from Blanchfield.
Official Result- Erin Blanchfield def. Molly McCann by submission (kimura) at 3:37 of Round 1
> Light Heavyweights*- #7 Dominick Reyes (12-3, 6-3 UFC) vs. #12 Ryan Spann (20-7, 6-2 UFC)
*Spann missed weight by .6 pounds
Reyes with a body kick. Spann clips Reyes with a right hand and then hurts Reyes again with a punch. Spann grabs the neck but lets go. Reyes with a body kick. Spann lands a combo. Spann drops Reyes with a jab and Reyes is out cold. What a brutal knockout by Spann.
Official Result- Ryan Spann def. Dominick Cruz by knockout (punch) at 1:20 of Round 1
Moicano pressing forward and Riddell lands a jab. Moicano lands a knee. Moicano lands a combo ending with a head kick and they trade in the pocket. Riddell with a leg kick. Moicano lands the jab. Riddell with a body kick after Moicano lands a jab. They trade jabs. They clinch and go to the mat and Moicano jumps on the back. Moicano looking for the rear-naked choke and has it locked in. Riddell taps! Big submission win for Moicano.
Official Result- Renato Moicano def. Brad Riddell by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:20 of Round 1
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> Lightweights- #12 Dan Hooker (21-12, 11-8 UFC) vs. Claudio Puelles (12-2, 5-1 UFC)
Hooker with a leg kick. He lands a couple more. Hooker continues to land leg kicks. Puelles goes for the Imanari roll and looks to lock in a kneebar. Hooker is defending and lands a right hand. Puelles now looking for a heel hook. Hooker lands some body shots as he gets his knee out of bad position. Hooker escapes and is on top but gets to his feet and Puelles is ordered up. Puelles tries to roll again but Hooker is aware to it. Hooker lands a right hand. 10-9 Hooker.
Hooker lands to the body. They trade body kicks. Hooker lands a right hand and Puelles looks to grab the leg but Hooker slips away. Hooker lands a left hand. Hooker lands the jab and then a left hook. Puelles is able to grab the leg and pushes it against the fence. Hooker grabbed the neck and Puelles let go. Hooker with an inside leg kick. Puelles shoots for the takedown but Hooker gets away. Puelles looks for the takedown but Hooker sprawls and lands some punches to the body. Hooker with a body kick that hurts Puelles. Hooker lands a body kick and Puelles goes down and it is stopped. What a weird ending.
Official Result- Dan Hooker def. Claudio Puelles by TKO (kick) at 4:06 of Round 2
> Bantamweights- #12 Frankie Edgar (24-10-1, 18-10-1 UFC) vs. Chris Gutierrez (18-3-2, 6-1-1 UFC)
They trade leg kicks to start. Gutierrez lands a spinning back fist. Gutierrez with a leg kick followed by a jab. Edgar with a leg kick. Edgar with a body kick. Gutierrez lands a big knee that knocks Edgar out cold. Bittersweet end to the career of Edgar as Gutierrez gets the big knockout win.
Official Result- Chris Gutierrez def. Frankie Edgar by knockout (knee) at 2:01 of Round 1
> Lightweights- #2 Dustin Poirier (28-7 1 NC, 20-6 1 NC UFC) vs. #5 Michael Chandler (23-7, 2-2 UFC)
Chandler lands a right hand. Poirier lands a left hand. Chandler with some body kicks. Chandler with a leg kick but it got checked. Chandler with a body kick followed by a quick flurry. Chandler lands some right hands and is landing to the body against the fence. Poirier with a left hand. Chandler with the leg kick. Chandler lands a big left. Poirier lands a right hook. Chandler lands some right hands and is landing a flurry on Poirier against the fence. Chandler gets a takedown. Chandler gets the back but they stand. Chandler lands a German Suplex but they stand. Poirier lands a combo and Chandler lands a big right hand. Poirier lands a shot that drops Chandler to his knees and Chandler is backing up and Poirier landing a big flurry against the fence and has Chandler in trouble at the end. What a round. 10-9 Poirier.
Chandler with a combo and pushes Poirier against the fence and scores a takedown. Chandler bleeding onto Poirier as he’s landing. Poirier looking for a triangle choke but lands an elbow. Poirier loses it and Chandler gets the back. Chandler trying to find a choke. He’s still working for it but he has a bad position. Chandler now on top and Poirier lands short punches. Chandler lands some right hands from the top. Chandler with hammerfists but some are behind the back of the head. Chandler now landing big right hands and Poirier had a hand trapped. Poirier gives up full guard. Chandler ends the round on top. 10-9 Chandler, 19-19.
Poirier with a leg kick. Poirier with a high kick. Chandler looks for a takedown but Poirier backs up. Chandler grabs the single leg and picks Poirier up and gets him down and had the back but Poirier ends up on top and is landing. Poirier now takes the back of Chandler. Poirier gets the rear-naked choke locked in and Chandler taps! What a win for Poirier in an excellent fight.
Official Result- Dustin Poirier def. Michael Chandler by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:00 of Round 3
> UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship- C Carla Esparza (19-6, 10-4 UFC) vs. #2 Zhang Weili (22-3, 6-2 UFC)
Weili with a leg kick. Weili with the pressure. Weili landing more leg kicks early. Weili with a high kick. Weili with a right hand to the body. Weili with a leg kick. Weili with a right hand and then two body kicks. Esparza grabs the leg and gets the takedown but Weili has the back. Weili with some elbows and has the reverse crucifix but they scramble. Weili has the back and is looking for a choke. They scramble and Esparza ends up on top. Esparza with some elbows. Esparza stands and Weili gets up and lands a right hand. Weili with a body kick but Esparza grabs the leg and gets the brief takedown. Weili gets to side control. Weili with some right hands and elbows from the top. They stand at the end. 10-9 Weili.
Weili with a leg kick. Weili lands a right hand then a high kick. Esparza shoots and almost gets the takedown but Weili is able to get the back. Weili has the crucifix in and has neck control. Weili has the choke locked in and Esparza taps! Weili gets the title back with the submission win.
Official Result- Zhang Weili def. Carla Esparza by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:05 of Round 2 to win the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
> UFC Middleweight Championship- C Israel Adesanya (23-1, 12-1 UFC) vs. #4 Alex Pereira (6-1, 3-0 UFC)
Pereira comes out with a flying kick that misses. Adesanya with a leg kick. He lands another. Pereira with a pair of leg kicks. They trade leg kicks. Pereira with some leg kicks. Adesanya lands a jab. They trade body kicks. Adesanya lands a right hand. Adesanya with a leg kick. Pereira with a body kick. Adesanya with an inside leg kick. Adesanya with a leg kick. Adesanya with a body kick. Pereira with a body kick and Adesanya returns fire with a leg kick. Pereira with a body kick followed by a left hand. They clinch and Pereira with some body shots and a knee. Adesanya rocked Pereira badly at the end of the first and Pereira may have been saved by the bell there. 10-9 Adesanya.
Adesanya with a leg kick. He lands another. Adesanya with a knee and Pereira with a left to the body. They trade jabs. Adesanya with an inside leg kick then a high kick. Pereira lands a jab. Pereira with a right to the body then a knee. Adesanya lands a big right hand. Pereira lands a left hand and lands a couple more. They clinch against the fence. They break away. Adesanya lands to the body. Pereira gets a late takedown. 10-9 Pereira, 19-19.
Adesanya with a couple of kicks. Adesanya with a leg kick and lands a right hand. Pereira with a leg kick. Pereira with a body kick but Adesanya gets a takedown and gets the back of Pereira. Adesanya landing punches from the back. He lands some more. Adesanya keeping back control. They get to their feet but Adesanya puts it back down again. Adesanya ends up in the guard of Pereira and lands some shots from the top. Adesanya stands and lands an axe kick to the body and a big right hand at the end. 10-9 Adesanya, 29-28 Adesanya.
They trade leg kicks. Adesanya with a leg kick after Pereira barely landed a left hook. Adesanya with a jab. Adesanya lands a right hand. Adesanya with a jab then a right hand then a leg kick. Adesanya with a body kick. Adesanya with a right hand then a leg kick. Pereira looks gassed out. Adesanya grabs the body lock against the fence. Pereira with some body shots. They break and Adesanya with a right hand. Pereira lands a right hand. They clinch and Pereira with a knee to the body. Adesanya looking for a takedown. They break. Pereira with a left hand. 10-9 Adesanya, 39-37 Adesanya.
Adesanya with a body kick. Pereira lands a left to the body. Pereira lands a right hand. Pereira lands a leg kick that Adesanya checks and it hurt Adesanya’s leg and Adesanya rolled back. Adesanya with a leg kick and a right hand. Pereira with a right hand and hurts Adesanya with a left and then a right and is landing a flurry as Adesanya slips down and Pereira continues to land big shots and it is stopped! Pereira pulls the win out of nowhere with a huge flurry at the end to get the standing stoppage.
Official Result- Alex Pereira def. Israel Adesanya by TKO (punches) at 2:01 of Round 5 to win the UFC Middleweight Championship
The story of Jim Crockett Jr., and the rise and fall of Jim Crockett Promotions is the lead story in the current double-sized issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We look at the death of Crockett, the Crockett’s family original involvement in wrestling, how Jim took over the moves he made in building a small market territory into one of the big three companies in the U.S., original plans and why they changed, the rise of Ric Flair, where Jm was a Hall of Fame promoter, the fight with Vince McMahon from 1984-88, getting the TBS deal, what led to JCP selling to Turner, the framework of the NWA in the 70s and 80s, the rise of the super show concept, mistakes made at the end, what happened when TBS took over, attempts to get back in wrestling and life after wrestling.
Also in this issue:
NXT to Tuesday, why, what should be expected for the unopposed shows, WrestleMania plans, Takeover plans and how this affects the industry as a whole.
We also look at the next four PPV shows in pro wrestling with current plans and what happened this week to change plans.
A court case that has major ramifications on major wrestling companies.
A new documentary from a WWE star away from WWE.
Raw conflicting with college basketball, how other sports do on TV against AEW or WWE, Canadian rating updated, where wrestling stands with mother major sports programming, WWE losing a time slot to AEW, WWE injury dates, Ric Flair talks his angle being dropped, WWE market value and the most-watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network.
New Japan Cup and company plans going forward, Castle Attack shows, injury update, business notes and stadium shows.
Stardom’s biggest show in its history at Budokan Hall.
Life and times of Dean Higuchi, or Dean Ho, one of the major babyface stars of the 70s and his debut in Hawaii, his notoriety prior to wrestling, and his biggest career runs in WWWF and for Roy Shire.
Saturday’s UFC show.
The life of Art Michalik, who was responsible for a major change in pro football, his NFL career, getting into pro wrestling, headlining in Japan and life outside of wrestling.
The life of Johnny DeFazio, one of the most famous local stars in Pittsburgh, the heyday of Studio Wrestling and his life outside of wrestling including being a union head and for decades later a councilman.
The career of Don Serrano, who spent decades in wrestling and certain firsts he was involved in.
The life of Ann Casey, a noteworthy woman wrestling star of the 60s and 70s.
More into detail on the ratings than any other source, we have how every segment on NXT and AEW did as well as how it did with different age groups, genders and more, plus a look at all other wrestling shows of the past week.
Results of the major pro wrestling events of 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.
MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight covering Raw, New Japan Cup and other news with Wrestling Observer Radio. You can send questions to the show to [email protected]
AEW Revolution was the fifth most searched term on Google yesterday with 200,000 searches, which coincides with the early buy numbers being up. It would be the most searches for an AEW show since the first Double or Nothing. Also yesterday, Muhammad Ali was No. 9 at 100,000, with the airing of the 50th anniversary of his first fight with Joe Frazier on ABC and ESPN yesterday.
The Tampa Bay Times has a story on the death of Buddy Colt. (thanks to Lee Wall)
Raw tonight has a Bobby Lashley vs. Miz rematch. The original plan advertised was a Champion celebration. The change is likely due to the good ratings of last week’s show. But last week’s match and finish were clearly designed for anything but a rematch.
Straight Up Steve Austin tonight is the episode with Charlotte Flair as the guest.
Zhang Weili vs. Rose Namajunas for the UFC strawweight title is now official for 4/24.
Triller Promotions, coming off its success with Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr., announced a 4/17 show at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a boxing match headlined by Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren. It will be a PPV priced at $49.99.
New Japan has a show in Okayama at 4:30 a.m. Eastern tomorrow morning with Cup matches of Yuji Nagata vs Yota Tsuji and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Sanada. I would tell you to go out of your way to see the Saturday show from Ota Ward Gym in Tokyo. It was great, particularly Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi.
Daily Variety has a story on WWE declining ratings and increasing rights. There’s nothing in here that hasn’t been discussed all the time. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)
I’m not sure of the air date, but I just taped a show this morning for Talk is Jericho with Tony Schiavone talking about the late Jim Crockett Jr. Schavone grew up a fan of Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling and started his broadcasting career with the Crockett-owned Charlotte Orioles in 1982, which led to his job in 1983 with JCP.
Joseph Meehan (Joey Ryan) has dropped most of his lawsuits, but not all. He is still suing Impact over breach of contract. He has not yet dismissed his case against Pelle Primeau and said he is on the fence about it.
Impact tomorrow has:
Chris Bey vs. Ace Austin
Rohit Raju & Mahabali Shera vs. Chris Sabin & James Storm
As of this morning there were 314 tickets left to Wednesday’s Dynamite taping. (thanks to William Zdon)
OTHER NEWS
Former UFC fighter Antonio Carlos Jr. (Shoeface) will face Tom Lawlor at the 4/29 PFL show in Atlantic City. Carlos will replace Jordan Johnson, who pulled out of the fight for reasons not listed.
ECW Press has announced the release of the book “Mat Memories” by John Alexander Arezzi and Greg Oliver, with forewords by Mick Foley, John Gibbons and Suzanne Alexander, available on 4/6. Arezzi talks about his life growing up as a fan of the New York Mets and WWWF wrestling, and talks about reporting on wrestling, promoting wrestling and working in country music in Nashville.
“A Pro Rasslin Movie: The Legend of Dirty Ron” trailer with RVD, Effy, Katie Forbes, Victoria, Matt Sydal and others.
Memphis TV wrestling from Saturday: Norman Meklakov b DJ Brown, Big Ace & Big Jack b Adam Swayze & Rex, Nikki Lane b Diana Taylor, Zay Washington & Aaron Roberts b Da Russell Twins in the best match on the show, Brett Michaels b Justin Cole. They had teased a king debuting, which turned out to be Derrick King and not Jerry Lawler. Dustin Starr said he got a cease and desist order for this. Actually the cease and desist from Lawler was for using the term Memphis Wrestling. (thanks to Brian Tramel)
Gino Medina vs. Gringo Loco has been added to Wednesday’s MLW television show.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 248: Adesanya vs. Romero, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Octagon heads back home to Las Vegas for a big event featuring two title fights with some of the rising superstars in the sport defending their championships against long-time contenders and a former champion.
In the main event, UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya makes his first title defense since becoming the undisputed champion in October as he defends against Yoel Romero. Adesanya is looking to keep his undefeated record going as he continues his rise to superstardom, but Romero is looking to finally capture gold despite losing his previous two fights. This fight has quickly become one of the most anticipated fights on the upcoming UFC schedule.
In the co-main event, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Weili Zhang makes her first title defense when she defends against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Zhang won the title from Jessica Andrade in August, extending her win streak to 20 straight. Jedrzjeczyk was the champion in the division from March 2015 until November 2017, and she looks to regain the title after coming up short in two prior chances to become a champion once again.
Also on the main card are a pair of welterweight bouts as Neil Magny returns from a long layoff to fight the always exciting Li Jingliang, and a slugfest between Alex Oliveira and Max Griffin is also on tap. Headlining the preliminary card is the long-awaited return of rising prospect Sean O’Malley, who looks to remain undefeated when he takes on Jose Quinonez.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
They trade low kicks to start. Cannetti with a head kick that gets checked. Cannetti with a leg kick. Batgerel lands a straight right hand. Batgerel with a combo and they are trading punches. Cannetti lands a right hand. They are trading hard punches. Batgerel lands a left hand and Cannetti goes down and Batgerel finishes it off with punches on the ground. Great finish by Batgerel.
Official Result- Danaa Batgerel def. Guido Cannetti by knockout (punches) at 3:01 of Round 1
They were trading early and Chikadze was landing some good shots. They trade leg kicks. Chikadze with a right hand that drops Emmers for a moment. Emmers recovers and gets up. Chikadze with a body kick. Emmers with some calf kicks. They are throwing wild kicks and punches and not much is landing. Chikadze with a left hand. Chikadze with a leg kick. They trade at the end. 10-9 Chikadze.
Emmers with a right hand. Emmers with a right hand as Chikadze lands a body kick. Chikadze with a high body kick. Chikadze lands a combo. Emmers with a big takedown and passes into half-guard. Chikadze is able to reverse and ends up on top and lands a big right hand before they stand. Chikadze with a left hand that wobbles Emmers. They clinch and Emmers has the double underhooks. They break. They trade kicks and Emmers shoots for a takedown and lands a knee to the body. Emmers lands a right hand and Chikadze counters with a high kick. 10-9 Chikadze, 20-18 Chikadze.
Emmers lands the jab and Chikadze with some leg kicks and then a high body kick. They are trading and Chikadze is landing some good distance punches as Emmers is just standing right in front of him. Emmers lands some good punches. They trade in close range. Chikadze is starting to slow and showing signs of gassing. Emmers with a right hand as Chikadze backs up. Emmers coming forward and landing but Chikadze is landing some counters. Emmers with a right hand. Emmers gets a takedown. Chikadze is holding on a tries a triangle but Emmers gets out and lands some good punches to close the fight. 10-9 Chikadze, 29-28 Chikadze.
Official Result- Giga Chikadze def. Jamall Emmers by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Meerschaert with a body kick and then a low blow early. Meerschaert using his length well as he lands a left hand and body kick. Winn lands a hard left hand. They clinch and Winn with a foot sweep takedown. Winn stands and lets Meerschaert up. Winn lands a combo and a knee in close range. Meerschaert lands a left hand. Winn with an uppercut. Meerschaert with a left hand. Winn lands a big combo. Meerschaert with a high kick. Winn with a high kick and follows it with a jab and right hand. Meerschaert with a left hand. Close round. 10-9 Winn.
Meerschaert lands a left hand. His right eye is swollen a little. Meerschaert lands a left hand. Winn with a leg kick and follows with a body punch. Meerschaert with a left hand. Meerschaert with a soft body kick. Meerschaert with a leg kick and follows with a left hand. Meerschaert with a left hand. Winn with an inside leg kick. Winn with a body kick. Meerschaert with a body kick. Meerschaert with some jabs. Winn with a leg kick but misses a hard right hand. Winn with a jab and Meerschaert lands a hard body kick. Meerschaert with a left hand as Winn is retreating. Meerschaert with a left to the body and Winn lands a hard right hand. Meerschaert with a knee to the body. 10-9 Meerschaert, 19-19.
Meerschaert landing the left hand to the body. Winn with a leg kick and then follows it with a right hand that rocks Meerschaert. Winn lands another right hand. Meerschaert has recovered and land a left to the body. Meerschaert hurts Winn with some punches and he’s chasing Winn around the cage. Meerschaert landing and Winn stumbles and they go to the ground. Meerschaert grabs the neck and then gets the back of Winn and has a rear-naked choke locked in and Winn taps! Big win for Meerschaert.
Official Result- Gerald Meerschaert def. Deron Winn by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:13 of Round 3
Vieira is jacked. Safarov with a leg kick. He lands a front kick that hurt Vieira. Vieira gets a huge takedown but Safarov able to scramble up. Vieira gets a big takedown again and takes the back. Vieira with some big punches from the back. Safarov was grabbing the gloves and the fence and clearly trying to find ways to treat. Vieira takes the back again and then gets the mount and is looking for an arm-triangle and Safarov taps. Dominant showing from Vieira once he got Safarov to the ground.
Official Result- Rodolfo Vieira def. Saparbeg Safarov by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:58 of Round 1
> Mark O. Madsen (9-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Austin Hubbard (11-3, 1-1 UFC) Lightweights
Hubbard with a leg kick. Madsen coming forward and grabs the body and works for the takedown and gets a big suplex and has the back. They got up but Madsen still has the back and drags Hubbard down. They got up and Hubbard was able to escape. Hubbard with a leg kick and Madsen was able to grab him and got another takedown. Madsen is looking for a D’arce but Hubbard is able to roll out. Madsen still looking for a choke. Hubbard escapes and Madsen gets in his full guard. Madsen lands before the round ends. 10-9 Madsen.
Madsen gets a takedown to start the second and is trying to work on the top but Hubbard is showing good defense on the ground. They scramble and Madsen has the back. They stand and Madsen gets another takedown and lands a left hand. They stand and break. Madsen gets another takedown. He doesn’t want to strike on the feet. Madsen lands some hammerfists. Madsen is trying for a choke. They stand. Hubbard lands a knee to the body. 10-9 Madsen, 20-18 Madsen.
They trade to start the third. Hubbard was trying to land hard punches but Madsen took him right down and is in the guard of Hubbard. Hubbard able to scramble up. Madsen is looking tired. Hubbard lands a huge knee right to the chin and Madsen was rocked but Madsen is able to grab the body lock and is recovering. They break and Madsen lands a right hand. Hubbard with another knee. Hubbard with a left hand to the body. Hubbard lands some leg kicks. Hubbard with a low kick and Madsen tries for a takedown and has the back against the fence. Madsen drags him down. They stand and break. Hubbard lands a right hand. They trade. Hubbard lands a right hand. Hubbard with another knee and an elbow. 10-9 Hubbard, 29-28 Madsen.
Official Result- Mark O. Madsen def. Austin Hubbard by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Sean O’Malley (10-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Jose Quinonez (8-3, 5-2 UFC) Bantamweights
O’Malley with a kick that stumbles Quinonez up right out of the gate. O’Malley with a right hand that hurts Quinonez and then throws him to the mat. Quinonez gets up and O’Malley with a head kick that hurts Quinonez. O’Malley follows it with an uppercut that keeps Quinonez down and he follows it up with punches and O’Malley finishes Quinonez off. What a performance by O’Malley.
Official Result- Sean O’Malley def. Jose Quinonez by TKO (punches) at 2:02 of Round 1
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> Alex Oliveira (20-7-1 2 NC, 9-6 1 NC UFC) vs. Max Griffin (15-7, 3-5 UFC) Welterweights
Griffin coming forward with some pressure as he’s looking to land. Oliveira lands a right hand and they clinch but break. Oliveira lands a right hand and then a front kick to the body. Griffin lands a right hand. Oliveira with a right hand and they clinch. Griffin gets a takedown. Griffin working in the guard of Oliveira. Griffin landing from the top. Griffin gets the back and they stand. They scramble up and Oliveira with a knee. 10-9 Griffin.
They are trading to start the second and Oliveira lands an uppercut that opens a cut on Griffin. Oliveira shoots in for a takedown and they are clinched. They break and we have a timeout to check the cut on Griffin. They get back to action and trade leg kicks. Oliveira with a right hand as he has his timing down. Oliveira with an inside leg kick followed by a right hand. They trade right hands. Griffin shoots for a takedown but Oliveira defends and they break. They clinch again and break and Oliveira with a front kick. Oliveira shoots for a takedown and the round ends. 10-9 Oliveira, 19-19.
Oliveira with a front kick to the body and then a head kick. They clinch and Oliveira has the body lock. Griffin fights off and is looking for a takedown but eats some elbows from Oliveira. They break and Oliveira shoots for a takedown and gets it. Oliveira takes the back but moves to the mount. Oliveira lands some punches from the top. Griffin is able to slip out and reverse to the top and steps over to half-guard and is landing punches and elbows. Griffin with short elbows from the top and he is trying to finish late. Close last round. 10-9 Griffin, 29-28 Griffin.
Official Result- Alex Oliveira def. Max Griffin by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
> Neil Magny (21-7, 14-6 UFC) vs. Li Jingliang (17-5, 9-3 UFC) Welterweights
Magny lands the jab and Jingliang lands a right hand. Magny with a leg kick. Jingliang grabs the back of Magny against the fence. He drags him to the mat but Magny pops right back up. They break and Jingliang with a big right hand. Jingliang landing some more shots and now Magny looks for a takedown and has the back and gets it. They get up and trade position against the fence. Magny with some knees to the body of Jingliang. Jingliang gets a takedown but didn’t do anything with it and they scramble up. Magny with a right hand. Magny lands a jab and then another. 10-9 Magny.
Magny lands the jab as Jingliang rushes in for a body lock. Jingliang is just holding on. Magny reverses and goes for a takedown but Jingliang grabs the fence to block. Magny takes the back and is landing right hands. Jingliang is warned multiple times about grabbing the fence. Magny lands a knee and a shoulder strike. Magny gets a takedown but they scramble up. Magny still has the back. Magny with some more shoulder strikes. They break and Magny lands and they clinch. They separate and Magny with a barrage of punches and knees and Magny pours on the punches and gets a late takedown and steps into mount. 10-8 Magny, 20-17 Magny.
Magny comes forward and lands a leg kick. Jingliang lands a combo. Magny lands some jabs and then a right hand. They trade and Magny shoots for a takedown. Jingliang grabs the back but Magny defends the takedown attempt. Magny lands some jabs. Jingliang lands a left hand. Jingliang with a leg kick. Magny with some knees in the clinch. Magny gets a takedown against the fence. Magny landing punches from the top. Magny gets the back and is landing more punches. They stand and Magny lands some punches. Excellent showing from Magny. 10-9 Magny, 30-26 Magny.
Official Result- Neil Magny def. Li Jingliang by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Dariush with a body kick. Klose with a left hand and then a right hand. Dariush gets a takedown against the fence. They get up and Dariush has the back. Dariush was going for a takedown but Klose was grabbing the fence. Klose repeatedly grabbing the cage. Dariush jumps up on the back standing. Dariush looking for a standing rear-naked choke. Dariush still has the back and is landing punches. Dariush is looking for the choke and has it locked in around the jaw. Klose is fighting it off. Big round for Dariush. 10-8 Dariush.
Dariush lands a low blow to start the second. Back to action and Klose lands a leg kick and a right hand. Klose lands a big right hand and is pouring it on. A barrage of punches by Klose. Dariush landing punches. They are just trading punches back-and-forth and then Dariush suddenly knocks Klose out with a big left hand. That was a wild exchange and a crazy finish by Dariush. That was insane.
Official Result- Beneil Dariush def. Drakkar Klose by knockout (punch) at 1:00 of Round 2
They trade leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. Zhang with a leg kick and follows it with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a hard right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a combo. They trade in close range and Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Zhang with a right hand. Zhang with an inside leg kick. They trade in close. Zhang lands a right hand. Zhang with a side kick. Jedrzejczyk with a combo and Zhang counters and lands a low kick. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. They trade in close. Zhang with a combo. Jedrzejczyk with a combo. Zhang with a right hand as she counters a front kick from Jedrzejczyk. They trade body kicks. Jedrzejczyk lands some punches. Zhang with a combo. Jedrzejczyk landed after the bell rang. 10-9 Zhang.
They trade in close range. They each land a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a combo ending with a leg kick. They trade hard kicks. Zhang lands a right hand. Zhang goes for a takedown and Jedrzejczyk defends and pushes Zhang against the fence. Jedrzejczyk with a knee in the clinch. Jedrzejczyk with some knees to the body and Zhang with an elbow as they break. Zhang with a right hand. She lands another. Jedrzejczyk is retreating. Zhang with a side kick. Zhang gets a trip takedown but Jedrzejczyk gets up. Jedrzejczyk with a front kick. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. They trade. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a body kick. 10-9 Zhang, 20-18 Zhang.
Jedrzejczyk with a right hand followed by a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a body kick. Zhang with a right hand. Zhang with a left hook. Jedrzejczyk with a combo. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand. Jedrzejczyk with a combo and she’s tagging Zhang. Zhang is slowing a little. They trade kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand as she’s switched stances. Jedrzejczyk with a combo and a front kick. They clinch and Zhang gets a brief takedown. They break. Zhang with a body kick. They trade leg kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. They trade kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand. Jedrzejczyk has a big hemotoma on her forehead. Jedrzejczyk with a body kick and they exchange late. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 29-28 Zhang.
Zhang with a body kick. They exchange in close range. Zhang with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand. Zhang with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a head kick and follows with a left hand. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. They both land hard punches. Jedrzejczyk with a knee to the body. Zhang is throwing hard but looking more tired. Nice combo from Jedrzejczyk. Jedrzejczyk with a head kick. Jedrzejczyk with a left hook. They trade in close range. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Zhang with a right hand. Zhang with another hard right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Jedrzejczyk with a big elbow in close range and they clinch. They trade in close range. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand and a head kick. 10-9 Jedrzejczyk, 38-38.
They trade in close range to start the fifth. Jedrzejczyk with a leg kick. Zhang with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a left hook. Zhang also with a left hook. Zhang with another left hook. Jedrzejczyk with a right hand. Jedrzejczyk with a left hand and then another. Zhang with a right hand. They exchange. Zhang with a right hand. They trade kicks. Zhang with a left hand and they clinch. They break and Jedrzejczyk with a body kick. Jedrzejczyk with a body kick. They trade kicks. Jedrzejczyk with a spinning back fist. Zhang with a right hand. This was an all-time classic fight and arguably the greatest women’s fight in history. 10-9 Zhang, 48-47 Zhang.
Official Result- Weili Zhang def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) to retain the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
> Israel Adesanya (C, 18-0, 7-0 UFC) vs. Yoel Romero (#3, 14-4, 9-3 UFC) UFC Middleweight Championship
Romero standing there with his hands up and not moving. Nothing has happened over a minute in. Still nothing happening two minutes in. Adesanya with a low kick. Romero with a low kick. Romero lands a left hook. Adesanya with a leg kick. Romero with a jumping body kick. 10-9 Romero.
Adesanya with a leg kick and Romero lands a counter left hook. Adesanya just misses a head kick. They trade kicks. Adesanya with a high kick. Adesanya with a body kick followed by a low kick. Adesanya with a low kick. Romero explodes with a flurry against the fence. Adesanya with a high kick. Adesanya with a leg kick. Adesanya with a leg kick and then a high kick. 10-9 Romero, 20-18 Romero.
Romero ducks under a high kick from Adesanya. Adesanya with a leg kick. Romero with a left hand. Adesanya with a body kick. They trade leg kicks. Romero with a leg kick. Romero lands a left and slips. They trade leg kicks. Romero with a body kick. Adesanya with a front kick to the body. Adesanya with another body kick and then a leg kick. Adesanya with a high kick. 10-9 Adesanya, 29-28 Romero.
Adesanya with a low kick and Romero acting all weird. Adesanya with the jab and a leg kick. Adesanya with a leg kick. Adesanya with a leg kick. We have an eye poke and a timeout. We get back to action and Romero with a brief takedown. Adesanya with a body kick. Adesanya with a leg kick. Romero’s right leg is red. Adesanya with a hard leg kick. Romero shoots and Adesanya defends. 10-9 Adesanya, 38-38.
Adesanya with a high kick and then a low kick. Adesanya with a leg kick. Adesanya with a leg kick and Romero with a left hand that gets checked. Romero tries a takedown and Adesanya defends and then lands a leg kick. Adesanya lands a left hand. Romero with a left hand. Adesanya with a leg kick and then trips trying to evade. Adesanya with a head kick. Adesanya with a right hand and then a leg kick. This was not a pretty fight. 10-9 Adesanya, 48-47 Adesanya.
Official Result- Israel Adesanya def. Yoel Romero by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to retain the UFC Middleweight Championship
We’re looking for reports from Raw tonight in Nashville with Main Event and dark matches as well as reports on Friday’s WWE show in Little Rock, Saturday’s show in Mexico City and Starrcade in Atlanta (stuff not on television) to [email protected]
Raw tonight has Seth Rollins apologizing and Charlotte Flair in a handicap match against Kairi Sane & Asuka.
NXT ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT 8 P.M. ON THE USA NETWORK
Killian Dain vs. Damien Priest
AEW ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT 8 P.M. ON TNT
Trent vs. Rey Fenix
Kris Statlander vs. Hikaru Shida
Christopher Daniels vs. Pentagon Jr.
Joey Janela vs. Jon Moxley
Young Bucks & Dustin Rhodes vs. Santana & Ortiz & Sammy Guevara
F4W NEWSLETTER: NXT’s Survivor Series involvement Joseph Currier looks at how WWE featured NXT at Survivor Series and in the build to the PPV.
Even with how forced the battle for brand supremacy can admittedly be, Survivor Series is one of the bright spots on the WWE calendar.
The PPV has given us some of the main roster’s best matches in recent years. Last year, we got Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan and Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair (filling in for the injured Becky Lynch). In 2017, Lesnar faced AJ Styles. Those matches wouldn’t have happened without the brand vs. brand concept. And while there would ideally be more substantive stakes involved, the brands facing off has given some life to the traditional Survivor Series elimination tag matches.
The added involvement of NXT this year only improved things. The battle of the brands would have been even more forced without their inclusion. Viewers can believe that NXT really wants to prove that it’s better than Raw or SmackDown. It’s much harder to suspend your disbelief and buy into Raw and SmackDown’s wrestlers being undyingly loyal to their brand just weeks after a draft.
Coverage of Survivor Series weekend and five shows in six nights in Chicago, as well as the business, polls and more, heads this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We look at the directions things are going, how DVR viewership affects all the major shows, the decision on match order, what Vince McMahon was doing during the Survivor Seres main event, the next two major shows as well as Survivor Series and Takeover with full coverage and star ratings for every match.
The issue also covers:
The myth of NXT as developmental, World’s Collide, the next Takeover, the mention of Britt Baker on the air and more.
The tragic death of Aniah Blanchard, the stepdaughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris.
Changes in the UFC drug policy, regarding levels, what drugs are low levels now allowed, what UFC is encouraging fighters to do as far as supplements, .
The situation with Corey Graves and Mauro Ranallo, what happened, why Graves should have been more careful, and where things stand.
Jim Cornette’s apology, how his departure from the NWA took place, more of the background as to why Cornette was castigated for things that nobody would have batted an eye about had others said and why, what NWA wanted to do with him and why their hand was forced.
C.M. Punk signing with FOX, Vince McMahon’s thoughts on Seth Rollins pushing the Punk match, TV ratings in Canada and overseas, WWE get awarded, legend selling home, Oney Lorcan talks future, Mike Bennett talks wanting to leave, Injury updates in WWE, WWE market value and the most-watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network, plus notes on the house shows.
Full coverage of all the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.
In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw, Wednesday ratings, new UFC fights and other stories. You can also send questions to the show to [email protected]
We did a special show yesterday covering the economics and business of WWE and AEW going forward with Brandon Thurston and Garrett Gonzalez.
Regarding ratings from Wednesday, we’ll talk in depth tonight but the night before Thanksgiving affected every show on television and the AEW decline was far more than just the night before Thanksgiving. The key is that one week aberrations do happen, but while I’d throw out Friday’s Smackdown decline as not even being a real story based on the weekend, with AEW, the number is a very significant story unless the numbers rebound greatly this week.
Aniah Blanchard, the stepdaughter of Walt Harris, was killed by a gunshot wound and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case against Ibraham Yazeed, who had been charged with kidnapping in the case.
UFC is working on a Weili Zhang strawweight title defense against Joanna Jedrzjczyk for a show on 3/7 which would be a PPV card, as well as Jan Blachowicz vs. Corey Anderson on 2/15 which would be a possible light heavyweight title fight eliminator, which would not be on a PPV show.
Kenny Omega retained the AAA title over Dragon Lee at the baseball stadium show in Monterrey yesterday. The show will be uploaded to YouTube sometime over the next week. The big news was that Rush invited L.A. Park to join Los Ingobernables. What’s notable is that CMLL owns the name, but Rush and Park had the hottest feud in Mexico for the past two years.
WWE
Monday Night Football tonight has the 8-3 Minnesota Vikings vs. 9-2 Seattle Seahawks, so that will hurt the Raw numbers somewhat. With only two Raw shows left before TLC, they have to shoot angles for the Raw side of that show’s card tonight.
On “Jeopardy” this weekend with the WWE category, they asked a question “The Song Stand Back was performed by this head honcho?” Answer was Vince McMahon, which none of the contestants got (thanks to Ken Raftery)
The final episode of the season of Total Divas airs tomorrow night. It’s about Ronda Rousey taking a sabbatical from WWE to start a family.
Stephen Amell appears on WWE Backstage tomorrow night.
UFC
Junior Dos Santos had been a contestant on Brazil’s version of Dancing with the Stars. He was eliminated yesterday. He had been off the show due to a leg injury and got the least amount of votes this past week. Dos Santos is now set to fly to Florida to start training for his 1/25 fight with Curtis Blaydes.
Brad Tavares vs. Antonio Carlos Jr. has verbal agreements in place for a 3/14 show in Brasilia, Brazil.
MISCELLANEOUS
New Japan tag team tournament matches tomorrow from Kochi, which won’t be broadcast live but will be on New Japan World some time tomorrow are:
Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Colt Cabana & Toru Yano
Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
Yoshi-Hashi & Tomohiro Ishii vs Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens
Hirooki Goto & Karl Fredericks vs. Evil & Sanada
Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima
Due to injuries, three new bouts have been announced for Saturday’s Alberto vs. Tito PPV from McAllen, TX. The new bouts are Dani Barez (11-4) vs. Joao Camilo (6-3), Dulce Garcia aka Sexy Star (1-0) vs. Anali Lopez Hernandez (0-0) and Gason Reuno (8-2, 2 no contests) vs. Rey Trujillo (24-27).
Jushin Liger will be working a 12/14 show in Sydney, Australia. Liger teams with Robbie Eagles against Jack Bonza & Bad Luck Fale. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
Northeast Wrestling from Saturday night in Bethany, CT: JT Dunn b Chuck O’Neil (who is an area MMA fighter/pro wrestler), Christian Casanova DDQ Wrecking Bell Legursky, Keith Youngblood b Mike Verna, RJ Rude & Zane Bernardo b Aiden Aggro & Danger Kid, Mike Gamble b Daniel Evans, Dexter Loux b Brett Gosselin, Tasha Steelz b Aria. the first four matches are part of the NEW Live tournament for a title belt to be defended exclusively on Facebook (thanks to Nick Mahmood)
Bellator announced its first show of 2020 would be on 2/21 from Thackerville, K with Ed Ruth vs. Yaroslav Amosov and Brandon Girtz vs.Myles Jury as the top fights.
AWS from Saturday in South Gate, CA: Viva Van b Simone Sherie, Johnny Paradise won four-way over Dicky Meyer, Mike Camden and Hunter Freeman, Michael Hopkins & Juan Mattioli b Yuma & Watts, Daniel Moon & Danny Divine & Brendan Divine b Ray Rosas & Diego Valens & Frankie Frank, Ruby Raze & Vipess b Ashley Vox & Delmi Vox, Mariachi Loco & Lil Cholo b Steven Andrews & Simon Lotto, Andy Brown b B-Boy, Piloto Suicida vs. Acero Dorado vs. Human Tornado vs. Shamu Jr. vs. Hector Canales ended with no winner, Tito Escondido & Che Cabrera b Jesse James & Hoss Hogg (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)
Matt Sydal is the first name announced for the 2/20 Qatar Pro Wrestling show in Doha, Qatar. The other name announced for the show is Eric Bischoff.
A correction from yesterday, Herb Simmons noted there was a phone issue and somehow there was a Facebook post saying the 12/28 show in East Carondelet, IL was canceled, but it is still on at the Community Center. Another correction from yesterday is the Limitless Wrestling show listed in Yarmouth, Mass., was actually in Yarmouth, Maine.
On this week’s Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, I take a step back on a subject that I admittedly didn’t know that much about: MMA’s history in China and what a native UFC champion could mean to the country.
Helping me do that is an expert in the area: Dan Shapiro, he of this piece in The Athletic that goes deep into MMA’s path to acceptance and the road to this Saturday’s debut show in Shenzhen, headlined by strawweight champion Jessica Andrade vs. Weili Zhang.
We go into Dan’s six years living in China including how he helped promote the first MMA shows in the country, why it’s not as easy to simply go in and succeed for outsiders in China, people initially confusing WWE and MMA, what Zhang’s win could mean for future generations of potential fighters, the main events of the six shows UFC has brought to China, the strangeness of two consecutive strawweight challengers getting their shot in their home country, and more.
