Note: you can get a live recap of the show by our Bryan Alvarez, Craig Proper, and Vincent Q. Verhei here.
Balor and Bayley shirts everywhere. Probably 90% males in their 20’s-40’s, 10% girlfriends and kids.
– No Way Jose vs Murphy
No Way Jose wins with his finish. Jose came out with a Russell Wilson jersey to cheers, led a “Sea-Hawks” chant. Great energy.
– Tucker Knight vs Tino Sabatelli
Sabatelli wins via pinfall. Never seen him before but he’s a good athlete for sure.
– Alexa Bliss vs Bayley
The crowd went with every move Bayley made. She picks up the win with the belly to Bayley.
– Austin Aries vs Mojo Rawley
Aries is the solid favorite but Mojo had his fans. The crowd began a “Mojo’s butt” chant which gave me a good laugh. Aries wins with a submission after a fun match.
– The Revival vs NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha
This was match of the night. So many great sequences that felt organic. AA hit a dual ankle lock spot that got a standing ovation. Gable got another standing ovation when he hit a series of moves on Dawson that I can’t begin to describe. Awesome match.
Intermission
– William Regal addressed the crowd. That was a pleasant surprise.
– Elias Sampson vs Shinsuke Nakamura
The Paramount exploded when Nakamura did that taunt he does on the rope during his entrance. Shinsuke wins with Kinsasha in a basic, short match.
– Nia Jax vs NXT Women’s Champion Asuka
Asuka had Jax in a submission before Alexa Bliss ran in to break it up. Both Alexa and Nia attack Asuka until Bayley runs in for the save.
– Finn Balor vs NXT Champion Samoa Joe
Balor enters to many Clique and Bullet Club taunts. After a good back and forth match, Joe wins with the muscle buster.
Buffalo, New York: – Vic Christy defeated Don McIntyre to win the Montreal and Toronto World Heavyweight Titles
1940
Boston, Massachusetts: – The French Angel defeated Steve Casey for the Boston AWA World Heavyweight Title
1954
Amarillo, Texas: – Dory Funk defeated Roy Shire for the Southwest Junior Heavyweight Title
Stockton, California: – Ben and Mike Sharpe won the San Francisco NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Titles by defeating Ron Etchison and Enrique Torres
1959
Honolulu, Hawaii: – Ed Francis defeated Al Lolotai for the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
1960
Tokyo, Japan: – Rikidozan defeated Leo Nomellini to win the second-annual JWA World League Tournament
St. Joseph, Missouri: – George and Sandy Scott defeated Emil and Ernie Dusek to win the Central States NWA World Tag Team Titles
1963
Memphis, Tennessee: – Karl and Skull Von Stroheim defeated Gino and Tony Calza to win the Mid-America NWA Southern Tag Team Titles
1964
Honolulu, Hawaii: – Robert Duranton and Shag Thomas defeated Cowboy Cassidy and Curtis Iaukea for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Titles
1965
Los Angeles, California: – The Assassins defeated Karl and Kurt Von Stroheim for the World Wrestling Association World Tag Team Titles
1966
Tokyo, Japan: – Giant Baba defeated Wilbur Snyder to win the eighth-annual JWA World League Tournament
1968
Memphis, Tennessee: – Don Carson and The Red Shadow defeated Dennis Hall and Ken Lucas to win the Mid-America NWA Southern Tag Team Titles
1969
Portland, Oregon: – Tony Borne and Moondog Mayne defeated Karl and Kurt Von Steiger to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles
1971
Hattiesburg, Mississippi: – Eddie Sullivan defeated Bob Kelly for the NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Title
1972
San Francisco, California: – Lars Anderson and Paul DeMarco defeated Pepper Gomez and Rocky Johnson for the San Francisco NWA World Tag Team Titles
1973
Sydney, Australia: – Hiro Tojo and Waldo Von Erich defeated Ron Miller and Larry O’Day to win the NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Titles
1975
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: – Dominic DeNucci and Victor Rivera defeated The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy and Johnny) for the WWWF World Tag Team Titles
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: – Mike DuBois and Lord Alfred Hayes defeated The Beast and Johnny Weaver for the Eastern Sports Association International Tag Team Titles
Mobile, Alabama: – Dr. X defeated Ken Lucas for the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title
1976
Kansas City, Kansas: – Bob Geigel & Akio Sato defeated Ed Wiskoski & Roger Kirby – In a Texas Bull Rope Match: Mike George defeated Dusty Rhodes – Bob Brown & Mike York defeated Ray Candy & Ronnie Etchison – Tank Patton fought Omar Atlas to a draw – Pat O’Connor defeated Mr. Seki
1978
Portland, Oregon: – Jerry Oates defeated Ed Wiskoski to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title
Omaha, Nebraska: – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Billy Robinson – Pat Patterson & Ray Stevens beat Rufus R Jones & Pat O’Connor – Steve Olsonoski beat Super Destroyer Mark II dq – Lord Alfred Hayes drew Joe Scarpello – Kay Noble beat Brenda Hoffman
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: – The Crusher beat Angelo Mosca in a chain match – Verne Gagne beat Johnny Valiant – Blackjack Lanza & Bob Orton Jr beat AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell dq – Evan Johnson beat Spike Huber – Frank Hill beat Vito Martino
1979
Green Bay, Wisconsin: – Verne Gagne & Mad Dog Vachon beat Nick Bockwinkel & Pat Patterson. – Super Destroyer Mark II beat Billy Robinson dq – Greg Gagne beat Bobby Duncum dq – Doug Gilbert drew Paul Ellering – Jesse Ventura beat Dick Reynolds (sub Paul Ellering)
Houston, Texas: – Wahoo McDaniel defeated The Spoiler for the NWA American Heavyweight Title in Houston, Texas
1982
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Tito Santana – Greg Gagne beat Jerry Blackwell – Sheik Adnan beat Baron Von Raschke – Ken Patera beat Brad Rheingans – Buck Zumhofe beat Bobby Duncum
1983
St. Louis, Missouri: – Harley Race defeated Jerry Blackwell to win the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title
Calgary, Alberta, Canada: – Velvet McIntyre and Penny Mitchell defeated Joyce Grable and Wendi Richter to win the NWA World Women’s Tag Team Title
Beckley, West Virginia: – The Great Tio defeated The Masked Miser (Angelo Poffo) to win the International Championship Wrestling Television Title
1984
St. Paul, Minnesota: – Rick Martel defeated Jumbo Tsuruta to win the AWA World Heavyweight Title – Blackjack Mulligan & Blackjack Lanza no contest Abdullah The Butcher & Jerry Blackwell – The Crusher beat Sheik Adnan – Princess Victoria & Velvet McIntyre beat Leilani Kai & Despina Montagus – Fabulous Ones beat Jesse Ventura & Steve Regal – Larry Zbyszko beat Curt Hennig dq
1985
Memphis, Tennessee: – Randy Savage to win the AWA Southern Heavyweight Title by defeating Jerry Oske
1988
Houston, Texas: – Barry Windham defeated Nikita Koloff to win the vacant NWA United States Heavyweight Title in a tournament final
1991
Memphis, Tennessee: – Robert Fuller and Jeff Jarrett defeated The Texas Hangmen (Killer and Psycho) for the USWA Tag Team Titles – Bill Dundee defeated Eric Embry to win the USWA Southern Heavyweight Title
1995
Memphis, Tennessee: – Doug Gilbert won the USWA Heavyweight Title by defeating Brian Lee
1996
Nuevo Laredo, Mexico: – Pimpinela Escarlata defeated La Parka for the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Title
2005
Irondale, Alabama: – Tom Prichard defeated Rick Steiner to win the NWA Alabama Heavyweight Title
2007
TNA Sacrifice: Orlando, Florida: – TNA X Division Champion Chris Sabin defeated Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt in a triple threat match to retain the title – Robert Roode (with Ms. Brooks) pinned Jeff Jarrett – Christopher Daniels pinned Rhino – Basham and Damaja (with Christy Hemme) defeated Kip James in a handicap match – Chris Harris defeated James Storm in a Texas death match – Jerry Lynn defeated Senshi, Alex Shelley and Tiger Mask IV in a four corners match – TNA World Tag Team Champions Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) defeated Scott Steiner & Tomko and The Latin American Exchange (Homicide & Hernandez) in a triple threat match to retain the title – Kurt Angle defeated TNA World Heavyweight Champion Christian Cage and Sting in a three-way match to win the title
2010
– Scott Hall and Kevin Nash defeated Matt Morgan to win the TNA Tag Team Title
2012
TNA Sacrifice: Orlando, Florida: – Gail Kim defeated Brooke Tessmacher to retain the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship – Devon defeated Robbie E and Robbie T to retain the TNA Television Championship – Mr. Anderson defeated Jeff Hardy – Crimson defeated Eric Young (with ODB) – Austin Aries defeated Bully Ray – Kurt Angle defeated A.J. Styles – Bobby Roode defeated Rob Van Dam in a Ladder match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship – Kazarian & Christopher Daniels defeated Samoa Joe & Magnus to win the TNA Tag Team Titles
Time for another fine edition of Wrestling Weekly where we’ll start with Les returning the favor from Smackdown this week and giving Mauro Ranallo a mention, including the story of how Les gave him some pointers early in Mauro’s career and didn’t realize it at the time! We’ll also discuss the great interview Dave and Bryan did with Josh Barnett (6:23) on Wrestling Observer Radio regarding Josh’s views on both wrestling and his role as an analyst for New Japan on AXS. That leads to the story of Les getting thrown into his first broadcasting experience with no training, no advice and barely any advance notice in the Maritimes (19:19), as well as a little bit on the Maritimes territory. We’ll then open up the mailbag to answer questions about cable vs ropes for a ring (29:06), the biggest differences between wrestling today as opposed to 30 years ago (34:54), a look back at wrestler Bobby Shane (49:18), and older wrestlers who do shoot interviews where they blame everyone else for their problems except themselves (57:18). Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!
– Air Date: May 12, 2016 – Location: Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA
– The Big News:
Chris Jericho laid out Dean Ambrose, Rusev laid out the Lucha Dragons, Gallows and Anderson laid out The Usos, and Fandango and Tyler Breeze laid out Goldust and R-Truth. Also, the main event ended with some guys getting laid out.
– Show Recap:
They announced The Usos vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson for tonight, with Roman Reigns and AJ Styles banned from ringside.
Dean Ambrose came out to start the show.
Ambrose said he has owed a lot people money before, but Jericho wanted $15,000 for his jacket and he’s not getting it. They’re even as far as Ambrose is concerned after Jericho destroyed his plant.
More importantly, Ambrose was pissed about Jericho trying to take his career away. Ambrose’s wrestling career is all he has because he won’t be interviewing Carrot Top on some podcast. Ambrose wondered if he should destroy more of Jericho’s clothes or shave his hair, but instead would destroy his ego. When Ambrose is done with him, Jericho is going to wonder if wrestling is even for him anymore.
Jericho’s music hit and the lights went out for his entrance, but when they came back on, Ambrose was laid out as Jericho stood over him. Jericho pulled a straight jacket out of a bag and strapped on Ambrose. Ambrose tried struggling out of it as Jericho mocked him for being “crazy.”
Jericho then beat down a helpless Ambrose as the crowd booed. Ambrose tried fighting back, but Jericho resorted to an eye poke and hit a Codebreaker. Officials finally ran down to assist, but as Ambrose slowly got to his feet, Jericho gave him another Codebreaker.
Jericho stood on the announce table and gave the crowd the gift of Jericho. Really good angle. My only nitpick was that Ambrose suddenly being laid out when the lights turned on felt pretty fake.
Backstage, Rusev yelled and pushed stuff over, and Lana yelled too while following behind.
Rusev (w/Lana) beat Sin Cara via submission
Lana did Rusev’s introduction, and Kalisto was on commentary. As they showed a replay of Sin Cara defeating Rusev on Raw, Kalisto said Rusev is always relying on Lana and he’s tired of it. Oh really? Kalisto continued about Rusev’s anger and was just awful. It was beyond stupid putting him back on commentary.
As Sin Cara made his comeback, Lana chucked water in Kalisto’s face, so Kalisto got up to confront her. Rusev (the hero) left the ring, ran up behind Kalisto and kicked him, jumped back in the ring, hit a side kick on Sin Cara, and applied the Accolade for the win. Rusev single-handedly picked apart the Lucha Dragons. The match itself was over in about 2 minutes. Rusev stood over Kalisto with the US title.
Backstage, Renee Young asked Emma about Dana Brooke, who suddenly showed up. Brooke said Renee obviously doesn’t watch the Network and called herself a bodybuilding champion. Renee wanted to know why she attacked Becky Lynch. Brooke basically said the fans don’t appreciate Emma even though they adore Lynch. Brooke told Renee that after tonight, she wouldn’t be asking who Dana Brooke was, but would be asking “Whatever happened to Becky Lynch?” This was fine.
Dana Brooke (w/Emma) beat Becky Lynch via pinfall
Jerry Lawler was happy to hear that Brooke is from Cleveland. With Lynch draped over the bottom rope, Brooke distracted the referee, allowing Emma to poke Lynch right in the eye. Brooke followed with a jackknife cover for the win after about 3-4 minutes. This wasn’t good, and the finish was weak even with Lynch’s eye injury. Still, Emma deliberately poking Lynch in her bad eye was pretty damn funny.
Backstage, Styles told Gallows and Anderson that he’ll be out there if Reigns decided to show up at ringside. He told them to take care of club business.
New Day came out for a promo. Kofi Kingston said the Vaudevillains put their noses where they didn’t belong on Monday. Big E was about to say they put their noses up their asses, but Kingston and Woods stopped him from swearing. He tried to swear later and they stopped him again.
New Day tried to make jokes about Kanye West and the crowd was dead silent. They were interrupted by the Vaudevillains who said they would outsmart their loudmouth opponents, and Aiden English sang that they would be the new champions. This came off really poorly for New Day, and this has to be the least a crowd was into them in a long time.
Aiden English (w/Simon Gotch) beat Kofi Kingston (w/Big E & Xavier Woods) via pinfall
As Kingston made a comeback, there were some light “New Day rocks” chants. Big E and Woods stopped Gotch from interfering, so the referee tossed them all out. Moments later, Kingston tried a sunset flip, but English dropped down for the cover while grabbing the rope for the pinfall win. Lame.
Backstage, Roman Reigns told the Usos to represent the “bloodline” and said he would be there if Styles showed up.
The Usos beat Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson via DQ
As they worked over Jimmy Uso, Mauro Ranallo did a terrific job putting over Gallows and Anderson and their accolades. Jey made a hot tag and ran wild, but was cut off by a Gallows big boot outside the ring as Anderson distracted the referee.
After a break, the Club worked over Jey as some young fans chanted “Let’s go Usos,” which was met with an “Usos suck” chant by a different segment of the audience. Jey caught Gallows with a superkick and made the hot tag.
Jimmy ran wild on Anderson and hit a superkick and splash. He had the match won but Gallows pulled him out of the ring (just barely on time). Gallows tossed him over the announce table for the DQ, so the Jey hit him with a dive.
Anderson tossed Jey into the steps and followed with a rocket kick. Jimmy jumped him from behind, but Gallows nailed him with a chair. Anderson followed by hitting Jey with the chair. With both Usos down, the Club posed and Gallows yelled, “This is what the club is all about!”
There was no explanation for Reigns not coming out here to save his family. It didn’t matter that he was banned because the the match was over. Otherwise, this was good for Gallows and Anderson.
There was a new vignette with Darren Young and Bob Backlund.
Backlund asked Young what time it says on his watch. Young pulled out his smartphone to get the time, which Backlund couldn’t comprehend.
Young said he has everything on his phone (email, alerts, calendar) and nobody wears watches anymore. Oh, come on. Backlund said Young should put his mail in the mailbox and his calendar on the wall. Young reiterated he has it all on his phone, so Backlund made him do squats. This is still really bizarre, but Backlund yelling about the mail was amusing.
Tyler Breeze & R-Truth beat Goldust & Fandango via pinfall
A few sad fans still do the Fandango dance during his entrance. Truth tagged in immediately, so Fandango tagged in Goldust. Goldust reluctantly got in the ring as the crowd chanted “Golden Truth.” They faced off but didn’t touch, as Tyler Breeze yelled at Truth to hit Goldust.
Truth tagged in Breeze, who pushed Truth out of the ring. Breeze was about to go after Goldust, who had his back turned, but Fandango saved him. It was a swerve though, as Fandango blindsided Goldust with a clothesline. Breeze seemed surprised, but smiled and covered Goldust for the pinfall win.
Afterwards, Fandango and Breeze beat down Goldust. Truth tried to make a save, but they cut him off immediately and beat him down too. Goldust tried to cover Truth to take the brunt of the beating. Fandango and Breeze stood tall as the crowd booed. This was a perfectly acceptable low-card angle.
They announced “The Shining Stars,” Primo and Epico, would debut on Raw.
Backstage, Charlotte told Renee that what they did to her father (Ric Flair) on Raw was a travesty. Flair said he’s taught Charlotte everything she knows, that he would be there in spirit (at Extreme Rules), and she would go on to another Flair victory. Flair was perfect here, reminding us this match is to be taken seriously.
Kevin Owens & IC Champion The Miz (w/Maryse) beat Cesaro & Sami Zayn
The Miz came out last. Lawler really hates Zayn’s hat. Also, Lawler quipped that Owens hates to lose so much that he doesn’t even want to lose weight. As Miz made his entrance, Owens grabbed Byron Saxton’s headset and said he was giving Miz one last chance to be a good tag partner, but at Extreme Rules, he was taking his title back. He then demanded Saxton talk good about him.
Cesaro and Zayn both wanted to start the match. Cesaro got his wish and immediately used some impressive offense on Miz. Owens told Miz he could do better, so he tagged in, but Cesaro tagged in Zayn. Owens tried to tag out but Miz jumped down and told him to do better.
Zayn hit punches in the corner but Miz tagged himself in. Zayn got the better of him too so Miz escaped the ring. Owens and Miz argued, so Cesaro hit Owens with a cannonball off the apron and Zayn nailed Miz with a dive.
After a break, Zayn went after Miz on the outside but Maryse got in his way, allowing Owens to knock him down from behind. They worked over Zayn until he came back with a big clothesline and blue thunder bomb on Miz.
Cesaro made the hot tag and hit Owens with uppercuts, uppercuts, a dropkick and crossbody for two. Miz jumped in to attack Cesaro. Zayn tried to hit Miz with the Helluva kick, but Miz moved and Zayn caught Cesaro instead. Miz pulled Zayn out of the ring, and Owens hit Cesaro with a Frog Splash for the win. Good match and I liked the finish.
Afterwards, Owens gave Zayn the pop-up powerbomb and Miz gave Owens the skull crushing finale. Miz stood tall with the Intercontinental title to end the show.
– Final Thoughts:
Not a bad show. It reminded me a bit of Raw in that there was good action but the angles were repetitive, just in a different way.
The Bryan & Vinny Show is back today with a 90-plus minute show talking a ton of topics including out WWE NXT Seattle ROAD REPORT! Nothing better than NXT live of late, and this was no exception. Plus, Granny appears for a poetry contest, Vinny’s Raw report and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
On Thursday, WWE announced its two annual shows in Japan at Sumo Hall in Tokyo which have already sold out with Shinsuke Nakamura as the primary reason.
The most notable aspect of the announcement is that WWE did not at all cater the shows for the Japanese audience, but instead just did a regular show with Nakamura and fellow NXT star — women’s champion Asuka — working down on the card instead.
In particular, Asuka is not working at all with WWE women’s champ Charlotte on the tour even though Asuka would be the lead babyface to the audience in the women’s division. Instead, both women will be defending their respective belts.
July 1st lineup
WWE Champion Roman Reigns vs. A.J. Styles vs. Kevin Owens
John Cena vs. Chris Jericho
WWE Tag Team Champions New Day vs. Usos vs. Vaudevillains vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
The UFC heads to Curitiba, Brazil for the first time, bringing an event to a soccer stadium that promises around 45,000 strong for UFC 198 headlined by UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum defending against Stipe Miocic. Despite the loss of Anderson Silva, it is still a deep card on Saturday. Below are our studs, value plays and fighters to avoid when setting your fantasy line-ups for the event.
STUDS
Cris Cyborg ($11,600)
Cris Cyborg makes her UFC debut and she is obviously the biggest play on the fight card. She is just a vicious knockout artist and fighting her is likely leading to a devastating finish. She is fighting at 140 pounds, the first time in a very long time she has fought below 145 pounds, but she is also going against Leslie Smith, a natural 125-pound fighter who fights at 135 to be in the UFC, and is now going up even more in weight. Cyborg will be cutting to make 140, Smith won’t be cutting so much. This is a showcase fight for Cyborg to get the fans in her hometown a fighter to cheer for, and it becomes an even bigger deal now that Anderson Silva is now off the card. She should make quick work of Smith and you will maximize your points in picking her. The salary is high and you will have to do some good work with the other four selections, but Cyborg is a must own.
Warlley Alves ($10,800)
Warlley Alves enters Saturday’s UFC 198 event with a perfect 10-0 record, and with Anderson Silva now being out, he gets the main card slot on pay-per-view to showcase his skills. Alves has scored stoppage wins in seven of his ten wins, including in three of his four wins inside the Octagon. He is coming off an impressive and dominant submission win over Colby Covington, who was also undefeated at the time. Alves will be facing Bryan Barberena, who is looking to build on the momentum he has as the man to hand young rising star Sage Northcutt his first career loss. Barberena is 2-1 in his young UFC career, but has just fought three times over the course of two years, and Alves is a huge step up in competition for him. Barberena may not be ready for the challenge, and this is made for Alves to score another impressive win as they work to build him up. I expect another stoppage win for Alves, and he will be a good play on Saturday night.
VALUE PLAYS
Stipe Miocic ($9,100)
The challenger for the UFC Heavyweight Championship in the main event of UFC 198, Stipe Miocic, presents some very solid value at a $9,100 price tag. He lands a lot of strikes, especially over the course of 25 minutes, if it were to go the distance. Miocic is a man on a mission to win the gold, and he has a very good chance as he matches up well against Werdum. Werdum has shown improved boxing, but Miocic is better on the feet, so it will be up to Werdum to try and get the fight down. Miocic has good takedown defense, but he hasn’t had to show off a lot of his grappling. That is Werdum’s world. As long as Miocic keeps the fight on the feet, he is going to score points. He also has excellent conditioning. Werdum has a lot of pressure on him, and Miocic has nothing to lose as he goes for the gold. He has an excellent chance at scoring the upset, and his salary makes him very good value.
Renato Moicano ($9,000)
Renato Moicano is another solid value play on Saturday’s fight card. He hasn’t fought since December 2014, but he is undefeated in his ten career fights. Five of his nine wins (he has a draw) have come by submission, including his UFC debut win over Tom Niinimaki. He has very solid skills and is a rising Brazilian prospect at 145 pounds. However, he won’t have an easy bout as he takes on another tough rising prospect in Zubaira Tukhugov in the opener of the event. Tukhugov is a perfect 3-0 in the UFC and has won nine straight fights. The big knock on him, despite an impressive 18-3 record, is that he is more of a points fighter as eleven of his 18 wins are by decision, including two of his three UFC wins. He is also coming off a close split decision win against Philippe Nover. Moicano has a good shot at scoring an upset and getting a finish, and he has good value for those looking for their underdog pick.
FIGHTERS TO AVOID
Mauricio Rua ($9,200)
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is a legend in the sport of MMA, but also one who has seen better days in his career. Saturday night will be a big night for Rua as he fights in his hometown of Curitiba for the first time in 13 years, and that is why he was eager to get on this card. However, he does not have an easy task in front of him in the form of Corey Anderson. Anderson sports an 8-1 record and has won three straight, showing off some impressive wrestling skills and improving striking. However, he does tend to eat some good punches, and he was put down in his most recent loss. Rua has trouble taking punches these days, and his takedown defense hasn’t been at top levels in recent years. Rua can always have a vintage Shogun performance, and perhaps fighting in his hometown will give him that added edge, but his recent performances leave a lot to be desired, though he is coming off a win. As hard as it is to avoid him, with the match-up in front of him, I recommend avoiding Rua.
Matt Brown ($8,900)
Matt Brown holds the record for most knockout wins in UFC welterweight history, and he’s long been one of the most exciting fighters at 170 pounds. He has never been able to make that next leap into a title shot, but he gets a big opportunity to make an impact when he takes on Demian Maia on Saturday. It is a fight that Brown asked for, and it may be a huge mistake. Maia excels in the grappling, and he made Gunnar Nelson, arguably the second-best grappler at 170 pounds, look like a novice on the mat. Brown’s biggest problem has always been defending the takedown, and Maia is going to be looking to get the fight to the mat almost immediately. Brown has never been knocked out in his career, but nine of his 13 losses have come by submission. He has a tall task in front of him, but Brown is coming to bring the fight to Maia. He will be tempting to use, but I recommend passing on Brown in your line-ups on Saturday.
OUR LINE-UPS
RYAN FREDERICK- Cris Cyborg ($11,600), Warlley Alves ($10,800), John Lineker ($9,700), Stipe Miocic ($9,100), Nate Marquardt ($8,500)
I have Cris Cyborg as my top pick, and it is a no-brainer. Unless she has a huge adrenaline dump or the weight cut takes a drastic toll on her, she should run right through Leslie Smith, and pretty quickly. I like Warlley Alves to submit Bryan Barberena with relative ease. John Lineker is another solid pick. He has exciting fights and is a finisher, and 135 pounds suits him better. He has a tough opponent in Rob Font, but Font hasn’t fought someone like Lineker, and I think Lineker gives him a good beating. I’m confidently picking Stipe Miocic to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion on Saturday, and he should rack up some points whether he finishes Fabricio Werdum or goes the distance. Nate Marquardt is my final pick, and one I’m not overly confident on. He is cheap and is coming off a knockout win, and his opponent, Thiago Santos, can be finished. It is my hail mary pick.
PAUL FONTAINE- Cris Cyborg ($11,600), Fabricio Werdum ($10,300), John Lineker ($9,700), Renato Moicano ($9,000), Matt Brown ($8,900)
I like the champion to retain in the main event. It could be a long fight as both guys can take a lot of punishment but even if it goes the distance, Werdum will rack up a lot of points in five rounds. Cyborg is a no-brainer. That fight has first round finish all over it. The only question is if she loses any power fighting at 140. Brown is a bit of a risk but I just can’t see him giving up and at some point, I think Brown breaks him and scores a TKO win. Lineker/Font should be a great fight. Lineker’s the type of fighter who should be spurred on by the Brazilian crowd and he should put together a flurry that hands Font his first UFC loss. Moicano is a bit of an unknown but he submitted the tough Tom Niinimaki in his first UFC fight. The only time he hasn’t won in his career, he went to a draw with Felipe Froes, who is one of the top Featherweights outside of North America.
Another perfect use of 50k but a few things have to happen for this to be a winning hand. I think they will. Werdum finds a way to win. I don’t care what Miocic has in his hands because he has nothing on the ground, and Werdum is a smart fighter. I had Uriah Hall, but switched to Yancy Medeiros after the Silva injury as I see him defeating Trinaldo. Cyborg is a guaranteed first round KO. Cummins has to score a lot of points and beat Lil Nog. He should be able to, unless Nog gets lucky. Vitor is going to be extremely motivated and he’s got KO potential always looming. Also, I had to take a significant dog to get Cyborg. I think Belfort is a steal. He may get beat but I don’t think it will be in the first round. Souza will respect the phenom and take it slow.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer returns today with special guest Josh Barnett to talk tons of topics including New Japan on AXS with Jim Ross, commentary, UFC this weekend, the art of wrestling and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Analytics is a hot topic and area of interest in pro sports and culture in general. Not to be left out of the game, MMA has been slower to the party than some due to several factors. But why?
