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  • WWE Milan, Italy, live results (Wed): Bray Wyatt injury during Roman Reigns match

    Submitted by Erik Ganzerli

    WWE began its Wrestlemania Revenge Tour in Milan earlier tonight in front of a nearly sold out at the Mediolanum Forum. Here are the results: 

    -Cesaro b. Stardust with the Swing/Sharpshooter combo in about 11 minutes

    Big pop for Cesaro who is kind of a homegrown talent here since he spent a lot of time early in his career wrestling here. Usual house show opener, good match. 

    -Erick Rowan b. Jack Swagger

    Needless to say, not as good as the previous match. For whatever reason the “Real American” Swagger entered baring an Italian flag. Finish came when Swagger applied the ankle lock, Rowan reached the ropes with the referee calling for a break. Swagger then tried to bring Rowan back to the middle of the ring. Rowan held the apron and the referee went to put it back into place. With the ref distracted, Rowan poked Swagger in the eyes and pinned him with a full Nelson slam. 

    -Sin Cara b. Tyler Breeze in 7 minutes via Swanton Bomb

    Short match, which is a shame. A bit of.comedy at the start but good action. 

    -Kane b. Braun Strowman by DQ in 6 minutes

    Loud reaction for Kane, stili very beloved. Horrendous match, Strowman hit Kane with a chair for the disqualification and was then finished with a chokeslam. 

    -WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day b. Sheamus and Rusev to retain in 13 minutes

    Not much different from the matches we saw on Raw and Wrestlemania with these teams. The New Day, needless to say, is OVER. Finish came after Woods, who was knocked earlier from the apron by Rusev, hit Rusev back with the referee distracted, allowing Kingston and Big E. to hit the Big Ending/Splash combo for the pin. 

    -WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte b. Becky Lynch and Sasha Hanks in a triple threat match to retain

    As easily predictable this was by leaps and bounds the best match.of the show. 

    -The Usos b. The Dudley Boyz in 11 minutes

    Dudleyz very over, almost 50/50 crowd reaction to the point that Bubba, the true highlight of the match, at a certain point started loudly complaining in Italian and running down local teams. Usos won with a double superkick. 

    -WWE Champion Roman Reigns fought Bray Wyatt to a no contest in 2 minutes

    The match was immediately halted due to what looked like an ankle injury. It was bad enough that they immediately called for the best after the doc took a look at it. To cover for it they went to a LONG post match beatdown which involved Rowan, Strowman, the Usos and the Dudleyz.

    When the dust settled, Sheamus came out trying to get a title match. He tried to Brogue Kick Reigns who avoided it and speared him. Reigns took the mic and said that while he had his issues with Wyatt, he never wishes an injury to anybody (which helped turn the crowd in his favour, it was 50/50 at best earlier) and then ended the show thanking the fans. 

    Notes: since this is the first show of the tour the merchandising stands had a pretty decent variety of items: shirts for Roman Reigns, John Cena, The Usos, Dean Ambrose, and AJ Styles. 

  • WWE Florence, Italy, live results: Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks

    Submitted by Lothar Ceccarelli

    Lilian Garcia was introduced as the announcer for the show. 

    Cesaro beat Stardust

    People loved Cesaro and they went nuts for his comeback, especially for the uppercuts. He won with a sharpshooter follwing the giant swing. Good contest. 

    Sin Cara beat Tyler Breeze

    Quick match with a couple of high flying spots by Sin Cara. He won with his senton from the top rope. After the match, Breeze took a mic and said that he didn’t come to Italy to lose and he asked for an other opponent. Out came Swagger with an Italian flag on his shoulders. 

    Jack Swagger beat Tyler Breeze

    Nothing to say here. They went for the ankle lock as soon as the bell rang and Breeze tapped out.

    WWE Tag Team Champions New Day beat Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan

    People LOVED the New Day. The match was very good. I’ll go as far as saying that this was the biggest surprise of the night. Xavier and Big E worked the match for the New Day. The heat was on Xavier at the beginning. Great hot tag for Big E who began to throw Rowan around. Then Strowman came in and he got a big “holy s**t, he’s big!” reaction. Couple of near falls. New Day won after a little help from Kofi.

    WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte beat Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch

    Ric Flair was ringside. This was the match of the night. Sasha and Becky put out Charlotte and went at it at the beginning. Then the champ came back and they did a good amount of “3 way” spots. People chanted “NXT” and “Women’s Wrestling” and booed the hell out of Charlotte. At the end, Sasha went for the Bank Statement on Becky, but Ric pulled her out of the ring and Charlotte pinned Becky using the ropes. Very good match.

    Usos beat the Dudleys

    Man, is Bubba great. People cheered the Dudleys at the beginning, but Bubba turned that around in a second. He had the crowd going from cheering them to HATE them. He even went as far as swearing at people in italian. As far as the match goes, a solid contest but nothing great. Usos won with a splash.

    WWE Champion Roman Reigns beat Sheamus

    Very good match, the second best after the women’s. Roman Reigns was over HUGE. Biggest reaction of the night by far. He won with a spear after a couple of near finishes.

    Overall, a good show. Crowd was into everything and they cheered the faces and booed the heels. Again, women stole the show. 

  • NXT Citrus Springs, FL, live results: Nakamura vs. Dillinger; Asuka, Bayley, more!

    I’m here at NXT Citrus Springs and we are expecting approximately 300 people for Shinsuke Nakamura’s NXT Florida debut.

    No Way Jose beat Noah

    Fun opener with Noah wanting to shake hands and be friends with Jose, which, of course, led to chants of “No Way Jose” for the handshake offer. Solid action before Jose hit the wind0up punch and his new finish — a full nelson slam — for the win.

    Liv Morgan beat Peyton Royce

    Peyton tried to offer her flower to Liv, who tossed it away. Royce was going for her Venus Fly Trap submission, BUT Morgan was able to roll through and win the match.

    Manny Andrade beat Elias Samson

    Major heat for The Drifter and his attempted pre match song. Manny entered to a good reaction and we’re off. Great work by Andrade, countering moves, flipping over Samson and keeping the tempo up. Drifter works the headlock of doom before Manny fired up, ran wild and hit the running knees for the win.

    Riddick Moss beat Alex Riley

    Moss has fresh new gear and a fancy gold vest. He ordered the ref to take his vest off for him, BUT ARy snuck behind and did so himself, only to put the vest on and upset Moss. Physical match with Moss scoring the win over a distraught ARy.

    NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha beat Alexander Wolfe and Sawyer Fulton

    Big reaction for Alpha showing off the titles for the first time in FL. A lot of impressive matwork by both Gable and Jordan early on before the pace was picked up. Jordan ran wild with big dropkicks before the heels took advantage of a distraction and stun-gunned Gable on the top rope. Wolfe and Fulton took turns working over Gable’s arm before he was able to escape and make the big hot tag to Jordan, ran wild again and this time, Alpha finished them off with the Assisted German Suplex.

    NXT Women’s Champion Asuka beat Adrien Reese

    A good, yet clearly toned down, reaction for Asuka, the usual crowd favorite had more of a guilty reaction here after beating Bayley for the title. Good early exchanges with Reese even putting Asuka in holds. The champion took advantage of a counter and rolled through for the Asuka Lock victory.

    Shinsuke Nakamura beat Tye Dillinger

    Huge superstar reaction for Nakamura. This match was everything you could ask for at a live event. They taunted each other, played one upsmanship, and finally, it broke down in to a fight. Dillinger did Nakamura’s taunts himself, Nakamura did Dillinger’s cartwheel; it was exactly what you could ever want in a WWE Shinsuke Nakamura match. Dillinger and Nakamura even exchanged strong style strikes before Shinsuke hit the knee to the midsection and the Kinshasa for the win.

    Bayley and Mojo Rawley beat Nia Jax and Samoa Joe

    Joe got the heat on Mojo for a long time while Bayley lead cheers. She finally caught the hot tag and fought off Nia, even ending up on her shoulders punching down at Nia. Joe even tried to break up a pin but the ref dove at him to prevent the boot to Bayley. Nia tried to gain control but Bayley To Belly for the win.

    Post-match, they celebrated and Bayley snatched Joe’s towel, Joe was kicking the stairs on the outside as Bayley waved the towel and danced with Mojo.

  • WON Preview: Blackjack Mulligan, Balls Mahoney, Invasion Attack

    READ IT HERE April 18, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Blackjack Mulligan and Balls Mahoney pass away, NJPW Invasion Attack

    The career of Blackjack Mulligan, details on the death of Balls Mahoney, a full review of NJPW Invasion Attack, plus tons of news.

    The life and times of Blackjack Mulligan is the lead story in this week’s new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

    The character and life of Mulligan, who became a folk hero during the building of the Mid Atlantic wrestling territory into the strongest, in terms of talent, during the late 70s. Before wrestling, his start, what local sports star got him into pro wrestling, first big career break.  The night he was stabbed, and his thoughts on it, the debut of the Blackjacks tag team, main eventing at Soldier Field, , the unique story as to why the Blackjacks WWWF tag team title reign was so short, his role in the development of Ric Flair as the area’s top star, why the Flair vs. Mulligan feud worked so well, story of the program, Mulligan’s attempts to run a promotion, debut of Barry Windham, famous Mulligan street fight stories and his encounters with Andre the Giant, how his two years in prison ended his in ring career.

    A proposal for a national holiday honoring pro wrestling in Mexico.

    A blueprint of how to get Roman Reigns over the hump.  The crowning of Tetsuya Naito as the new IWGP champion.  Invasion Attack, how CMLL and New Japan handled top baby faces they wanted on top that the public didn’t buy and made them into major stars.  The next major NJPW shows, the direction, and full coverage of the show with match-by-match coverage and star ratings.

    More details on the attempted class action lawsuit against WWE over royalties from the network, why the Rene Dupree lawsuit fell apart.  

    The death of Joao Carvalho in an MMA fight over the weekend and details of what happened.

    Update on Payback, why it may be a hot card, business notes from WrestleMania, network viewership, merchandise was sold, demographics of WWE Network subscribers and key markets they are successful and unsuccessful.

    John Cena talking about his start in WWE, more on the recent WWE call ups, Bobby Roode in WWE, Brie Bella talks new role, more on Dr. Christopher Amann’s lawsuit against C.M. Punk, group being phased out down the line, change in WWE dress code, why a wrestlers’ finisher is getting a new name, update on Undertaker, European tour by WWE, Michaels talks his WrestleMania appearance, Randy Orton, concussion lawsuit, lots of WWE business notes and coverage of all the WWE arena events.

    The death of Balls Mahoney, career highlights, the story of his gimmick and name in ECW, original concept of his character was supposed.  WWE runs and after ECW folded.

    UFC’s Fight Night Croatia headlined by Junior Dos Santos vs. Ben Rothwell, affects on the heavyweight division, plus business and ratings.

    Details on the signings announced this past week by WWE.

    Ratings for all the pro wrestling and MMA shows from the past week.  We also look at what type of audience watches these shows.

    You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer

    You can also order print issues at www.paypal.com directing funds to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    Rates are:

    For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com  For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.

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

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. 

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    Check out the latest Online Wrestling Observer BACK ISSUE: March 8, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWF faces backlash for being risque, WCW’s Renegade passes away, tons more  WWF faces backlash for being too risque, former WCW wrestler Renegade passes away, plus tons of news.

    The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.

    Also in this issue:

    • A wrestler who verbally agreed to come to one promotion and then shockingly showed up on the doorstep of another
    • A look at the big matches at Arena Mexico this past week
    • A look at the new hot trio team
    • A look at a unique tag team tournament that starts this week
    • The biggest legends of the 70s return for a main event teaming with current star in May
    • More legends coming back for the Elite promotion
    • Notes on the returns of Rey Mysterio and Brian Cage to AAA
    • The crazy situation involving Octagon and Octagon Jr. that was covered as mainstream sports news in Mexico
    • Update on La Parka after he collapsed over WrestleMania weekend in Texas
    • Mexican heels using Trump to get heat
    • Notes on the annual King of Gate tournament
    • Some of the major shows in the tournament
    • Unique gimmick match coming to Dragon Gate
    • Open of the All Japan Champion Carnival tournament
    • Wrestler changing his name to honor Hall of Famer
    • Notes on NOAH’s annual tag team tournament and key shows
    • Notes on what is traditionally the biggest indie show in the U.S.
    • More on what happened with MVP and Lucha Underground
    • More notes on the two Lucha Underground title changes taped over the weekend
    • Reaction in the building
    • Update on Ricochet
    • What King Cuerno hasn’t been at any of the new Lucha Underground tapings
    • Notes on Aztec Warfare three and more from season three of the season with new directions
    • Lots of notes on newcomers to Lucha Underground including Japanese stars
    • Notes on more balcony dives
    • Update on ROH business in May
    • Why TNA had to move offices
    • Where things stand right now for the promotion
    • How Dixie Carter first got control of the company
    • Another bad sign from a television standpoint
    • Lawsuit threat against TNA and why it’s being ignored
    • Major changes for fighters for upcoming major Bellator and UFC shows
    • Notes on Frank Mir and Viscardi Andrade and potential drug test failures
    • Mir proclaims innocence
    • Viscardi also reacts to the news
    • More on the return of B.J. Penn and his new fight
    • UFC talks why they are booking Penn after decided against it recently
    • GSP strongly hints about returning to UFC
    • More on the matchmaking in the women’s division
    • Update on this week’s show
    • Demetrious Johnson talks what he’d like to see happen for him this year
    • Notes from the new season of Ultimate Fighter as well as the next season of Ultimate Fighter Latin America
    • Ken Shamrock explains drug test failure
    • Notes on big Rizin event

    If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today.  With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today.

    New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major stories of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we’ll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.

    Click here for the most requested Wrestling Observer back issues.

    Rates are:

    For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52.  In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com  For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.

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

  • FREE WOL! Bray Wyatt injury, Shinsuke Nakamura, UFC in New York, more!

    Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back to talk all the news in pro-wrestling and MMA including a segment with Dave Meltzer talking UFC in New York and more, plus calls, emails, text messages, the usual! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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  • Daily pro wrestling history (04/14): Jerry Lawler wins WCWA Title; Strangler Lewis wins World Title

    1931

    Los Angeles, California:
    – Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Ed Don George to win the World Heavyweight Title

    1959

    Dallas, Texas:
    – Ben and and Mike Sharpe defeated Chief Big Heart and Little Eagle to win the NWA Texas Tag Team Titles

    1961

    St. Joseph, Missouri:
    – NWA World Heavyweight Champion Pat O’Connor beat The Brute 2 out of 3 falls
    – Buddy Austin and Lee Henning beat Ronnie Etchison and Don McClarity 2 out of 3 falls
    – Happy Humphrey beat The Masked Medics 
    – Hogan Wharton beat Tommy O’Toole 

    1966

    Kansas City, Kansas:
    – Sonny Myers defeated The Viking via DQ
    – Pat O’Connor fought Ron Reed to a draw
    – The Butcher defeated Jerry Kozak
    – Ernie Ladd defeated Bulldog Plechas
    – The Mongolian Stomper & Bob Ellis defeated Tor Kamata & Oki Shikina in two straight falls

    1971

    Miami, Florida:
    – Terry Funk defeated The Grappler (Johnny Walker) for the Florida NWA Southern Heavyweight Title 

    1976 

    Charlotte, North Carolina:
    – Angelo Mosca defeated Tim Woods in the finals of a two-month-long tournament to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title

    Miami Beach, Florida:
    – Goeff Portz defeated Abe Jacobs
    – Hiro Matsuda defeated Mr. Hayashi
    – Darling Dagmar defeated Marie LeBeaux
    – Bob Orton, Sr. defeated Bill Dromo
    – Eddie Graham defeated Ali Pasha
    – NWA Florida Tag Team Champion Bob Orton, Jr. defeated Steve Keirn by disqualification
    – NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Champion The Assassin and The Missouri Mauler defeated Mike Graham and Billy Robinson
    – Dusty Rhodes defeated NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion Pak Song by disqualification, Song retained the title

    1980 

    – Bulldog Brower and Luke Graham are awarded the WWC North American Tag Team Title after Gorgeous George, Jr. and Luke Graham left the
    promotion

    1984

    Nagoya, Japan:
    – AWA Champion Jumbo Tsuruta no contest Bruiser Brody
    – Shohei Giant Baba & Dory Funk Jr & Kerry Von Erich beat Stan Hansen & Jos Leduc & Bulldog Bob Brown
    – Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Genichiro Tenryu & Magic Dragon
    – Mighty Inoue & Ashara Hara beat David Sammartino & Goro Tsurumi
    – Takahashi Ishikawa dcor Rocky Hata
    – Motoshi Okuma & Great Kojika beat Masanobu Fuchi & Nobuyoshi Sugawara
    – Ultra Seven beat Tarzan Goto
    – Yoshihiro Momota beat Hiromichi Fuyuki
    – Mitsu Momota beat Toshiaki Kawada

    1985

    – Ray Steele defeated Tony St. Clair for the British Heavyweight Title

    1989 

    Memphis, Tennessee:
    – Jerry Lawler defeated Kerry Von Erich to win the WCWA World Heavyweight Title (Lawler unified the WCWA title with his AWA title to become the Unified World Heavyweight Champion, the top title in the USWA)

    1993

    New York City, New York: 
    – Johnny B. Badd defeated Tex Slazenger
    – Maxx Payne defeated Steven Regal
    – Chris Benoit and Ron Simmons fought to a double-countout
    – Van Hammer defeated Vinnie Vegas
    – NWA and WCW World Tag Team Champions The Hollywood Blonds (Steve Austin and Brian Pillman) defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell and 2 Cold Scorpio to retain the titles
    – Rick Rude defeated Cactus Jack
    – WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Dustin Rhodes defeated WCW World Television Champion Paul Orndorff by disqualification to retain his title
    – NWA World Heavyweight Champion Barry Windham defeated Ricky Steamboat to retain the title
    – Sting defeated WCW World Heavyweight Champion Big Van Vader by disqualification, Vader retained the title

    1994

    Acapulco, Mexico:
    – Villanos IV and V defeated Emilio Charles, Jr. and Scorpio, Jr. for the UWA World Tag Team Titles

    1996

    Mexico City, Mexico:
    – Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. defeated Apolo Dantés to win the CMLL World Heavyweight Title

    2000

    Belvidere, New Jersey:
    – Samu defeated Ace Darling to win the Independent Superstars of Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title

    2004

    Nashville, Tennessee:
    – NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett pinned James Storm
    – TNA X Division Champion Frankie Kazarian pinned Sonjay Dutt to retain the title
    – Simon Diamond pinned Johnny Swinger
    – Monty Brown pinned Sabu in a falls count anywhere match
    – Apolo and D’Lo Brown defeated NWA World Tag Team Champions Kid Kash and Dallas by disqualification to win the title
    – Chris Harris pinned Raven to become #1 contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Title

    2007 

    Graysville, Alabama:
    – Dennis Condrey defeated Brad Armstrong to become the first NWA Wrestle Birmingham Television Champion

  • UFC announces November 12 Madison Square Garden debut date

    Famous for plenty of combat sports & pro wrestling moments, NYC’s Madison Square Garden will have another monumental event to add to its lists: the debut of the UFC.

    After NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo officially signed the bill to legalize MMA in the state Thursday, UFC announced their first show in MSG will be a PPV event on Saturday, November 12th. They also said another live event will be coming to upstate New York by the end of 2016, assumed to be Buffalo due to the proximity to Toronto which features a significant MMA fanbase.

    UFC reiterated in a press release that they will run four shows a year in New York State for the first three years post-bill passage. With MSG, Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Buffalo, Albany, and even Syracuse’s Carrier Dome as a longshot, there’s no shortage of venues available. UFC mentioned those venues as well as Utica and Rochester in the release.

    Given the amount of time it took to pass the bill, expect a pretty stacked card — the likes of which people expected with UFC 200. If the cards fall right — always a big ‘if’ with MMA — a Jon Jones/Daniel Cormier rematch or a Conor McGregor/Frankie Edgar featherweight title fight paired with Ronda Rousey’s return to action would be a pretty great start, wouldn’t it? Expect Chris Weidman to also be part of the card depending on his title situation.

  • Wrestling Weekly: Balls Mahoney, Killing Stipulations, Return of the Mighty Mailbag~!

    Les and Vic are online a day early because Les is headed to New Orleans to conduct a weekend wrestling training camp, so we start the show discussing what goes on at one of these camps over the course of a weekend.  After that, Les will share some memories of working with the late Balls Mahoney (17:30) from his days as Boo Bradley in Smoky Mountain Wrestling.  We’ll open the mailbag (29:29) and answer your questions on how often a wrestler can be repackaged before his/her career is beyond repair, is AJ Styles (44:42) in a roundabout way teaching guys to take less chances?  In honor of Shane losing and Mania and running Raw anyway, another memorable killing of a stipulation Les was witness to (54:34), how can anyone take WWE seriously after seeing the Wrestlemania stipulation killed (56:31), and is Bray Wyatt too cool a heel to be effective at this point (70:37)?  We’ll give our takes on those, as well as discuss a few likes and dislikes about this week’s edition of Raw along the way.  Thanks for listening and we hope you have a great weekend~!

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  • UFC On FOX 19 DFS Playbook: value picks, who to avoid

    The Octagon returns to FOX for their annual April event taking place in Tampa, Florida. The event is headlined by a light heavyweight bout as former title challenger Glover Teixiera takes on former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans. There has been a facelift to this event in recent times, and if you set lineups early, you’ve had to adjust. Below are our studs, value plays and fighters to avoid when making your fantasy lineups for Saturday’s UFC On FOX 19 event.

    STUDS

    Khabib Nurmagomedov ($11,400)

    Despite the fact he hasn’t fought in two years, Khabib Nurmagomedov is the top play on Saturday night’s card. He has the highest salary of all the competitors on the card, and he enters the event with a perfect 22-0 record and was the last man to defeat current UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos. He was supposed to be in the headline position against Tony Ferguson, but an injury forced Ferguson out, and Nurmagomedov gets a late-notice bout against the debuting Darrell Horcher. That likely works out for him as Nurmagomedov really needs a tune-up after being out of action for so long. The fact he is an undefeated top contender fighting a newcomer makes him a big favorite, but he should get the job done. Remember, Nurmagomedov holds the UFC record for most takedowns in a fight, and whether or not he finishes Horcher, as long as the injuries haven’t slowed him down, he should be able to rack up the points.

    John Dodson ($11,200)

    John Dodson has the second-highest salary of the competitors on the card, and it is interesting as he is moving back up to 135 pounds on Saturday night after unsuccessfully challenging for the UFC Flyweight Championship twice. Dodson is small for 135 pounds, but he does hold a win over former champion T.J. Dillashaw. Dodson’s only two UFC losses have come to current 125-pound king Demetrious Johnson, and he was competitive in both bouts. Dodson is looking to make a title run at bantamweight, and it begins with a tough opponent in Manvel Gamburyan. Gamburyan has been inconsistent during his UFC career but is 2-0 since making his own move down to 135 pounds. Despite losing one-third of his fights, Gamburyan has only been finished three times in his eight losses. However, Dodson hits very hard, and he finished Dillashaw, the only man to do so. Dodson is a strong bet to score not just a win, but become the first man to finish Gamburyan since Jose Aldo. He is worth having on your roster.

    VALUE PLAYS

    Michael Chiesa ($9,400)

    Michael Chiesa is an excellent value play for this card, coming in at a $9,400 salary. He fights Beneil Dariush, who has won five straight fights, but was gifted a decision in his last bout with Michael Johnson. When you look at a similar recent opponent in Jim Miller, both men scored wins over him, but while Dariush dominated Miller in a decision, Chiesa finished Miller, something that only Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone had done previously. Chiesa and Dariush have similar records in the UFC, but Chiesa has had the tougher road. He really should be favored in this fight, and that makes him a solid value pick to score a win. He may not finish Dariush, but when I look at this card, it screams a lot of decisions. Chiesa is gritty and tough, so while it may go the distance, he is a sneaky pick to score the finish. Either way, I see him winning.

    Tecia Torres ($9,200)

    Tecia Torres is another good value play at a $9,200 salary. She is undefeated in her seven professional fights, though she has yet to score a finish. She racks up points, though, and she has the edge of holding a prior victory over her opponent, Rose Namajunas. Namajunas has won her last two fights in dominant fashion by scoring finishes, and that has her the betting favorite here. However, she is just 4-2 in her official career, and while she has improved tremendously, Torres likely has her number, especially if this fight stays on the feet. Torres is better with the striking, but Namajunas is world-class for a strawweight on the mat. Tortes would be best served keeping it on the feet and racking up points by strikes. Again, on a card that could feature a lot of decisions, she is a good underdog pick to score a win, and there might not be a lot of those. Risky play, but she has some solid value.

    FIGHTERS TO AVOID

    Hacran Dias ($9,600)

    Hacran Dias has an impressive overall record and will be in a high-profile bout against Cub Swanson on the main card of Saturday’s event. Swanson is still ranked in the top ten despite two straight losses, but those came to current top five fighters in Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway. Swanson has taken a year off to recover from injuries and should come in fresh and is eager to get back into the title picture. Dias has struggled with opponents ranked highly, with UFC losses to Nik Lentz and Ricardo Lamas, and he hasn’t shown the ability to finish opponents inside the Octagon. He isn’t overly flashy and doesn’t rack up a lot of fantasy points, and I see him having trouble with Swanson. Swanson can be finished, but I haven’t seen anything from Dias to make me confident he’ll finish him, let alone take home the victory. Dias is an easy pass for me.

    Bethe Correia ($9,500)

    Bethe Correia is an easy fighter to avoid. Despite having a 9-1 career record, she just hasn’t shown anything that shows she is a good fighter. Of her three UFC wins, one came over a now retired opponent, one over an opponent who is now more focused on professional wrestling over fighting, and one who has lost four of her eight career fights. Correia folded under the pressure of her first tough match-up against Ronda Rousey, and she has a tough opponent in the gritty Raquel Pennington on Saturday. Don’t let Pennington’s 6-5 record fool you- she is very talented. Despite being just 3-2 inside the Octagon, the two losses came by split decision, including taking now former champion Holly Holm, to the limit, and she could have easily gotten the decision in both losses and be 5-0 inside the UFC right now. Pennington should get this win, and that makes Correia a fighter to definitely avoid on Saturday.

    OUR LINE-UPS

    RYAN FREDERICK- Khabib Nurmagomedov ($11,400), Oluwale Bamgbose ($10,500), Michael Chiesa ($9,400), Court McGee ($9,300), Tecia Torres ($9,200)

    I like Khabib Nurmagomedov as my top play for the event. I’m honestly a little scared of his two-year layoff, but if he hasn’t been slowed by the injuries, he could be champion. With him fighting an opponent making his UFC debut on short notice, it should be an easy night for Nurmagomedov to rack up the points. I also like Oluwale Bamgbose despite the fight he is fighting on just one week’s notice. His opponent, Cezar Ferreira, has been disappointing in his UFC career, has been bouncing between camps and weight classes, and hasn’t shown much of a chin. Bamgbose is a heavy hitter and is a good bet to score a finish. I like Michael Chiesa, Court McGee and Tecia Torres as underdogs primed to win. Chiesa should be favored over Beneil Dariush, and he is a sneaky play to get a win. Tecia Torres has the prior win over Rose Namajunas, and despite her inability to score a finish win, I like her chances in getting a win. Court McGee is a very solid fighter and showed no ring rust in his return from a long layoff. He should be even better in his second return bout, and he has a favorable fight against Santiago Ponzinibbio. I like him to get a finish by submission.

    PAUL FONTAINE- Khabib Nurmagomedov ($11,400), Glover Teixeira ($10,300), Cub Swanson ($9,800), Court McGee ($9,300), Tecia Torres ($9,200)

    For the record, I was gonna pick Hendo in what I thought was the best value on the card. Such is life, with Lyoto Machidar (not a spelling mistake…sound it out) having spoiled that for all of us. Glover Teixeira should be able to stop Rashad Evans in the main event. I know he’s only been stopped once in his career (at the hands of a cheater who does not deserve two mentions in my paragraph) but Teixeira has looked really good in finishing OSP and Patrick Cummins in his last two fights. Nurmagomedov should make quick work of the debuting Horcher. Horcher is a good fighter who I’ve seen fight several times on smaller shows but Khabib is one of the best in the world and he’s trying to secure a title shot. Tecia Torres and Rose Namajunas is going to be a great fun fight. I think that both Torres is going to light her up and as long as she can keep it standing, she’ll either score a late KO or score over 100 strikes on her way to a decision victory. Former TUF winner Court McGee has won 3 of his last 4, including a win over Robert Whitaker, who’s proving to be one of the best in the division. My final pick is Cub Swanson who will be looking to make an impression after being bumped onto the main card after the Dan Henderson-Cheating Brazilian fight was cancelled. Since 2012 his only two losses have been to Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway, two of the very best fighters in the division. Along the way, he’s scored several KO’s, including wins over Charles Oliveira, Dennis Siver and Ross Pearson….all much tougher competition than he’s facing on Saturday. 

    PEACH MACHINE- Khabib Nurmagomedov ($11,400), John Dodson ($11,200), Tecia Torres ($9,200), Rashad Evans ($9,100), Drew Dober ($8,800)

    John Dodson probably scores more points than any other DK player ever. I’m just guessing, but it makes sense. Maybe DJ scores more because he’s always in five rounders, but Dodson should whip Gambo with his speed. Yes, I call him Gambo. Rashad is my heart pick. I think he should beat Glover with his speed too, but I wouldn’t be taking him if I hadn’t named one of my dogs after him. Nurmo’s oppo is taking this baby on short notice and at a catch weight. That’s great for Nurmo. TT has already beaten Rose, and I like her here to do it again. Dober is another heart pick. I think he’s looked really tough his last couple of fights, and he’s got a tough oppo but Dober always swings for the fences. 

  • WOR: Cauliflower Alley 2016, Raw, Smackdown, Lyoto Machida, more!

    Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back tonight to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA, plus live thoughts from Dave’s visit to the Cauliflower Alley Club banquet! News on Raw, Smackdown, ratings, UFC drug tests, TNA and their mystery investors and so much more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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