Taeler Hendrix pinned Mandy Leon. After the match, B.J. Whitmer came out and insulted both women and introduced Kelly Klein as the newest member of Decade.
The Addiction (Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels) defeated Will Ferrara and Watanabe. After the match, The Addiction continued the attack until The Briscoes ran out for the save. Main Event announced as Briscoes vs. Addiction later in night.
ACH pinned Caprice Coleman.
Adam Cole challenged Kyle O’Reilly to a fight. O’Reilly is in Japan so Cheeseburger came out. Cole pinned Cheeseburger and attacked him after the match until Matt Jackson made the save with a Superkick. Nick Jackson is a no-show due to his wife going in to labor.
Moose & War Machine defeated House Of Truth (Jay Lethal, Jay Diesel &Donovan Dijak w/Truth Martini and Taeler Hendrix) after Hanson pinned Diesel.
“Brutal” Bob Evans pins Shaheem Ali.
The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Michael Bennett w/Maria Kanellis) defeated The All Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) in a Proving Ground Match after Adam Cole interfered and Bennett pinned Titus after the Hail Mary. After the match, Matt Jackson gave Cole two more Superkicks leading to Cole challenging Jackson to a match.
Adam Cole pinned Matt Jackson. After the match, Jackson gave Cole one final Superkick.
Michael Elgin pinned Roderick Strong after an Elgin Bomb.
The Briscoes defeated The Addiction after Mark Briscoe pinned Christopher Daniels after a Froggy ‘Bow.
Bellator just announced on tonight’s broadcast that TNA’s Bobby Lashley(13-2) will face James Thompson (20-14,. 1 no contest) on 11/6 at the at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
Lashley vs. Thompson will be on Bellator’s final major event this year, a show that features two championship matches.
Patricio Pitbull Freire vs. Daniel Straus for the featherweight title will headline the show, along With Will Brooks vs. Marcin Held for the lightweight title.
Thompson was interviewed on tonight’s show from Hidalgo, TX, and told Lashley to stick to pretend fighting.
Thompson defeated Lashley via decision on May 6, 2012, in India. Lashleyvs. Thompson has been scheduled twice this year, in February and again in June. Lashley pulled out of the first fight with a hand injury and Thompson pulled out of the second fight due to injury.
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of the UFC Fight Night 75: Barnett vs. Nelson weigh-ins from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan kicking off at 11 PM eastern time. The event airs on Saturday on FOX Sports 1 at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on FOX Sports 2 at 8 PM eastern time. This is the UFC’s fourth straight year making a trip to Japan to host an event.
The event will be headlined by a five-round battle in the heavyweight division as former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett returns from a near two-year layoff to take on former TUF winner Roy Nelson, who has lost four of his last five fights. In the night’s co-main event, former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi looks to inch closer towards a title shot in the middleweight division as he takes on late-notice replacement Uriah Hall, who is looking for the biggest win of his career as a big underdog.
Chico Camus originally missed weight, coming in at 126.5 pounds. He came back later and made the official limit for his bout at 126 pounds.
MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT): Josh Barnett (239) vs. Roy Nelson (261) Gegard Mousasi (186) vs. Uriah Hall (186) Kyoji Horiguchi (126) vs. Chico Camus (126) Takeya Mizugaki (136) vs. George Roop (135) Katsunori Kikuno (145) vs. Diego Brandao (146) Mizuto Hirota (146) vs. Teruto Ishihara (146)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 2- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT): Keita Nakamura (170) vs. Li Jingliang (171) Nick Hein (155) vs. Yusuke Kasuya (156) Naoyuki Kotani (156) vs. Kajan Johnson (156) Shinsho Anzai (170) vs. Roger Zapata (171)
The question of who is wrestling Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania has apparently whittled down a couple of the biggest names.
Steve Austin on Twitter said, “You can take my name off the rumor mill as a Brock Lesnar opponent at WrestleMania 32. Bullshit reporting.”
With Lesnar vs. Undertaker no longer one of the scheduled main events at WrestleMania, the question became who would be the new opponents for both at Texas Stadium next year.
Austin had said a few months ago that it wasn’t going to happen. He would likely have been the biggest drawing potential opponent, but hasn’t wrestled in 11 1/2 years and has given no indication he was going to ever wrestle again. His doing a podcast with Lesnar on 10/19 fueled some speculation, but he appears to have shut the door on it again.
Sources close to the situation have also told us that Dwayne Johnson is currently not scheduled to be wrestling Lesnar on the show.
The Bryan & Vinny Show is back tonight and we’ve got a lot to talk about! We’ll kick it off with a site update (0:00), then Granny appears with her latest Facebook gig, the supposed most embarrassing thing that ever happened to her Gang Members (3:00), then full reviews of Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind from Mind Games, Retro Raw from 19 years ago this week, and NXT (26:00). A fun show as always so check it out~!
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis from the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. The event is headlined by a bantamweight title eliminator bout as former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Joe Warren takes on L.C. Davis. The co-main event is a middleweight contest between Joey Beltran and Kendall Grove. The main card airs on Spike TV at 9 PM ET with preliminary card action on Spike.com beginning at 6:30 PM ET. We will post prelims results as they happen and start live play by play when the Spike broadcast begins.
Prelims results:
Jose Flores (5-0) 1st round KO (kicks) over Gilbert Jimenez in 2:17
John Teixeira (20-1-2) SD win over Gleristone Santos (28-29, 29-28 x 2)
Dan Charles (10-3) 2nd round KO (punches) over Chase Gormley
Darrion Caldwell (8-0) by 1st round submission at 2:35 (rear naked choke) over Shawn Bunch
Steve Garcia (6-0) by 1st round TKO at 4:59 (punches) over Eduardo Bustillos
Amador Ramirez (5-4) UD win over Saul Elizondo (29-28 x 3)
Abdul Razak (4-0) 1st round KO (punch) over Bryce Sheppard-Mejia in 1:26
And we’re live with the main card and the fighters are in the ring!
Heavyweights Vinicius Spartan (7-3) vs Ewerton Teixeira (3-0)
Big John is the referee for the opening bout. Spartan with a takedown 1:00 in. Quickly gets into side control and lands punches and elbows to the head. Teixeira sweeps into top position at 2:30. Spartan working for a triangle from the bottom but Teixeira out and to his feet. Standup is pretty even, with Spartan controlling the pace. Spartan with a flash takedown at 4:30 but Teixeira right back up. 10-9 Spartan
This is the first action in over 2 years for each guy, Sean Grande informs us. Ken Shamrock is in the building. The announcers were going on about the “new scoring system” again in the prelims. Teixiera looks to be cut between the eyes from the damage done by Spartan in round 1. Spartan with a takedown at 1:45. Not much happening on the ground but Spartan is trying to advance and working for an armbar. Spartan landing elbows to the head and body around 3:30. Spartan gets an arm triangle and the tap after a series of elbows to the head to get the win.
WINNER – VINICIUS SPARTAN (8-3) by submission (arm triangle) at 4:00
Featherweights Emmanuel Sanchez (10-2) vs Henry Corrales (12-1)
Both guys are considered prospects but have losses to former Bellator champions. Randy Couture was just shown on camera at ringside in the background but not identified. His son was scheduled to fight in the prelims but his opponent missed weight by SEVENTEEN POUNDS.
Corrales getting the better of the standup early on, opening up a cut on the forehead of Sanchez. Sanchez with a flying triangle at 2:15 and it seems in pretty tight. Sanchez grabs an arm in an attempt to tighten the grip but Corrales escapes and ends up in top position. Sanchez escapes and to his feet at 4:15. Sanchez’ face is all bloody but he’s winning the round. 10-9 Sanchez
They are going to re-air the Shawn Bunch/Darion Caldwell fight from the prelims. That was a great performance by Caldwell. Sanchez backs up Corrales with a punch/knee combo and takes him down at 1:30. Corrales to his feet at 2:30. They are going to announce Bobby Lashley’s opponent for Vengeance later tonight. Standup again is pretty even. Corrales with some bruising and swelling under his right eye. Sanchez takes Corrales’ back standing and takes him down right before the end of the round and gets a rear naked choke right at the end of the round. 10-9 Sanchez
Sanchez controlling the pace early in the round. Punches are coming much slower on both sides now. Sanchez connecting with a lot of kicks to the body and head while Corrales is almost exclusively punching. Corrales with a nice litle flurry of punches at 4:00 and then defends a takedown attempt by Sanchez. Sanchez got a takedown right at the end of the round. Close but probably Sanchez’ as well. I’ve got it 30-27 Sanchez
WINNER – EMMANUEL SANCHEZ (11-2) by split decision (27-30, 30-27, 29-28). No idea how anyone in their right mind could give Corrales all 3 rounds there. That judge should not be judging MMA.
They just announced Lashley’s opponent in November as James Thompson. Yup, they’re trying to sign that one again. We shall see. Thompson, of course, won the first matchup 3 1/2 years ago and they’ve been scheduled twice since then and Thompson has pulled out due to injury both times.
Middleweights Joey Beltran (16-11) vs Kendall Grove (21-15)
This could be a loser leaves town match with Beltran having lost 3 of his last 5 and Grove 2 of his last 3. Both likely have bigger price tags than the majority of the roster. Hard to believe Beltran was a heavyweight not all that long ago. Kerry Hatley is the ref, so expect some shenanigans.
Grove looks like the one who would be two weight classes above Beltran as he seriously looks like he could trim down to Welterweight, if not lightweight. Both guys keeping their distance early on. Crowd turning on the fight halfway through the first as they may not have landed 10 punches between them. Grove pushes him to the cage and lands a nice punch combo at 2:45. Announcer tonight are talking a lot about The Ultimate Fighter on Spike, in this case relating it to Grove. I find that interesting for some reason. Way more interesting than this fight. Beltran seems to be the aggressor so may be winning the round but neither guy has done much of anything. 10-9 Beltran, I guess.
Sean Grande called that an entertaining first round in his very best Tony Schiavone impersonation. Strikes landed were 27-8 for Grove in Round 1. They threw almost the same amount though. They were actually debating whether that first round could be 10-8 Grove. WHAT? Beltran with a takedown at 1:45 but lets Grove up right away. Nice punch exchange at 2:15. Beltran starting to control the cage at 2:45. Grove bleeding from the mouth after the punch exchange. Beltran starting to land leg kicks at will. Grove just keeping away and throwing from distance. Grove’s leg starting to buckle every time he gets hit at the end of the round. Crowd booing again as Grove is essentially just running away. 10-9 Beltran
Grove landing from distance at the start of the round. Grove also throwing leg kicks of his own. Grove with a nice kick/punch combo at 1:30 that backs Beltran up. But Beltran still basically chasing him around the cage. Beltran gets inside the range and lands a nice combo at 2:15. Grove runs away again. Grove knocks Beltran down with a punch out of nowhere and he was out but got one more punch in before Hatley stopped it. Nice finish but terrible fight.
WINNER – KENDALL GROVE (22-15) by KO (punch) at 2:27 of Round 3
They interviewed James Thompson at cageside. With his thick accent it was hard to make anything out but he seems eager to fight Lashley again. Might be #PlansChange as they are saying the main event is next, meaning no re-airing of the Bunch/Caldwell fight.
Main Event – Bantamweights Joe Warren (12-4) vs LC Davis (13-6)
They aired the walkouts but nothing special. Warren gets a title shot with a win and could be done with a loss as this is the last fight on his contract. John McCarthy is the ref. He stopped the fight where Warren lost the title by verbally submitting where Warren took a tantrum afterward. Warren controlling the action early and gets a takedown 1:15 in. Warren just holding him down and doing just enough to avoid a standup. Warren postures up at 3:15 to land some hammerfists and then right back into Davis’ guard. Davis almost made it to his feet at 4:15 but Warren dragged him right down again. Crowd starting to boo. 10-9 Warren unless you’re going with the alleged “new scoring” and then it’s a 10-8
Davis hit with an accidental eye poke to start the round. Sean Grande does the Michael Cole fake laugh when John McCarthy asks Davis if he can see and then if he’s ugly. Warren takes Davis down immediately on the restart but Davis to his feet right away. Davis pressing the action in this round, connecting with more punches. Warren went for an angle slam at 1:45 but Davis slid off his shoulders. Warren with a takedown at 2:45. Davis landing light punches to the head and body from the bottom as Warren tries to pass. Davis to his feet but Warren takes his back and drags him back down with a Greco Roman throw. Warren back into top position at 4:15. 10-9 Warren
Warren with a takedown 30 seconds in. Davis up quickly but Warren stays on his back and brings him down again. Warren into top position at 1:15. Jimmy Smith gave round 2 to Warren. I guess it was closer than Round 1 but seemed pretty clearly for Warren to me. Davis up but Warren takes him down again at 2:30. Warren takes his back at 3:00, which allows Davis to get to his feet. Warren takes him down again at 3:45. Davis landing punches to the body and head from the bottom. Warren with a couple of hard elbows from the top. Warren into mount at 4:30. Davis works out of it but Warren still all over him. 10-9 Warren
WINNER – JOE WARREN (13-4) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Crowd booed the announcement but that was probably more for the fight than the decision itself. Warren gets a title shot with the win.
Show started great but the co-main and main were kind of awful so it’s hard to give this show a recommendation. Maybe check out the prelims.
Thanks for joining me here for Bellator. See you next time!
Members can now access all the latest audio shows and the new issue of the Observer. HERE
We’re looking for reports on tonight’s WWE show in Toronto (John Cena vs. Seth Rollins; Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens), ROH in California, PA (Briscoes vs. Young Bucks, Roderick Strong vs. Michael Elgin, Matt Taven & Michael Bennett vs. Kenny King & Rhett Titus non-title, Moose & Ray Rowe & Hanson vs. Jay Lethal & Donovan Dijak & J Diesel, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Takaaki Watanabe & Will Ferrara; ACH vs. Caprice Coleman) and NXT in Largo, FL at Dave Meltzer
Our only weekend poll will be for New Japan’s Destruction in Kobe show.
New Japan World Pro Wrestling Returns at 8 p.m. Eastern (one hour early) on AXS TV
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Katsuyori Shibata for IC title
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hirooki Goto for Never title
Lion Fight Muay Thai kickboxing at 9 p.m. Eastern on AXS TV
Bellator tonight at 9 p.m. from the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, TX
Vinicius Queiroz vs. Ewerton Teixeira
Henry Corrales vs. Emmanuel Sanchez
Joey Beltran vs. Kendall Grove
Joe Warren vs. L.C. Davis
We are looking for reports on Saturday’s WWE shows in Rochester, NY (John Cena vs Seth Rollins; Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens) and Cleveland (Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt; Randy Orton vs. Sheamus), ROH in Lockport, NY (Jay Lethal vs. Stevie Richards non-title, Adam Cole vs. ACH vs. Michael Elgin vs. Moose, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Briscoes, Young Bucks vs. War Machine, Roderick Strong vs. Takaaki Watanabe, Kenny King & Rhett Titus vs. Donovan Dijak & J Diesel, Caprice Coleman vs. Pepper Parks and Veda Scott vs. Sumie Sakai.
UFC from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Saturday
FS 2 at 8 p.m.
Shinsho Anzai vs. Roger Zapata
Kajan Johnson vs. Naoyuki Kotani
Nick Hein vs. Yusuke Kasyua
Keita Nakamura vs. Li Jingliang
FS 1 at 10 p.m.
Katsunori Kikuno vs. Diego Brandao
Mizuto Hirota vs. Teruto Ishihara in the finals of the Road to Japan tournament
Takeya Mizugaki vs. George Roop
Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Chico Camus
Gegard Mousasi vs. Uriah Hall
Josh Barnett vs. Roy Nelson
New Japan Destruction in Kobe airs live at 3 a.m. Eastern Sunday morning at midnight Pacific (Saturday night) on New Japan World
Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu vs. Jay White & David Finlay
Yuji Nagata & Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Captain New Japan & Juice Robinson
Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Matt Sydal vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows & Kenny Omega
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tetsuya Naito
Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. A.J. Styles & Tama Tonga & Cody Hall
Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. Alex Shelley & Kushida for IWGP jr. tag titles
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale for the Tokyo Dome title shot
Hirooki Goto vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the IC title
Sunday has WWE in Syracuse, NY (John Cena vs. Seth Rollins; Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens) and Erie PA (Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt; Randy Orton vs. Sheamus).
Shooto Brazil live on UFC Fight Pass Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern time
Raw will be live from Buffalo on Monday night. Even though Brock Lesnar is headlining both the MSG special the following Saturday and the next PPV, at this point he is not advertised for the show. That would make sense to change but we haven’t heard that it is.
Smackdown will be taped in Albany, NY. No John Cena or Randy Orton scheduled for Albany.
Our lead story covers the Sting injury, the Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar Hell in a Cell match and the interesting back story and questions it brings up, lots of long-term looking at where WWE is headed as well as full coverage of the Night of Champions show. We also cover the second season news for Lucha Underground, the Atlantis vs. La Sombra mask vs. mask match, Akira Hokuto’s announcement about her breast cancer, Bellator’s Dynamite show and what went right and wrong, New Japan’s Destruction in Okayama, ROH’s All-Star Extravaganza, the Pro Wrestling NOAH angle where they tease the end of the company, USADA responds to Thomas Hauser, Josh Gross’ story on the Vitor Belfort drug test and why it’s not nearly as simple as people are making it out to be, AAA’s next major show and record low ratings.
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.
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
Our lead story covers the WWE weekend, notably the Sting injury and Undertaker-Lesnar announcement.
We go through the injury, including Sting’s interview comments after the fact and his description of Seth Rollins and the injury, as well as his current thoughts on if he will wrestle again. We also talk about what he does and doesn’t know, what he’s said publicly about the injury, why the match wasn’t stopped, and what we can learn from it.
We also look at how the Lesnar vs. Undertaker Hell in a Cell match changes WrestleMania, and look at those potential changes. We look at the different directions they can go with the key talent for next year’s show. We also look at the rest of Hell in a Cell as far as what is on the books and what name isn’t listed yet in the top matches. We look at the problem in the arena at the end of Night of Champions.
We’ve got complete Night of Champions coverage, with records, business, poll results, match-by-match coverage and star ratings.
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.
FRIDAY’S NEWS UPDATE
–Again, want to apologize for all the web site problems which are being fixed right now. Members can now access all the latest audio shows and the new issue of the Observer. HERE
–Expect some angles at Sunday’s New Japan PPV show since they have to set up the undercard for another PPV on 10/12 at Sumo Hall, King of Pro Wrestling, which is the company’s biggest event of the fall season. That’s the show where Kazuchika Okada defends the IWGP title against A.J. Styles.
–Dustin & Cody Runnels will be presenting the trophies on Wednesday to the winners of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Tournament
–WWE has told us for the 10/3 Madison Square Garden show, the entire card will air live on the Network. It won’t be like the Sumo Hall show where the first half hour was cut off. So even though they are only pushing Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show and the New Day vs. Dudleys, all the matches will be airing. As noted before, the New Day vs. Dudleys is not just a house show match but being pushed because there will be a storyline direction that will then lead to Hell in a Cell in Los Angeles three weeks later.
–Judge Joseph Matika put bail on Tammy Sytch at $2,000 today at her hearing after being brought in by police after missing three court appearances. She has another hearing on 10/7 regarding two other DUI cases not related to the case she was arrested for today.
–We don’t have much for today in the international title histories other than a note that on this day in 1981, Fishman beat Perro Aguayo to win the WWF light heavyweight title in Los Angeles, which was an NWA territory although they did work closely with WWF and book talent to New Japan.
–Tyron Woodley, from the infamous Ferguson, MO suburb of St. Louis, threw out the first pitch at the St. Louis Cardinals game last night and did a pregame interview on the broadcast. Woodley faces Johny Hendricks on the 10/3 UFC show in Houston. During the game, the announcers were raving about what a great talker and nice guy he is. Woodley said he was a lot more nervous throwing out the first pitch than he is going into the Octagon. (thanks to Irvin Muchnick)
–WWE.com and the WWE Network received several honors this past week by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. The WWE app earned gold awards for Mobile Apps/Sites, Entertainment and Mobile Apps/Sites in Sports (I thought they weren’t sports), and three silver awards for Media Streaming, Best Streaming Video and Integrated Mobile Experience. The WWE network won eight Silver Awards for Best Web site, Best Features and Video Channels and Network Categories as well as Visual Appeal. There were a number of other awards including WrestleMania 30 with silver medals for Excellence in Entertainment Social Media and Sports Social Media.
–Steve Beverly, a name some older newsletter and hotline fans will remember, noted to us that the college broadcasting class he teaches that does a Noon newscast, had Dave Brown as the guest yesterday. The usual newscast was scrapped and the show was a 30 minute interview with Brown. If the show gets posted, we will provide links. Most of the show was about his career as a weatherman, his working against drunk drivers and his retirement plans, but the interview did touch on pro wrestling and Lance Russell, and he talked about how Lance Russell first approached him to take the wrestling commentary job in 1967. I’ve always told people what a great guy Dave Brown is. He was only supposed to stay for the interview and he stayed another 75 minutes with the class giving kids individual career advice.
–Beverly also noted that on 10/24 in Jackson they are having a Lance Russell night. It’s a card that will be headlined by a Jerry Lawler vs. Terry Funk match, in Funk’s first match in a long time and I’d say maybe his last, but I’ve thought maybe his last so many times that I’m not allowed to think it even if it may be true.
–Superstars of Wrestling on 10/9 in West Palm Beach at the Armory featuring Matt Hardy vs. PJ Black and Wes Brisco vs. Matt Riddle, plus Ethan Carter III appears. There will also be a 6 p.m. meet and greet with Hardy, Carter III and Riddle.
–Drew Galloway will be back in Evolve on the 11/6 and 11//7 shows in Florida.
–Evolve announced this card for 10/17 at La Boom in Woodside, Queens, NY for an iPPV
Timothy Thatcher & T.J. Perkins vs. Trent Baretta & Rocky Romero
Drew Gulak vs. Trevor Lee – winner faces Thatcher for the title the next night
Antony Nese vs. Andrew Everett vs. Matt Cage vs. Peter Kassa
Tracy Williams vs. Willie Mack
Matt Riddle vs. Jonathan Gresham
–Lucha Underground sent out a release that Shawn Hernandez has been released from his contract. That’s been apparent since he showed up on TNA television and they got into the fight which ended up costing TNA indirectly its entire Beatdown Clan, since MVP was fired since he was the guy who recruited Hernandez, who had a valid Lucha Underground deal in place. Hernandez was the replacement for Samoa Joe, who left since TNA could no longer afford to give him the kind of contract he’d had over the past several years. Since the, Kenny King just quit to go to ROH and Low Ki also left not related to any of this.
–Metro Pro Wrestling on 10/10 in Kansas City at the Turner Rec Center. There will be a Jim Cornette Q&A at 4:30 p.m. before the show. The show will be a TV taping for Time warner Cable SportsChannel.
–Paragon Pro Wrestling announced its TV will be moving from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. Eastern and Pacific on Pop TV starting a week from tomorrow.
–An obscure French MMA fighter named Sylvain Potard, who has a 7-5 record, has become relatively famous in the past few days. He did a totally naked photo shoot for a calender called “Les Dieux du Stade” a tradition where male sports stars, usually rugby players, do art nude shoots and it’s a big deal to both women and the gay community. Potard in particular became the talk of the day on social media first, and then it broke throughout France mainstream media and he was on several talk shows. (thanks to Tony Bouin)
–A wake for Jersey All Pro Wrestling promoter Frank Iadevaia takes place on Sunday at the Carmona-Bolen Funeral Home from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.
–All Japan’s Oudou tournament finals are tomorrow at Korakuen Hall. the semifinals have Akebono vs. Shuji Ishkawa of Union, and Jun Akiyama vs. Yuji Hino of K-Dojo. The winners meet in the finals that will be the main event of the show.
–Pro Wrestling Phoenix on Saturday in Council Bluffs, IA at the National Guard Armory.
–The Fight Network in Canada will be doing the prelims for tomorrow’s UFC show from 8-10 p.m. The main card will air on TSN5.
Daily fantasy has taken over the sports world as you consistently see commercials for DraftKings and FanDuel all over your sports channels and sporting events. It has become a huge industry, and the UFC joined in earlier this year when they became a part of DraftKings. With nine months of events in the past, the UFC is here to stay on DraftKings, and there is some money to be made for those willing to participate.
While they do not have the number of games for play as the NFL or the MLB, DraftKings MMA still has plenty of fun to offer. With that being said, starting this week with UFC Fight Night 75, we will be taking a look at ways you could potentially earn some money, if you are willing to take the risk, and perhaps earn some big money.
Let’s start with the basic rules for those who may be unfamiliar with how Draft Kings MMA works. Every fighter on the card is assigned a salary. They are generally coordinated with the current betting odds at the times the salaries are set. A huge favorite will have a large salary while a big underdog will not cost you as much. It involves a lot of risk and taking chances on fighters you may not be sure will actually win. You have a salary cap of $50,000, and your team is limited to five fighters. Generally speaking, depending on the salaries, you are usually able to fit two or three favorites onto your roster, but you will always have to take on two or three betting line underdogs.
The scoring system runs as follows: you get 0.5 points for a significant strike, 1 point for position advancement on the ground, 2 points for a takedown and a reversal/sweep on the ground, and 3 points for a knockdown. You also get points on how the fight ends. You earn 100 points for a first-round win, 75 points for a second-round win, 50 points for a third-round win, 40 points for a fourth-round and a fifth-round win, and 25 points for a decision win. With that system, you should be looking at filling your roster with fighters you expect to win early with a finish.
Every week, beginning with this week, we are going to give you a rundown of who I see as being studs to score you points, some value plays, and then some fighters I am going to avoid. Then, I will be joined by WrestlingObserver.com contributor Paul Fontaine, and occasional Bryan & Vinny show crasher PeachMachine as we give your our lineups that we will be using to make money as well as our thoughts into why exactly we went with the five fighters we did.
STUDS:
Diego Brandao ($10,600)
Diego Brandao has the sixth-highest salary on the UFC Fight Night 75 card, and he has perhaps the best chance to score a finish when he takes on Katsunori Kikuno. Kikuno has lost two of his four UFC bouts, and both of those losses have come by knockout in the first round. Brandao is a violent and dangerous fighter, and his only UFC losses have come to top featherweights. Kikuno has a weird style with the karate background, and Brandao can mentally implode at times. Brandao is coming off a big stoppage win over Jimy Hettes, and he is a finisher, having won 15 of his 19 bouts by finish. Finishes score you the big points, and with Kikuno’s suspect chin and Brandao’s aggressive nature, he has the chance to score you some big points.
Takeya Mizugaki ($10,500)
Takeya Mizugaki is coming into Saturday night’s fight card on a two-fight losing streak, but he gets a favorable match-up against George Roop in his home country of Japan. Mizugaki is on a win streak when fighting in Japan, and is looking to bounce back in a big way. He is a big betting favorite over Roop, which should bode well for his chances. He can score points on a lot of takedowns, and his ground game is well above Roop. Roop has been stopped by strikes in his last three losses, and while Mizugaki isn’t known as a big finisher, he can finish a weak opponent. Roop is a weak opponent. On a card where there might not be a lot of finishes, you should look for someone who has the chance to score the biggest going the distance. Mizugaki is that guy.
VALUE PLAYS:
Roy Nelson ($8,600)
I’m actually a little surprised that Roy Nelson is available at his modest price. I was thinking about whether or not to put him as a value play as his recent record isn’t all that good. Then again, all seven of his wins in the UFC have come by knockout, and he gets an opponent in Josh Barnett who is coming off a near two-year layoff. Barnett was finished in his last fight, and finished quickly by Travis Browne. You know that Nelson is going to be looking for the knockout, and while Barnett can avoid punches quite well, the right hand from Nelson is a difference maker. If you are stacking your team with overwhelming favorites, perhaps taking a flyer on Nelson scoring a finish could make the difference in winning.
Yusuke Kasuya ($8,500)
Yusuke Kasuya is an underdog and a value pick as he is making his UFC debut against a tough foe in Nick Hein. Kasuya has won nine fights in his career, all by stoppage, with seven finishes in the first round. Simply put, from a fantasy perspective, he gets the job done. However, Hein will give him a challenge. Hein has some good wrestling and his striking is improving, and he is well-rounded. Kasuya has a solid grappling and ground game, and if he can score a takedown, he is one who quickly looks for guard passes in looking for a submission. It is a risky play, but a very valuable one should you be looking for an underdog to hit big.
AVOID:
Gegard Mousasi ($11,300)
Gegard Mousasi has the highest salary of the twenty fighters on the card, and he is the biggest betting favorite. He is fighting Uriah Hall, a tough opponent, but one who is taking the fight on short notice. Mousasi can be an enigma. He can finish you fast, but he can also drag fights to the later rounds and squeak out an uneventful decision where not much happens. You can’t really know whether to trust him putting up big points from a fantasy point-of-view. He may score you takedown points, but Hall has good takedown defense. Hall is the kind of opponent that will make Mousasi’s striking attack more methodical over a constant barrage. You don’t quite know what to get from Mousasi in this fight, so I would avoid him. He could put up big points, but at the salary he’s at with the opponent he has, I’m not taking the risk. I do see him winning the fight though.
Katsunori Kikuno ($8,800)
I don’t expect Katsunori Kikuno to get the win over Diego Brandao. He leaves too many openings, has a suspect chin, and his striking skills have seemed to diminish with each UFC bout. He doesn’t have the same head movement, and his head is going to be a target for Brandao. I love Brandao as my top stud on this card, as noted above, which makes Kikuno the one fighter I’m staying away from. He is cheap, and Brandao can get in a wild brawl and lose his head, and Kikuno could definitely capitalize. I still see Brandao getting an early finish.
OUR LINEUPS —
RYAN FREDERICK: Kajan Johnson ($10,700), Diego Brandao ($10,600), Takeya Mizugaki ($10,500), Roy Nelson ($8,600), Yusuke Kasuya ($8,500)
I like Brandao, Mizugaki, Nelson and Kasuya for all of the reasons I stated above. I see Brandao and Mizugaki scoring finish wins early, and Kasuya being an underrated pick. Nelson has the big right hand that can end any fight. I also like Kajan Johnson against Naoyuki Kotani. Kotani is 0-4 in the UFC, and he has been finished in his last three Octagon appearances, and Johnson has scored 16 of his 20 professional wins by stoppage.
PAUL FONTAINE: Gegard Mousasi ($11,300), Diego Brandao ($10,600), Takeya Mizugaki ($10,500), Teruto Ishihara ($9,000). Roy Nelson ($8,600)
I like Nelson as the underdog here and I think he’s good value. Barnett has his foot in too many waters these days and Nelson’s power cannot be overlooked. Mizugaki is a finisher and even though he’s a favorite, there are bonus points for finishes with Draft Kings. Same goes for Diego Brandao. Brandao in particular is facing someone that has suffered two first round knockouts in recent fights. Ishihara is more a bet against his opponent Mizuto Hirota, who has two UFC fights on his resume and lost them both. Ishihara is also 10 years younger. Mousasi is the most expensive pick but I have room for him and feel quite confident he’ll finish the overmatched Uriah Hall in quick order.
PEACH MACHINE: Kyoji Horiguchi (11,000), Roy Nelson (8,600), Yusuke Kasuya (8,500), Kajan Johnson (10,700), Li Jingliang (10,300)
Horiguchi is my lock. I had the pleasure of training with Horiguchi in Guam. He’s a masher. I picked him to beat DJ, and even though he got decimated, he was beaten by the best. Look for him to finish early. KO’s score big points. I picked Nelson ecause I have no faith in Barnett. Bad KO’s change a man, and his last fight was a bad KO. His future is in BJJ. Another KO win for big points. I saw Kasuya decimate Frank Camacho, a monster BJJ Brown Belt, in the PXC in Guam in his last fight. Frank is a monster brown belt at jits and he was subbed by Kasuya. I’m taking him by sub. Johnson trains at Tristar. Anyone under GSP has a good shot anytime he steps in the cage… Except for Francis Carmont coming off a 5 hour delay against Phil Davis. Jingliang is my sleeper pick. This will be a good match so I’m hoping for some high points due to a lot of strikes being thrown, if not the win. My remaining salary is $900. I’ll wager all my extra money on the main event not going five rounds.
