We got two hours to cover this week of G1 2015 coverage, so let’s not waste any time!
July 26, 2015 in Hiroshima:
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Togi Makabe
This, of course, was super stiff, but nothing out of the ordinary. Good, not great. Shibata got the win with the penalty kick.
AJ Styles vs. Kota Ibushi
This was good stuff. I loved the sequence near the end where Kota tried a hurricanrana off the top rope, but AJ blocked hit and hit a hurricanrana just for Ibushi to counter with a rollup, but AJ countered with a Styles Clash attempt. I keep saying this like a broken record, but Ibushi is so great; the last place he needs to be is in IGF where there’s like zero buzz. The burnout is totally understandable, but at the same time I feel like his eccentricities are getting the best of his career. Kota wins with the phoenix splash in a really great match.
Tetsuya Naito is interviewed. He went to Mexico in May (2015) and mentioned how he met people like La Sombra and Rush and how they wrestled freely; he was jealous. As he teamed with them in matches he felt a sense of joy, so he wanted to bring that to Japan. He felt that he needed to stick to his own style. But after wrestling in Mexico, he realized he needed to branch out. He could say he has no feelings regarding Tanahashi, but that would be a lie. He doesn’t have much more to be say regarding him.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
A great showcase for the new Naito here. He took his time taking off his suit (he’s replaced that with just taking a very long time getting to the ring and harassing Milano Collection AT), posed during matches and even took his time brawling around the ring, including a neckbreaker onto a table. In fact, a lot of this match was the two just brawling around, with Naito getting the upper hand. They eventually make their way back to the ring and bust out a ton of great offense.
I really liked the work on Naito’s knee (he was out for a long period of time a couple of years prior due to a blown out knee) including the two high fly flows on it. Naito got the somewhat surprising win with his new finisher, Destino (a standing sliced bread).
In a post match promo, he told the Japanese people to calm down. No one can stop him now, He finished off his short promo saying LOS INGOBERNABLES!
Tanahashi says this was one of his top 5 disappointing matches as he’s helped out backstage. He said the match was what it was – it was destiny. At first, no one could even pronounce los Ingobernables, but as the tournament went on he gained more confidence. He wants Los Ingobernables to gain strength in New Japan.
Shinsuke Nakamura welcomes us to the second hour of New Japan on AXS.
This footage is from August 1 in Osaka.
Karl Anderson vs. Yuji Nagata
Pretty decent match. I liked the work in the beginning where Anderson worked on Nagata’s ribs while Nagata worked on the arm. Anderson got the win after a gun stun out of nowhere.
Anderson told Nagata in a very rude manner to make him some food and do his laundry. Nagata didn’t have much response.
Tomoaki Honma vs. Michael Elgin
Elgin was such a fresh face in this tournament -literally everyone else was in the tournament a year prior, so seeing some new match ups here was pretty great. Elgin proved just how great a talent he really is by doing some of the best work of his career in this tournament, and prove a lot of his haters wrong with some terrific offense that really got Elgin over.
This was a great match. People were super into both guys and wanted Honma to get the big win. My favorite spot was the deadlift falcon arrow onto the apron to the mat – such a great spot! Elgin gets the win with the buckle bomb and a sitout powerbomb. Great match.
Elgin says he’s back on track and how he’s on his way to the finals, because that’s just how good he is. Honma was amazed by Elgin’s power; he really wanted to win, but he will be happy with a win next time.
Nakamura mentions his elbow injury that kept him off some of the G1 shows and mentions how he wanted to get back in the ring very quickly. He stayed on tour during his injury, saying he would go to different hospitals to get the treatment he needed. It was tough for him to get his way back, and wasn’t until Osaka where he was finally able to return.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tomohiro Ishii
This was really great. Just built up really well from start to finish and the crowd was totally into it from start to finish. Both guys worked super hard. I loved the spot near the end where Nakamura went for another boma ye, Ishii stopped him but countered with the flying armbar scissors. Is that not the coolest move in pro wrestling? Both guys are awesome and they had, in fact, a really tremendous match. Nakamura got the win after a boma ye.
Nakamura says he had to give his all against Ishii, and glad he was able to face him. He was also happy he only missed one G1 match due to injury so he’s still in the game. In his reflective interview, he says he was very eager to face Ishii. Each one of their hits was full of passion. He appreciated that Ishii never tried to attack his elbow. He had to bring out everything he had, or he wouldn’t be able to stand. He felt that, even though saying this was weird, that it was a great comeback story.
Lots of great action on these shows; be sure to check them out!
Here we go with more Super Juniors tournament action! Today, the B block begins to take shape as we continue on in Gunma.
Yoshi-Hashi and Rocky Romero vs. Jay White and Ryusuke Taguchi
Solid match. White and Yoshi-Hashi had a pretty good sequence towards the end of the match, and White even kicked out of YH’s flipping neckbreaker. Yoshi-Hashi applied an arm scissors, however, and picked up the submission instead.
Romero mentioned post-match that Yoshi-Hashi is looking to kick Sanada’s ass down the line. They’ve been building a program together during this tour.
Captain New Japan, Matt Sydal, Juice Robinson, Kushida and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Yuji Nagata, Kyle O’Reilly, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi and David Finlay
Pretty good match as the juniors busted out some cool offense. Shibata and Nagata zeroed in on one another throughout the match. Towards the end there were a lot of back and forth between Captain New Japan and Tenzan – CNJ even did the Mongolian chops, always a big no no. Tenzan got the last laugh, pinning CNJ with a moonsault.
Tiger Mask vs. Baretta
Nice match, though the crowd were quiet most of the time and it felt pretty long for what it was – solid work, just didn’t feel like a hot match at the end. Just okay back and forth. Baretta kicked out of a tiger bomb, but Tiger Mask sinked in the double arm scissors and got the win. The loss cuts Baretta from the finals, and Tiger Mask is already eliminated.
Will Ospreay vs. Jushin Thunder Liger
Another pretty solid match. Liger’s good at being the springboard for all of Ospreay’s offense. Ospreay looked pretty good and together they had a very nice match, though nothing too special. The win keeps Ospreay alive but eliminates Liger.
Chase Owens vs. Bobby Fish
Nicely worked match. They traded submissions and targeted each other’s legs. The problem was the crowd again as they just didn’t seem to care and just sat there. Fish submits Owens with a leglock. This puts out Owens, but Fish is still in, though it’s a longshot.
Ricochet vs. Volador Jr.
This was full of high flying moves, as you’d expect. Volador went for the hurricanrana off the top rope but Ricochet landed on his feel. Volador did an inverted code red. Ricochet went for what looked like an Alabama slam but Volador countered with a hurricanrana and SPIKED him right on the mat for the win. Very cool match, especially towards the end.
Both are still in the tournament – if Volador beats Ospreay, he wins the block, simple as that. If Ospreay beats Volador, it boils down to how Ricochet vs. Owens goes. Owens pinning Ricochet eliminates him as he’d tie with a winning Ospreay and Ospreay has the tie over him. If Ricochet wins, however, he’d get 12 and beat Ospreay. So still a lot of variables heading into tomorrow.
Kenny Omega, Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi vs. Yoshitatsu, Satoshi Kojima and Michael Elgin
This got more heat than the other matches for whatever reason. Perfectly fine match, it was all about Elgin looking strong and wanting to get his hands on Omega. Elgin went to use a steel trash can lid on Omega, but he ducked and hit Yujiro instead. He pinned him the sitout powerbomb. He grabbed Omega’s broom after the match and destroyed it, then chased Omega with the trash can lid to the back.
Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & Gedo vs. Tetsuya Naito, Evil, Sanada and Bushi
Since Milano wasn’t here today, Naito decided to pick on Yoshi-Hashi, who was doing commentary post-intermission. It never got anywhere as Okada jumped him immediately. It was another good back and forth match that these two teams have had for most of this tour. Okada and Naito worked briefly, which the crowd were very much into. Sanada and Gedo were the ones left in the ring after them and Sanada submitted Geod quickly with the skull end.
Ingobernables cleared the ring after the match. Yoshi-Hashi tried to make the save but Naito isolated him from the others and dragged him into the ring, but managed to escape. Naito finished the show cutting a promo.
Not as strong as other shows, but good action overall.
Bubba took a little boy’s sign and threatened to tear it up pre-match. Enzo saved the day and grabbed it, returning it. Fairly basic tag match. Enzo and Cass win with the big splash.
– Viktor vs Jack Swagger
Big pop for the hometown hero. Back and forth standard offensive the whole match. Pretty lengthy. Swagger wins with a Swagger Bomb.
– Darren Young vs Apollo Crews
Only big move Crews hit was the standing moonsault. Darren attempted a somersault pin which Apollo reversed to get the pin and win.
– Video of Kevin Owens backstage trash talking Ambrose saying he’s going to beat him. He gets a call from his mother who says Ambrose will beat him. In a fury, KO says Ambrose doesn’t stand a chance.
– The Wyatt Family vs Kane and Big Show
Rowan and Braun dominated the whole match until they both tried to get involved. Kane tossed out Braun and Show KO Punched Rowan for the win.
– Lana and Dana Brooke vs Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch w/Summer Rae as special ref
Glad to see the ladies getting time. The only thing that didn’t make much sense was Summer Rae as ref. Becky locked in the Disarm-her on Lana for the win while Sasha had Dana in the Bank Statement.
– WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day vs The Vaudevillians
Both sides got in good offense. The Vaudevillians hit the Whirling Dervish but New Day still pulled it off with Big E hitting the big ending with the assist from Xavier.
– Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens
Fun match. For a night where not a lot happened outside the ring, both went out a couple of times. KO teased Byron Saxton and even took his chair to use but Dean hit Dirty Deeds for the win.
After UFC announced Saturday night that Brock Lesnar was returning to the Octagon for UFC 200, WWE responded shortly afterward with a post on their own website that gives some insight into the arrangement and when we’ll see him next in a WWE ring.
“Brock Lesnar remains under contract to WWE. However, he has been granted a one-off opportunity to compete at UFC 200. Following this milestone event on July 9, Brock will return to WWE for SummerSlam on Sunday, August 21, live on WWE Network.”
Lesnar has been out of WWE action since downing Dean Ambrose in a street fight at April’s Wrestlemania in Dallas, TX.
The 38-year-old Lesnar had a history of big matches at “the Wrestlemania of the summer”. Last year, he lost to the Undertaker in a rematch of their classic Wrestlemania clash (the infamous ‘call for the bell’ match) while the year prior, he destroyed John Cena to take the WWE title — the birth of Suplex City.
The year prior, he faced and beat CM Punk, and the year prior to that, he faced and submitted Triple H.
Decent showcase of Klein’s strength. James had a nice Black Widow on Klein. Klein wins via tapout choke. Post match, BJ Whitmer berates Scarlett to do a proper winner announcement. Issues open challenge for any woman to face Kelly.
Show Results
– Dalton Castle vs Stevie Richards turns into ANX vs. Dalton Castle & Stevie Richards
ANX (w) come out for a segment called what’s wrong with wrestling. Stevie was blasted for lengthy career and Dalton Castle, Human Trafficker. Castle changes the match to tag match vs the “fatbags”. (Lights keep going out in building during this segment). Kenny King delivers a chairshot to a spinning Richards and capitalized for the pinfall.
– Caprice Coleman def. Cheeseburger
Coleman comes out bearing gifts (protein powder, peanuts) to make Cheeseburger bigger. Caprice wins in a solid match by submission. Cheeseburger over with the crowd.
– Christopher Daniels def. Ray Rowe
Rowe surprisedly booed. Towards end, Kaz comes out followed by Hanson just enough to cause a distraction. Daniels hits BME for the 3 count. Daniels helps Kaz continue the beatdown on Hanson which turns into…
– Warbeard Hanson def. Kazarian
Kaz is over with the crowd and so is Hanson. Very good match. Hanson wins with swinging leg kick. Post match, Kaz comes out followed by Rowe. A brawl ensues and War Machine stands tall with the tag belts. War Machine leaves then Addiction stands up with their belts.
– Kamaitachi vs. Jason Kincaid vs Lio Rush vs Will Ferrara vs ACH vs Roderick Strong
Roddy clears the ring to start and stares at Rush. Match breaks down and Roddy does a sick spot outside the ring where he flings each opponent into the metal barricade. Then begins in the ring with Kamaitachi. ACH and Lio do some cool floppy counter stuff. Kincaid came in with a sick off the ropes bulldog/STO spot. Very fast paced, hard to keep up. Lot of Roddy dominance. Kincaid hits the sunset flip power bomb on Lio Rush to the guys on the floor. Kamaitachi then hits a spinning modification of air raid crash for the 3 on Kincaid in the ring. Great match.
Intermission
– BJ Whitmer tries to get on mic and is booed at every opportunity. He graces us with his presence in a practice match against a guy who may have been announced as Mark Sales, dressed in Corino trunks. Whitmer squashed him quickly.
– Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser vs Shane Taylor and Keith Lee
Taylor hits 2nd rope splash on Beer City Bruiser for the pin.
– Jay Briscoe vs. Moose w/ Stokely Hathaway
Both these guys chants to start. Stiff contest. Nice tope con Hilo by Moose. Briscoe hits a Death Valley Driver on the ring apron to Moose. Jay Driller to Moose for a near fall. Crowd goes nuts thinking it was 3. Moose powerbombs Jay through ringside timekeeper table. Jay gets back in the ring at the count of 19. Jay counters the powerbomb into another Jay Driller for the win. Match of the night!
– ROH Champion Jay Lethal (w/Taeler Hendrix) vs. Mark Briscoe
Back and forth match. Mark kicked out of the second diving forearm from Lethal. Jay hit a top rope elbow drop for a near fall, later locking on a figure four. Lethal blocked a Briscoe Elbow from top, kicks him in the face and dazes him, nailing Lethal Injection for the 3. Solid match.
– Bullet Club (Adam Page & Adam Cole) (w/Young Bucks) vs. Motor City Machine Guns
Match started out of the ring with barricade throws on MCMG. Bucks superkick Sabin before heading to the back. A lot of Too Sweet eye pokes by Cole. Page connects on the shooting star to the outside. MCMG hit tag team combination from the top rope to near fall because Todd Sinclair pulled out of ring. Upon getting back in the ring, MCMG superkicks him.
Bucks return and Superkick Sabin. Cole holds Shelley and Bucks inadvertently hit Cole with superkicks and get superkicked by MCM. Page gets back in the ring, MCMG hit their finish for the 3 count on Page.
After the match, the Addiction comes out to attack MCMG. MCMG clears them to the outside where the Bucks hit Addiction w/superkicks. Sabin gets on the mic and asks the crowd if they want to see Addiction as champs. Boos. They ask if the people want to see MCMG vs YB. They says if they win the YB will be first competitors.
Bucks gets on the mic and say that MCMG is their biggest rivalry. Shelley then puts over the ROH tag division and the fans. Shelley says MCMG + YB equal profits & 5 star classics. They call the Bucks back in the ring for handshakes. Surprisingly, no Superkicks and clean handshakes.
UFC announced during UFC 199 that Don Frye has been named to the Pioneer division of the UFC 2016 Hall of Fame. The event will take place on Sunday, July 10, at 12 p.m. PT at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The ceremony will close out the UFC Fan Expo during the final day of the 5th Annual UFC International Fight Week. The event will also be streamed live and available on-demand exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS.
“Don Frye is a legend in this sport and one of the toughest guys to ever compete,” UFC President Dana White said. “He was known for putting on incredible fights like his one with Takayama in PRIDE, which is still to this day one of the craziest fights I’ve ever seen. Congratulations to Don Frye for being selected to the 2016 Class of the UFC Hall of Fame!”
Frye notched a 10-1 record during four events over a span of 11 months in 1996. His mixed martial arts career began at UFC 8: DAVID vs. GOLIATH, where he defeated three opponents to capture the tournament title on February 16. He then competed at UFC 9: MOTOR CITY MADNESS on May 17, winning his fight on a non-tournament based card. Following his runner-up finish during UFC 10: THE TOURNAMENT on July 12, he secured his second tournament championship at UFC: THE ULTIMATE ULTIMATE 1996 on December 7.
During his tenure, Frye recorded a number of impressive firsts, becoming the first UFC athlete to finish three opponents in less than one minute, the first athlete to notch both a knockout and a submission in less than one minute, and the first to defeat five consecutive opponents by knockout. Over the course of his 15-year career, Frye also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, earning wins over UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock and Yoshihiro Takayama at PRIDE 19 and 21, respectively.
The final inductees of the Class of 2016 will be announced in the coming weeks leading to the landmark UFC 200: CORMIER vs. JONES 2, on Saturday, July 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
UFC FIGHT PASS’ original series Fightography: Don Frye can be viewed here.
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer will be back tonight to talk UFC 199, Brock Lesnar’s return to UFC and how this deal came to pass, the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch being signed for UFC 202 and more. Sign up today for full access to all of our new and archived shows (8,000 total), new and archived Wrestling Observer Newsletters and more!
Saturday night is a busy night in the UFC world with UFC 199 going down in Los Angeles, but there are some huge fights in the works for July’s UFC 200 and August’s UFC 202 that has captured the attention of fans.
In something that will get everyone talking in both wrestling and MMA, former WWE champion and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is returning to the organization to fight on UFC 200 against an opponent that will be announced on ESPN Monday. The news was first broken by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.
During a UFC 200 promo during UFC 199, Lesnar was shown at the very end and Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan discussed it a bit afterward.
Lesnar is taking the fight with WWE approval. They will likely be promoting the fight during WWE broadcasts up to the event.
Lesnar’s opponent in his return will be announced Monday on ESPN.
Lesnar came close to returning to the UFC in early 2015, but ultimately decided to sign a new contract with the WWE. He hasn’t fought in the cage since losing to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in December 2011. He came close to returning in 2012 for a fight against Fedor Emelianenko, but the deal was unable to be put together by the UFC.
UFC 200 takes place on July 9 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, headlined by Daniel Cormier taking on Jon Jones to unify the light heavyweight title. Frankie Edgar vs. Jose Aldo for the interim featherweight title is also on the show as is former Lesnar foe Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne, and a host of other interesting fights.
UPDATE: WWE has confirmed the fight. They issued the following statement tonight: “Brock Lesnar remains under contract to WWE, however, he has been granted a one-off opportunity to compete at UFC 200. Following this milestone event on July 9, Brock will return to WWE for SummerSlam on Sunday, August 21 live on WWE Network.”
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer will be back tonight to talk UFC 199, Brock Lesnar’s return to UFC and how this deal came to pass, the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch being signed for UFC 202 and more. Sign up today for full access to all of our new and archived shows (8,000 total), new and archived Wrestling Observer Newsletters and more!
So much for Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II fading into the ethos.
UFC aired a promo spot Saturday during UFC 199 that the fight that headlined one of the most purchased UFC PPVs of all time will headline UFC 202 on Saturday, August 20th in Las Vegas, NV.
After they aired the promo, Diaz was shown at cageside next to Dana White, flexing his biceps and getting a hero’s welcome.
The road to the rematch is longform story worthy with the fight originally scheduled to headline UFC 200 only to fall apart supposedly because McGregor didn’t want to come to a press conference as he was training in Iceland. What followed was a classic “he said, they said, he said again” situation that saw UFC cancel the fight and eventually put a light heavyweight title unification bout between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier in its place.
After Diaz said he wouldn’t fight anyone else but McGregor, the Stockton, CA, native then decided to play some financial hardball about what it would take to get him to do the rematch: McGregor money. After a meeting between White, Diaz, and Lorenzo Fertitta reportedly went astray, White said this week that it didn’t look like the fight would happen and alternatives for McGregor were being explored.
Well, there was no alternative. Diaz will get a chance to beat McGregor again, and the featherweight champion gets to prove that he can fight — and win — at 170 pounds on a full camp.
So yeah, this is a high stakes fight.
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer will be back tonight to talk UFC 199, Brock Lesnar’s return to UFC and how this deal came to pass, the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch being signed for UFC 202 and more. Sign up today for full access to all of our new and archived shows (8,000 total), new and archived Wrestling Observer Newsletters and more!
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Bisping 2 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, just outside of Los Angeles. The event is headlined by two title fights involving two heated rivalries. UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold makes his first title defense against Michael Bisping, who gets his first title shot after almost ten years of fighting for the UFC after he replaced Chris Weidman in the bout. In the co-main event, it is UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz making his first defense since regaining the championship when he defends against long-time rival Urijah Faber, who looks to finally capture UFC gold. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:15 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
This weekend we’ll be doing polls on this show, as well as Monday and Tuesday’s New Japan show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle and best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
LIGHTWEIGHTS- POLO REYES (5-2, 1-0 UFC) VS. DONG HYUN “MAESTRO” KIM (13-7-3, 0-1 UFC)
First round: The place is pretty empty starting out the show. I wonder what the odds are of having two Dong Hyun Kim’s in the same promotion. Both coming out swinging. Kim hurt him. Both landing big shots. Kim now working for a takedown. Torres powered Kim down and now punching on the ground. Hard knee by Torres and he’s landing big punches. Kim up and landed a left. Head kick by Reyes. Reyes dropped him with a left. Mexico chants. Knee by Reyes. Knee by Reyes. Trading punches some more. Knee by Kim. Another knee by Kim. Left by Reyes. Spin kick by Reyes. Kim got a takedown into side control. Reyes back up. Kim with punches and knees. Reyes back. 10-9 Reyes. This was a round of the year candidate. Just incedible.
Second round: Kim landing jabs. Reyes in with punches. Spin kick by Reyes missed. Both back swinging. Both are continuing to land solid shots. Head kick by Reyes. Kim hurt him with a left. Reyes with knees. Both landing big shots. Knee and left by Kim. Reyes landed solid shots. Defense does not exist in this world. Hard left by Kim. Reyes with a big right. Reyes now has him hurt. Kim trying for a takedown and got him down. Kim got his back. Reyes back up. Knee by Reyes. Kim bleeding from the nose and mouth. Reyes bleeding as well. Kim tried for a takedown and pretty much went down almost due to exhaustion and Reyes ended on top. Reyes 20-18.
Third round: The doctor is checking on Kim. Elbow by Reyes. Reyes dropped him and ref Mike Beltran stopped the fight. A right staggered him and a second right as Kim was falling finished it. Beltran jumped in after one more punch on the ground.
Joe Rogan just called this one of the most entertaining fights he’s ever seen in his life. It was incredible.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- KEVIN CASEY (9-4 2 NC, 1-1 2 NC UFC) VS. ELVIS MUTAPCIC (15-4, 0-1 UFC)
First round: Casey’s father-in-law was Muhammad Ali. Body kick by Casey. Mutapcic landing body kicks. Casey with an uppercut. Casey with a body kick. Casey took him down. Casey landing body shots from the top. Casey with more body punches from the top. Casey moved to side control. Casey got behind him in a scramble. Mutapcic back to his feet. Mutapcic with a flying knee. Casey 10-9
Second round: Casey winged a few punches. Hard body kick by Mutapcic. Casey with a takedown but Mutapcic right back up and landed punches and knees. Casey with another takedown into full mount. Elbows by Casey. Mutapcic rolled out of it and back to his feet. Mutapcic throwing elbows. Hard knees by Mutapcic. Mutapcic with a lot of knees. Mutapcic landing knees and threw an elbow late. Close round. 10-9 Casey
Third round: Head kick by Mutapcic and jumping knee and more elbows. Casey with a right. Casey poked him in the eye. Mutapcic kicked him in the jaw. Mutapcic kicked to the body. Knee by Mutapcic. Casey went for a takedown but Mutapcic landed on top in the mount. Mutapcic landing a lot of elbows at the end. Almost a 10-8 round but I’d go 10-9 Mutapcic so 29-28 Casey. But the second round could easily go to Mutapcic and he could take it, or you could go 10-8 and have it a draw.
Scores: 29-28 Mutapcic 29-28 Casey 28-28 draw. You can’t fault the judges on any of those scores.
Mutapcic said he wanted to dedicate the fight to Ali. Casey kind of said the same thing.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- JONATHAN WILSON (7-0, 1-0 UFC) VS. LUIS HENRIQUE DA SILVA (10-0, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Low kick by Da Silva. Wilson with uppercuts. Trading kicks. Hard body kick by Da Siva. Both landing. Hard knee by Da Silva. Da Silva with an uppercut and a knee. Another uppercut by Da Silva. Body shot by Wilson. Wilson with a left. Another body kick by Da Silva. Elbow by Wilson and a right . Wilson landing hard shots. Wilson now landing hard shots. Knees by Da Silva. Da Silva 10-9
Second round: Da Silva landing knees. Da Silva with knees and a lot punches. Takedown by Wilson. Wilson landing lard lefts and rights and dropped Da Silva with a left. Wilson is on top. Wilson with lefts on the ground. Da Silva reversed to the top into full mount. Da Silva landing hard punches and elbows. Da Silva with a lot of punches. He kept landing punches until ref Mike Beltran waved it off. This was a really good fight.
WELTERWEIGHTS- SEAN STRICKLAND (17-1, 4-1) VS. TOM BREESE (10-0)
First round: Hard body kick by Breese. Another body kick by Breese. They are trading low kicks. Some booing because it’s starting slow. Breese moving forward and landed a left. Body kick by Strickland. Breese with more body kicks. 10-9 Breese
Second round: Body kick by Strickland. Nice right by Strickland. Breese coming back. Low kick by Strickland. Crowd booing and restless. Strickland landing punches. Body kick by Strickland. Strickland’s round 19-19. Crowd booed both guys when the round was over
Third round: Nothing much to this fight. Fans booing loudly now. Takedown by Breese with one minute left but Strickland right back up. He tried another takedown but Strickland blocked it. Strickland got a takedown and landed punches when it was over. I Gave it to Strickland so he won 29-28. Crowd booed this finish heavily.
Scores: 29-28 Breese 29-28 Strickland 29-28 Strickland. Crowd heavily booed the decision but . Strickland apologized for the fight and said Breese kept backing up.
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
FEATHERWEIGHTS- COLE MILLER (21-9 1 NC, 10-7 1 NC UFC) VS. ALEX CACERES (11-8 1 NC, 6-6 1 NC UFC)
First round: Caceres dropped him with a left right away. Miller right back up. Miller hip tossed him down. Miller dragged him down a second time. Caceres reversed to the top. Caceres let him back up. Body kick by Caceres. Head kick by Caceres. Caceres with punches. Spinning backfist by Caceres. Caceres landed a hard left. Caceres took him down. Caceres let him up. Body kick by Caceres. Punches and a head kick by Caceres. Miller tried a takedown, Caceres ended up on top and let him up. 10-9 Caceres.
Second round: Jumping kick by Caceres. Caceres landing several punches. Miller with a head kick. Caceres hurt him with a left and landed several more punches. Caceres threw him down. Caceres threw him down a second time. Miller back up. Body kick by Caceres. Caceres landing a lot of punches. Caceres threw him down a third time. Caceres continuing to land. He landed a left and a high kick and then a right. Good right by Miller. Caceres 20-18.
Third round: Caceres did a marital arts pose to stat the round which popped the crowd. Cesares back landing punches. Left and a takedown by Caceres. Head kick by Caceres. Miller with a takedown. Miller working for an armbar. Caceres out into side control. Great sequence. Crowd went bananas as he escaped. Leroy chants. Caceres threw him down again. Miller with a left. Knee by Miller. Caceres with punches and took him down again. Miller reversed to the top. Miller now working for a choke with 25 seconds left. Miller punching from back position but Miller needed a finish and didn’t get it. Miller’s round 29-28 Caceres overall.
Scores: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 Caceres. Not sure about that 30-27 because Miller won that third round.
First round: Andade came out strong landing a ton of punches. Andarde in with another flurry. Andrade firing away again. Andade in with another flurry. Adnrade landing a ton of punches and Penne is in a lot of trouble. Penne went down from punches just as the round ended. 10-8 Andrade for sure.
Second round: Andrade landed a ton of punches and Penne went down and Andrade let her back up. Andrade killing her with punches. It’s really time to stop this one. Jason Herzog stopped it.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- (#10) BENEIL DARIUSH (12-2, 6-2 UFC) VS. JAMES VICK (9-0, 5-0 UFC)
First round: Dariush got poked in the right eye. Vick poked him in the right eye again. Hard body kick by Dariush . Dariush decked him and his pounding him on the ground. Dariush with hard elbows on the ground. Dariush with hard punches but Vick up. Dariush with a right. Vick with a body kick. Dariush landed a right and Vick lost his legs. Dariush with punches and dropped him with a left and it’s over. The place came unglued with that finish.
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#12) BRIAN ORTEGA (10-0 1 NC, 2-0 1 NC UFC) VS. CLAY GUIDA (32-16, 12-10 UFC)
First round: Guida dropped him with a left. Guida chants even though Ortega is from Los Angeles. Guida connected with a right. Guida moving forward. Loud Guida chants. Guida landing lefts in a clinch. Both trading now. Guida landing a number of punches. Guida even tried a head kick. Body kick by Ortega. 10-9 Guida.
Second round: Guida went for a takedown but Ortega sprawled. Body kick by Ortega. Left by Ortega. Guida tried a takedown but Ortega blocked it again. Ortega with a right. Spin kick by Ortega. Ortega’s round so 19-19 after two.
Third round: Ortega with a jab. Guida with a right. Ortega landed some. Spin kick by Ortega. Guida can’t get inside to land. Knee by Ortega and another knee. Guida with left. Ortega dropped him with a knee and it’s over.
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- (#11) DUSTIN POIRIER (19-4, 11-3 UFC) VS. (#13) BOBBY GREEN (23-6, 4-1 UFC)
First round: Poirier with some low kicks. Green landed some punches and Poirier came back and decked Green. Body kick by Poirier. Left by Poirier. Poirier landing big punches. Another left landed by Poirier. Poirier with another left. Poirier decked him again with a left and after a few punches on the ground referee Jason Herzog stopped it.
They just aired a wonderful tribute to Muhammad Ali narrated by Dana White. One of the best videos they’ve done, particuarly on such short notice.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#15) DAN HENDERSON (31-14, 8-8 UFC) VS. (#14 WW) HECTOR L
First round: This place will come unglued if Henderson wins. Super loud Hendo chants. Henderson clocked him and Lombard clocked him back and took Henderson down into side control. Lombard went for a straight armbar. Henderson out. Henderson back to his feet and the place exploded. They were trading big shots and Lombard decked him. Lombard is all over him and Henderson back up. This fight is insane. Lombard took him down again and held him there until the end of the round. Lombard 10-9.
Second round: Body kick by Lombard. Both landed big shots. Lombard landed a right after Henderson missed. Crowd chanting for Henderson. Henderson landed a head kick and a hard side elbow and Lombard went down hard. After two more elbows on the ground it was over. This place is going insane. This was one of the loudest pops you’ll ever hear. Lombard is still down. 1:27
Lombard is now sitting up. Henderson thanked the fans for their reaction. The place is going so nuts for Henderson it isn’t funny. All of his kids were at ringside for the first time. He said he’s not sure what’s going to happen but that may have been the last fight of his career.
Henderson’s kids were all in the ring with him after along with other family members.
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#4) MAX HOLLOWAY (15-3, 11-3 UFC) VS. (#5) RICARDO LAMAS (16-4, 7-2 UFC)
First round: Holloway landing some early. Spin kick by Lamas landed short. Holloway landed some punches. Hollloway all over him with punches and a knee. Lamas went for the takedown and Holloway blocked it. Lamas short on a spin kick. Body kick. Lamas fighting for the takedown and couldn’t get it. Holloway landed several punches and a spin kick. Holloway 10-9.
Second round: Lamas threw a kick that was blocked. Lamas with a low kick. Both landing a lot of punches but Holloway getting the better of it. Lamas now back with hard punches. Lamas went for a takedown. Holloway blocked and on top. Holloway for a split second had a dragon sleeper. Holloway with a body kick as Lamas got up. Lamas shot in and Holloway got a choke. He didn’t have it fully in and let go. Holloway threw punches from back position as the round ended. Holloway 20-18
Third round: Holloway landing punches. Lamas back with a kick. Head kick by Lamas. Holloway landing punches and kicks. Spinning elbow by Lamas. Both threw for all they were worth in the last ten seconds to elicit a standing ovation. 30-27 Holloway although the third round was closer than the first two.
Scores: All three had it 30-27 for Holloway.
Holloway asked for a $50,000 check for best fight. He’s not getting it. He also asked for a title shot.
First round: Cruz booed a lot. Analysts are not getting over with this audience. Faber chants. Faber threw a knee and Cruz took him down. Faber scrambled but Cruz up and got behind him. Cruz took him down and Faber scrambled. As he got up, Cruz hit him. Body kick by Cruz. Faber moved in and slammed Cruz but Cruz reversed to the top immediately. Faber out and landed a left. Faber landed a right. Cruz with a low kick. Cruz went for a takedown and didn’t get it. Cruz landed few shots Cruz 10-9.
Second round: Cruz dropped him with a left. Faber back up. Cruz missed a kick and Faber is in trouble. Knee by Cruz. Cruz landing jabs. The crowd is turning toward Cruz. Cruz with a low kick. Another low kick by Cruz. Back to chants for Faber. Cruz landed a left. Cruz with a left. Low kick by Cruz. Faber missed a big shot. Faber with a right. Head kick by Cruz. Cruz landed a body shot. Cruz 20-18.
Third round: Cruz with a low kick. Cruz slipped and Faber landed a punch but Cruz hurt him with a counter. Cruz landed a good left. Cruz landed more shots. Low kick by Cruz. Left by Cruz. Cruz went for a takedown and didn’t get it. Cruz went for another takedown and didn’t get it. Cruz missing a lot but Faber couldn’t land. Cruz said something to him after the round and Faber shoved him. Cruz 30-27.
Fourth round: Faber missed on punches. Cruz with a left. Faber clipped him with a punch. Cruz with a left. Both are missing a lot now. Cruz dropped him with a left and landed a head kick. Faber back up. Cruz with a right. Now crowd chanting for Cruz. Faber with a right. Both missing more. Cruz 40-36.
Fifth round: Cruz landed two head kicks. Cruz landed punches as Faber moved in. Cruz with lefts. Cruz took him down as Faber went for a big shot. Body kick by Cruz as Faber got up. Cruz with another takedown. He moved into side control. Faber back up. Faber tried the guillotine but he’s not getting that tonight. Cruz 50-45.
They did have a short sorta hug after.
Scores: 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46 Cruz
Cruz again said ring rust wasn’t real.
Faber was booed after and said he can’t say anything other then pushing that Cruz had power but nothing like Cody Garbrandt. He priased Cruz’s wrestling. By the time Faber was done fans wer cheering him. He said he wants to be at the top, he wasn’t at the top tonight and talked about supporting Gardbrandt and his guys.
WWE has already starting promoting Lesnar at UFC 200.
UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) LUKE ROCKHOLD (15-2, 5-1 UFC) VS. (#4) MICHAEL BISPING (28-7, 18-7 UFC)
First round: Bisping got a mixed reaction. He doesn’t have that veteran sympathy thing going for him. Rockhold also got a mixed reaction. And he’s from California. Both were mouthing off before it started. Rockhold with a push kick. Bisping landed a punch to the face. Bisping with a low kick. USA chant. Rockhold with a left and Bisping back. Body kick by Rockhold. Bisping with a body kick. Bisping landing more. Low kick by Roickhold. Rockhold landing body kicks now. Bisping dropped him with a left and dropped him a second time with a left and landed two punches on the ground and it was stopped. This was very much like the GSP vs. Serra fight. 3:36
Bisping’s family is in the ring celebrating with him. Bisping said I have to be humble, thanked everyone for being here. I stated fighting when I came out of my mother. Priased his wife and parents. I’m an average guy this is my dream, two weeks notice, two hours two minutes I’ll fight anyone. Thanked people in the UK.
Rockhold was booed. Congratulations to Michael, he caught me. I took it for granted. Admitted he was overconfident. I didn’t fight my fight. He’s a tough guy and he’s a warrior.
