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  • WWE July 11 Pittsburgh house show results: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens street fight

    Submitted by Andy Stowell

    – Tony Chimmel was the announcer. How great is he? Bet he’s had a longer run than Howard Finkel.

    – Neville beat Dallas with the Red Arrow

    – WWE Tag Team Champions Prime Time Players beat New Day

    Titus got the pin. Titus is the most underrated guy in the company.

    – Mark Henry killed R Truth

    Truths entrance rap was real over.

    – Chris Jericho beat Luke Harper

    Y2J out for a Highlight Reel. Just an extended promo before Luke Harper came out. Jericho wins with the code breaker.

    They did the video for the Warrior Award and Conners Cure. His family was sitting ringside and getting a lot of attention, especially from the Divas. That video kills me every time.

    – Divas Champion Nikki Bella retained in a three way over Paige and Naomi

    Naomi got pinned.

    – IC Champion Ryback beat Big Show

    – U.S. Champion John Cena beat Kevin Owens in a street fight

    wens got a huge reaction. He cut a promo that the Pittsburgh Penguins were his favorite hockey team and he was excited to wrestle in their building. But was sad because the city was garbage–said hey it’s you’re city, you make it garbage. Cena out to more jeers than boos. He did a clever promo urging the kids to cheer because it was a Saturday night after their bedtime and they could scream as much as they want.

    Really great match. They used chairs,tables, the ring steps, a metal barrier, and some suplexes on the stage. About 3/4 of the way thru, when Owens was getting the offense, he did a really clever deal where he grabbed the mic, and told Cena it was just time to give up. Just like all these people, time to give up. Cena won shortly thereafter putting Owens thru a table with the Attitude Adjustment for the pin.

    – Return date is Monday Nov 30.

  • WWE July 11 Nashville house show results: Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose street fight

    Submitted by Jason Martin

    – Cesaro d. Kane

    – Axel/Sandow d. Miz/Adam Rose

    – Jack Swagger submitted Fandango

    – Lucha Dragons d. Ascension

    – Randy Orton d. Sheamus

    – Natalya won a six Diva battle royal (Emma, Cameron, Summer Rae, Alicia Fox, Layla)

    – Roman Reigns d. Bray Wyatt and was laid out after match

    – WWE Champion Seth Rollins d. Dean Ambrose in a street fight (two table spots involved) to retain the Championship when Wyatt interfered and hit the Sister Abigail. Double team stopped after by Reigns. (Only heel win of the night).

    – 11/23 RAW (Survivor Series fallout show) is return date

  • Evolve 45 July 10 results: Roderick Strong vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Drew Galloway vs. Timothy Thatcher

    Submitted by Alex Keeling from Ybor City, FL

    Rob Naylor introduces So Cal Val and the Premiere Athlete Brand. Gary Jay comes out to challenge Caleb Konley,

    Caleb Konley defeated Gary Jay

    The first three contests flowed seamlessly into each other, with the Premier Athlete Brand’s opponents coming out one after another; a cool way to transition between opening matches. The first match saw debuting Gary Jay take on Caleb Konley. I had never seen Jay before, but he played a good babyface. By the end, Jay had the crowd behind him but it wasn’t enough as Konley finished with a moonsault. Fun opener.

    Trent Baretta defeated Rich Swann

    Baretta as a heel is a lot of fun to watch and a nice change of pace from what he usually does in PWG. With his mannerisms and antics intensified, Baretta was in control for the majority of the match. High point was when Baretta gave Swann a half nelson suplex on the apron, eliciting “holy shit” chants. This was the best of the first three contests, with both guys on their A game. Swann makes a couple comebacks throughout the match but eventually falls to the Dudebuster. Premiere Athlete Brand up 2-0.

    Andrew Everett beat Anthony Nese 

    I was expecting more out of Everett here. This may have worked better had it been switched with the previous match. That being said, solid effort by both guys, just nothing remarkable. Nese worked on Everett’s bad knee for the majority of the match. Everett hit a shooting star press for the 3, giving the Premier Athlete Brand it’s first loss of the night. After the match, Everett challenged Konley for the FIP title the next night at Evolve 46. 

    Chris Hero beat Trevor Lee

    These two had no problem just tearing into one another. If you liked either of their previous encounters (one in PWG, one at Evolve 43), you’ll be into this one. Stiff match. Lee took several cringe-inducing elbows and kicks to the face courtesy of the Knockout Kid. Lee hit a powerbomb for a near fall. Hero finished with multiple elbows. They told a story of Lee coming close again but still not being able to beat Hero. One would expect them to do a third match with Lee getting one last chance, given how close he came here. Great match. Afterwards, Hero heels it up on the mic, saying he’s the best. If not him, who is the best, he asks. Someone in the crowd says Zach Sabre Jr and Hero talks some smack, saying he’s beat Sabre multiple times in the past, in NOAH and elsewhere. Hero and Sabre will meet at Evolve 48. 

    Zach Sabre Jr. submits Roderick Strong

    Fans were in for a treat here, as the card had to be changed that morning when Davey Richards (scheduled to face Sabre) couldn’t compete. Instead, we got Roddy/ZSJ II, a rematch from PWG’s April show. Words can’t do this one justice. Gabe’s tweets and emails indicated that he was “hotshotting” matches tonight for the sake of the fans, and he wasn’t kidding. Incredible, incredible match. Chain wrestling at the opening reminded me of Malenko/Guerrero in 95. Sabre won most of the exchanges, staying a step ahead of Roddy at every turn. Sabre worked Roddy’s arm most of the match with lots of inventive offensive. Every little thing meant something here. Roddy went for Sabre’s legs, building to his Stronghold boston crab. The match only got better and better, with finishing sequences that reminded you of the closing minutes of AJ/Okada. Eventually, Strong succumbed to an armbar, bringing the series between these two to one fall a piece. One can only hope there’s a rubber match in the works. Just terrific stuff here.

    Timothy Thatcher defeats Drew Galloway to win the Evolve and DG USA World Heavyweight Championships

    There was no way anything could follow that last match, so these two had their work cut out for them. Thatcher asked that the match be a title match, and Galloway agreed to put both belts (Evolve and DGUSA World Heavyweight Title) on the line. Thatcher looked really great here, but Galloway was no slouch. A great wrestling match, nothing at all like the brawls Galloway had been having with Roddy. Crowd was seemingly dead after the last two matches. Thatcher wins in a shocker with an armbar! I felt bad for both guys as they looked to be trying to make it a big moment but the atmosphere just wasn’t there. Galloway is hesitant to give up his belts at the end of the match, but he eventually does so. With Thatcher taking on Hero the next night in a rematch of their classic from Mania weekend, one would assume that becomes a title match.

    All in all, an amazing show from Evolve. Hero/Lee and Strong/ZSJ are both worth going out of your way to see. If Sabre wasn’t stuck doing multi-man matches in NOAH, one would think he’d be a contender for wrestler of the year, given the quality of his performances in the US. The kid is incredible.

  • The boxing report, plus coverage of last night’s ESPN debut, Keith Thurman vs. Luis Collazo

    By Jeremy Wall

    PBC debuted on ESPN on Saturday night, July 11th, headlined by Keith Thurman (26-0-0, 22KO) stopping Luis Collazo (36-7, 19KO) in the eighth round as the USF Sun Dome in Tampa to retain the WBA Welterweight title. PBC on ESPN replaced Friday Night Fights, which had been a staple of boxing programming and aired on ESPN2 going back many years.

    Collazo, 34, was clearly brought in as a showcase opponent for Thurman, 26, who headlined the debut PBC card on NBC back in March by beating Robert Guerrero. Thurman is thought to have major star potential in the boxing world and might be the heir apparent to the long-term pound-for-pound crown when Floyd Mayweather retires.

    Thurman opened a cut over Collazo’s right eye in the seventh round and the fight was stopped due to the cut right after the opening of the eighth. Thurman had a bit of a scare in the fifth round when Collazo rocked him with a left to the body, but he won the earlier rounds and was able to come back in the later rounds to open that cut on Collazo and finish the fight.

    Thurman landed 119 of 348 thrown for 34-percent compared to Collazo’s 76 of 244 thrown for 31-percent. When the fight was stopped Thurman led on all three scorecards with 69-64, 69-64 and 68-65. Thurman, however, didn’t look that great against a fighter who had little chance of winning. Thurman may not have put the effort into preparing for this fight like he clearly did when he fought Robert Guerrero in March.

    Attendance was 4,136. Thurman was the hometown favourite, living in nearby Clearwater.

    Thurman called out Floyd Mayweather after the fight. “I’m a young, strong champion, Floyd. Come get it. I’m undefeated like you, baby.”

    If not for boxing’s byzantine politics, Thurman might be the best opponent for Mayweather’s next fight on September 12th. It could still happen. Thurman would have a reasonable chance of defeating Mayweather, although Mayweather would probably still be the favourite in that fight.

    That Thurman has a shot of beating Mayweather may be why they don’t ever fight, as Mayweather has one fight left on his Showtime deal and is talking retirement afterwards. Floyd is not about to risk his undefeated record at this stage of the game to create a new star, even though that would be better for PBC’s long-term business. And even if Floyd fights again next year or the year after, a rematch with Pacquiao is the obvious bout, not a fight against Thurman.

    The odd thing about Floyd not facing Thurman is that Thurman is under contract to Al Haymon, PBC’s tsar who also controls Mayweather. So, there is nothing in the way from a promotional aspect that would block that fight. It’s not as if Thurman fights for Top Rank and Floyd for PBC, or whatever. But Floyd is clearly at the stage of his career where he does what he wants and I doubt he wants to risk his perfect record against someone who is being touted as the next Floyd.

    The other odd thing about the upcoming Floyd fight is that it is now only two months away and there has been no opponent announced. This makes no sense to me. The whole point of PBC is to use time buys on free network television to either convert the time buys into shows that the network pays for, or to hype pay per views. Haymon hasn’t done a pay per view since the PBC began other than the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, which shattered all pay per view records. The amount of boxing on network TV that hyped that show most likely contributed to how successful that pay per view was. Thus, it seems like PBC programming is a good vehicle to build hype to promote pay per views.

    Yet, the only other pay per view announced by PBC is Floyd’s next fight in September. Right now, PBC is in the process of creating new stars and they don’t really have anyone other than Floyd that they can put on pay per view yet. So, PBC ought to have had Floyd’s opponent announced by now so they can use their network programming to hype the pay per view and score the biggest buy rate possible. But they haven’t done that. I thought they might make the announcement on ESPN, but they didn’t.

    Of course, the buy rate for Floyd’s fight in September will depend on the hype during the last week of the build, so maybe PBC is aware of this and they’re not terribly concerned about getting Floyd’s opponent announced two months out. Even if that is true, Floyd has been talking about facing fighters like Andre Berto or Karim Mayfield. Berto is an okay fighter who appeared on Spike TV for PBC a few months ago. Mayfield is nobody. The feeling in boxing is that Mayweather is pulling the media’s leg with those names, but who knows until his opponent is actually announced.

    The thing is, the obvious opponents for Mayweather are either Thurman, Amir Khan, or Shawn Porter. Khan recently beat Chris Algieri on Spike and Porter beat Adrien Broner on NBC, both fights that drew weaker ratings than one would have expected going in. But even with the disappointing ratings, these feel like the obvious names for Mayweather. Khan has been a rumoured opponent for Mayweather for years now. Thurman and Porter have both been in a couple high profile fights for PBC now.

    Thurman feels like the most obvious opponent. He feels like the new Mayweather, of sorts. Khan isn’t a bad choice, but both Thurman and Porter have fought on NBC in front of far more people than the audience that watched Khan beat Algieri on Spike. Porter is a super babyface and although lacking in charisma, is likeable and would put on a good fight. Mayweather is boxing’s biggest heel and even if Porter fought Mayweather lost, it would be a boost for him because he would be positioned in the babyface role of the up-and-comer out to challenge the heel champion. I think Mayweather would be favoured to beat all three, but of those three names the one with the best chance against Floyd would probably be Thurman.

    Thurman and Porter may end up facing one another on the undercard of Floyd’s pay per view fight in September. Thurman took the Collazo fight on the advice of Haymon, who probably wanted Thurman in a showcase fight for PBC’s debut on ESPN. But Thurman has already talked about facing Porter if he doesn’t get Mayweather.

    Another possible opponent for Thurman is Errol Spence Jr, who is touted as the best prospect in boxing.

    The WBO recently stripped Mayweather of the WBO Welterweight title that he won from Pacquiao in May. The WBO doesn’t allow fighters to hold titles in multiple weight divisions. Actually, the other alphabet organizations don’t allow that either, but they’ve made an exception for Mayweather. The WBO, which is known to be more closely affiliated with Top Rank boxing which is one of the major competitors for Floyd and the PBC, decided to disallow it and took the title away. Timothy Bradley won the interim WBO title a couple of weeks ago on HBO and will probably just be elevated to regular champion.

    Mayweather issued a strange Instagram post earlier this week apologizing for the behaviour of someone close to him. The problem is that no one knows what he’s talking about.

    PBC’s debut on ESPN also foolishly went up against the UFC pay per view headlined by Conor McGregor, which was one of the most important and best UFC shows in company history. It also went up against boxing on HBO Latino. There has been major boxing every weekend for most of this year, although last weekend was an off week due to the holiday. But why PBC decided to debut on ESPN, which is one of the last major tent pole shows before the Floyd Mayweather pay per view in September, on the same night as the most-hyped UFC show in history is bizarre.

    Maybe it’s hubris from people in boxing and the people at ESPN that they could put a dent in the UFC’s hype train for Saturday night. Maybe it was just bad planning. Or maybe the people in boxing believe that UFC and boxing draws from different demographics and both can draw well going head-to-head. I think that’s actually the case if a major boxing match went against a typical UFC show. But UFC’s pay per view on Saturday night was anything but typical, being the first show in the post-Reebok, Conor McGregor-era that could historically be seen as one of the most influential events in UFC history.

    If I was running PBC, I would have selected a different Saturday night for my company’s debut on ESPN.

    PBC’s been making a lot of mistakes after their successful debuts on NBC, Spike, and CBS a few months ago. The combination of these mistakes with ratings sinking lower than what the company would clearly like to see and issues with investors pulling money out of the hedge fund that is financing the promotion, as well as matchmaking that has been mixed at best, the promotion feels like it has lost a lot of steam compared to its first few weeks of operation back in March.

    It’s interesting the effect PBC is having on combat sports, though. UFC and HBO actually feel like the primary beneficiaries of PBC’s insurgency in boxing, as strange as that sounds. UFC has upgraded their production, at least for Saturday’s pay per view. The UFC prelims looked about the same as they ever did, but the pay per view had a significantly enhanced production with great entrances for both McGregor and Chad Mendes in the main event and Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald in the co-main (the co-main being one of the best fights I’ve ever seen). This looks like a response to the increased production values of PBC and Bellator. Even if PBC turns out to be a bust, they’ve changed the industry in a way that has upped the ante at least in terms of production, maybe somewhat similar to what WCW did for pro wrestling with Monday Nitro nearly twenty years ago, forcing WWF to follow suit and making it harder for new companies to get into pro wrestling if they didn’t have the budget to create a production that was as glossy as the top two.

    UFC had looked like a laggard all year in terms of their production, especially after Bellator debuted their first tent pole show in November with the Tito Ortiz-Stephan Bonnar fight and then PBC debuted to a lot of hoopla in March with their supposed Olympic quality production on NBC. But Saturday night’s UFC show felt like the beginning of an exciting, new era as the UFC responds correctly to the value props made by their competitors. It’s now HBO that feels like the laggard in terms of production for their World Championship Boxing events, which have looked pretty much the same for many years now, although it should be noted that HBO has had much better fights on television than anything PBC has offered this year, so the in-ring product presented by HBO is still far superior to PBC even if PBC is spending more on production.

    **********

    The co-main on ESPN featured Willie Nelson (yes, that’s the name he goes by) (21-1, 18KO) knocking out Tony Harrison (23-2-1, 13KO) at 2:57 of the ninth round at super welterweight.

    It was a major upset, as Harrison is a 24-year-old prospect and a protégé of the late Emanuel Steward who went into the fight with an undefeated record. Nelson, 28, was brought in as a showcase for Harrison for PBC’s ESPN debut.

    It was also a dull fight until Nelson scored the knockout punch with a right hand in the ninth. Harrison landed 143 of 422 for 34-percent and Nelson landed 105 of 338 for 31-precent.

    Scorecards at the time of the knockout were 85-85, 87-83, and 86-84, the latter two in favour of Harrison.

    *********

    On HBO Latino, Mauricio Herrera (22-5, 7KO) beat Hank Lundy (25-5, 12KO) by majority technical decision at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The fight only went five rounds because Herrera suffered bad cuts in the first and fifth rounds and they went to the scorecards after round five. Herrera won with scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 48-48. The fight took place for the vacant NABF Light-Welterweight title and went up against both the UFC pay per view and PBC on ESPN.

    *********

    Lots of major Canadian events are upcoming in boxing. Lucian Bute (31-2, 24KO) returns for a fight on August 15th for a PBC card that will air on NBC Sportsnet. Bute will be facing an opponent TBA at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Bute is a major drawing card locally. I’m going to try and go to that fight live, mainly because it will probably be on pay per view in Quebec, where I live, and it’s cheaper to just go to the Bell Centre. Bute hasn’t fought since January 2014 when he lost to Jean Pascal, as Bute has been laid up with an injured back.

    In Toronto, Light-Heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson will headline a PBC on Spike card on September 11th. Opponent is TBA. They don’t have a venue yet. This doesn’t sound like much, but it is actually a big deal because Toronto never, ever, ever gets good boxing matches, ever. Adonis might be the biggest boxing star to come to Toronto since time out of mind.

    The card is being promoted by Yvon Michel, who is the major Montreal promoter and also works with PBC. This means they are expanding and looking to open new markets. I don’t know if this is a big enough deal to run Air Canada Centre. Probably not, since they won’t really have a big enough name for Adonis to draw. But no matter what arena they end up running, it’s a big deal for boxing in Canada. Boxing’s popularity in Canada is roughly non-existent outside of the boxing hotbed of Quebec.

    **********

    A few weeks ago in this column I discussed the idea that many stars of boxing’s past will come out of retirement to try and capitalize on the re-emergence of the sport in the American mainstream. De La Hoya had talked about coming out of retirement to face Gennady Golovkin (which looks like it won’t happen, and was probably just a comment made without thinking by De La Hoya to TMZ). Antonio Tarver wasn’t retired, but hasn’t been on a major televised fight in years, but will be fighting on Spike in August.

    Now, Shane Mosley is coming back. Mosley, 43, will be facing Ricardo Mayorga, 41, on August 29th on pay per view in California, with the venue TBA. The show is being promoted by Mosley Promotions, which I believe also does indie MMA. Mayorga has competed in MMA, going 0-3 with 1NC. The no-contest was in Nicaragua and originally a win by Mayorga against an opponent twenty pounds lighter that was changed to a no-contest due to an illegal knee to the spine by Mayorga.

    The two fought in Carson City in 2008. Mosley knocked Mayorga out at 2:59 of the twelfth round.

    Running on pay per view is probably a mistake, although if they can keep expenses down they might be able to turn a profit. That Mosley owns the promotion he is fighting for at least means his talent costs won’t be too high. But Mosley’s name value is probably worth something in the current boxing promotional war, particularly for mainstream fans that watch PBC on network TV and would know Mosley, if only by name. If I were PBC I would be interested in using Mosley for fights on network TV, much like they are using Tarver on Spike. If Tarver wins, he could be a big name showcase opponent for Deontay Wilder at heavyweight next year.

    Mosley wanted the fight at the Staples Center, but Al Haymon pulled some tricks and reserved the arena so that Mosley couldn’t use it.

    Haymon is running the third PBC on ESPN card at Staples Center that night headlined by a featherweight bout between Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares.

    Boxing Insider had a story a few weeks ago with a quotation from CSAC Commissioner John Frierson that Al Haymon was venue squatting in order to prevent competition from getting access to prime venues in California.

    “He was holding up the dates at the Forum and the Staples Centre,” said Frierson. “We took that away.”

    Frierson later retracted that statement and CSAC Chairman John Carvelli denied there was any commission investigation into Al Haymon or PBC.

    Haymon has been holding dates on prime venues in California and other locations in the US to prevent his competition from getting dates, and then canceling those dates when the competition has already relocated elsewhere. Top Rank has filed suit against Haymon alleging this same conduct.

    *********

    Speaking of the heavyweights, Wladimir Klitschko will defend his heavyweight titles against 6’9″ Tyson Furey (24-0, 18KO) on October 24th in Dusseldorf. The fight was close to going to a purse bid, but Furey’s promoter Hennessy Sports signed an agreement with Klitschko’s promoter K2 Promotions for the bout to take place in Germany, which is Klitschko’s home base in terms of his drawing power. If the fight had gone to purse bid, it might have by won by a British promotion and taken plain in Britain, where Furey, 26, is from.

    Furey is a rising star at heavyweight in Britain, but doesn’t have much of a name in the US. The fight will air on HBO. They don’t have a venue announced, but it will likely be at a soccer stadium.

    Elsewhere, Deontay Wilder is booked to fight on September 26th on NBC. He has fought twice this year on Showtime, but Wilder has the most potential as a box office draw for PBC among any fighter Haymon has under contract. It was necessary to get him on network television.

    Wilder is the WBC Heavyweight champion and has a mandatory title defense upcoming against Alexander Povetkin. But the September 26th fight will not be against Povetkin, as PBC is taking the opportunity to put Wilder on network television against a showcase fighter in order for Wilder to make a name for himself among mainstream audiences. Wilder won the WBC title from Bermaine Stiverne in a great fight in January and then defended it against showcase opponent Eric Molina in June in a fight where Wilder looked disappointing, but came away with the win.

    The rumoured opponent for Wilder is Chris Arreola (36-4, 31KO), a former heavyweight title challenger under contract to PBC that is well past his prime. Arreola faces Freddy Kassi (18-3, 10KO) in the co-main on PBC on CBS card on July 18th in El Paso. Arreola will need to win that fight before facing Wilder. The CBS card on July 18th is being used to promote a Julio Cesar Chavez Jr fight on Showtime later that night. CBS and Showtime are owned by the same company.

    *********

    Miguel Cotto looks to face Canelo Alvarez on pay per view on November 21st. They don’t have a venue announced, but it will be in Las Vegas at either the MGM Grand or the Thomas & Mack Center. The fight is taking place at a catchweight of 155-pounds, which is five pounds less than the 160-pound limit for middleweight.

    It will be the third biggest boxing pay per view this year, behind Mayweather-Pacquiao and Mayweather’s fight in September. If promoted correctly, Cotto-Canelo could actually do a surprising buy rate. They don’t have a retail price announced yet for the pay per view. It would be co-promoted by Golden Boy and Roc Nation.

    The winner will probably have to face Gennady Golovkin. No one wants to fight Golovkin. Golovkin has offered a 50-50 split on revenue with Andre Ward and is willing to come down and face Ward, who returned to boxing this year with a pathetic fight on BET for Jay-Z’s lame Roc Nation promotion. Ward doesn’t seem to be biting. Cotto and Canelo have also been accused of dodging a fight with Golovkin, who is a powerhouse at middleweight, but doesn’t necessarily bring the box office power to make fighting him worthwhile.

    Bernard Hopkins isn’t impressed. He has challenged Golovkin to fight him at light-heavyweight. The weight increase would be tougher for Golovkin, although he is a huge middleweight. But a win over Hopkins might be what Golovkin needs in order to boost his box office potential and force a fight with one of the stars at middleweight.

    **********

    For upcoming fights, Showtime has a smaller show on July 17th from Bethlehem, PA. The next day CBS has a PBC card on Saturday afternoon leading into the Showtime card that night.

    July 25th Sergey Kovalev defends his Light-Heavyweight belt against Nadjib Mohammedi in Las Vegas on HBO. It goes up against a PBC show on NBC Sportsnet with Beibut Shumenov vs. B.J. Flores.

    PBC returns to ESPN on August 1st with Danny Garcia vs. Paulie Malignaggi and Daniel Jacobs vs. Sergio Mora. They debut on Bounce TV on August 2nd with Juan Carlos Payano vs. Rau’shee Warren for Payano’s Bantamweight belt.

    August 7th Showtime has a card from Atlantic City and August 8th HBO Latino has a card from Indio, CA.

    August 14th Showtime has another card that strangely goes up against PBC on Spike TV. The start times must be different, although both would figure to air in prime time. That’s an odd one since Showtime and Spike are owned by the same group of people. The Spike show has Antonio Tarver vs. Steve Cunningham and Marco Huck vs. Krzysztof Glowacki for Huck’s Cruiserweight title.

    August 15th Lucian Bute fights in Montreal against TBA for PBC on NBC Sportsnet. PBC is running more shows on NBC Sportsnet over the summer than on NBC, which might not be a good sign, although maybe they are laying off a bit for the summer.

    August 22nd Badou Jack defends his Middleweight belt against George Groves in Las Vegas on Showtime. This is a Haymon card, even though the Haymon cards on Showtime are not branded as PBC for whatever reason. I think Showtime likes to do their own thing.

    August 28th Showtime has another smaller ShoBox card.

    August 29th PBC is on ESPN in LA with Leo Santa Cruz vs. Abner Mares at featherweight, which runs against the Shane Mosley fight against Ricardo Mayorga on pay per view elsewhere in California. Oddly, Roy Jones Jr also fights a club fighter in Philipsburg, Saint Maarten, that night. Jones fights bums all over the world now, but it’s just odd seeing Jones and Mosley both fighting on the same night on different shows. That would have been a deal in another era.

    September 6th PBC on CBS with Peter Quillin facing an opponent TBA at middleweight.

    September 11th Adonis Stevenson debuts in Toronto for PBC on Spike, which goes up against Top Rank boxing on truTV. The Spike show will obviously be used to hype the Floyd fight the next night.

    September 12th Floyd fights on pay per view. PBC has a show scheduled on NBC for the same day, which is clearly going to be an afternoon show to hype the Floyd fight that night. Smart. Probably would have been better to be on NBC in prime time the week before, though.

    September 26th PBC on NBC with Deontay Wilder defending his heavyweight title. I’m assuming this is a prime time show and will be the first time PBC is on NBC in prime time in months.

    And that takes us to the end of September, more or less.

    Jeremy Wall can be contacted at jeremywall1984@gmail.com and found on Twitter @jeremydalewall.

  • Matt Cage talks about his decision to come out and how hard he thought about it

    By Sean Neumann

    Every professional wrestler has his career defining moment. Matt Cage is hoping his moment hasn’t happened yet.

    Three weeks after coming out as gay, the 26 year old’s new fear is that he won’t be remembered for his work in the ring, but rather for the announcement he made outside of it.

    “I understand I’m the flavor of the month right now,” said Cage, who came out in a Facebook post in June. “I’d like to believe that while people are watching me wrestle, even if they are aware of my sexual orientation, they don’t give a shit about it because when I’m in the ring, I’m not thinking about that. It’s all business.”

    Cage (real name Matt Hullum) recently signed on for a stint with Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling, furthering his dream of wrestling professionally that he’s eyed since he was five when he first watched Randy Savage defeat Ric Flair at Wrestlemania VIII for the WWF Championship. But since that age, Cage has also battled depression and a rising level of stress rooted in the fear of taking his personal life public.

    “When you’re a kid, it’s defined that (being gay) is not right, it’s wrong,” Cage said. “Growing up and having to deal with that is awful.”

    The wrestler’s decision to go public wasn’t easy, not only having to consider how his friends would respond, but his coworkers as well. Cage said he was nervous how his booking would change, how his matches might change, and how his perception might change in and out of the ring. But ultimately he was emotionally spent and knew coming out wasn’t just best for him, but best for the business – a business where men are required to be in close physical contact with other men.

    “There’s undoubtedly other wrestlers in my shoes,” Cage said. “I’m willing to bet good money that I’ve been in the ring with closeted wrestlers who are afraid to come out.”

    If he could go public and continue getting booked the same, he hoped others would follow suit. So Cage typed out his announcement and left it on his laptop for nearly two weeks, afraid to click “post.” When he finally did, he waited until 2:41 a.m., thinking the attention would be minimal.

    “I got out of bed and started pacing around my apartment and thought, ‘I’m just going to take it down.’ I opened my laptop and it had already been liked about 20 times,” Cage remembered, now able to laugh about his anxiety. “The response was ridiculous and overwhelming.”

    The most important response came in a seven-word text from a friend at 3 a.m.: “Love you brother. Gym in the morning?” It was casual, yet acknowledging. It was exactly what Cage was searching for: to know that he was normal and that life would continue to be so.

    Three weeks after fearing what would happen to his professional life after his personal one went public, Cage is gearing up for one of his busiest weekends yet, performing at shows with IWA Mid-South Wrestling, Dreamwave Wrestling, and Global Force Wrestling – his biggest payday yet.

    “All I’ve ever wanted to do was be a wrestler and be happy,” Cage said.

    And now he’s both.

  • NJPW Alive 2015 house show report: Taguchi and Goto vs. Nakamura and Okada

    by Bryan Rose, WrestlingObserver.com

    The following are quick results from today’s New Japan World house show entitled “New Japan Alive 2015”. It was held in Fukushima as Big Palette Fukushima arena. Overall a very run of the mill house show, but the crowd was hot and the action was generally fine, nothing worth going out of your way to see however.

    Yohei Komatsu defeated Sho Tanaka with a half boston crab. Good, solid back and forth opening match.

    Tiger Mask and Jushin Thunder Liger defeated David Finlay and Jay White when Tiger Mask defeated David Finlay after a butterfly suplex from the top rope. This got a lot of time and turned out to be a basic, but really good match.

    Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Kushida defeated Captain New Japan, Mascara Dorada and Manabu Nakanishi when Kojima pinned Captain New Japan after a lariat. Good, typical six man New Japan tag bout. Kushida and Dorada in particular had a hot start, these two should really have a program somewhere down the line.

    Yuji Nagata and Tetsuya Naito defeated Cody Hall and Yujiro Takahashi when Nagata pinned Hall after a back suplex. Felt really long, though nothing totally wrong with it. Naito continued his quasi-heel gimmick, coming in late, only caring when doing a comeback and left immediately after Nagata got the win.

    Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomoaki Honma and Togi Makabe defeated Yoshi Hashi, Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii after a top rope Kokeshi by Honma and a high fly flow from Tanahashi. It was every New Japan six man you’ve ever seen. With that said, it was fine and the crowd was into it.

    Kazuchika Okada and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Hirooki Goto and Ryusuke Taguchi after Okada pins Taguchi with the rainmaker. Another solid match, but nothing to write home about. Originally this was to be a six man with Gedo and Shibata involved, but it was announced earlier in the show that Shibata was removed from the match without a reason given. Okada and Gedo cut promos after the match concerning the upcoming G1 Climax tournament.

  • UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor live results and coverage: The Irishman walks the walk

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event, headlined by an Interim UFC Featherweight Championship bout between Chad Mendes and Conor McGregor, airs on pay-per-view at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off at 7 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass before moving over to FOX Sports 1 at 8 PM eastern time. We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst fight to dave@wrestlingobserver.com”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT):

    LIGHTWEIGHTS: YOSDENIS CEDENO VS. CODY PFISTER

    First round: Hard low and high kick by Cedeno. Cedeno with a low kick.  Pfister landed some punches.  Another hard low kick by Cedeno.  Nice counter right by Cedeno but he couldn’t take him down.  Scramble, but nobody got the edge and they were back to their feet.  Body shot by Cedeno.  Pfister landing some punches.  Cedeno landing kicks.  Low kick by Cedeno.  Cedeno with cool kicks.  Cedeno is killing Pfister’s left leg.  Cedeno 10-9

    Second round: Low kick by Cedeno and overhand right.  Pfister missing punches. Pfister took him down.  Pfister’s left leg was all red.  Pfister has his back now.  Cedeno reversed to the top.  Fans are screaming to stand them up right away.  The ref listened.  Nothing was happenig at the time.  Pfister with an ankle pick takedown.  Pfister landed a few puches.  Pfister got his back again.  Now he’s on top throwing short punches.  Knee by Pfister and another as Cedeno got up.  Pfister’s round so 19-19 after two.

    Third round: Pfister with a takedown.  The ref stood them up quickly.  Pfister with a second takedown.  Pfister punching the body on the ground.  Pfister has his back again.  Cedeno out of trouble.   Pfister took him down again.  He’s just holding him down now.  Cedeno revered tothe top and threw two punches.  Pfister’s round so he should win 29-28.

    Scores: All three had it 29-28 Pfister.

    FLYWEIGHTS: NEIL SEERY VS. LOUIS SMOLKA

    First round: Smolka poked him in the eye. Seery dropped him with two punches and is pounding on him.  Smolka reversed to the top.  Seery again working for a guillotine.  Seery bleeding badly from the left eye.  Smolka trying a guillotine.  Smolka trying for other submissions.  Smolka is in full mount.  Smolka working for a sub. He gave it up and Smolka pounding on him from back position.  10-9 Smolka

    Second round: Smolka working for a takedown.  Smolka took him down with a bodylock.  Fans chanting USA and Irish fans booing the chant.  Seery tried an armbar from the bottom.  Smolka has his back.  Smolka working for a choke.  Seery is in trouble this time.  But he couldn’t lock it in.  Smolka continues to work for a choke.  Smolka’s round 20-18

    Third round: Takedown by Smolka.  Seery used an uma plata to get to his feet.  Seery landed punches and Smolka back.  Seery with a knee.  Smolka with a fireman’s carry takedown.  Seery went for a guillotine.  The place is going insane but Smolka escaped.  Smolka is in side control.  Smolka going for a head and arm choke.  Seery escaped but Smolka has his back and working for another choke.  Smokla with atkedown.  Seery back up and grabbed a guillotine and took hidown almost like a DDT.  If you’re into all kinds of near submissions, this is the match for you.  Smolka escaped and back to the top.  Takedown by Smolka.  Another takedown by Smolka and he’s working for another head and arm choke.  Smolka 30-27

    Scores: All have it 30-27 for Smolka.   

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT):

    BANTAMWEIGHTS: CODY GARBRANDT VS. HENRY BRIONES

    First round:   Garbrandt landed more and go a few takedowns to win the first round.  Not too exciting.  Garbrandt 10-9

    Second round: Garbrandt with a high kick.  Briones with a body kick.  Body kick and punch by Garbrandt.  Garbrandt dropped him with a right, landed hard punches on the ground but Briones back up.  Left by Briones.  Briones hurt him with a left and tried a jumping kick but missed.  Briones bleeding from the nose. .  Head kick by Garbrandt.  Garbrandt went for the takedown but didn’t get it.  Hard left by Briones.  Left by Garbrandt.  Another combo by Garbrandt.  Briones landed a right.  Gardbrant’s round 20-18.

    Third round: Slow open to the round.  Garbrandt swinging and landing.  Jumping knee by Garbrandt.  Left by Garbrandt.  Briones moving forward.  Takedown by Garbrandt with 1:00 left.  Jumping knee by Garbrandt.  Right by Briones and left by Garbrandt.  Both trading hard punches  Great slugfest at the end.  Garbrandt 30-27.

    Scores: All have it 30-27 for Garbrandt

    WELTERWEIGHTS: CATHAL PENDRED VS. JOHN HOWARD

    First round: Pendred got a main eventer reaction from the Irish contingent.  Pendred has him against the fence and throwing knees.  Knee by Pendred.  Howard wth a left.  They were trading punches until Pendred pushed him into the fence.  Pendred 10-9.  Really this was a 10-10 by all rights because nobody ever had an advantage.

    Second round: Howard landed an off balance left.  The crowd is making a lot of noise.  Howard landing a number of punches. Now the audience is turning on the fight.  Actually they’re turning on the USA chant.  Howard with more close range punches.  Pedred throwing knees from close range.  Howard with more short range punches.  Howard landed a good flurry late.  Howard’s round so 19-19 after two.

    Third round: They tied up.  Pendred landed some knees.  Howard took him down and Pendred holding a guillotine.  Howard escaped and on top.  Pendred up. Howard with a right. Howard landed punches right at the end and probably stole the round.  29-28 Howard, but all three rounds were close.

    Scores: 29-28 Howard 29-28 Pendred 29-28 Howard

    WELTERWEIGHTS: MIKE SWICK VS. ALEX GARCIA

    First round: Garcia took him down.  Swick back up.  Hard low kick by Swick.  Garcia landed a nice right.  Crowd dead here.  Garcia 10-9.

    Second round:   Takedown by Garcia.  Swick up.  Garcia landed.   Garcia throwing and landing some.  Fans turning on the right.  They were patient about it.  Garcia took Swick down again.  Garcia’s round 20-18.

    Third round: Garcia with a right.  Garcia took him down with a slam even though Swick momentarily grabbed the cage.  Garcia in full mount.  He tried an armbar at the finish but didn’t come close.  But it was his round and should be an easy 30-27 score for Garcia.

    Scores: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 Garcia

    WELTERWEIGHTS: MATT BROWN VS. TIM MEANS

    First round: Means landed two lefts and another left.  Brown tried a takedown but didn’t get it.  Right by Brown.  Eye poke by Brown.  Brown dropped him with a right but Means back up.  Brown with a left.  Brown pushed him into the fence.  Brown landed a few punches. Head kick by Brown.  Brown landing more punches.  Means went for a takedown and got stuffed. Brown took him down.  Hard knee to the back by Brown.  Means back up.  Hard right by Brown.  Means with punches and a high kick.  Means nailed him with a left.  Brown bleeding.  Brown with two elbows.  Means went for a takedown and Brown got the submission with a guillotine. Best action of the night.

    MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT):

    BANTAMWEIGHTS: BRAD PICKETT VS. THOMAS ALMEIDA

    First round: Pickett landed some shots.  Fans are singing.  Nice body shot by Almeida but Pickett decked him on the counter.  Pickett took him down.  Pickett hurt him wiht a knee.  Almeida tried an ankle lock.  Pickett with a hard right.  Almeida bleeding from the nose.  This would be a huge upset (9-to1) if Pickett wins. Pickett landing some more.  Almeida dropped Pickett and Pickett scrambled for a takedown.  Almeida back up.  Crowd going crazy here.  Spinning elbow by Almeida.  Pickett landed the left.  Fans were chanting “Where the fuck is Aldo” really loud.  Almeida has several cuts all over his face  Almeida landed some shots as the round ended.  Standing ovation, huge reaction as the round ended.  Pickett 10-9.

    Second round: Pickett short on a jumping knee.  Almeida knocked him cold with a flying left knee to the face.   That one is getting him $50,000 because it was a sick knockout.

    WELTERWEIGHTS: GUNNAR NELSON VS. BRANDON THATCH

    First round: Nelson landed several shots.  Knees back and forth from close range.  Low kick by Thatch.  Nelson tried a takedown but was thrown off.  Nelson clocked him with a left and right combination, the left was about to knock him down and the right caught him on the way down, got the mount and Thatch is in a world of trouble on the ground with this guy.  Nelson in side control.  Nelson back to full mount.  He’s got 2:50 left.  The crowd is singing as Nelson has his back.  Nelson punching from that position.  Nelson got the choke and Thatch had to tap out. 2:54

    FEATHERWEIGHTS: DENNIS BERMUDEZ VS. JEREMY STEPHENS

    First round: Stephens landed an uppercut and some follow ups that stumbled Bermudez.  Bermudez back with a front kick.  Bermudez landing punches Bermudez with a takedown.  Blood is just streaming out of Stephens’ forehead like a faucet.  Stephens escaped and got Bermudez’s back.  Bermudez with a low kick and front kick.  Both trading punches.  Stephens bad cut is over the right eye.  Stephens is a 7 on the Muta scale.  Bermudez 10-9.

    Second round: Trading punches and Stephens dropped him. Stephens with a knee and Bermudez back up. Stephens swinging hard.  Bermduez landed a left to the jaw.  Stephens took him off his feet with a low kick.  Bermudez landed a wild right.  Stephens dropped him with a left.  Bermudez dropped him with a front kick.  Bermudez in with puches.  Left and knee by Stephens.  Bermudez dropped him with a right but Stephens back up.  This is the fight of the night.  Knee by Stephens.  They are just swinging away.  Fantastic round.  Everyone is standing.  Hard round to score.  Stephens 19-19

    Third round: They showed Mike Tyson and the place went bananas.   Traded kicks.  Jumping right knee to the jaw by Stephens knocked him out.  This was a match of the year caliber fight, great finish and can’t ask for a move dynamc finish.

    They just did a new graphic before the two main events.  It was a really cool deal.  A lot of changes tonight, new style video and a remix of the UFC music.  There are a few Canadian flags for MacDonald but maybe ten in all. Nothing like GSP, but MacDonald did get a real big reaction.

    UFC WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: ROBBIE LAWLER(C) VS. RORY MACDONALD

    First round:   MacDonald with front kicks and a punch.  USA chant.  Lawler with a left and right.  Body kick by MacDonald.  Rory chant.  Right by Rory.  Another right by Rory.  Body kick by MacDonakd.  Head kick by Rory.  Right by Rory.  Body kick by Rory and right.  Lawler threw but didn’t land.  Slow round.  Crowd starting to boo.  Rory went for a takedown.  Lawler sprawled and threw a knee.  Body kick by Rory.  Lawler threw a right that barely grazed him.  Left by Lawler.  MacDonald 10-9.  Crowd booing the round.

    Second round: Crowd booed Johny Hendricks on the screen.  Both trading.  No advantage.  Body kick by Rory.  Body shot by Rory.  Good head kick by Rory.  Best blow of the fight so far. Lawler landed a left which was his best blow.  Right by Rory.  Left and right by Lawler and Rory is bleeding Left and right by Lawler. Rory back.  Rory with a right and left.  Left by Lawler.  This is getting good now.  Rory’s face is a crimson mask.  Both landing big shots.  Lawler’s round 19-19.  Crowd giving hem a big hand now.

    Third round: Rory kick blocked by Lawler.  USA chant.  Both throwing, Lawler got the best shot  Both trading again.  Body kick by Lawler.  Blood coming out of Rory’s mouth.  He went for a takedown, almost had it but Lawler blocked and throwing punches and Lawler landed a punch as he got up.  Head kick by Rory and body kick.  Another head kick by Rory.  Lawler short on his punches.  Right by Rory.  Another head kick by Rory.  Lawler is hurt. Both throwing. Another head kick by Rory.  Flying knee by Rory.  Rory taking him apart with 15 seconds left.  Uppercut by Rory.  Rory’s round.  The bell may have saved Lawler 29-28 Rory.

    Fourth round:  Crowd going nuts now.  Head kick and punches by Rory.  Body kick.  Head kicks and elbows by Rory.  More head kicks and elbows by Rory.  Slowing down now.  Another head kick by Rory.  These blows were partially blocked.  Right by Lawler.  Body kick by Lawler and he threw a right.  Lawler bleeding from the mouth.  Head kick.  Traded big punches.  Rory with two punches,  Rory went for a takedown, couldn’t get it and Lawler blasted him.  Both guys are covered in blood now.  Rory with a right.  Blood is flying everywhere.  This is a killer fight for drama at this point.  Head kick by Rory.  Rory’s round 39-37.

    Fifth round: Lawler landed a few shots.  Trading punches.  Rory with a head kick and body kick.  Lalwer hurt him with a punch.  Lawler landed a left to the nose and Rory couldn’t see and he went down.  Lawler landed punches on the ground and it was stopped.  Fantastic fight.  Match of the year candidate.    1:00

    Lawler did an interview, it wasn’t smooth but he showed a ton of passion and heart and the place went nuts for him.  An incredible performance by Lawler coming back from near defeat in the third.

    INTERIM UFC FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: CHAD MENDES VS. CONOR MCGREGOR

    First round: Jeez, I’m nervous for these guys that’s how much pressure there is in this place.  This is one of the biggest pops in UFC history.  Mendes booed out of the place.  The Americas can’t compete with the Irish tonight.  There is intensity in the crowd like few fights in history.  McGregor threw a knee and was taken down.  Mendes blasted him but couldn’t get the second takedown. Mendes mssed on a wild punch.  Spin kick to the body by Conor.  Left by Conor.  Right by Chad.  Left by Conor.  Spin kick by Conor.  Traded punches.  Head kick by Conor. Head kick by Conor.  Head kick by Mendes and a right and a left.  Conor took his best shots.  Spin kick by Conor but Mendes back with punches.  Takedown by Mendes.  Hard punches by Mendes and Conor is bleeding.  Conor up.  Mendes with a right.  Body kick by Conor.  Body shot by Conor.  Hard left by Conor and a right by Chad.  Uppercut by Chad.  Body kick by Conor and a right.  Another takedown by Chad. .He moved to side control as the round ended.  Mendes 10-9

    Second round; Loud Conor chant.  They traded punches.  Body kick by Conor.  Takedown by Mendes.  Mendes on top.  Hard elbow by Chad.  Punch by Chad.  Crowd still going crazy for Conor.  Another elbow.  Another elbow.  Crowd starting to boo as Conor is being held down.  .  Conor throwing hard elbows from the bottom.  Another punch by Chad.  Another punch by Chad.  More punches by Chad.  Hard punches by Chad.  Crowd booing at this point because Conor isn’t getting up.  Chad went for a guillotine and Conor scrambled and got to his feet.  Conor up and landing punches and kicks.  Chad fired back with hard shots but Conor took all of them.  Conor started hurting Mendes with punches and Mendes is in trouble.  A left put Mendes down and and finished him right before the end of the round it was over.  4:57

    The scene was amazing.  In more ways than one this was a landmark night in UFC history.  It was an incredible last six fights and the production of the show was at a level they’ve never approached before.  And they may have the biggest star in their history and you can no longer argue that he’s not the real deal. 

  • SAT. UPDATE: UFC 189 tonight, CM Punk debut ETA, Big Show on concussion lawsuits, more

    by David Bixenspan | davidbix@wrestlingobserver.com | Follow @davidbix

    TV/major show notes notes for this weekend:

    UFC 189 is tonight from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada:

    Prelims on UFC Fight Pass at 7:00 p.m. ET:

    Yosdenis Cedeno vs. Cody Pfister

    Neil Seery vs. Louis Smolka

    Prelims on Fox Sports 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET:

    Henry Briones vs. Cody Garbrandt

    Alex Garcia vs. Mike Swick

    John Howard vs. Cathal Pendred

    Matt Brown vs. Tim Means

    Main Card on Pay-Per-View at 10:00 p.m. ET:

    Thomas Almeida vs. Brad Pickett

    Gunnar Nelson vs. Brandon Thatch

    Dennis Bermudez vs. Jeremy Stephens

    Robbie Lawler (c) vs. Rory MacDonald for the welterweight title

    Chad Mendes (#1 contender) vs. Conor McGregor (#3 contender)  for the interim featherweight title

    This is an excellent top to bottom card. Not heavy on name value outside of the title fights, but lots of well-matched fights on paper. Lawler-MacDonald is a fantastic welterweight title fight and it’s a shame that it’s barely been promoted, while the main event is one of the most fascinating fights the UFC could make right now.

    Evolve has an internt PPV is tonight on WWNLive.com at 7:00 p.m. Eastern tonight (last night’s show got a ton of rave reviews):

    Drew Galloway vs. Trent Baretta for th Evolve title

    Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher

    TJ Perkins vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

    Anthony Nese vs. Trevor Lee

    Caleb Konley vs. Andrew Everett

    On Sunday, we’re looking for reports on WWE in Macon, GA (Randy Orton, Sheamus, Ryback, Big Show, Kevin Owens, Prime Time Players) and Knoxville (Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Kane, Cesaro, Dean Ambrose).

    The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale is tomorrow night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada:

    Prelim at 6:30 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass:

    Willie Gates vs. Darrell Montague

    Prelims at 7:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1

    George Sullivan vs. Dominic Waters

    Dan Miller vs. Trevor Smith

    Russell Doane vs. Jarrod Sanders

    Caio Magalhaes vs. Josh Samman

    Main Card at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1:

    Mike De La Torre vs. Maximo Blanco

    Angela Magana vs. Michelle Waterson in Waterson’s UFC debut

    Cezar Mutante Ferreira vs. Jorge Masvidal in both men’s UFC welterweight debut

    Michael Graves vs. Vicente Luque in a match with two TUF 21 cast members

    Hayden Hassan vs. Kamaru Usman in the TUF 21 finals

    Jake Ellenberger vs. Stephen  “Wonderboy” Thompson in the five round main event

    Not a lot of names here, but an interesting card. Ellenberger-Thompson is by far Thompson’s toughest test to date, but if Ellenberger freezes and doesn’t try to wrestle, something that happens regularly to him now, he’ll get sniped. Waterson is a much better fighter than Magana and has a shot at being a big star, but the size difference is pretty big so it’s not outside of the realm of possibility that Magana could win somehow. Like Mike Swick tonight, Dan Miller returns after a very long layoff on the prelims, so that’s worth a watch.

    Raw is live on Monday from Atlanta with Brock Lesnar booked on the show, while SmackDown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday night in Birmingham.

    **** 

    The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) with an extensive look at the ongoing legal battle between Hulk Hogan and Gawker over their publication of a “highlight reel” of the sex tape with Heather Cole that was shot without his knowledge. Among the topics covered are:

    * The origins of the video, including who was shopping it around.

    * The schism between Hogan and Todd “Bubba the Love Sponge” Clem.

    * Why Gawker sued he FBI and where that case is going.

    And much more. Plus, as always, we have  all of the usual reviews and international news.

    Also, now available for the first time on Kindle (meaning Kindle devices and anything with the Kindle app) is Fall Guys, the seminal 1937 book that has been described as being like the 1930s version of the Wrestling Observer. It was surprisingly not on Kindle already, so we put together a nice version with a full table of contents w/ chapter marks, proper formatting on everything, etc. Right now it’s available from the American, Canadian, and Australian Amazon/Kindle stores OR you can also buy it from anywhere in the world on PayHip, who will provide you with both Kindle and ePub (every other e-reader) format files, and you can either sideload them to your device or have them email it to your Kindle. 

    **** 

    We’ve got a double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter this week, highlighted by part two of our look at the career and life of Dusty Rhodes.  This focuses on his babyface turn in Florida, his quest for the title, his rise to national prominence, and his feuds with Terry Funk, Superstar Billy Graham and Ole Anderson.  Plus, we look at this year’s G-1 Climax tournament, New Japan Dominion, lots of injury notes regarding some of WWE and TNA’s biggest stars, WWE lawsuit, Beast in the East and much more.

    The Latest Wrestling Observer:  July 13, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Dusty Rhodes bio part 2, back to back major shows in Japan

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    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 this week looks at the babyface heyday of Dusty Rhodes as a touring attraction.  We look at how the business was in the 70s, the changes in the business in the Southeast and why, the rise of pro wrestling on cable television, his departure from World Championship Wrestling, and his first babyface run that people have forgotten.

    We look at the heyday of Championship Wrestling from Florida, the work of Gordon Solie, Eddie Graham, and Rhodes arrival in Florida in 1973.  We look at the angle that changed Rhodes’ career, the transition from Jack Brisco to Dusty Rhodes as the big star in Florida and how that changed the business, the Dusty Rhodes vs. Terry Funk I Quit match, the relationship between Rhodes and Funk, Dusty Rhodes’ first two NWA title runs, how the NWA title changed during the 70s and why and Rhodes’ quest for the title.  We also look at who Rhodes worked with, and his travels around the globe during his heyday, including some unique matches and opponents that most Americans don’t realize ever took place.

    We look at his Madison Square Garden feud with Superstar Billy Graham, pro wrestling at the Omni in Atlanta, Dusty Rhodes on TBS and the role pro wrestling made in the early history of cable television, as well as the famous angle where Ole Anderson & Ivan Koloff kicked off their feud with Rhodes that set cable records.

    We look at the famous Ole Anderson interview after turning on Dusty Rhodes and why their angle is so fondly remembered, The last Tangle in Tampa, the night that cable television changed the history of pro wrestling, the end of Roy Shire’s promotion, and the second world title run.

    We also have a look at the G-1 Climax tournament for this year, including the favorites, all the matches, as well as full coverage of the Dominion show from Osaka with Kazuchika Okada beating A.J. Styles for the IWGP title.

    We’ve got a look at WWE’s latest legal action, including filing suit against four wrestlers in Connecticut.  We also look at the cases of wrestlers who are suing WWE.

    We’ve also got complete coverage of Beast from the East, how the show came together, why Brock Lesnar was on the show, and match-by-match rundowns with star ratings and poll results.

    We also have more on the NXT show in Brooklyn before SummerSlam, how it will be promoted, a scary note on how bad the Tyson Kidd injury could have been, Battleground update, Dolph Ziggler storyline notes, more WWE injury notes, thoughts on Cesaro, Big Show talks about his demotion to OVW, Thoughts on the memo from five years ago with the notes for WWE announcers and how things have changed since then, Brie Bella talks NXT women coming up as well as vague notes on Daniel Bryan’s injury, thoughts on Bryan’s future as well as an update on Bruno Sammartino after back surgery.

    We also look at the Sports Illustrated article on pro wrestling this week, social media numbers, Ambrose movie release, why Regal was in Japan, WWE’s Japan tryouts, Piper leaving Podcast One, Austin talking Piper leaving Podcast One, longtime WWE writer takes new job, notes on Randy Orton, USA Network take on Tough Enough, Jamie Noble and Becky Lynch injury updates, WWE stock, movies with WWE talent, lots of Tough Enough news, as well as notes from all the weekend live events, business notes and highlights from all the shows.

    The Observer is the world’s most detailed weekly pro wrestling publication, in its 32nd year of publication, and is read by the biggest names in the pro wrestling, industry, MMA industry, sports world and on Wall Street.

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    Also in this week’s issue:

    –CMLL running a free live stream this week

    –Notes from the latest shows at Arena Mexico

    –Controversy coming from a womens’ hair vs. hair match

    –Notes from this past week’s AAA TV taping

    –A look at the monthly Dragon Gate show at Korakuen Hall

    –A look at the next two Dragon Gate iPPV shows

    –A look at the last Pro Wrestling NOAH show at Korakuen Hall

    –Notes on Tetsuya Naito’s apparent heel turn

    –New Japan’s last Korakuen Hall show

    –Zero-One Fire Festival notes

    –Notes on the heyday of OVW

    –A look at the upcoming GFW shows

    –Hulk Hogan lawsuit news

    –A look at the careers and lives of who are believed to be the two oldest living pro wrestlers

    –A look at a former WWE star who will star in a reality show piggy backing off Total Divas

    –Former AAA star has a major accident

    –Notes on the next PWG show

    –Wrestling returns to Royal Albert Hall in London

    –Update on Lucha Underground

    –NXT and ROH go head-to-head in Brooklyn and what ROH is running

    –Notes on return of Austin Aries to ROH nest week

    –Notes on Andy Barton leaving TNA

    –Update on Kurt Angle

    –Thoughts on the GFW deal

    –Notes on Gilbert Melendez failing his drug test

    –Dana White talks about how much Aldo would have made if he had fought McGregor

    –Update on Jon Jones

    –Notes on all the UFC shows this week

    –Notes on the IV ban

    –UFC fighter retires

    –Crazy street fight story involving a former UFC fighter and a current one

    –Notes on charges against the husband of Britney Palmer

    –Notes on fighters cut from UFC

    –Jose Aldo drug test note

    –Sonnen pranks Mendes just before the fight

    –Notes on Jacare Souza

    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.

    Our most requested issues in our history are:

    *November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Series plus a history of in-ring double-crosses)

    *December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you’ll know exactly what was said–the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, but everything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)

    *August 1, 1994 (the most detailed coverage anywhere of the Vince McMahon steroid trial, an issue praised in numerous newspaper article and Sex, Lies and Headlocks)

    *March 26, 2001 (death of WCW and history of pro wrestling on the Turner networks)a

    *October 22, 2001 (why the adult audience has left pro wrestling in such great numbers and what needed to have been done to save them)

    *July 8, 1991 (Ric Flair leaves WCW as world champion/Zahorian steroid trial)

    *February 8, 1993 (the life and times of Andre the Giant)

    *May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of our history)

    *January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)

    *February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)

    *March 24, 2003 (history of the WWWF title, inside behind the Sammartino, Backlund and Backlund era)

    *April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of Hulk Hogan)

    *May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)

    *June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)

    *June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)

    *July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and the night where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)

    *August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well as historical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)

    *September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s, Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)

    *October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)

    *January 19, 2004 (2003 Awards issue)

    *February 2, 2004 (History of Toronto wrestling, Jack Tunney life story, Royal Rumble and Battle Royal history)

    *February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy’s win over Brock Lesnar)

    *March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)

    *March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers and Wrestlemania history books)

    *July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair’s book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)

    *July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair’s book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)

    *August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)

    *August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund, Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez–this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but ordered separately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)

    *October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men world wide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)

    *November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in the history of TNA)

    *January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)

    *March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at their Hall of Fame)

    *May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)

    *June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming and behind the scenes of both shows)

    *July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings, Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is a double-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

    *August 24, 2005 (2005 Hall of Fame issue with career profiles of Paul Heyman, HHH and Freebirds plus debut of MMA Hall of Fame)

    *September 12, 2005 (History of Mid South Wrestling)

    *October 10, 2005 (Life and Times of the Ultimate Warrior)

    *November 21, 2005 (Life and Times of Eddy Guerrero and Crusher, double issue $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

    *December 5, 2005 (The Eddy Guerrero special issue, double issue $6 on its own, $7 overseas)

    *January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year’s Eve 2005 coverage)

    *January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)

    *April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby–many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)

    *April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)

    *July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling–the most unreal story ever in wrestling)

    *September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not working in Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)

    *October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made him tick as his real objectives)

    *November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff’s book and how the industry was changed forever)

    *November 20, 2006 (History of WCW part two, Why Jim Ross left WCW, How Bischoff changed the company, signing of Hulk Hogan, Beginning of Nitro, Jesse Ventura, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho and signing Wrestlemania planned celebrity away)

    *November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hart signing with WCW and why it didn’t click)

    *December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride’s offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and why there was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)

    *January 22, 2007 (2006 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *February 14, 2007 (Life and Times of Bam Bigelow)

    *March 5, 2007 (WWE begins plans that will change the business)

    *March 12, 2007 (Life and Times of Mike Awesome)

    *March 19, 2007 (Life and Times of Ernie Ladd)

    *April 4, 2007 (Life and Times of Badnews Allen Coage–which many are calling one of the best issues in history)

    *July 2, 2007 (Part one of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 5, 2007 (Part two of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 10, 2007 (Part three of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 19, 2007 (Part four of the Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 23, 2007 (Part five of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *July 25, 2007 (Part six of Benoit double murder-suicide)

    *August 15, 2007 (The legend of the God of Japanese wrestling and his influence on MMA, Karl Gotch)

    *October 15 (2007 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas including inductions of The Rock, Tom Packs and the original Strangler Lewis)

    *November 12, 2007 (Life and times of Fabulous Moolah and history of U.S. women’s wrestling) .

    *December 31, 2007 (History of Ric Flair and the heyday of wrestling at the Greensboro Coliseum)

    *January 21, 2008 (2007 Awards issue, double issue $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *March 17, 2008 (Life and times of Johnny Weaver)

    *March 24, 2008 (Life and times of Gary Hart)

    *April 10, 2008 (Farewell to Ric Flair; My thoughts, Shawn Michaels talks of Flair’s meaning to him; Hall of Fame; Wrestlemania double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas)

    *August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)

    * September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)

    * September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)

    * September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)

    You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.

    We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking more about the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk, Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods..

    To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the best Observer articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $20 for shipping costs to Canada and $25 for shipping costs outside North America. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.

    ****

    Saturday Daily Update

    — CM Punk did a media session yesterday. He’s still aiming for December for his UFC/MMA debut, but it could be January. He’s 190 pounds right now, so he could make 185 easily but is looking at 170 so as not to have a big size disadvantage. 

    — The New York Post has an article about John Cena’s work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Pretty standard stuff but still nice to read about.

    — TMZ asked Big Show about the concussion lawsuit mess with WWE. Basic “everyone knew they were risking their health” type of stuff.

    — The EA Sports simulation of the UFC main event picked Conor McGregor my wacky spin kick knockout, after which he teleports to the top of the cage to celebrate.

    — The last episode of UFC 189 Embedded focuses on the UFC pool party and the weigh-ins.

    — Bruce Mitchell has a fantastic article about the famous Ric Flair-Buddy Landel match in Raleigh at the Mid-Atlantic Gateway site.

    — Vice Sports has an article about the 21st anniversary of Vince McMahon’s steroid distribution trial. Very basic, surface level stuff, but it was getting a bit of attention yesterday. No real explanation of why some of the charges wer dropped, or examination of why Kevin “Nailz” Wacholz’s testimony had no credibility, or anything about the completely insane story of McMahon’s defense attorney Laura Brevetti’s secret husband. Dave’s detailed coverage of the trial is available t subscribers in our Wrestling Observer Newsletter archives.

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (July 11): Ric Flair vs. Jimmy Garvin steel cage match involving Precious, Gene Kiniski wins AWA world title

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1933 – In Marshalltown, Iowa; Joe Stecher beat Bruce Noland 

    1935 – At St. Louis Arena in St. Louis, Missouri: Danno O’Mahoney beat Ray Steele, Joe Dusek and George Zaharias went to a draw,  Orville Brown defeated Charley Strack, Pat McGill beat George Tragos and Carl Hansen defeated Pat Murphy. Promoter was Tom Packs and attendance was 7,443. 

    1940 – In Kansas City; Orville Brown beat Juan Humberto 2 falls to 0, Steve Brody defeated Al Lovelock in 2 out of 3 falls and Jack Hader beat Cal Rees.

    1958 – Angelo Savoldi defeated Dory Funk Sr. in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title

    1961 – Gene Kiniski defeated Verne Gagne in Minneapolis, Minnesota to win the AWA World Heavyweight Title. Also on the card, AWA Tag Team Champions Leo Nomeilini & Wilbur Snyder beat Stan Kowalski & Bob Geigel in 2 of 3 falls, Hard Boiled Haggerty beat Roy McClarty and Tony Baillargeon beat Aldo Bogni. Attendance was 6,057.

    1963 – In Kansas City; Pat O’Connor beat Rock Hunter to retain the Central States Title, for the US Title, Sonny Myers beat Bob Geigel, Harley Race (sub for Tiny Mills) beat Pedro Godoy by dq and Bob Orton beat Roy Collins.

    1967 – In Duluth, MN; The Crusher beat Harley Race, Rene Goulet beat Chris Markoff (sub Johnny Valentine), Johnny Powers beat Reggie Parks and Larry Hennig beat Doug Gilbert. Attendance was 3,850.

    1968 – In Kansas City, Kansas; The Spoiler fought The Viking to a draw, Kay Noble defeated Jean Antone, Bob Ellis defeated Roger Kirby and Sonny Myers & Ronnie Etchison defeated Bob Brown & Bob Geigel via DQ in three falls. 

    1972 – In Davenport, Iowa John O’Donnell Stadium; with Special Referee Jersey Joe Walcott, AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Billy Robinson & Wahoo McDaniel. Also, Ivan Koloff beat Ramon Torres, Larry Hennig drew Don Muraco and Bull Bullinski beat Angelo Poffo

    1974 – In Kansas City; The Viking & Bobby Bold Eagle defeated Bob Orton & Bobby Garcia, Omar Atlas defeated Roger Kirby, Jim Brunzell defeated Don Fargo via DQ, The Interns defeated Bob Geigel & Pat O’Connor and Harley Race defeated Bob Brown

    1975 – In Tonganoxie, Kansas; Central States Heavyweight Champion Ed Wiskoski defeated Ted Oates.

    1985 – In Salt Lake City, Utah; Sgt. Slaughter & Greg Gagne drew Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens, Fabulous Freebirds Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts beat Larry Hennig & Curt Hennig, Bob Backlund beat Larry Zbyszko, Brad Rheingans beat Buddy Roberts and Boris Zhukov beat Baron Von Raschke. Attendance was 1,400. 

    1987 – At the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina, Lex Luger defeated Nikita Koloff for the United States Title.  In the main event of that show, NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Jimmy Garvin in a steel cage match when Garvin passed out while trapped in the figure four leglock. As a result, Flair won a date with Garvin’s valet, Precious. When the date occurred, Ronnie Garvin went instead (dressed as a woman), and beat up Flair; At a show in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Steve Williams defeated Big Bubba Rogers to win the UWF Heavyweight Title.

    1989 – Stan Hansen & Genichiro Tenryu defeated Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu in Hokkaido, Japan to win the All Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag Team Title.

    2010 – At Victory Road PPV in Orlando, Florida, The Motor City Machine Guns defeated Beer Money to win the TNA World Tag Team Title. Also, Angelina Love won the Knockouts Title over Madison Rayne.

  • TUF 21 Finale: Ellenberger vs. Thompson weigh-in results and live video

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale: Ellenberger vs. Thompson weigh-ins from the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada kicking off at 4 PM eastern time. The event airs on Saturday on FOX Sports 1 at 9 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 PM eastern time before moving over to FOX Sports 1 at 7 PM eastern time. This marks the conclusion of the 21st American edition of The Ultimate Fighter and the end of International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

    The event will be headlined by a five-round welterweight bout as #9 ranked fighter Jake Ellenberger looks for his second straight win when he takes on Stephen Thompson, who puts his four-fight win streak on the line in the biggest test of his career in his first main event. The finals of TUF 21, which featured American Top Team against the Blackzilians, is in the co-main event of the night as American Top Team representative Hayder Hassan takes on Blackzilian representative Kamaru Usman. Also on the card is a welterweight contest between Jorge Masvidal and Cezar Ferreira, and the UFC debut of Michelle Waterson.

    Jorge Masvidal missed weight, coming in at 172.5, 1.5 pounds over the welterweight limit. That was interesting as Masvidal was moving up to the welterweight division after years of competing as a lightweight, and he openly talked about how he had to cut such little weight to make 171 pounds, even being at just 173 pounds over a week ago. Maximo Blanco also missed weight, weighing in at 148.5, 2.5 pounds over the featherweight limit.

    MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 9 PM ET/6 PM PT):

    Jake Ellenberger (170.5) vs. Stephen Thompson (170.5)
    Kamaru Usman (170.5) vs. Hayder Hassan (170.5)
    Michael Graves (170.5) vs. Vicente Luque (171)
    Jorge Masvidal (172.5) vs. Cezar Ferreira (171)
    Angela Magana (115.5) vs. Michelle Waterson (115)
    Maximo Blanco (148.5) vs. Mike De La Torre (145.5)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT):

    Josh Samman (186) vs. Caio Maglahaes (185)
    Russell Doane (135.5) vs. Jerrod Sanders (136)
    Dan Miller (184) vs. Trevor Smith (185.5)
    George Sullivan (170.5) vs. Dominic Waters (171)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT):

    Darrell Montague (125.5) vs. Willie Gates (125.5)