It’s a whole new season and Conor McGregor is the reason, as he and Urijah Faber go toe to toe as coaching foes on The Ultimate Fighter. They won’t duke it out after the season is done, but there’s still pride on the line, not to mention Conor’s reputation as the newest badass on the block.
Join us each episode for “The Notorious Quote of the Week” as Conor puts his mouth where UFC’s money is! We’ll also spice things up with some predictions for week two about who could go all the way this season – two “Fighters to Watch” for each recap.
The Notorious Quote of the Week is Conor McGregor at the bar: “Is this the menu? That’s it? Just give me everything – thanks.”
Marcin Wrzosek handed the U.S. team their first loss last week with a two round decision. Team Europe is going to try to capitalize by having Saul Rogers face Billy Quarantillo. Rogers is more experienced so UFC is promoting it as an “upset” if Quarantillo wins.
McGregor on why he picked Rogers: “I paid attention to whose energy is right, whose body is right, who’s ready to go.” He felt Saul was showing all the signs of being ready. Meanwhile at the house Tom Gallicchio makes no excuses for losing his fight last week. He admits he was beaten by the better man.
Saul Rogers talks about his two kids, and he says the one thing he hopes to impart to them is “Whatever you love doing stick with it” because that’s his approach to fighting. He also says he doesn’t make a game plan for opponents – he just tries to be as sharp as he can be for each opponent.
McGregor shows his team some takedown techniques, and says the position of the head when you’re clinched up is the key. Everybody’s happy with the drilling but apparently after the commercial break he takes them all out for SAKE BOMBS.
Billy Quarantillo talks about how he got hooked the first time he learned a submission, and that he feels like Rogers won’t want to stand and trade with him. Faber: “Billy has a lot of tenacity and he tries really hard, but his technique is far behind.” Faber gives him some personal instruction on how to move off his back and get good positions.
Martin Svensson and Mehdi Baghdad are both thrilled to be learning from the best fighter in the world. Going out for drinks turned out to be a c–ktease – nobody gets crazy. I have to be honest that 20 minutes into the show this isn’t a great episode.
Rogers and Quarantillo are my “Fighters to Watch” this week just because nobody else is standing out or doing noteworthy. Svensson may have had more lines than anybody else this episode but all he says is McGregor is great and Rogers is great. Yawn.
McGregor is teaching Team Europe more techniques for staying balanced on your feet when someone has your leg high in the air. Saul weighs in at 156. Quarantillo weighs in at 155 even. Both teams are equally confident in their man.
Finally something interesting is happening – Chris Gruetzemacher is starting to crack under the pressure of being on the show. He says he misses his coaches, his lifestyle, his ability to take time away FROM training when he wants. He’s saying he wants out in the worst way.
Lightweight: Saul Rogers (Europe) vs. Billy Quarantillo (USA)
Rogers is in the gray trunks, Quarantillo the blue. There are 22 minutes left so we’re in for at least two full rounds. Quanantillo’s first takedown is stuffed and Rogers is on top in half guard as it goes to the ground. Rogers hammers away with unchecked lefts to the head as he tries to get up, and nearly throws him back to the ground. Quarantillo is warned not to grab the fence. Rogers is on top again in half guard with 2 minutes gone and stands up to drop bombs, then he’s the one warned not to grab the fence. Rogers takes the back as they scramble and McGregor warns him not to rush and keep his position – but he does and winds up on top of Quarantillo as he tries to keep distance with butterfly guard. Rogers finally pushes his way back into full guard and almost finishes R1 in side but Quarantillo gets back up right before the bell. 10-9 Rogers.
Rogers has a takedown 21 seconds into R2. Quarantillo is warned about fingers in his face. He tries to heel hook Rogers but Rogers just gets back on top in guard. I don’t feel like we’re going to a third round unless Quarantillo does something crazy… and soon. Rogers takes his back halfway through the round, Quarantillo stands up off it, and Rogers takes him right back down. He’s got side at 3:15. Rogers is really pouring it on with hammers and elbows against the fence with 30 seconds left. Quarantillo never did anything.
Dana White: “He manhandled Billy. He showed he’s one of the favorites to win this thing.”
20-16, 20-17 and 20-17 all for Saul Rogers. McGregor announces Mehdi Baghdad (Europe) vs. Julian Erosa (U.S.) as his pick. Join us next week!
Former WWE Champion and prospective UFC fighter CM Punk has been out of action for the past few weeks due to a shoulder injury, reported his coach Duke Roufus in an article today on ESPN.com. Punk injured the shoulder a few weeks ago, and is scheduled for an a diagnosis on October 14th.
“He got caught in a scramble, so right now he’s taking a little time off,” Roufus said. “He was doing great before that. His progress has been good. He’s got a great attitude and he’s a hard worker.”
Roufus said they don’t want him back training until fully healed. Since there is no date for a first fight, there is no rush to get him back. He estimated it would be six to ten months before he feels Punk would be ready to debut. He thought it would make the most sense for his debut to be at UFC 200 on July 9, 2016, in Las Vegas, NV.
You still have time to catch a preview of tonight’s UFC 192 with yours truly and SI.com and the Washington Post’s Jeff Wagenheim with this week’s Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, free this week for non-subscribers!
*****
I gotta say it: Rashad Evans is one of the most underrated and underappreciated fighters in UFC history.
When he was more active, Evans was one of those guys who got more boos than cheers and didn’t carry the fanbase that many other top fighters at the time did. I never understood that. He dresses well, is a great talker, knocks people out, and generally has that NFL quarterback swagger that we love in our athletes.
He fought the best of the best in Chuck Liddell, Michael Bisping, Lyoto Machida, Forrest Griffin, the infamous rivalry with both Jon Jones and Rampage Jackson, and more. And he’s won. A lot, only losing three times over a span over an 18-fight UFC career that started 10 years ago. He’s won a UFC light heavyweight title, lost the title, and fought for it again.
Maybe him being overlooked is because he’s also been part of a few stinkers in recent years, notably a dreadful loss against Lil’ Nogueira, and a blah affair against Dan Henderson. It could be because he was so aggressively KO’d by Machida and never got that immediate validation rematch in a time when the belt was trading waists quite frequently. Unfortunately, it also could be because of Evans’ skin color. Maybe it’s a combination of all of the above.
He returns tonight after a two year absence due to multiple knee injuries, and we don’t know exactly where the 36-year-old fits in the grand scheme of things. Even with a win, he may be waiting in line for a title shot depending on when Jones is ready to return. The age is a concern. The knee is a concern. The excitement level in his fights is a concern.
But what shouldn’t be a concern is Evans’ place in history. His accomplishments deserve a lot more recognition than what they’re getting. Hopefully Saturday night is the beginning of a few more sweet ones for ‘Suga’.
*****
Our panel:
– Jack Encarnacao (87-35 | .713): Sherdog Rewind host, The Lapsed Fan podcast co-chair
– Josh Nason (72-50 | .590): Wrestling Observer digital media and content guy, WON Twitter enabler
*****
Note that because Tyron Woodley vs. Johny Hendricks was canceled due to Hendricks’ unfortunate weight cut issues, we’re doing just four picks on the main card tonight. Joe Benavidez is a fairly big favorite, so it didn’t seem that interesting to throw that in there for everyone to pick Benavidez.
*****
> UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Champion Daniel Cormier (16-1) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (16-3)
We talk a lot about this fight on the JNPO show with Jeff, but this fight is a lot closer than even myself originally gave it credit for. Gustafsson’s takedown defense is great (86.67% takedowns defended) and if Cormier can’t get this to the ground and the big Swede finds his range, we could have a new champion. I’m assuming this is going to be our most competitive 205-pound title fight since Jon Jones vs. Gus.
> Ryan Bader (19-4) vs. Rashad Evans (19-3-1) Light Heavyweights
With four straight wins, the 32-year-old Bader earned a title shot but his fighting style (all straight decisions) puts him in the co-main event slot instead. Evans returns for the first time in two years after several knee injuries kept him on the shelf, and there’s a lot of questions about who we’ll see on Saturday. There’s a really good chance this is a 15-minute grinder that have the fans booing.
> Shawn Jordan (18-6) vs. Ruslan Magomedov (13-1) Heavyweights
The 30-year-old Jordan is back on a roll, and has picked up three straight wins — all by T/KO. He’s coming off a June 2nd round beatdown of Derrick Lewis, and is doing just fine beating up the dregs of the division. Magomedov is riding an eight-fight win streak, and is 2-0 in the UFC with a pair of forgettable decisions.
> Julianna Pena (6-2) vs. Jessica Eye (11-3-0-1) Bantamweights
For the love of God, I hope they don’t rush Pena into a Ronda Rousey buzzsaw title match if she wins. Pena is talented, but needs a few more wins before getting into the Rousey conversation. She returned after a near two-year absence and dusted Milana Dudieva in four minutes. She faces Eye, a loser in two of her last three. She’s coming off a decision loss to Miesha Tate in July, and I think people believe she could get a title shot with a win.
Welcome to our live coverage of UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The event is headlined by UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier making his first title defense against Alexander Gustafsson. In the co-main event, it will be light heavyweight contenders Ryan Bader and Rashad Evans squaring off. The original co-main event, Johny Hendricks against Tyron Woodley, was removed from the card prior to weigh-ins due to Hendricks weight cut issues.
The action kicks off with preliminary card fights at 6:30 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass. The action moves over to FOX Sports 1 at 8 PM eastern time with additional preliminary fights before the main card kicks off on PPV at 10 PM eastern time. We are looking for your thoughts on the show, so send a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle as well as a best fight and worst fight to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.
Fight Pass Prelims —
HEAVYWEIGHTS- DERRICK LEWIS VS. VIKTOR PESTA
ROUND 1- Lewis is from Houston so he got a big reaction from the crowd. Lewis gets a quick takedown against the fence and they clinch against the fence. Big foot stomps by Pesta. Pesta gets a takedown and moves into side control. Pesta with punches from side control but not doing much otherwise. Lewis rolls out from bottom and they get to their feet. Lewis trips Pesta down but they get up and Pesta scores a takedown. Lewis looking for a kimura from the bottom. They get tp their feet and and tie up against the fence. Pesta gets a big takedown. Lewis rolls to his feet. Pesta with some knees to the body. Both men battling against the fence. Lewis tries a trip but Pesta stays on his feet as the round ends. 10-9 Pesta.
ROUND 2- Lewis lands a big right hand that stumbles Pesta. Pesta goes for a takedown but Lewis sprawls up against the fence. Petsa trips Lewis down to the mat and goes into the half-guard. Pesta moves into full guard and landing punches as the crowd boos. Pesta doing enough to keep the fight from being stood up but not a lot of damage. They are stood up by Kerry Hatley. Pesta goes right back for the takedown and gets it. Lewis works it back to the feet as both men are visibly tired. They break and Lewis lands a big punch. Pesta goes for a takedown but eats some punches from Lewis. Lewis gets Pesta down and is landing from the top but eating upkick. Lewis with some hammerfists and looking for the finish. Lewis lands a big punch and close to finishing. The round ends just before he can get it done though. Pesta may be done as he is slow to get up. 10-9 Lewis, 19-19.
ROUND 3- The crowd comes alive as Lewis came close to finishing. Lewis with a big leg kick. Lewis with a head kick and a punch and he defends a takedown. Lewis landing some fists from the sprawl. Lewis gets in the guard and lands big punches. Lewis gets into mount and is landing big punches and looking to finish. He gets it. Lewis with the big TKO win and the crowd gets loud.
Official Result- Derrick Lewis def. Viktor Pesta by TKO (punches) at 1:15 of Round 3
> FLYWEIGHTS- CHRIS CARIASO VS. SERGIO PETTIS
ROUND 1- Big fight for the younger Pettis against a ranked former title challenger. Cariaso with a body kick and Pettis catches the leg and trips him to the mat. Pettis goes into the guard. Cariaso looking for the neck. Pettis remains in the guard of Cariaso. They get to their feet against the fence. They break. Each land some punches. Cariaso with a body kick and they clinch but break. Cariaso with a body kick and another two. Pettis with a body kick and a jab. They trade strikes. Cariaso with a solid kick-punch combo. Pettis with a body kick and then drops Cariaso with a right hand. Pettis with a series of punches looking for the finish but Cariaso survives. Pettis goes into half-guard and lands a big elbow. Back into full guard for Pettis. Pettis with more punches from the top but Cariaso kicks him away. Pettis ends the round with more punches from the top. 10-9 Pettis.
ROUND 2- Cariaso with a body kick as Pettis pushes him towards the fence. Cariaso with a solid combo. They tie up and Pettis gets a nice trip takedown and into the half-guard. Pettis with some body punches from the top as he looks to pass guard. We have our first round of Ric Flair “Woooo”‘s from the crowd. They are stood up as not much happened on the mat. Cariaso with a leg kick. Solid combo from Cariaso. Pettis lands a leg kick after blocking a head kick. Pettis scores a takedown after ducking a punch. Pettis in side control. Pettis stands on his feet and lands a big butt kick. 10-9 Pettis, 20-18 Pettis.
ROUND 3- Pettis looking very sharp in the first two rounds. Pettis gets a takedown They get to their feet but go back to the mat as Cariaso tries to pull guard. They reverse and Cariaso is in the half-guard and lands a big punch. Cariaso with some punches from the top. Cariaso remains in the half-guard as he tries to pass. Cariaso goes into the guard and lands some punches. Cariaso taking over the final round. Pettis looks for the neck. Cariaso postures up but eats an upkick. Pettis looks like he’s just trying to hold on for the decision. Each man going for a leg lock. Cariaso going for an armbar with ten seconds left but can’t get it. 10-9 Cariaso, 29-28 Pettis.
Official Result: Sergio Pettis def. Chris Cariaso by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-28)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- FRANCISCO TREVINO VS. SAGE NORTHCUTT
ROUND 1- Northcutt is 19-years-old, making his UFC debut, and got a huge reaction. You know, I’m fairly good-looking, but as Dave tweeted, Northcutt is proof life isn’t fair sometimes. Northcutt got an even bigger reaction when introduced, a lot of hype around him. Northcutt with a side kick. Trevino trips on a spin kcik and Northcutt is going for the finish against the fence. Northcutt gets the takedown and a ton of punches and it is over! Big finish for Northcutt, who backs up the hype in this fight. Trevino protested the stop but it just justified.
Official Result: Sage Northcutt def. Francisco Trevino by TKO (strikes) at :57 of Round 1
Fox Sports One Prelims —
Rose Namajunas def. Angela Hill by first round submission (2:47)
This was over quickly as Namajunas stood with Hill for a while and then took advantage of a Hill mistake, clamping on a rear naked choke on the ground. Hill stood up and Namajunas was her backpack, sinking in the choke as Hill tried to fight her off. Hill was tapping at air and Namajunas got the victory, her first after a very long time on the sidelines.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- ADRIANO MARTINS VS. ISLAM MAKHACHEV
Paul Fontaine here, taking over for RFred, who’s having IC issues in Houston.
Makhachev with early Octagon control. Martins with a nice punch combo at 1:15. Martins dropped him and Makhachev was out cold.
WINNER – ADRIANO MARTINS (28-7) by KO (punch) at 1:46
They showed the Northcutt fight in between fights. The guy could be the biggest star in the sport in a few years. I saw him fight on an AXS.TV show about four months back and it was quite obvious he had serious star potential and he did not disappoint in his UFC debut. Already talk that he could be back in a month or two as he took no damage here.
WELTERWEIGHTS- ALAN JOUBAN VS. ALBERT TUMENOV
Tumenov with a throwdown right away to start but lets Jouban back up. Tumenov staggers him with punches 30 seconds in. Jouban controlling the Octagon but Tumenov landing hard counter punches. Loud USA chants from the crowd at 1:30. Tumenov with a nice punch/kick combo. Jouban lands a series of jabs at 1:45. They exchange head kicks at 2:00 and Tumenov hit with a low blow. Tumenov drops him with a series of punches tothe head. Jouban protesting but he’s about to fall over.
WINNER – ALBERT TUMENOV (16-2) by TKO (punches) at 2:55
FEATHERWEIGHTS- YAIR RODRIGUEZ VS. DANIEL HOOKER
Kerry Hatley is the ref, this could be trouble. Lots of stalling at the start and the crowd booing 1:30 in. Rodriguez with a knockdown but lets Hooker back up. Cage clinch at 2:45 with Hooker in control. Rodriguez with a takedown and right into mount. Hooker escapes and to his feet fairly quickly. Rodriguez with knees from the clinch but Hooker maintains control. Hooker with a takedown at 4:30 but Rodriguez right up and they separate. 10-9 Rodriguez
Rodriguez with a throwdown early but lets Hooker up. Clinch on the cage at 1:15 with Hooker in control. Rodriguez pulled guard, going for a leglock. Hooker escapes and they’re to their feet at 2:00. Rodriguez lands a rolling upkick at 2:30. He had tried that at the end of the last round. Hooker controlling the Octagon but the standup is fairly weak from both guys in the middle part of the round. Rodriguez with a knockdown but lets Hooker up at 3:45. Rodriguez is starting to look tired at the end of the round. Rodriguez with a takedown with 15 seconds left. 10-9 Rodriguez
So if you’re wondering what I mean by a rolling upkick, it’s basically RVD’s Rolling Thunder. Rodriguez hit with a low blow early in the round, which will give him more time to recover. Hooker pressing the action on the restart. Hooker takes his back standing and takes him down at 1:00. Rodriguez takes the leg and working for a leglock. Rodriguez lets that go but takes an arm. Hooker escapes that but Rodriguez has his legs all tied up. Rodriguez landing elbows from the bottom and opens up a cut that starts bleeding heavily. Hooker landing weka punches form the top. Both guys landing a ton of punches at 2:30 but nothing terribly hard. Signficant strikes are 36-15 for Rodriguez. That must be a 3rd round stat, not the whole fight. Rodriguez really landing a ton of strikes to the head from his back heading into the last minute. This may be the rare case where Hooker has been on top the whole time but losing the round. Crowd booing heavily but explode when the ref stands them up at 4:30. Ref stops the action to look at Hooker’s cut. Doctor lets it go. I would hope so, with 30 seconds left. Hooker chases him around the Octagon for the last 3o seconds but Rodriguez should have this one easily. Rodriguez tried another Rolling Thunder at the end.
WINNER – YAIR RODRIGUEZ (6-1) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 2; 30-26)
Rodriguez’ foot was in terrible shape after the fight and she said in his post-fight promo that he may have broken it in the first round. Hell of a performance considering that.
MAIN CARD (PPV-10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS- JESSICA EYE VS. JULIANNA PENA
Both ladies throwing bombs early. Clinch in the centre early and Pena pulled guard 30 seconds in. Both ladies up 1:00 in and Eye with a standing guillotine. Pena pops out and in control of a clinch. Pena landing foot stomps from the clinch. Pena with a trip takedown at 2:30. Pena landing punches to the head but Eye up quickly. Another cage clinch with Eye in control at 3:00. Pena with a takedown at 3:45 and right into side control. Pena lands a series of hard elbows to the head. Pena takes her back at the end of the round. 10-9 Pena
Pena with some swelling around her right eye from the elbows at the end of the round. Eye goes right to a cage clinch early. Quick separation. Pena with a head kick and follows up with punches but Eye gets a takedown 45 seconds in. Eye not doing much from the top and Pena landing light body punches from the bottom. Crowd getting restless. Eye takes her back at 2:15. Pena works her to front position but Eye with a triangle choke. It’s in tight but Pena defending well. Pena out at 3:30. Pena landing elbows to the head from the bottom at 3:45. Pena tries to get to her feet but gets caught in another triangle choke but she’s on top. Eye gives up the choke and Pena on top in side control. Ref breaks it up due to an illegal knee from Eye. Eye loses a point but the ref starts them on their feet, which is bad for Pena. They trade punches to close the round. 9-9 round with the penatly deduction to Eye.
Pena with an early takedown. Eye looking for a sub from the bottom. Eye with a triangle choke at 2:00 but Pena escapes quickly. Pena takes her back at 2:30 and gets a rear naked choke. Eye escapes but that was close. Pena lands some hard shots to the head at 3:30. Pena with a neck crank at 4:30 but it’s a weird angle. Eye looked almost out but she was saved by the bell. Nearly a 10-8 but I’ll go 10-9 Pena
WINNER – JULIANNA PENA (7-2) by unanimous decision (29-27 x 3)
FLYWEIGHTS- JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ VS. ALI BAGAUTINOV
Bagautinov with early Octagon control. Very tentative standup. Benavidez is landing solid counter strikes while backing up and one of them caused some swelling on Ali’s cheek. Bagautinov with a nice punch combo at 3:15. Benavidez cut around his left eye in that exchange and it’s bleeding heavily. Benavidez falls while throwing a punch but gets up before Bagautinov can take advantage. Benavidez controlling the Octagon in the last minute. 10-9 Bagautinov but close
Corner did a good job stopping the bleeding on Benavidez’ cut. Benavidez pressing the action 1:00 in. Total strikes are 18-14 for Benavidez and both under 40% landed. Crowd starting to boo as neither guy is throwing much of anything and they’re just keeping their distance from each other. Benavidez slightly more aggressive so probably ahead with 1:00 left. Bagautinov tried for a takedown but stuffed by Benavidez at 4:15. Bagautinov with a knockdown, lets Benavidez up and then a takedown right before the round ends. Nothing else happened that round really so I think that steals it for him. 10-9 Bagautinov
Looking at people’s scores on Twitter and it’s all over the place so this is likely heading to a split decision if no one finishes. Neither guy looks good at all though. Bagautinov controlling things early in the third. Crowd booing heavily 1:45 in as it’s a repeat of the second round so far. Benavidez starting to control the Octagon 2:00 in. This fight is terrible. Bagautinov with a takedown at 4:15 but can’t hold him down. I’ve got it 30-27 Bagautinov but wouldn’t be surprised by any score, including 30-27 the other way.
WINNER – JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ (23-4) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 2; 29-28)
Crowd booing so hard you could barely hear Benavidez’ promo. “He’s a really tough guy, you try fighting him”, Benavidez says to the crowd, clearly rattled. Not surprisingly, that did not make the booing go away. In fact, quite the opposite.
HEAVYWEIGHTS- SHAWN JORDAN VS. RUSLAN MAGOMEDOV
Kerry Hatley is the ref again and he’s had a good night so I’m expecting a late stoppage here. Jordan initiates a cage clinch 1:00 in. Jordan with a takedown at 1:45. No one throwing any strikes. Magomedov to his feet at 3:00. Magomedov working for a standing Kimura but Jordan breaks free. Jordan bleeding around his nose. No idea how. Jordan controlling the Octagon at 3:45, stalking Magomedov. Magomedov with a nice kick/punch combo at 4:15. Magomedov with a punch combo at 4:30. 10-9 Jordan
Not sure what happened to my second round writeup but I had Magomedov taking the round rather easily. 10-9 Magomedov
Jordan backs up Magomedov with punches early and goes for a takedown but stuffed by Magomedov. Magomedov working for a choke and gets separation. Magomedov with a head kick and a spinning back kick to the head. Jordan bleeding around both eyes and in very rough shape but still pressing forward. Magomedov lands another head kick, followed by a kick to the body at 2:15. Magomedov up 51-13 in significant strikes. Jordan initiates a cage clinch at 3:00. Magomedov gets separation at 3:45 with a head kick. Magomedov with a takedown attempt but stuffed by Jordan. Magomedov with a nice jab combo at 4:30. 10-9 Magomedov, 29-28 overall
WINNER – RUSLAN MAGOMEDOV (14-1) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 2; 29-28)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- RYAN BADER VS. RASHAD EVANS
Bader looks 2 weight classes bigger than Rashad. Like, I’ve seen welterweights that look bigger than Rashad does right now (Hendricks, for instance). Bader controlling the pace early. Bader badly misses a takedown attempt at 1:45. Neither guy landing much but Bader slightly more. Rashad controlling the pace in the second half of the round but Bader landing jabs while retreating. Bader with a kind of half-knockdown at 3:45 but lets Evans up. Evans backs him up with a punch combo and tries for a takedown but stuffed by Bader. Nice punch exchange at 4:45. Close round, 10-9 Bader
Rashad with early Octagon control. Bader with a takedown at 1:30. Bader takes his back but Evans to his feet right away. Bader with another takedown but Evans right back up. Evans’ eyes are both swollen. Evans pushing the pace but Bader again landing punches while retreating. Evans is landing punches of his own though and they’re definitely hurting Bader. Evans with a hard leg kick at 3:45. Head strikes are 19-13 for Bader. Evans rocks Bader with a punch combo at 4:30. Evans with a takedown attempt stuffed at the end of the round. Another very close round. 10-9 Evans
I’ve seen scores of 20-18 either way and some have it tied up. No way either guy can feel they’re comfortably up two rounds. Evans the aggressor early in the round. Evans backs up Bader with a punch combo at 2:15. Evans with another punch combo at 3:15 and tries for a takedown but Bader stuffs it. Bader lands a hard elbows as they break up. 1:00 to go and the round and fight are still up for grabs. Evans still pushing forward. Bader with a takedown at 4:30 but Evans right back up. Evans with a punch combo against the cage at 4:45. Another very close round, 10-9 Evans
WINNER – RYAN BADER (20-4) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- DANIEL CORMIER(C) VS. ALEXANDER GUSTAFSSON
Cormier pushing the action early and landing leg kicks. Cormier with a slam takedown 45 seconds in and right into side control. Cormier landing rapid-fire punches to the head. Gustafsson works him back to guard. Gus briefly to his feet but brought right back down. Cormier landing body punches at 2:45. Total strikes 43-9 through 3:15. Gustafsson trying for a sub but Cormier fights it off easily and back into side control at 3:45. Gustafsson scrambles to his feet. Gustafsson’s face is all cut up. Gustaffson with a leg kick/body kick combo at 4:15. Cormier slips while defending a takedown at the end of the round. 10-9 Cormier
Cormier with Octagon control to start the round. Gustafsson bleeding under his left eye. Cormier cut as well and chasing Gustafsson around the Octagon. Cormier’s cut is bleeding heavily. Gustafsson with a takedown at 1:30 but Cormier right back up. Both guys siwnging wildly at 1:45 and Gus is hurt. Cormier trying for a takedown but eats a hard elbows to the head. Cormier’s right eye looks terrible. Clinch in the centre and Cormier landing hard uppercuts at 3:00. Nice punch exchange at 3:45. Total strikes in round 2 are 32-29 for Cormier. Gustafsson with a takedown at 4:30 and takes Cormier’s back. Cormier right to his feet but Gus still on his back. Very close round. 10-9 Gustafsson
Again, somehow my third round writeup disappeared but I had it 10-9 Cormier.
Cormier asked his corner “who won that round” and they said “I don’t know”. I’m seeing 29-28 either way on Twitter. Gustafsson shoots for a takedown early but stuffed by Cormier. Gus wants no part of a clinch and backs away. Gustafsson lands a hard body kick at 1:15. Cormier chasing Gustafsson around at 1:30. Cormier bleeding from under his right eye and also from his nose now. Custafsson with a significant cut on the bridge of his nose. Loud DC chants from the crowd. Cormier stalking him at 3:!5. Gus with a hard body kick at 3:30. Gustafsson lands a hard knee to the head at 4:00. This round is really close. Clinch in the centre and Cormier lands more uppecuts. Gustafsson with a trip takedown but lets Cormier right back up at 4:45. Cormier with a punch combo right before the buzzer. 10-9 Gustafsson so all tied up going into the fifth.
Cormier controlling the Octagon early in the round. Cormier with a punch/kick combo at 1:15. They put up a distance travelled stat and Gustafsson had travelled about 30% more than Cormier because he has been retreating most of the fight. Crowd booing at 2:00. No idea why, this fight is great. Cormier chasing him around the Octagon and catches him in a clinch in the centre at 2:30 and lands a few shots before Gus breaks away. Cormier catches him again at 2:45 and lands more uppercuts and knees to the body. Gus breaks away at 3:00. Another clinch in the centre at 3:30 and both guys landing uppercuts. Gus bleeding very heavily. With a minute left, Cormier is winning this round and the fight. 30 seconds left and Cormier peppering him with uppercuts. Gustafsson lands a hard knee to the head with 15 seconds left. 10-9 Cormier, 48-47 overall
WINNER – DANIEL CORMIER (17-1) by split decision (47-48, 48-47 and 49-46)
Scorecards for Cormier vs Gustafsson
This is how the judges saw tonight’s Daniel Cormier vs. AlexanderGustafsson light heavyweight title fight.
Judge Sal D’Amato gave rounds one, three and five to Daniel Cormier.
Judge Kerry Hately gave rounds one, three, four and five to Cormier.
Judge Derek Cleary, the lone judge for Gustafsson, gave Gustafsson rounds two, three and four.
Cormier put over Gustafsson in his post fight promo. Said Gus made him a better fighter and a better man. Said he couldn’t see out of his right eye in the second round but once his vision cleared, he was okay. No call out or mention of Jon Jones.
Gustafsson was interviewed as well. Gustafsson said Cormier can box, he can wrestle and he’s the real champion. He walked out of the cage with his head down.
Thanks for joining Ryan and I tonight. Hope you enjoyed the coverage!
So, after the main event, they aired a promo for UFC 193. This may be the best promo I’ve ever seen. “Every revolution starts with a fight” has got to be a dig at WWE and anyone who sees this will want to watch the fight. Go out of your way to see this promo video.
Jon Jones is free from the clutches of “The Man” which has thrown a monkey wrench into UFC booking, or so says conventional wisdom. The theory is that the Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson fight at UFC 192 no longer will draw as a championship fight because fans don’t believe in the championship.
Jones was the dominant champion in Cormier & Gustafsson’s weight class (having previously beaten both men in championship fights, even) until he was stripped of the belt for reasons that had nothing to do with fighting. Since Jones can now officially return whenever he likes, the UFC 192 main event is meaningless, at least according to conventional wisdom.
The reality is that Jones’s return to the UFC’s good graces is not a problem for UFC 192’s business prospects Saturday. Actually, it could even help.
UFC 192 was a business problem before Jones ever copped a plea. As of this writing, tickets are still readily available, but that is just the problem with the live gate. As Paul Fontaine pointed out three months ago on this site, UFC pay-per-view business is heavily dependent on stars and grudge matches. Both Gustafsson and Cormier aren’t stars and this isn’t a grudge match. And while the size of Cormier and Gustafsson works to their advantage, it wouldn’t have been enough to make UFC 192 a big success even if Jones were behind bars.
Essentially, the weak ticket sales illustrates that what the public had already decided was the same as many MMA observers, including myself, felt: Jon Jones is the real UFC light heavyweight champion, and promoting any other two fighters in a light heavyweight championship fight is a turnoff.
The real uncertainty is not whether Jones’s re-introduction to UFC will hurt UFC 192 business. The real uncertainty it whether Jon Jones being back can help UFC 192 business.
A long successful pro wrestling angle has been to have a third party at ringside while two feuding wrestlers have a match. My favorite example — and an example that mirror’s UFC’s light heavyweight situation to a degree — was at WWF: In Your House in December 1996. “Sycho” Sid Vicious (yet another example of Vince McMahon thinking that his audience is dumb, assuming that fans might pronounce Psycho, “puh-sai-ko”) had recently won the WWF World title from Shawn Michaels by cheating (Sid hit Michaels with a video camera after a ref bump at Survivor Series ’96), and now Sid was to face Bret Hart at the following pay-per-view (In Your House: It’s Time because original booking plans were for Vader to win the title, not Sid).
What on paper was a bland match between Sid and Bret was spiced up significantly by having Michaels at ringside to commentate. In relation to UFC 192, Cormier is Sid, the unworthy champion. Gustafsson is Bret, the man pursuing a championship while really wanting to a rematch against someone else (Bret was gone from WWF television for most of 1996 after losing the title to Shawn at WrestleMania) and Jones is Michaels, the champion who lost his title under nefarious circumstances (and, coincidentally, the guy who I think is the greatest of all time at his sport/business).
The circumstances are right for Jones to attend UFC 192 Saturday night, sit at cageside, and spark some interest in an otherwise lagging pay-per-view.
There are obvious differences between a wrestling angle where a third party sits ringside and a UFC fight where a third party sits cageside. In wrestling, fans expect the ringside wrestler to interfere in the match somehow, while in UFC that would be frowned upon. (Though, that’s not entirely impossible. Who can possibly forget Chuck Liddell’s cageside antics during the first Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin fight in Anaheim [which, believe it or not, had in-building heat rivaling Steve Austin at his peak & Cain Velasquez’s UFC heavyweight title win over Brock Lesnar]?)
Still, UFC could — with some precise PR magic by their PR wizard Dave Sholler and others — spike UFC 192 business by convincing UFC marks that business will pick up with Jones at cageside tonight. Obviously, UFC can’t state explicitly that Jones interfere in the match or fight the winner of DC vs. Gus that night, but UFC can imply that fireworks might go off.
If UFC is going to run their business like pro wrestling or boxing instead of a structured sport — and all signs point to them continuing in that direction indefinitely — then they might as well go all the way. Sure, rewarding Jon Jones’s bad behavior by upping his profile and making him the centerpiece of a pay-per-view he’s not even fighting at sends the wrong message.
But UFC has crossed that bridge, chopped the bridge up into tiny little pieces, ground up those pieces, and smoked them in Keith Richards’s peace pipe. Sending the wrong message no longer matters, but popping a buyrate for this woebegone UFC 192 main event does.
UFC 192 comes your way on Saturday night from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Headlined by the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on the line when Daniel Cormier defends against Alexander Gustafsson, the show brings a stacked card, but went through a last-minute change. Hopefully that didn’t make too much of a difference to those drafting their teams on DraftKings for this week. Let’s take a look at some studs, duds and value plays as you set up your team for Saturday night.
First off, let’s briefly recap last week. We had our studs as Diego Brandao and Takeya Mizugaki. Brandao won quick by knockout in the first round, and he had the highest point total. Mizugaki won a decision, scoring a solid amount of points. Our value plays were Roy Nelson and Yusuke Kasuya, both of whom lost, but Nelson did score a good amount of points as his fight went five rounds. We told you to avoid Gegard Mousasi and Katsunori Kikuno, and we hope you did because they scored the two lowest point totals last week.
STUDS
Rose Namajunas ($10,600)
I like Rose Namajunas in her bout against Angela Hill. While Namajunas is just 2-2 in her career and has lost two straight fights, she meets someone who she actually has the experience edge over in Hill. Hill is just 2-1 in her career and is coming off a loss to Tecia Torres where she didn’t look all that impressive (neither did Torres for that matter). You can attribute that to the altitude of Mexico, but Hill has been suspect to submissions in her short career, as seen on TUF 20 when she lost to Carla Esparza. Namajunas has excellent submission skills, and I expect her to be able to score a finish on a fight card that may not see a lot of them.
Sage Northcutt ($10,500)
Sage Northcutt is getting a lot of hype coming into the UFC as a 19-year-old, but he has the skills to back it up. He is getting a bout against a tough opponent in Francisco Trevino, but one who is near the bottom of the list when you rank all of the lightweights. It is a showcase to see if Northcutt is the real deal, or if this is all coming too quick for him. He has finished all five of his opponents, and only one fight has gone past the first round. Trevino only has one loss in his 13 professional fights, so he is no easy match-up. I do expect Northcutt to finish him though. Also, Trevino missed weight on Friday by a large margain.
VALUES
Alan Jouban ($9,100)
Alan Jouban is relatively cheap on this card, and a good look for an underdog. He has a tough fight against Albert Tumenov, who has shown solid striking and good wrestling. Jouban has power and is good on the feet, and the betting odds are a lot longer than I expected. That made the salaries of the two a greater distance than I expected, so Jouban shot to the top of my list of value plays. He has a solid chance at finishing Tumenov with the power in his hands.
Jessica Eye ($8,700)
Jessica Eye has something to prove when she meets Julianna Pena on Saturday night, and she wants to get that win and that finish. She is a big underdog to Pena, who is only 6-2 in her career, and lost two fights to lesser competition before she joined the UFC. Eye has fought tougher competition and is hungry to get back into the win column. Pena is too big of a favorite here, and she gets a tough opponent. This fight likely goes the distance, but with Eye’s boxing, you have the chance to score a lot of points with significant strikes. She is worth a play at the price tag.
AVOID
Viktor Pesta ($10,000)
I’m avoid Viktor Pesta in his bout with Derrick Lewis. It is a heavyweight bout and those guys hit hard, but Lewis hits extremely hard. Pesta has good finishing abilities, or at least he did before joining the UFC. He hasn’t shown that power in his two UFC bouts, whereas Lewis always shows that power. I actually expect Lewis to score a finish in the fight, and it gives me all the reason to avoid Pesta.
Ryan Bader ($9,300)
Ryan Bader hasn’t finished an opponent since submitting Vladimir Matyushenko in January 2013. He has won four straight fights, but all have been lackluster decision wins. His fight against Rashad Evans will likely go the distance. I think Evans wins the fight too. Evans may have missed two years of action, but he is still a top-level fighter unless those days are behind him after the knee injuries. Bader likely will not be able to finish him, unless we see a completely different Ryan Bader. I’m not counting on it.
OUR LINEUPS
RYAN FREDERICK- Daniel Cormier ($11,000), Sage Northcutt ($10,500), Yair Rodriguez ($10,400), Alan Jouban ($9,100), Jessica Eye ($8,700)
I like Northcutt, Jouban and Eye for the reasons stated above. I like Cormier to finish Gustafsson in the middle rounds, and with Gustafsson leaving himself open to eat punches, I see Cormier scoring some solid points on significant strikes. I like Rodriguez to score a finish as well as he has excellent skills and a good submission game. I do like Northcutt and Jouban to score finishes as well, and Eye to land a lot of volume on an opponent who likes to eat punches.
PAUL FONTAINE- Sage Northcutt ($10,500), Albert Tumenov ($10,300), Rashad Evans ($10,100), Adriano Martins ($9,700), Derrick Lewis ($9,400)
Martins is one of the most underrated fighters in the division, who’s only lost to Donald Cerrone in his UFC career. He’s also a finisher. Lewis is likely to score a knockout and pick me up some big bonus points. He’s a bit of a front runner, so fighting against a fighter ranked lower than him is probably a recipe for an early KO. Tumenov has two first round KO’s in his four UFC fights and the other two went to the judges but he landed a lot of strikes so he should be good to rack up some points and likely to win against Alan Jouban. Sage Northcutt is a future star and a finishing machine and I think he’ll make an auspicious debut against an overmatched Francisco Trevino. Rashad is likely grind out a decision win over Ryan Bader and probably land a lot of strikes in the process.
PEACH MACHINE- Daniel Cormier ($11,000), Joseph Benavidez ($10,900), Rashad Evans ($10,100), Chris Cariaso ($9,200), Jessica Eye ($8,700)
You have to take the champ. This is going to be a frustrating night for the Mauler, and with this expected to last five rounds, that’s a lot of points. A volume striker vs. a plodder, Benavidez should pay off big points with his high speed combos. I love Rashad. I even named my one of my dogs after him. (My dogs names are Hendo, Shogun, Sugar, and Rowdy.) This is more a pick with my heart. Normally I would not touch a potential boring wrestling match up, but Sugar fell within my salary cap, so I had to pick him. I thought Cariaso looked good against Cejudo, a superior opponent. I expect him to get back on a win streak. Eye looked good in round one against Tate, another superior opponent. I like the fast turn around here because she has something to prove. I expect her to come out strong and get a first round finish. I think she hits harder than Pena. I don’t like picking one round knock out fights in the heavyweight division. You either win big, or get nothing, and it’s basically a coin toss. My strategy is to score in every pick, even if it’s not the max. Just get in the money (which I failed to do last time). Luckily, living in the great state of Tennessee, DraftKings won’t let me sign up because we have antiquated laws here.
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS RYAN- 279.00 PAUL- 266.00 PEACH- 212.50
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of the UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson weigh-ins from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas kicking off at 5 PM eastern time. The event airs on Saturday on PPV at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:15 PM eastern time before moving over to FOX Sports 1 at 8 PM eastern time. This is the UFC’s fourth overall visit to Houston, and the first since UFC 166 in October 2013.
The event is headlined by UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier making his first title defense against the challenger, Alexander Gustafsson, who is looking to win the championship in his second attempt to do so. Also on the card are a pair of former champions looking to get another title shot as former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks takes on Tyron Woodley in the co-main event, and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans takes on Ryan Bader, who is looking to extend his four-fight win streak.
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT): Daniel Cormier (205) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (204) – UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Johny Hendricks () vs. Tyron Woodley () – FIGHT CANCELED Ryan Bader (206) vs. Rashad Evans (205) Shawn Jordan (265) vs. Ruslan Magomedov (236) Jessica Eye (136) vs. Julianna Pena (135)
Joseph Benavidez (126) vs. Ali Bagautinov (125) – This fight was moved to the main card due to the Hendricks-Woodley fight being canceled.
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT):
Yair Rodriguez (145) vs. Dan Hooker (146) Alan Jouban (170) vs. Albert Tumenov (170) Rose Namajunas (115) vs. Angela Hill (115)
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:15 PM ET/3:15 PM PT): Adriano Martins (156) vs. Islam Makhachev (156) Francisco Trevino (160) vs. Sage Northcutt (156) – Obviously, Trevino was WAY over. Chris Cariaso (126) vs. Sergio Pettis (126) Derrick Lewis (265) vs. Viktor Pesta (237)
The welterweight co-main event between former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks and top contender Tyron Woodley has been cancelled for Saturday UFC 192 due to weight cut issues for Hendricks, announced by UFC president Dana White on Twitter Friday morning. However, some additional details have been revealed.
Ariel Helwani reported Friday that Hendricks suffered an intestinal blockage Thursday night as well as a kidney stone which caused the cancellation. Ted Ehardt, Hendricks’ manager said the former two-time NCAA champion was rushed to the emergency room and had to be given an IV.
Doing interviews Friday, Hendricks said that he weighed 183 pounds. He needed to get to 171 today, which under normal circumstances would not be much of an issue. Ryan Bader vs. former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans now moves into the co-main event slot, while Joseph Benavidez vs. Ali Bagautinov has been moved from the preliminary card to the main card.
On Friday afternoon, the story got two new twists as White told Yahoo’s Kevin Iole that Woodley will be getting a welterweight title shot vs. the winner of Robbie Lawler (c) vs. Carlos Condit on January 2nd. Additionally, White said that he now considers Hendricks to be a middleweight.
Hendricks vs Woodley is off the card due to Hendricks weight cut issues.
Your new main card is as follows:
– UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson
– Rashad Evans vs. Ryan Bader
– Shawn Jordan vs. Ruslan Magomedov
– Jessica Eye vs. Julianna Pena
– Joseph Benavidez vs. Ali Bagautinov
We’ll have live fight coverage all weekend from Houston, TX.
It’s a whole new season and Conor McGregor is the reason, as he and Urijah Faber go toe to toe as coaching foes on The Ultimate Fighter. They won’t duke it out after the season is done, but there’s still pride on the line, not to mention Conor’s reputation as the newest badass on the block.
Join us each episode for “The Notorious Quote of the Week” as Conor puts his mouth where UFC’s money is! We’ll also spice things up with some predictions for week two about who could go all the way this season – two “Fighters to Watch” for each recap.
The Notorious Quote of the Week: “You either have it or you don’t. If you don’t well then I don’t give a f— about you. That’s it.”
Last week the U.S. racked up another win as Chris Gruetzemacher was able to ground out a three round decision over Sascha Sharma, one which saw McGregor lose his cool about Sharma’s repeated decision to pull guard and/or not block takedowns.
McGregor: “He p—ied out. He’s not a bad fighter but he just doesn’t have that fire in him. You don’t want to see kids t’row it away like that y’knahmean?”
Faber was not shy about saying it was McGregor’s own fault. “You do need to show up for morning practice though. You didn’t help him out showing up for half of the practices.”
McGregor: “You can’t teach (heart). You either have it or you don’t. If you don’t well then I don’t give a f— about you. That’s it. He gave your boy the fight.”
Back at the house Team Faber celebrates by shaking up a bunch of energy drinks and hosing down Gruetzemacher. He takes it with a “Just wait ’til I get to do it to you” grin. Meanwhile Team McGregor tries to figure out how to regroup for Tom Gallicchio vs. Marcin Wrzosek and see the latter get their first win.
Gallicchio says he thought he’d be in the UFC at 21… or 25… and now he’s 28 and still not there. He’s in The Ultimate Fighter though, so that’s a start. WSOF Featherweight champion Lance ‘The Party’ Palmer says their strategy for the fight is to pressure pressure pressure Wrzosek and break him down. Faber: “Feel good, look good, do good.”
Wrzosek is all smiles and friendly sitting across the table from Gallicchio for breakfast. He talks about how he got the nickname ‘The Polish Zombie’ after a fight where he busted his opponent’s face open and got covered in blood. He said martial arts turned him from a chubby little kid into a big strong man – physically and mentally.
McGregor quietly admits he overdid it with yelling at Sharma after last week’s fight, and does his best to help Team Europe by showing sparring techniques, ground reversals and takedown defense. “Even if he tries to sweep, scoot your hips back and wind up on top.”
Wrzosek: “I’m as ready as I could be.”
Back at the house, Johnny Nunez is staying with Tom Gallicchio to help him cut weight. Faber is not thrilled given that’s the very guy he brought back to get a second chance. You see Nunez and Gallicchio goofing around at the house skinny-dipping in the pool.
Despite that I consider Johnny Boy a “Fighter to Watch” based on performances I’ve seen from him OUTSIDE of The Ultimate Fighter. He DOES have heart despite the editing hatchet job done on him this week. The same “Fighter to Watch” also goes to Lance Palmer. I know he’s not fighting on this show or in UFC, but he didn’t become a champ in WSOF by accident. He’s arguably as good as Dillashaw or Mendes.
Faber: “Missing a team practice doesn’t send the best message to myself or the coaches when you’re deciding who you want to focus on.”
Gallicchio is 155.5. Wrzosek is 156 even.
Dana White: “With three straight losses, we could have a HUGE Team Europe meltdown.” Gallicchio vows to be “a tank” and not to let Wrzosek take his dream away.
Lightweight: Tom Gallicchio (USA) vs. Marcin Wrzosek (Europe)
Gallicchio is in the blue trunks and Wrzosek the gray. Gallicchio jumps on Wrzosek’s back standing 1:05 into the first round and tries to get the body lock with his legs, but Wrzosek is trying really hard to shake him loose and also has wrist control of one arm as he’s riding way too high, holding it and punching Gallicchio with rights to the face. Gallicchio’s kind of stuck because it’s a bad mount, but if he abandons it he’s giving Wrzosek a dominant position on the ground, so he can’t let go. The ref tells them both to improve at 3:25 and they end up back on the feet 13 seconds later. Wrzosek tries to stuff the takedown attempts but Gallicchio is like a dog with a bone and is on top for a while, getting all the way to full mount although Wrzosek sweeps to top in the last 10 seconds.
There are 12 minutes of TV time left as R2 gets underway, so we’re not going to a sudden death round this week. Gallicchio gets a takedown 30 seconds in and quickly moves to half guard, then side control at 48 seconds, then full mount 7 seconds later. Wrzosek seems vulnerable to a submission at any time, but surprises me by rolling through it and winding up on top in full guard. Faber calls for Gallicchio to use the cage to get up and he does at 2:10. Wrzosek knocks him down and ends up in guard again dropping heavy right hands. He lets Gallicchio stand at 2:45. Gallicchio shoots at3:09 but can’t get it. He’s stuffed again at 3:42. Wrzosek is peppering him standing and Gallicchio is visibly slowing down. McGregor: “Again! 3’s and 5’s! Jab right uppercut!” Wrzosek’s actually bouncing around on his feet in the last minute and gets a takedown with 15 seconds left.
All three judges score it 20-18 for Marcin Wrzosek – giving Team Europe their first win. Wrzosek calls out “Gritz” after the fight, which he says is really strange given there’s a whole season of the show left to go. McGregor announces Saul Rogers (Europe) vs. Billy Quarantillo (U.S.) as his pick. Join us next week!
Michael Bisping announced on UFC Tonight that he is off the 11/15 show in Melbourne, Australia due to needing elbow surgery. Bisping vs. Robert Whittaker was fourth from the top on that show behind two women’s title fights, Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm and Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valerie Letourneau, as well as the heavyweight rematch of Mark Hunt vs. Bigfoot Silva.
Uriah Hall will step in for Bisping against Robert Whitaker. Hall will look to keep winning after an upset win over Gegard Mousasi with a flying knee.
UFC also has announced two new fights for the 1/17 show at the TD Garden, a Sunday night show right after the NFL playoffs headlined by T.J. Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title.
Added is a heavyweight bout between ranked fighters with Travis Browne vs. Matt Mitrione. Both fighters are looking to get back to winning. Brown after a TKO loss to Andre Arlovski last May and Mitrion losing to Ben Rothwell by choke in June.
Also, on the card will be middleweight fight with Tim Boetsch vs. Ed Herman both coming off of knock out losses.
