St. Joseph, Missouri: – Sonny Myers defeated Lenny Montana to win the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title
1958
Kansas City, Kansas: – NWA World Champion Dick Hutton beat Lou Thesz by dq – Cowboy Bob Ellis and Ray Villmer beat Bob Geigel and Lee Henning by dq – Mighty Atlas beat Chief Suni War Cloud – Ivan, the Mad Russian beat Carlos Rodriquez (sub for Tito Carreon) – Thor Hagen beat Lord Albert Mills (dq)
1964
Denver, Colorado: – AWA Champion Mad Dog Vachon beat Verne Gagne – Larry Hennig & Harley Race beat Pat O’Connor & Ricky Romero
1965
Minneapolis, Minnesota: – Turkey Neck Main Event: The Crusher beat Steve Druk – AWA Tag Team Champions Larry Hennig & Harley Race beat Ivan Kalmikoff & Jack Pesek – Chris Markoff beat Mighty Igor Vodik dq – Larry Heiniemi beat Great Dane – Bob Kappel beat Danny Plechas
1969
Kansas City, Kansas: – Rufus R. Jones defeated Mike Rolinsky – Stan Pulaski fought Tommy Martin to a draw – Elimination Match: The Stomper & Ernie Ladd & Danny Little Bear & The Viking defeated K.O. Cox & Killer Cox & Baron Turko & Masao Komura
1971
San Antonio, Texas: – The Spoiler defeated Wahoo McDaniel to win the NWA American Heavyweight Title
1975
Tokyo, Japan: – Giant Baba & The Destroyer defeated Dory Funk Jr. & Jumbo Tsuruta
1977
Toronto, Ontario, Canada: – WWWF Champion Superstar Billy Graham beat Jay Strongbow – AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Edouard Carpentier – Blackjack Lanza & Ken Patera (sub Bobby Heenan) beat AWA Tag Team Champions Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell (No Title Change because Patera was not originally scheduled to be in the match) – Ken Patera beat Roger Kirby – Billy Red Lyons drew Waldo Von Erich 15 – Verne Gagne beat Bobby Duncum – Peter Maivia beat Chris Tolos dq – Angelo Mosca beat Nick DeCarlo
1980
Tokyo, Japan: – Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta defeated Dory Jr & Terry Funk
1987
Tokyo, Japan: – Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu defeated Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka
1996
Tokyo, Japan: – FMW Brass Knuckles Champion The Gladiator (Mike Awesome) defeated Wing Kanemura to win the FMW Independent World Heavyweight Title
1997
Lowell, Massachusetts: – Triple H defeated Shawn Michaels for the WWF European Title
2002
Nashville, Tennessee: – Sonny Siaki defeated Jerry Lynn to win the TNA X Division Title
2004
Nagoya, Japan: – Shinsuke Nakamura & Hiroshi Tanahashi defeatd Kensuke Sasaki & Minoru Suzuki to win the IWGP tag team title
2011
Orlando, Florida: – Jeff Hardy defeated Jeff Jarrett in a steel cage match – James Storm defeated Kurt Angle – Gail Kim defeated Mickie James to retain the TNA Knockouts Title – TNA Champion Bobby Roode and AJ Styles wrestled to a draw in a 30 minute Iron Man match
The Notorious Quote of the Week: “I didn’t think I’d see you again! You’re around!!! Good to see you my friend. I didn’t think I’d see +HIM+ again.”
Lightweight: Saul Rogers (Team Europe) vs. Marcin Wrzosek (Team Europe)
The first of two semi-finals. Wrzosek has the lighter trunks on, Rogers the darker grey. Rogers is showing off his striking game early, forcing the Polish Zombie to step backward, and then he hits a takedown at the one minute mark into guard. Wrzosek scoots his back to the fence looking to get up as John McCarthy looks on. It’s deathly quiet in the gym save for the rattling of the cage and their feet bouncing on the canvas. Rogers takes his back against the fence at 1:52. Wrzosek gets up and gets taken back down again at 2:10. He’s up again and backs away clean at 2:52. Zombie is being a little more aggressive but Rogers is still landing the better shots and gets another single leg at 4:16. He spins to take the back a half minute later but can’t do anything and Wrzosek escapes right before R1 ends.
Rogers is still the more fluid of the fighters in the first minute of R2. He’s acting, not REACTING. You can see it from the motion of his head and shoulders – his muscle memory from years and years of big fights and top level training. He scoops the leg for another takedown at 1:01. Rogers is warned to watch the back of the head as he overwhelms Wrzosek with strikes from behind, forcing him to cover up and drawing impressed whistles from a few people watching. Wrzosek tries to escape and can’t. Rogers sits on one leg and pounds his face, grabs a front headlock, then transitions to the back again. All Zombie can do is cover up. Zombie loses his mouthpiece and McCarthy calls time to let him put it back in but doesn’t stand them up or change their position. He escapes, Rogers takes him down, and jumps to his back immediately. He sinks in the rear naked choke and it’s over at 4:07. They hug.
SAUL ROGERS IS GOING ON TO TONIGHT’S TUF 22 FINALE.
Urijah Faber brings Jose Aldo to the final training session for his team – their last chance to prepare Julian Erosa for his fight with Artem Lobov. Aldo: “He is a great friend mine. We were once opponents but after that we became friends. We always stay in touch. Urijah always has something to teach me and I always have something to teach him.” Aldo shows off positional techniques for how to get dominant positions on the ground, even explaining the technique to go from a triangle to a shoulder lock.
Afterward they play a little soccer in the gym for fun, with some MMA takedowns mixed in. It’s pretty lighthearted – they’re all laughing and having a good time.
Meanwhile for Team McGregor it’s all business for Artem Lobov. He says he wants the hat trick and the third knockout. “This is what pays – knockouts pay.” McGregor says he wants Lobov reacting every time Erosa goes for single shots. He wants him to cut off the cage. “He has good ring knowledge, he just needs to use it. He will use it early and he will knock him out.” Lobov talks about how they were all once so broke they had to share a hotel room for McGregor’s fight and he slept on the floor.
McGregor waxes nostalgic as training winds down, saying he got personally attached even without trying to, and he’ll leave the show with a lifetime of memories. McGregor walks into the gym for the other semi-final fight and sees Jose Aldo sitting on Faber’s bench, and he’s laughing and smiling, but Also just sits there quietly.
Lightweight: Artem Lobov (Team Europe) vs. Julian Erosa (Team USA)
There are under ten minutes left so this isn’t getting out of the first round. McGregor reminds Lobov to be “flowey.” Dana White runs down the rules. Herb Dean signals both men and the fight is underway. Erosa is in the blue and Lobov the gray trunks. Lobov is following his usual MO – he’s head hunting and pressuring his opponent. Lobov rocks him at 57 seconds with a big left, hits him with another huge shot when he tries to get up, and Herb Dean is there to wave it off immediately. McGregor is so happy he rips his pants jumping over the fence!
ARTEM LOBOV ADVANCES TO TONIGHT’S TUF 22 FINALE.…BUT THE SHOW ISN’T OVER.
Dana White: “Saul lied on his visa application and has problems getting into the country and can’t fight on the Finale. Ryan Hall will now get the opportunity!” So the fight is Ryan Hall vs. Artem Lobov on Friday instead.
In a bit of sad news in an MMA heavy weekend, a 21-year-old fighter from China passed away Friday in the Philippines due to weight cutting issues.
Yang Jian Bing, a flyweight who was scheduled to compete for ONE FC, was announced by the promotion as having passed away at 12:06 PM Friday, just hours before a scheduled show at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines.
Bing (5-1) was scheduled to face Geje Eustaquiao (6-4). He had collapsed while cutting weight on Thursday morning and was rushed to San Juan De Dios Hospital in Pasay. He never recovered and passed away due to cardiopulmonary failure.
On a Facebook announcement about the death, Eustaquiao said that Bing had been rushed to the hospital due to dehydration and possible heat stroke. The promotion announced his death at the start of today’s event and said the cause was not yet determined, but sent out a release later with a cause of death.
“There is nothing more profoundly tragic and sad than when a member of the ONE Championship family, current or past, passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of Yang Jian Bing. We will work closely with the famly and offer all the support they need in any way we can during this difficult time.”
The second of three straight nights of UFC action takes place on Friday with The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale in Las Vegas. If you didn’t have any luck at UFC Fight Night 80, tonight is your chance to bounce back. Below are out studs, value plays and fighters to avoid when setting your line-up for tonight’s event.
STUDS
Tatsuya Kawajiri ($10,800)
Tatsuya Kawajiri is the biggest favorite on the card and has the highest salary, and I see him as the fighter most likely to score a win on tonight’s card. He has an opponent coming in on short notice in Jason Knight, who, despite being 15-1, hasn’t fought the level of competition that Kawajiri brings. Kawajiri is a finisher and has scored some good points during his UFC bouts. I expect him to get an early finish and he is my top play on the night.
Frankie Edgar ($9,900)
I normally pick fighters with five-figure salaries for the studs spot, but I love Frankie Edgar at his price. It is a closely matched fight against Chad Mendes with Mendes being a $9,500 salary, and he wouldn’t be a bad play either. Where Edgar has the edge is he is going to land a lot of strikes, and that begins to add up over the course of 25 minutes. I fully expect the fight to go the distance, which gives you more scoring opportunities with significant strikes, which Edgar lands a lot of, and a decision win counts the same whether it is three rounds or five rounds. You can’t go wrong with Edgar (or even Mendes) at their prices.
VALUE PLAYS
Joe Lauzon ($8,900)
Joe Lauzon has a tough fight against Evan Dunham and is the underdog despite having more wins inside the Octagon. Both men have been around for a long time and fought tough competition. Lauzon is a bonus hunter and an aggressive fighter who hunts for submissions. His bout with Dunham will likely hit the ground and allow Lauzon to go to work. With his salary and penchant for always searching for submissions, he makes a good value play due to being able to end a fight at any moment by submission.
Ryan Hall ($8,800)
Ryan Hall is a big underdog against Artem Lobov, and that is quite surprising to me. Hall has a slick grappling game and will be hunting for the submission finish. Lobov has an awful record in MMA, but he does have a huge experience edge. Hall doesn’t have the resume that Lobov does, but I think he’s a better fighter. With his ability to finish a fight at any moment by submission, Hall at his salary is an excellent play.
AVOID
Ryan LaFlare ($10,700)
Ryan LaFlare has the second-highest salary of the fighters on the card. I do think he will defeat Mike Pierce. I do think it will go to a decision. Both men are takedown artists, and that will likely negate each other and turn into a boring, prodding match on the feet. LaFlare may score some decent points, but I don’t see his salary justifying a spot on your roster. It’s just too high, so I’m avoiding him.
Gabriel Gonzaga ($9,600)
Gabriel Gonzaga has been around the UFC for a long time as he makes his 21st appearance inside the Octagon. He has struggled mightily recently, having dropped three straight fights. In his 26 fights, he has only been to a decision twice. All of his wins are by stoppage, but eight of his ten losses are by knockout, including his last two. His chin doesn’t seem to be able to hold up these days, and he has a big knockout artist across from him on Friday in Konstantin Erokhin. I see another knockout loss coming.
OUR LINE-UPS
RYAN FREDERICK: Tatsuya Kawajiri ($10,800), Tony Ferguson ($10,300), Frankie Edgar ($9,900), Konstantin Erokhin ($9,800), Ryan Hall ($8,800)
I like Kawajiri to get a quick finish over Jason Knight. I see Edgar scoring a lot of points on his way to a decision win over Chad Mendes. Tony Ferguson is interesting to me as he scores a lot of points and I see him winning a decision over Edson Barboza and landing some takedowns and lots of strikes on his way. Erokhin has a lot of power and is fighting Gabriel Gonzaga, who no longer has a chin. Hall has way too low of a salary and I like him to get a submission win over Artem Lobov.
PAUL FONTAINE: Ryan LaFlare ($10,700), Tony Ferguson ($10,300), Joe Lauzon ($8,900), Ryan Hall ($8,800), Jason Knight ($8,600)
I like Ferguson a lot. He’s got massive power for the division and I feel like Barboza is way overmatched here. Lauzon is very underrated and all but one of his UFC wins has come by finish and I think he does it again Friday. I’m going with Hall as I think his opponent is a terrible fighter who managed to suck opponents into his game on the TUF show. Hall is too smart for that and will submit him quickly. LaFlare is unbeaten in UFC, except for a five round main event against Demian Maia. He has too many tools for Mike Pierce, coming off a 2 ½ yr layoff. Knight is my wildcard. I saw him fight on a Titan show earlier this year and was very impressed. He should be the more hungry fighter and I think Kawajiri is way past his prime.
PEACH MACHINE: Julian Erosa ($10,200), Frankie Edgar ($9,900), Edson Barboza ($9,100), Joe Lauzon ($8,900), Ryan Hall ($8,800)
I got a ton of cash left over! Can I put that in my IRA? Anyway, I like Edgar because he’s made of IRON (Fe)! I think that sadly, he and Aldo will win and we will see the rematch of their first fight, with the exact same outcome. I’d love Edgar to win a title. I like Hall. Even though WE only found out one day ago that he’s fighting, HE knew he was fighting for at least a month. I train with guys who train with him and I’ve heard he’s a beast on the mat. Duh. Let’s hope he doesn’t decide to stand and trade. Barboza is always a tough out and I expect him to continue his winning ways into title contention. I’m taking Erosa because I hate Marcin Wrzosek. Seriously, I’ll be in Vegas and if I bump into him, we may throw down. And in that match, I predict Wrzosek because I’m all talk. The real J-Lo and Dunham are both past their primes but I expect J-Lo to win the battle with his reach.
As you can see, we are all expecting Ryan Hall to score a big outcome. Enjoy the fights and good luck!
Ring of Honor television continues on the road to Final Battle with the first in a series of episodes from the Nashville. Tag Teams were the focus of most of this episode as the main event featured Young Bucks vs. Briscoes. Also, a surprise unmasking by Alex Shelley, a TV title defense and The Boys declining to rejoin Dalton Castle round out the events taking place on the show. Another theme from the show was guest commentators featured in every match.
reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) beat Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser (with The Boys)
The Boys carried the Bruiser’s keg to the ring. Fish and O’Reilly carried the IWGP jr. tag team titles. Fish and Bruiser start the match. Bruiser tries to be a bully but Fish makes a blind tag and reDRagon chop down Bruiser with a series of kicks. Silas tagged in and they double team him and make quick tags. O’Reilly gets cuts off leading to Silas and Bruiser doing a flurry of moves. Adam Cole strolled out to ringside before a commercial to provide impromptu guest commentary.
After the break, O’Reilly breaks free and tags Fish. Bobby came in off the hot tag and ran wild. Fish and Young traded strikes as the crowd did the yay/boo chants. There was action all over the place in the closing moments. Bruiser missed a frog splash off the top. One of the Boys jumped on the apron and O’Reilly kicked him off to send him flying before O’Reilly did a plancha. The other Boy snapped Fish on the top rope allowing Silas to use his Misery finisher (fireman’s carry into a diamond cutter). However, the Boys kept distracting the referee, causing him to be late to count the pin attempt and Fish kicked out. Moments later, O’Reilly tagged in and applied a guillotine on Bruiser. Silas broke up the submission and they did a series of double team moves on him leading to O’Reilly hitting a knee drop off the middle rope as Fish held Young for a backbreaker. They then executed the Chasing the Dragon finisher as best they could on the larger Bruiser and pinned him.
Afterwards, Silas ordered the Boys to attack the referee and they did so. They left him laying after a DDT. Dalton Castle came out to say he wanted his boys back. Bruiser confronted him and Dalton sent him packing. The Boys looked as if they would rejoin Dalton, but they instead left with Silas leaving Dalton bewildered and perplexed by their decision.
In another angle, Chris Sabin was in the ring and said he was hijacking the show hostage until the imposter in the KRD mask revealed himself. The masked man sauntered to the ring, confronted Sabin and, much to the surprise of everyone, revealed himself as Alex Shelley. Sabin would join Dalton in the bewildered and perplexed department.
ROH TV Champion Roderick Strong beat Samson Walker to retain
This was part of a theme of Roddy vs. the world, as Roderick wants to be a fighting champion and had vowed to take on anyone. Bobby Fish provided guest commentary and played heel in building his TV title challenge at Final Battle against Strong. Roderick dominated until Walker caught him on a dive and rammed him into the ring post twice on the outside. Walker proceeded to get heat on Strong. At one point, Walker pulled out an asthma inhaler from his singlet. He took a puff from the inhaler, put it back and pulled his straps down. However, Roddy made a comeback with a flurry and he gave Walker a gutbuster to set up a sick kick for the pinfall.
During the match, Fish grabbed the TV title belt. Following the match, Fish strapped on the belt and confronted Strong in the ring. Strong unsnapped the belt and took it back in his possession as they had a stare down with referees getting in between them.
“Inside ROH” with Mandy Leon highlighted the results from recent Survival of the Fittest tournament. Michael Elgin won the tournament and challenged Jay Lethal to a title match at the Tokyo Dome.
The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) beat The Briscoes (Mark & Jay)
Calling this action packed would be a great understatement. There were moves and sequences all over the place. The All Night Express provided guest commentary. Eventually the action slowed just a bit and the Briscoes got heat on Nick. After a commercial break, the Bucks made a comeback and the pace quickened again with a hot tag to Matt. Mark cut him off with redneck kung fu only to get cut off himself with a superkick from Nick.
A few moments later, Nick did a moonsault off the apron to the floor. Mark moved and Nick landed on his feet. He took a flying neckbreaker from Mark, who jumped off the apron. Mark signaled for the Cactus Jack elbow off the apron but he jumped down to eat a superkick instead. Jay did a dive to the outside. Back in the ring, Jay went for the Jay Driller on Matt and Nick made the save with a superkick. Jay then gave Nick a superkick. Mark delivered a froggybow and the Briscoes went for the doomsday device. However, in taking the move, Nick landed on his feet and hit a superkick. A superkick party began. Bucks used Indytaker for a nearfall before using More Bang For Your Buck to score the pinfall.
Afterwards, ANX stormed into the ring and all three teams had a pull-apart brawl to close the show.
It is night number two of UFC action in the biggest UFC fight week in history in Las Vegas. Friday night brings the next edition of the finals of “The Ultimate Fighter”. It will be The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale taking place at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. The entire card will air on FS1 as preliminary card action takes place at 8 PM eastern time leading into the main card at 10 PM eastern time.
The event will be headlined by a five-round bout in the featherweight division in what could be the fight of the weekend as former UFC Lightweight Champion and former featherweight title challenger Frankie Edgar takes on former title challenger Chad Mendes. In the finals of TUF 22, it will be Team McGregor’s Artem Lobov taking on Team Faber’s Ryan Hall. Also on the card is an elite lightweight bout as Edson Barboza looks for his second straight win when he takes on Tony Ferguson, winner of six straight fights. Let’s take a closer look at the action and bring you five storylines to keep an eye on during The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale on Friday night.
1. Will Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes have the best fight of the week?
The main event of The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale is a featherweight bout that could end up being the best fight of the weekend when former featherweight title challengers Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes meet in a high-level contest that could produce the next title challenger. Edgar is a former champion at 155 pounds who has moved down to 145 pounds. He has fought for the title once at featherweight, dropping a decision to Jose Aldo, but he has since won four straight fights. Mendes has fought for the gold three times, coming up short each time. He has two losses to Aldo, one by knockout and one by decision in one of the best fights of 2014, and a loss in an interim title fight to Conor McGregor at UFC 189 in July. These two are clearly two of the top four fighters in the division alongside Aldo and McGregor, and this is a fight that fans have been looking forward to happening ever since Edgar made the move down.
We have two very similar fighters as both have excellent wrestling credentials and solid striking abilities. Mendes is a better pure wrestler though Edgar may have the better wrestling MMA-wise. Both men are explosive with takedowns. When it comes to the striking, Edgar has some of the best pure boxing in the sport. Mendes is a power puncher and his striking got better while Duane Ludwig was coaching Team Alpha Male. He has better movement on his feet than in the past, but Edgar’s footwork is elite. Edgar has underrated power in his hands, and his kicks are fast and clean. The biggest thing Edgar does is he can leave himself open just enough to get hit, and if Mendes lands a clean right hand, we could see Edgar go into retreat mode like he did in his fights against Gray Maynard.
The thing about those bouts with Maynard was that it showed Edgar come overcome adversity in a fight. Mendes may be the featherweight Maynard to Edgar. Mendes will likely be the one to initiate the takedowns but getting Edgar down will be challenging, and keeping him there will be tougher. Both men have the conditioning to go 25 minutes and have, but Edgar’s gas tank is on another level in MMA. He is arguably the best conditioned fighter in the sport. That may be the key in this bout. Mendes has solid conditioning, barring taking the McGregor fight on short notice, but he likely won’t be able to match Edgar’s pace. That will be the difference maker in a fight that likely goes the distance. I see Edgar winning a very close decision based on winning the latter rounds.
2. Who takes the crown of this season’s “The Ultimate Fighter”?
The most recent season of “The Ultimate Fighter” had a good dynamic between the coaches, Conor McGregor and Urijah Faber, that carried out through the season. The fights on the show were solid battles, and it led to an interesting final. It will be Artem Lobov and Ryan Hall squaring off for the six-figure contract, and it will be the first time that two fighters who were eliminated at one point during the show meet in the finals. Lobov was eliminated in the fights to get into the house, but was selected by McGregor to return to the show in a new wrinkle put forth by Dana White this year. Hall replaces Saul Rogers, the man who eliminated him from the show en route to the finals. Rogers was unable to secure a visa to come to the US to compete in the finals.
It leads to an interesting fight between Lobov and Hall. Hall has excellent grappling credentials and is 4-1 since making the transition to MMA in 2012. Lobov has a spotty record at 11-10-1 with 1 no contest, and he is the main training partner to McGregor. He won his three bouts by knockout after returning to the competition, so he did earn his spot here. He has knockout power and underrated submissions. Hall is a legitmate prospect coming off the show whereas Lobov may not have much to offer in the UFC outside of being someone to put on a card in Ireland. We know Hall will be looking to take the fight down to the mat so it is up to Lobov to show he can keep the fight upright. Lobov has to try to land the big punches, but I see Hall’s grappling being too much for him.
3. Can Tony Ferguson make it seven straight wins against Edson Barboza?
Tony Ferguson is flying under the radar in the UFC’s lightweight division, but he has amassed a six-fight win streak heading into Friday night’s bout against Edson Barboza. Ferguson was originally scheduled to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at this event, but another injury kept Nurmagomedov from returning to action. Barboza is a high-level replacement who is creeping up on top five status himself. Ferguson is right behind him and looking to leap frog Barboza with a win. Ferguson has posted wins over the likes of Josh Thomson, Gleison Tibau, Abel Trujillo and Danny Castillo during his win streak, and four of those six wins have come by stoppage. Ferguson may be the most underrated “TUF” winner of all-time as he has gone 9-1 in his UFC career. Barboza is 10-3 in his UFC career but remains just on the cusp of title contention after an impressive win over Paul Felder in his last bout.
For all of the great fights going on this weekend, this match-up is one of the best. Barboza has amazing kickboxing skills and great takedown defense. Ferguson is very creative on his feet and is a pressure fighter. He is the type of opponent that Barboza has had trouble with in the past. He also outputs a lot of volume and isn’t afraid to get inside the range of an opponent. Barboza is flashy and will come out with spinning kicks and he doesn’t get hit a lot. Ferguson may look to utilize a clinch and wrestling game to keep Barboza from unleashing his striking. Ferguson can be suffocating and is solid with his submission game. Ferguson is also a pace setter and that is going to make the difference in this fight. Barboza isn’t neccessarily a fighter who will push the pace, and that will allow Ferguson to control the action in the fight. It should be a great fight, but Ferguson has the tools to take home a decisive decision win.
4. Will Joe Lauzon add another bonus to his UFC record?
Joe Lauzon is the UFC bonus king as he has won thirteen post-fight bonus awards during his UFC career, with six “Fight Of The Night”, six “Submission Of The Night” and one “Knockout Of The Night” awards. He will be looking to add to that on Friday night when he takes on Evan Dunham, a man who is also familiar with post-fight bonus awards, having won four during his career. They enter the fight in an interesting position in their careers as both have been firmly established as lightweight gatekeepers. Each were on the cusp of entering the title picture before setbacks have knocked them out of the rankings, but they both will be employed for a long time due to their ability to put on the best fight on any card they are featured on. Both men can still deliver great winning performances as well.
Lauzon is an aggressive fighter who looks to put his opponent on the mat so he can start showing off his high-level submission game. Dunham is an excellent wrestler and he is difficult to put on the mat. Dunham has high-level striking with a lot of output and he is a grinding fighter in the clinch. Lauzon will likely have trouble taking Dunham to the ground, but if it goes down, Lauzon has excellent transitions on the mat. He has some vicious ground-and-pound that he uses to set up the submissions as 17 of his 25 wins have come by submission. Dunham showed real improvement in his recent win over Ross Pearson with his striking and overall game. If he continues to show that, he has the clear path to winning on the feet. It will likely be a close fight but one that should lead to Dunham winning. With this match-up, win or lose, Lauzon has a very good chance at adding to his bonus record.
5. What else is there to look out for on the card?
Outside of three solid match-ups, this middle event of the three-fight week is likely the weakest of the three events. It’s main event keeps this event from being dismissed and there are some showcase bouts to keep an eye on. Tatsuya Kawajiri looks to add another win to his record when he takes on Jason Knight. Knight is a late replacement for Mirsad Bektic, and while he sports a 15-1 record, he has never fought a fighter like Kawajiri. This is Kawajiri’s fight to lose. Another fight that was changed on short notice is a flyweight bout between Joby Sanchez and Geane Herrera. Herrera is a replacement for Justin Scoggins. Neither man may be truly UFC ready at this stage, but Sanchez is more ready than Herrera and should take the win here.
In a welterweight bout, Ryan LaFlare will be looking to rebound from his first career loss when he takes on Mike Pierce. Pierce has been out of action since a submission loss to Rousimar Palhares in October 2013. It was that fight that led to Palhares getting cut from the UFC as he kept holding onto Pierce’s leg for too long after Pierce tapped, and the UFC had enough with his antics. Pierce suffered knee and ankle injuries due to that, but a broken hand was what has kept him out of action for 26 months. He had won four straight prior to the loss to Palhares. Also on the preliminary card is a heavyweight bout between former title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga and Konstantin Erokhin. Gonzaga has lost three straight fights and could be fighting for his UFC career while Erokhin is looking to rebound from a loss in his UFC debut.
Full The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale Fight Card, Betting Odds and Predictions
MAIN CARD (FS1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
Featherweights: (#2) Frankie Edgar vs. (#3) Chad Mendes Betting Odds: Edgar (-130), Mendes (+110) Prediction: Edgar by decision
TUF 22 Lightweight Finals: Artem Lobov vs. Ryan Hall Betting Odds: Lobov (-175), Hall (+145) Prediction: Hall by submission in round 2
Lightweights: (#6) Edson Barboza vs. (#7) Tony Ferguson Betting Odds: Barboza (+175), Ferguson (-190) Prediction: Ferguson by decision
Lightweights: Joe Lauzon vs. Evan Dunham Betting Odds: Lauzon (+170), Dunham (-200) Prediction: Dunham by decision
Featherweights: (#13) Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Jason Knight Betting Odds: Kawajiri (-240), Knight (+220) Prediction: Kawajiri by submission in round 1
Lightweights: Julian Erosa vs. Marcin Wrzosek Betting Odds: Erosa (-140), Wrzosek (+110) Prediction: Erosa by decision
PRELIMINARY CARD (8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
Heavyweights: Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Konstantin Erokhin Betting Odds: Gonzaga (-105), Erokhin (-105) Prediction: Erokhin by knockout in round 1
Welterweights: Ryan LaFlare vs. Mike Pierce Betting Odds: LaFlare (-225), Pierce (+205) Prediction: LaFlare by decision
Flyweights: Joby Sanchez vs. Geane Herrera Betting Odds: Sanchez (-110), Herrera (-110) Prediction: Sanchez by decision
Lightweights: Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Abner Lloveras Betting Odds: Gruetzemacher (-185), Lloveras (+155) Prediction: Gruetzemacher by decision
Air Date: December 10, 2015 – Location: Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL
The Big News:
Roman Reigns and his friends beat the League of Nations. Also, Ryback vs. Rusev was made official for TLC.
Show Recap:
Non-Title: Roman Reigns (w/Dean Ambrose & The Usos) NC U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio (w/League of Nations)
Del Rio and company came out to his music, which makes sense, but it was weird watching the WWE Champion come out to somebody else’s song. The match went about 11 minutes. Reigns eventually hit a superman punch but the League pulled Del Rio out of the ring and they were confronted by Ambrose and the Usos. Reigns jumped out and went after Sheamus. It broke down into a giant brawl so the referee called the match (no contest).
Booker asked, “What did you think was going to happen?” and Brennan responded, “I suppose we should’ve expected it.” Yeah, no kidding. The good guys sent the bad guys packing, finished off by Reigns hitting Rusev with a superman punch. The match was alright while it lasted, except for Reigns getting distracted twice by the League. Reigns couldn’t beat the U.S. Champion, but the announcers said he looked ready for Sheamus. After a break, they announced that the two teams would face in an 8-man tag match.
Dolph Ziggler beat Tyler Breeze (w/Summer Rae) via pinfall
Breeze didn’t get a full entrance. They showed Summer in the VIP section trying to will the crowd into caring about this match. Booker and Lawler said Breeze takes after Gorgeous George. Breeze worked over Ziggler’s leg, including the use of a half crab. Breeze went out to presumably try wrapping Ziggler’s legs around the post, but Ziggler posted him. Breeze jumped back in the ring, but Ziggler caught him with a superkick out of nowhere for the abrupt win. This was under 5 minutes.
Non-Title: Lucha Dragons beat WWE Tag-Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (w/Big E) via pinfall
The New Day came out and the crowd all got to their feet. Kofi Kingston announced LeBron James’ lifetime deal with Nike. New Day wanted their own endorsement deal and they showed off Kingston’s wacky shoes, which now have lights. They said their ladder match was unfair but Big E said the Lucha Booties and The Us-ows would be sent back to the kids table.
There was an amusing spot where Sin Cara was sent to the outside and Big E tried to play the trombone in his face, but he didn’t know how. After a break, Kingston swivelled his hips on the apron and again Big E failed to make a sound on the trombone.
Sin Cara made the hot tag after using the same one arm deadlift powerbomb spot that Reigns does. Sin Cara hit a suicide dive on Big E and Kingston and Kalisto hit Xavier Woods with a spinning kick and Salida Del Sol for the win.
Michael Cole hosted a contract signing for the Intercontinental Championship match. Dean Ambrose came out first. There was an attorney already in the ring to represent Kevin Owens. Cole read a prepared statement where Owens’ attorney claimed Smackdown was an unsafe work environment. The attorney signed the contract and Ambrose banged his head on the table. Ambrose said he was expecting to trash talk, flip the table over and get into a brawl with Owens.
Ambrose figured he can still do all of that stuff to the attorney, but before he could sign, Owens jumped him. Owens ripped his shirt off and launched him into the barricade. Ambrose tossed Owens into the steps and Owens jumped back into the ring. Ambrose went after him, but Owens tossed the attorney into Ambrose and ran away. As Owens backed off, Ambrose gave the attorney Dirty Deeds and signed the contract. Owens called Ambrose a bully. This was fine. Ambrose’s lip was busted open which made this better.
2-on-1 Handicap Match: Ryback beat The Ascension via pinfall
Ryback won in 88 seconds with Shellshock on Viktor. Rusev and Lana were on commentary. Rusev called him “the Ryback” at some point. After the match, Ryback confronted Rusev, but Rusev hugged Lana knowing Ryback couldn’t touch him with her in the way and they walked off.
Becky Lynch beat Paige via submission
After a double clothesline spot, Charlotte came out to her music. Paige kicked Lynch and went for the Ram-Paige, but Lynch countered into the Disarmer for the tap-out win. Lame.
The announcers plugged the network and made sure everyone who buys on pay per view feels really stupid. They also showed a video package for Sheamus vs. Reigns at TLC.
Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & The Usos beat League of Nations via pinfall
LON came out together. Ambrose and the Usos didn’t get an entrance (Reigns came out alone). Booker revealed the secret of knowing which Uso is which. Jimmy wears his face paint on the right, Jey on the left. Lawler said Del Rio might end up looking like Ronda Rousey after the number of times he’s been punched in the jaw tonight.
As the heels worked over Ambrose, Brennan asked if the deck is stacked against Reigns at TLC. It’s a one-on-one match, so no, it isn’t. Reigns made the hot tag, hit a Samoan drop and ten clotheslines in the corner to Rusev, the same sequence we saw earlier against Del Rio. Reigns hit one of his other movies, the superman punch, but Sheamus and Del Rio broke up the cover. The Usos took them out with superkicks and dives over the top rope. Reigns hit Rusev with a spear for the win. Ambrose got absolutely nothing in this match.
Lawler made sure to mention that the Usos, Ambrose and Reigns could all be champions after TLC. That seems unlikely.
Final Thoughts:
Of all the Smackdown shows that have ever aired, this one ranks somewhere in the middle.
Nice opening match to kick the night off, not too long. Enzo and Big Cass are really over and the crowd were into it from the start. Enzo and Big Cass got the win with he big splash from the top rope by Enzo.
Bull Dempsey vs. Tye Dillinger
Tye Dillinger’s ‘perfect 10’ gimmick is more over than I would have imagined, but that might be the graces of a crowd who are just happy to be here. Nothing much to see here. Bull Dempsey won with a sit down splash form the middle rope.
Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss
This was a Asuka showcase match and she was very popular with the crowd. Alexa looked pretty good as well and definitely worked well with Asuka. Asuka won with the Asuka lock.
Samoa Joe vs. Apollo Crews
Pretty standard match. Joe seemed to be the favourite here. Both got their signature moves in and then Joe won with the Muscle Buster into the Coquina clutch.
– After the intermission, they introduced William Regal to a huge pop and he thanked everyone for coming and that without the fans they wouldn’t be able to do this tour.
NXT Tag Team Champions Dash and Dawson v Chad Gable and Jason Jordan
This was a really good match (Jordan and Gable seem to be incapable of having a bad match recently), Gable isolated for the most part with Jordan getting the hot tag. Both Gable and Jordan looked really impressive and the crowd loved them. Dash and Dawson won after a distraction and roll up on Gable.
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Emma
Another standard match as far as in ring work goes. Dana Brooke came to the ring with Emma and was ejected around halfway through for interfering. Bayley won with the Bayley to Bayley. After the match Nia Jax came to the ring and looked as if she was going to get in before smiling at Bayley and leaving.
Neville vs. Baron Corbin
This was Neville’s hometown show so he got the pop of the night. Baron Corbin impressed here, against someone of Neville’s size, he certainly has a presence. Neville hit an Asai moonsault after Corbin ran to the outside. Corbin hit a huge spinning side slam but Neville managed to keep him down long enough to beat him with the Red Arrow, which probably got the second biggest pop of the night.
WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn
Balor came out first which meant that a retuning Zayn got the biggest reaction of the night for someone not called Neville. We were told this was the first time ever that Balor and Zayn were facing off. They shook hands after the bell rung. Pretty good match with some mat wrestling to start followed by some running chops to the corner by Balor. There a was a pretty good spot in which Balor was trying to keep Zayn down to hit the coup de grace but Zayn would make it to his feet before Balor could reach the top rope, getting up a little bit quicker after each blow. Zayn hit a huge tope con hilo to the outside on Balor. Balor won with the coup de grace, he lifted Zayn’s hand after the match and made a quick exit to give Sami the ring. This was a good taste of what a feud between them could bring.
The crowd were hot for most of the show and it was a better show all round than the WWE show they ran here in November.
The Wednesday, December 9th edition of TNA Impact Wrestling that featured the quarterfinals of the TNA title tournament saw the ratings rise from recent weeks with 269,000 viewers tuning in for the 9 p.m. show and 68,000 tuning in for the midnight show for a grand total of 337,000 viewers.
That 9 p.m number was up from usual but the midnight number fell right in line with the norm.
Given that the entire tournament of taped matches is now complete (the previously taped semifinals and finals are being scrapped and redone) the last few weeks on Destination America will be time fills of two hours with old taped matches before the company’s January 5th live show launch on Pop TV.
The semifinals will feature Matt Hardy vs. Eric Young and Bobby Lashley vs. Ethan Carter III. The winner will move onto the finals which will be the main event of the January 5th debut.
Three nights, 34 UFC fights, lots of coffee, some alcohol, and a lot of holiday cheer. MMA grumps? Step off to the side until next week. We got some celebrating to do for the next three days and a lot to talk about after it’s all said and done. The sport will change over the next 72 hours in ways we would never expect. Sunday’s in the horizon, but let’s stay in Vegas for as long as we can.
This is the first of three UFC picks posts you’ll get, kicking off with a fun little show you can legally stream on the Internet if you pay for it. Subscribers can get a 15-minute preview right here.
Our panel:
– Jack Encarnacao (101-41 | .711): Sherdog Rewind host, The Lapsed Fan podcast co-chair
– Josh Nason (83-59 | .585): JNPO host, Wrestling Observer digital media and content guy, WON Twitter enabler
*****
Paige VanZant (6-1) vs. Rose Namajunas (3-2) Strawweights
Ohhhh, man. This is going to be good.
PVZ has proven that she isn’t just a pretty face as she’s looked dominant in all three of her UFC wins. After beating up Felice Herrig for three rounds in April, she followed that up in September with a third round submission win over Alex Chambers. I remember nothing about that fight, but that she held up just fine in her main card PPV debut.
Namajunas is an injury replacement for Joanne Calderwood, and is an apt challenger for PVZ. The 23-year-old returned after a year’s absence to dust strawweight jobber Angela Hill in October, snapping a two-fight losing streak that included a title loss to forgotten memory Carla Esparza in the first ever UFC women’s strawweight title fight.
I said this on my 15-minute show preview, but I’ll say it again: these two are going to fight a few more times in their career.
Jim Miller (25-6-0-1) vs. Michael Chiesa (12-2) Lightweights
Past JNPO guest Chiesa is now ready to kick his career in drive after fighting just twice in 2014 and once this year. He’s coming off a decision win over Mitch Clarke in April and is 5-2 in his UFC career. At just 28 years old, a win here puts him further up the lightweight ladder which is ever shifting.
Miller is now a gatekeeper who has always come justthisclose to getting that elusive title shot. He needs to win here to stay relevant in the division as he’s lost two of his last three and is 32 years old. He is coming off a split decision victory over Danny Castillo earlier this year, and tonight marks his third 2015 fight. Originally scheduled to be the main event on this show, these two bring a combined 21 submissions into what should be a hellacious affair.
Sage Northcutt (6-0) vs. Cody Pfister (12-4) Lightweights
At 19, the undefeated Northcutt is GOD DAMN TEEN SENSATION. Did you ever think you’d see a UFC fighter in Tiger Beat? Well, you will. He notably made his UFC debut in October by blitzkrieging now-former Octagoner Francisco Trevino in less than a minute. Trevino missed weight and got busted for smoking pot, so it was like a real-life instructional video for kids. His opponent doesn’t have a Wikipedia page which explains the huge odds that are in Northcutt’s favor.
Elias Theodorou (11-0) vs. Thiago Santos (11-3) Welterweights
The 27-year-old “Spartan” is looking to remain undefeated and run his UFC record to 4-0 in the process. The TUF Nations winner finished two of his last three by second round TKO and is a decent size favorite against Santos. The 31-year-old Santos was last seen knocking the bejesus out of former hockey enforcer Steve Bosse this summer, extending his win streak to two for the first time in his UFC career. The Canadian Theodorou has to avenge the Bosse defeat for all of Canada, doesn’t he?
Tim Means (24-7-1) vs. John Howard (23-11) Welterweights
Means is coming off that awesome one round July fight with Matt Brown that has managed to get lost in the MMA tapestry of 2015. That loss snapped a four-fight win streak for the 31-year-old, a highlight of his second run in the Octagon. He faces the always puzzling Howard who has the potential to knock people out, but always seems hesitant to let himself go. He’s coming off a dull split decision win over the now-retired Cathal Pendred, a win that snapped a four-fight losing streak. With a loss, Howard could find himself out of the UFC for the second time as roster space is at a premium.
Means (favorite): Nason, Meltzer, Bix, Juon, FRB, Encarnacao, Sawyer, Means Howard: Pollock
