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  • UFC News: UFC 191 main event announced

    By Ryan Frederick, WrestlingObserver.com

    UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson (22-2-1, 10-1-1 UFC) will defend his championship in a rematch against top contender John Dodson (17-6, 6-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC 191 on September 5 in Las Vegas. The UFC announced the fight during tonight’s broadcast of UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee on FOX Sports 1.

    Johnson and Dodson headlined UFC On FOX 6 in January 2013 in Johnson’s first title defense after winning the flyweight title, winning Fight Of The Night. The bout was won by Johnson, but Dodson gave Johnson his toughest fight to date at 125 pounds. Dodson has won three straight fights since that bout, coming back from a year off due to a knee injury to defeat Zach Makovsky at UFC 187 in May. Johnson has won eight straight fights after successfully defending his championship against Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC 186 in April.

    UFC 191 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Other bouts announced for the card:

    -Anthony Johnson vs. Jan Blachowicz

    – Francisco Rivera vs. John Lineker

    – Paige VanZant vs. Alex Chambers

  • UFC News (updated): Ronda Rousey wins ESPY for Best Fighter, Female Athlete of the Year

    On Wednesday, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey won an ESPN ESPY Award for Best Fighter, beating out boxers Floyd Mayweather, Gennady Golovkin, and Terence Crawford and fellow UFC fighter Donald Cerrone. It is the first time a UFC fighter has won the award.

    She also won Female Athlete of the Year for the second straight year. She is also up for Best Play for her 14-second submission win over Cat Zingano at UFC 184 in February.

  • WWE NXT July 15 TV results and recap: Women’s Champion Sasha Banks vs Charlotte

    By Emerson Witner, Wrestling Observer.com and Wrestling Outsiders Podcast

    The Big News:

    Sasha Banks defeated Charlotte to retain her Women’s Championship, and Sami Zayn announced he probably won’t be back until 2016.

    Show Recap:

    Jason Jordan & Chad Gable defeated Elias Sampson & Steve Cutler

    We kick things off with the new team of Jason Jordan and Chad Gable, as they take on Steve Cuter and Elias Sampson. Gable has been bugging Jordan for weeks about being a team and Jordan, after weeks of turning Chad down, finally gave in last week.

    Jordan didn’t want to tag Gable in at first, but did after Chad’s insistence. Gable looked good for a few seconds until Cutler and Sampson got the heat on him. Jordan helped with the comeback and they won with an alley oop back suplex with a bridge, much to the delight of Jordan.

    Samoa Joe submitted Axl Tischer

    Axl is from Germany and in the words of Art Donovan “He’s a BIG BOY!” A handful of fans chanted “Joe is gonna kill you” and Axl got a little bit of offense, but this was a Samoa Joe offensive exhibition. Axl connected with a boot to the mouth, but got dropped with the corner uranage. Joe won with a Muscle Buster and then the Coquina Clutch.

    -We got a Baron Corbin video package where he claimed to have won 4 football conference championships by himself. He also claimed to be the baddest man in the NFL. Corbin’s video was all about how he is better than Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe, who are people who wrestled in front of 50 people and are popular on the internet.

    -Eva Marie is out next to the biggest reaction on the show. Of course it was entirely negative, but Eva appeared to be pretending that she was being cheered. She announced she is wrestling next week. I quit. Can I review Superstars instead?

    NXT Tag Team Champions Blake & Murphy (w/Alexa Bliss) defeated Angelo Dawkins & Sawyer Fulton

    The champs are in the house. Blake and Murphy taking on Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton. Why don’t Blake and Murphy have first names anymore? Your guess is as good as mine. Dawkins looked good, like he always does. I wonder if he will ever get an actual push on the show?

    The champs grounded Dawkins, getting the heat with the Developmental Chinlock. Dawkins fought back and got oh so close to making the hot tag, but Blake ran around to the other side of the ring and tripped Fulton up. The champs put their foes away with the Running Suplex/Frog Splash.

    -After the match the champions attacked Fulton and beat him down some more, while Alexa stood on the middle rope, shouting encouragement. Finally the champs propelled their manager into the air and she delivered the Sparkle Splash to Fulton.

    -Sami Zayn is here! The fifth NXT Champion came out with his arm in a sling. The fans seemed to be reserved at first, perhaps expecting Kevin Owens (or someone) to come out to the theme instead, but got excited when the man himself came out.

    Sami said he hasn’t forgotten about the fans and is happy they haven’t forgotten him either. Zayn’s update is that things aren’t going very well. 2014 was the best year of his career, ending with the highest of highs. Then we go to 2015, which has stunk. He announced he probably won’t be back until next year. His goals are to find a comfortable spot to sleep in, to raise his arm more than 90 degrees and to come back and win the NXT Championship.

    He stated there is no better motivator than revenge and he is going to get his revenge on Kevin Owens. Even though Kevin is on Raw every week, when Sami’s arm heals he is coming for Kevin.

    -Mr. William Regal announced during Comic Con last weekend that the rematch has been signed. August 22nd at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn it will be Finn Balor defending the NXT Championship against Kevin Owens.

    Kevin told Finn to enjoy being champion while it lasted. Finn then talked about how great it was to win the NXT Title in Tokyo and how it was a dream come true.

    NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks submitted Charlotte

    These two ladies were once members of The Beautiful Fierce Females, but that crumbled when Charlotte won the championship at NXT Takeover in May 2014. These two battled at NXT Takeover: R Evolution and then Sasha won the belt in a 4-way at NXT Takeover: Rival.

    These two ladies fought like two people who had wrestled each other plenty of times before. We had counters, reversals, reversal of counters, counter of reversals and that was just the first 5 minutes. Sasha got the heat by dropping her knees right into the mid-section of Charlotte. Charlotte did a Flair Flop at one point, so Sasha mocked her by doing the strut.

    Sasha hit the Back Stabber, but didn’t turn it into the Bank Statement like usual. Instead she stretched Charlotte completely backwards before locking on a head scissors. Charlotte got a near fall with a Spear, Sasha got one with a backslide and then another with a really cool cross armed neck breaker.

    Sasha freaked out when Charlotte kicked out of a Victory Roll and went for the Figure Four, but Charlotte kicked her off and slapped on the move herself! Charlotte also ripped out a handful of her own hair. They rolled into the ropes and Charlotte fell to the floor, still in the hold, so it hurt Sasha’s knee even more.

    After more roll ups Sasha locked on the Bank Statement and Charlotte eventually tapped out.

    -Sasha cried as she was handed her belt after this hard fought victory. The ladies hugged as the credits rolled and that will do it for this week! We are on the road to NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, so join us next week for more NXT. Until then, make sure to say your vitamins and take your prayers!

  • WWE News (updated): Ryback off Sunday’s Battleground PPV, Tuesday night ratings

    WWE.com reported today that Intercontinental Champion Ryback has suffered an injury and would be off all events this weekend. Nothing more was said, which indicates it’s the type of injury they want to keep quiet, nor was any indication given as to when he would be returning. 

    According to his Twitter account, the injury is a staph infection in his right knee. He woke up Tuesday with his knee badly swollen and had it taken care of, but won’t be able to perform this weekend.

    More on this tonight on Wrestling Observer Radio.

    *****

    Tough Enough drew 977,000 viewers, down 20 percent from last week, while Total Divas drew 1,031,000 viewers, up six percent from last week. Given the competition from the MLB All-Star Game, drops should have been expected.

  • On this day in pro wrestling history (July 15): Brock Lesnar stripped of IWGP title, CZW vs. ROH

    By Brian Hoops, WrestlingObserver.com

    1932 – At the International Arena in Kansas City, Missouri; Jack London beat John Mosier to win the Missouri Valley heavyweight title. 

    1942 – Gene Bowman defeated Earl Wampler for the Iowa Heavyweight Title in Des Moines, Iowa in 2 out of 3 falls. Also on the card, Babe Zaharias defeated Cowboy Luttrall in 2 of 3 falls and Jack Kennedy and Tom Zaharias went to a draw. 

    1946 – Danny Dusek defeated Joe Savoldi to win the Rocky Mountain Heavyweight Title in Denver, Colorado.

    1949 – Tom Mahoney defeated Al Massey in a tournament final for the vacant Georgia Southern Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, Georgia.

    1954 – Eddie Gossett (Eddie Graham) defeated Frankie Talaber to win the Midwest Wrestling Association World Junior Heavyweight Title in Columbus, Ohio

    1955 – At Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri for promoter Sam Muchnick; NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz vs. Leo Nomellini, Bill Longson, Bobby Managoff and Pat O’Connor vs. Ike Eakins, Hard Boiled Haggerty and Don Leo Jonathan, Bobo Brazil vs. Jim “Black Panther” Mitchell, Bobby Bruns vs. Ray Villmer and “Silent” George Hubert vs. Joe Millich

    1959 – The Mighty Yankee (Ray Villmer) defeated Papa Pasquale for the NWA Gulf Coast Heavyweight Title in Mobile, Alabama.

    1960 – Tony Borne and Danny McShain defeated El Gladiador and Torbellino Blanco in Houston, Texas. to win the vacant NWA Texas Tag Team Title; Billy Joyce defeated Dennis Mitchell for the British Heavyweight Title in Bradford, England

    1963 – Bobo Brazil defeated Johnny Barend to win the WWWF United States Heavyweight Champion in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Dick the Bruiser defeated Curtis Iaukea to win the Hawaii NWA United States Heavyweight Title

    1965 – Giant Baba and Toyonobori defeated The Destroyer and Billy Red Lyons for the JWA All-Asia Tag Team Title in Shizuoka, Japan; In Kansas City, Kansas; Bob Geigel and Killer Kox beat Bobo Brazil and Dick the Bruiser 2 falls to 1; Mongolian Stomper beat Missouri Mauler, Pat O’Connor drew Sonny Myers and Ronnie Etchison beat Jerry Miller. 

    1966 – Brute Bernard and Skull Murphy defeated Mark Lewin and Dominic DeNucci to win the International Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title in Sydney, Australia.

    1967 – Nebraska Heavyweight Champion Bob Orton, Sr. defeated Doug Gilbert in Omaha, Nebraska to become the first AWA Midwest Heavyweight Champion. The title was unified with the Nebraska title; Dick the Bruiser and The Crusher defeated The Devil’s Duo (Chris Markoff and Angelo Poffo) for the World Wrestling Association World Tag Team Title in Indianapolis, Indiana

    1970 – Pantera Negra and Tony Rocco defeated The Great Kojika and John Tolos to win the NWA Americas Tag Team Title in Los Angeles, California

    1971 – Dan Miller defeated The Missouri Mauler for the NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Title in Greensboro, North Carolina.

    1972 – Don and Ron Wright defeated Tommy Gilbert and Sputnik Monroe to win the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Title in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Frank Rodriguez defeated Bobby Pics to win the West Virginia Heavyweight Title.

    1975 – Al Madril defeated John Toloes for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title in Dallas, Texas

    1976 – In Kansas City; Omar Atlas defeated Hubert Gallant, Bob Geigel defeated Tank Patton, Black Gordman & Great Goliath defeated Pat O’Connor & Harley Race and The Super Intern defeated Bob Brown; Bob Kelly won the NWA Mississippi Heavyweight Title by defeating Sweet Daddy Banks in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

    1977 – Ernie Ladd defeated Dusty Rhodes to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title in Tallahassee, Florida; In Minneapolis, MN; Billy Robinson & Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Nick Bockwinkel & Blackjack Lanza & Bobby Heenan, Angelo Mosca beat Larry Hennig by dq, Pedro Morales beat Roger Kirby and Super Destroyer beat Jan Nelson; Tiger Jeet Singh and Umanosuke Ueda defeated Strong Kobayashi and Seiji Sakaguchi for the NJPW Asia Tag Team Title in Sapporo, Japan; Johnny Eagles defeated The Blue Yankee to win the NWA Alabama Heavyweight Title in Dothan, Alabama.

    1978 – Otto Wanz defeated Don Leo Jonathan in Graz, Austria to become the first two-time Catch Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Champion; Armand Hussein defeated Invader I for the WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Title in Caguas, Puerto Rico. At the same show, Kendo Kimura defeated Carlos Colón to win the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Title

    1979 – In Minneapolis, MN; Greg Gagne beat AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel by dq, in a Taped Fist Match, Ray Stevens beat Mad Dog Vachon dq, in a Dead Lift Contest, Paul Ellering beat Jesse Ventura, Stan Hansen & Bobby Duncum beat Billy Robinson & Doug Gilbert and Super Destroyer Mark II beat Doug Gilbert

    1980 – Animal Hamaguchi and Mighty Inoue defeated Haruka Eigen and Strong Kobayashi to win the International Pro Wrestling World Tag Team Title in Fuji, Japan

    1982 – Rocky Johnson defeated Rip Oliver for the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title.

    1983 – Ric Flair defeated David Von Erich to win the vacant NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title in the finals of a 20 man tournament in St. Louis, Missouri, In Denver, Colorado; Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell beat Tully Blanchard & Bobby Jaggers, in a Lumberjack Match Wahoo McDaniel beat Bobby Heenan, Rick Martel beat David Shults and Mr. Saito beat Buck Zumhofe

    1984 – In the St. Paul Civic Center; AWA Champion Rick Martel beat Nick Bockwinkel, Jim Brunzell beat King Kong Brody by dq, The Crusher beat Abdullah The Butcher by dq, Fabulous Ones beat Mr. Saito & Larry Zbyszko, Road Warriors beat Steve O & Curt Hennig, Tony Atlas beat Steve Regal and Billy Robinson beat Chris Markoff. Attendance was 8,500

    1985 – Terry Taylor defeated Phil Hickerson to win the CWA/AWA International Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee and Jerry Lawler defeated Rick Link to win the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Title; Iceman Parsons defeated Killer Tim Brooks for the World Class Television Title in Fort Worth, Texas; Bill Ash defeated Scott Armstrong for the Southeast NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Title in Birmingham, Alabama; In Verdun, Quebec, Canada; Jimmy Garvin & Ronnie Garvin beat Raymond Rougeau & Jacques Rougeau Jr, Tonga Kid & Tony Parisi beat AWA Tag Team Champions Road Warriors and King Tonga beat Butch Reed.

    1986 – Ron Bass defeated Kendall Windham to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title in Tampa, Florida.

    1989 – Ivan Koloff defeated Invader I for the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Title in Caguas, Puerto Rico

    1990 – Astro de Oro defeated Dr. Wagner, Jr. to win the UWA World Junior Heavyweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico

    1991 – Robert Fuller and Jeff Jarrett won the USWA Tag Team Title, defeating The Barroom Brawlers (Bonecrusher and Crowbar) in Memphis, Tennessee.

    1992 – Sakie Hasegawa defeated Mariko Yoshida to win the AJW Singles Title in Tokyo, Japan.

    1994 – Eddie Golden and Alex Shane defeated The Tennessee Equalizer and Chic White for the Southern States Wrestling Tag Team Title in Fall Branch, Tennessee

    1996 – Brickhouse Brown and Reggie B. Fine defeated Flex Kavana (The Rock) and Bart Sawyer for the USWA Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee

    1998 – Shiro Koshinaka and Genichiro Tenryu defeated Masahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi Tenzan in Tokyo, Japan for the IWGP Tag Team Title

    2005 –  Christopher Daniels defeated Natural Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles in a best-of-three falls match to win the title in Buffalo, New York. 

    2006 – Brock Lesnar is stripped of the IWGP Heavyweight Title by New Japan Pro Wrestling. Lesnar and New Japan management had a disagreement regarding a defense against Hiroshi Tanahashi, scheduled to take place on July 17, resulting in Lesnar quitting the promotion; In Philadelphia, PA; ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson defeated Sonjay Dutt to retain the title and Team ROH (ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson, Homicide, Adam Pearce, Samoa Joe, Ace Steel and B.J. Whitmer (with J.J. Dillon)) defeated Team CZW (Claudio Castagnoli, CZW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Hero, CZW World Tag Team Champion Eddie Kingston, Necro Butcher and Nate Webb) in a Cage of Death match.

    2007 – In Orlando, Florida; TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle and TNA X Division Champion Samoa Joe defeated TNA World Tag Team Champions Team 3D (Brother Ray and Brother Devon). The rules stated that whoever got a pin won that person’s title, so Samoa Joe won the TNA World Tag Team Title.

  • Lucha Underground July 15 TV results & recap: Puma and Mil Muertes confrontation

    By Jeremy Peeples, WrestlingObserver.com

    Last week, we got an even more fun show than usual. Pentagon Jr. had a skit with his master and swore vengeance on Vampiro’s real name of Ian Hodgkinson for going soft, while The Mack and Cage had a fun little opener. Vamp and Pentagon were the stars of the show as we also got a sit-down interview with Pentagon once again insulting Vamp.  Mil Muertes destroyed Son of Havoc to set up both his own title match and the Trios Title match on Ultima Lucha. The main event was a crazy 8-person tag won by Johnny Mundo thanks to cheating to beat Sexy Star. The show concluded with the usual sendoff being changed up by Pentagon Jr. jumping Vamp, dousing him in gasoline, and getting a match against him at Ultima Lucha after threatening to burn him alive.

    The show begins with a recap of Dario Cueto finding seven ancient medallions and wanting to give someone on his roster immortality. After that, we get a bit of the Sexy Star-Super Fly feud and the Pentagon Jr. and Vampiro issue. Dario Cueto meets with Pentagon Jr. about the medallions – Pentagon Jr. doesn’t want them, and if he did, he’d just snap his arm and take them. Pentagon Jr. said he wants to force Ian Hodgkinson to accept his challenge. Pentagon Jr. said the Master will be revealed when he is ready. Mexican Dubwiser is our band, and Striker gives a shoutout to one of them having an M. Bison outfit on.

    Striker says that with the main event set for Ultima Lucha, we’ll have more stuff with the ancient medallions. I like this – the focus shifts from the top title to the secondary goals, and gives them time to seem important. Bengala is in the ring to face someone, and it turns out to be Daivari. Striker calls Daivari a millennial.

    Bengala vs. Daivari

    Vamp says he’s pissed off by Daivari’s attitude, and he throws his drink on the fans. Bengali’s Ultimo Dragon zebra cosplay gear is something else. Bengala gets a big wacky armdrag and then flips to the floor onto Daivari. Daivari distracts while Ryck attacks on the floor. Bengala gets a handspring elbow and a DDT into a victory roll for 2.5. Superkick gets 2 for Bengala. Daivari tosses Bengala into the ropes, but he opts to dive onto Ryck. Bengala goes up, but gets superplexed while Vamp talks about wanting to take a bet. Luckily, it’s just on how many bad things he can say about Bengali. Heel cheating backfires and a deadlift German wins for Bengala while Striker makes a ton of bad cat jokes. Striker hypes up Ultima Lucha while Vamp says he has to go for a bit, and he comes to the ring to a huge Vampiro chant.

    Vamp says he’s been around a long time and has wrestled for 30 years. For weeks, Pentagon Jr. has been pushing him to have one more match – which gets a “one more match” chant. He says his time has come and gone and he has no ego, but he got covered in gasoline and was nearly lit on fire. He can dig that though because Pentagon Jr. reminds him of himself. Pentagon tells him to stop crying and stop talking crap. He came here wanting an answer for Ultima Lucha, and the fans chant to Vamp that he’s still got it.

    Vamp says his name is Ian Hodginson, and Pentagon says his name is what and gets a big chant going. Vamp says that he can go back to his master with his answer – Ian Hodgkinson isn’t who Pentagon is going to face, resulting in a big Vampiro chant. Ian says that Vampiro is coming back to kick his ass – so basically, Foley had three faces and Ian has two. Vamp lifts him up and drills him with a chokeslam before going into the people amid a huge “Vampiro” chant.

    In the locker room, Sexy Star gets ready and reaches into her bag – which has Super Fly’s mask in it. We get clips of their mask vs. mask match and she leaves the mask on top of her bag. I hope she doesn’t have an iPad in that bag because she didn’t lock it up or anything. Vamp says he’s ready to kill somebody, and Striker says that he’s got a job to do. Melissa Santos is mid-ring for our medallion match.

    King Cuerno vs. Killshot

    Well, this sure is a random match. The ref holds up the medallion, and my money’s on the guy who is over. Cuerno pushes him into the corner and chops away with knife-edge chops and a sick overhand one. Killshot lands a big dropkick and a corner elbow before doing a snapmare and a basement calf kick for 1. Killshot is sent to the floor and Cuerno goes for the Arrow of Death, but he gets kicked. Cuerno gets sent to the floor and hit with a wonky-looking flip rana. Cuerno kicks Killshot, before Killshot does the same to him again. Striker says that this medallion could give you power in Lucha Underground – isn’t eternal life a bigger deal?

    Killshot gets another apron kick and a froggy crossbody for 2. Cuerno lands a big flying knee and sends him to the floor. Cuerno hits the Arrow of Death to a huge “lucha” chant from the fans. Cuerno can’t get the Thrill of the Hunt, but gets a sick dragon sleeper with a back bridge for the win. Striker hypes up the next match – Sexy Star vs. Super Fly.

    Super Fly comes down to a new theme and tons of boos. Sexy Star comes down while Striker says she is blurring the gender lines in wrestling. What now? I know the story they’re trying to tell, but that isn’t even happening in this company. Striker says this is their third match and Vamp says it’s a medallion match.

    Sexy Star vs. Super Fly

    A dueling Let’s Go Sexy/Super Fly chant breaks out and Sexy chops him leading to a Super Fly dropkick. Sexy knees him in the balls and gets an armbar for the win. Well, this sure made Super Fly look bad – and it didn’t make Sexy Star look good either. She comes off like a coward. Marty the Moth comes out while Vamp says he wants to call him a jerkoff, but he won’t…but you just did. Marty introduces himself and wants a shot at her medallion. Sexy accepts giving us.

    Sexy Star vs. Marty the Moth

    Armdrag sends Marty into the corner. Marty catches her off a crossbody and really delays the scoop slam for whatever reason. Sexy kicks and chops him while Vamp asks about Marty’s possible Facebook aliases. Marty gets a figure four and it’s reversed. Marty goes for a slam and Sexy wins after La Mistica to defend her medallion. Prince Puma confronts Mil Muertes next.

    Striker hypes up Ultima Lucha on August 8 and they run down the card with clips. Alberto vs. Mundo, Texano vs. Blue Demon Jr, Disciples of Death vs. Son of Havoc, Ivelisse, and Angelico, Hernandez vs. Drago, Vampiro vs. Pentagon Jr., and Prince Puma vs. Mil Muertes are shilled perfectly. If you only ever saw this show, you would know what the big picture issues were for Ultima Lucha, and it’s something WWE and TNA could learn from.

    Dario comes out to an “El Jefe” chant. Dario says that in three weeks, we’ll get Ultima Lucha for the biggest prize in lucha – the Lucha Underground Title. But, since he is impatient, he wants them to face off now. I like that we get a logical reason for this stuff happening. Puma comes out while Striker says that the show has had only one title, and if nothing else, LU has the best-looking belt in Lucha Underground. Puma doesn’t have Konnan, while Muertes lacks Catrina.

    Catrina shows up on the steps and Cueto asks her to leave. She can teleport, so I don’t think that will work. Mil’s goons attack, but Konnan kicks ass with the pimp stick. However, it’s used on him and he takes what we’ll generously call a bump for that. Catrina smashes the bag with the rock in it and Konnan bumps for her. They bring the coffin out and put Konnan in the same coffin he was put in. They wheel it away and Mil flatines him. This was all pretty great stuff – they efficiently built up everything on the big show.

  • TNA Impact Wrestling July 15 TV results & recap: EC3 defends World title on a championship-laden night

    By Jeremy Peeples, WrestlingObserver.com

    Last week, TNA presented a largely dreadful program under the guise of it being due to EC3. We got a couple of bad handicap matches, a fairly decent street fight between Robbie E and Jessie, and EC3 being a joke as champion facing jobbers and then getting tapped out by Kurt, but he retains due to a DQ because he punched the ref. Dixie Carter returned and said that Ethan would have to defend the title without her help, and that it was time for a new authority figure. There may also need to be a new faction out to get the TNA Title and all of the power that comes with it, but the jury’s out on that one.

    The show begins with a recap of EC3 defending his title three times, and then Dixie’s return. Josh talks about all the speculation about the new leader of TNA and Dixie is mid-ring. She says that the last time she was in the ring, she went through a table and had the fans cheering it. The building looks absolutely packed – but that’s because of the roster being outside the ring. She says she let the fans down, the roster down, and that she’s sorry to the roster and to the fans. Breaking her back gave her newfound respect for the industry. She says the future is bright for TNA, and while that’s easy to doubt, and when she makes promises, it’s easy to fear that she’ll break them. She’ll do everything she can to never let anyone in TNA down again, and she means that. Well, this is just a bizarre mix of storyline and reality.

    She’s sorry for lying, so if that’s the case, then how do we know she isn’t lying now? She introduces The Law – Bully Ray. He shows up in a shiny pleather suit jacket, jeans, and an oversized T-shirt. He shakes everyone on the roster’s hands while Josh says that big changes are in store for this week and every other week. So just like every other week, every week of Impact is special. Bully says Dixie called her to say that she was sorry for what she’d done to the fans, to the roster, and he believes her. Bully says that he thinks she’s finally telling the truth for the first time in her life, and he’s glad to be in a company with the best roster in the world. He’s coming back for the fans and for the roster. Bully doesn’t want the roster on the floor – he wants them on the apron. Could it be time for an impromptu reverse battle royal?

    Bully says that the roster, the crew, the travel team, and everyone in TNA cares about TNA despite what Dixie has put them through. It’s good enough for Bully, but he’s leaving the decision up to the fans. He wants to bring TNA back to the promised land and says he won’t hug or kiss Dixie, but he’ll shake her hand. Bully says it’s time for them to have what TNA does best – have a great wrestling show, and EC3 will defend the title tonight against the winner of a 20 man battle royal that begins now. Well, this is fairly organic and logical – I dig it.

    20 Man No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal

    Jessie attacks EY in the corner while Norv Fernum has been eliminated. Manik gets rid of Crazzy Steve. Magnus and Bram brawl a bit and Khoya eliminates Mandrews. Josh says that Bully Ray is trending on Twitter and that you should follow Dixie. Shark Boy is eliminated amid a Shark Week plug. Manik is eliminated and Robbie punches Abyss. Magnus clotheslines Abyss over the top and Josh tells him to go get some more catering. Drew backdrops Storm out and Magnus goes out too.

    We’re down to MVP, EY, and Drew. We get clips of eliminations, with Jessie taking out Robbie and Micah taking out Kenny King. MVP hits the corner kick on Drew allowing the one-time allies of EY and MVP to attack Drew more. EY’s newly-expanded tattoo looks pretty good – not sure why he’d suddenly decide to get a lot of ink in his late ’30s, but it works for him. Drew fights back with punches. EY dumps MVP. Drew Galloway avoids a charge and hits a Sick Kick in the corner to send EY to the floor. This was pretty much every nothing battle royal ever, but with some storyline continuity.

    We get clips of Sting being inducted in the TNA hall of fame. Next week, Dixie will announce the 2015 Hall of Famer. Pope and Josh talk about the battle royal and the Bram vs. Anderson match last week. Mike Tenay conducts an interview with him. Ken says he’s 39 and feels great, but if his career ended tomorrow, he’d be happy with what happened in his career. Does he need another injury though? We get clips of Bram destroying people, and he honestly comes off like a bit of a badass here. Ken says he’ll “go there” if needed, which is odd since he’s never really been a badass outside of the Angle feud. Bully is backstage asking “Seven letter word for obese? DREAMER!” Ha. Spud says he and Bully didn’t get along, but Bully wants him to believe in himself. Bully says he took Kurt to the limit, and tonight, he’s giving Spud a shot to be a three-time X Division champion. Bully and Spud have tremendous chemistry – Spud should be the Tajiri to his Regal.

    We get clips of Kurt Angle’s 2013 Hall of Fame induction video. For at least the second time in the show, Josh said that they’ve had a fast and furious start to the show. We go backstage to Drew for an interview talking about how tiring battle royals are and his destiny is to be World Heavyweight Champion. Eli tells him to go make history – didn’t they break up? Shouldn’t that end their friendship using wrestling logic. We get clips of Trump’s bad PR, which makes no sense in theory, but TNA has been advertising a Tigre Uno promo on him on their site throughout the day. TNA didn’t mention this though, which is a bit daft. Speaking of not mentioning things, Grado is out for some reason as is DJZ. Is this is a multi-man match for the X Title or is it a one on one match for the title with Spud and Uno? Spud’s out, and Uno finishes this, so it’s a four-way match for the title.

    Tigre Uno vs. Rockstar Spud vs. Grado vs. DJZ – X Title

    Josh finally explains that next week, Uno will talk about the Trump issue. Grado avoids a go-behind lift by DJZ via deadweighting him and then attacking with his ass before slapping it. Grado tells Spud to hit him in the belly, which doesn’t work, so Spud tries a slam but Grado falls on him for 2. Uno gets a running Pele on DJZ leads to an inverted atomic drop and both Spud and Grado punching DJZ. Pope says that Spud and Grado are countrymen, while Josh corrects him. Spud and Grado argue, but eat a double dropkick from Uno. Tigre gets the Phoenix splash to maybe one knee of Grado after overshooting and gets the win. Finish aside, this was a lot of fun. Next, Taryn defends against Brooke.

    Taryn and the Dollhouse talk about Brooke, while we get the hourglass video because Gail is seemingly going to ensure that reign ends tonight. Brooke comes out shaking her ass, while Taryn comes out with the Dollhouse and their dollhouse. Taryn comes out to wrestle this title match in lingerie while Pope instructs Josh to please be quiet during her intro.

    Taryn Terrell vs. Brooke – Knockouts Title

    The Dolls distract leading to a sneak attack. Taryn hits a bizarre rana headstand without a rana in the corner for 2. Josh, for this match, is a face as he is opposed to the Dolls attacking Brooke. Brooke counters a pair of Irish whips with a Russian legsweeps. Taryn gets a back elbow and a missile dropkick, but her cutter is countered by a bad dropkick. Brooke gets jumped on the apron and Taryn smacks her face on the steps and says “that looks like it hurt”.

    Taryn as a heel is so great. Taryn gets 2 off a crossbody. Brooke gets 2 off a bad cradle and Taryn misses a missile dropkick. Brooke gets a series of elbows, forearms, and lariats. Taryn laughs and eats a horrendous spear from Brooke. Brooke goes up and gets tossed off by Jade. The lights went out. Did Dixie lie to the power company? Nope – it’s ninja Gail Kim kicking ass! Gail’s gone, but Brooke gets the worst X Factor ever for the win. Everything not involving Gail here sucked. In an amusing bit, she jumps into Earl’s arms and he’s overjoyed. Kurt meets with Bully for an announcement.

    Kurt comes out and says that Bully told him the rematch didn’t happen, so Kurt gets a rematch whenever he wants. But Kurt has a tumor in his neck, so he’ll be out a while. When he gets back, he’ll get his rematch. EY comes out and Josh says he’s the most deranged man he has ever known. EY attacks him with the mic and says that it’s time for Kurt to go. EY rakes the eyes on the floor and Melendez prevents a piledriver on the floor, leading to EY hitting one on him on the floor while Pope yells about it and turns this into near-comedy. Next, we’ll see Magnus vs. James Storm from Slammiversary – presumably due to the Hernandez-Lucha Underground issues that are apparently preventing TNA from legally airing his match footage now.

    We see Team 3D’s Hall of Fame induction video. Pope has his action figure next to his pimp shades in the announcing room in the office. They air clips of the Magnus vs. Storm match from Slammiversary, which had one of the best event recaps in the site’s history from Bryan Alvarez, but with some new graphics for the announcers – so if TNA’s Greatest Matches gets renewed, they’ve got it ready to go. This was great in the sense that it made you want to see the whole match, and then we get a recap of what’s happened between them since that show with Mickie having one more match against a woman of Storm’s choosing. Storm says he started a revolution and he’s got a partner – it’s someone very close to Mickie James.

    Storm accepts her call and comes off as such a great slimeball. In two weeks, Magnus and Mickie face Storm and the mystery woman. Bully meets with EC3 and says he really needs a door and that EC3 is probably pissed about something. EC3 says they should really hype the rematch with Kurt up more though, and while it’s not as great as Bobby Heenan wanting a match with “Cowboy” Bob Ellis delayed for “only a mere six or eight months” due to a knee injury from the first Wrestling Gold DVD set, it was amusing. EC3 vs. Drew Galloway is up next.

    Drew comes out to his kick-ass theme looking like a top star with that and his swank ring jacket. Josh hypes up EC3 and his new merch on ShopTNA. For the record, Josh was a face for the knockouts title match, and a heel here.

    EC3 vs. Drew Galloway – TNA World Title

    Drew shoves him into the corner while Josh talks about Drew wanting clean finishes. Josh talks about how exhausted Drew could be after the battle royal. Why? He did basically one move. EC3 goes to the floor to avoid Drew, but he chops away and the fans hold him in place for one of them. Eli is down to counter Tyrus as we go to a break.

    EC3 gets a seated full nelson and a lariat. A dueling Ethan’s awesome/no he’s not chant breaks out. EC3 gets him in a kneeling camel clutch, which Josh points out was done improperly since Drew was on his knees in a vertical position. EC3 chants his name while smashing Drew’s head into the mat – nice spot. Drew gets him up in a fireman’s carry and punts his stomach on the top rope. Drew gets a powerslam for 2. Tyrus pulls a leg to prevent another pinfall. Another leg grab leads to a Stinger splash and Tyrus telling the camera guy to get out of his face. Drew gets a Kobashi machine gun chop in the corner. Drew accidentally elbows the ref and EC3 low blows him. Eli Drake prevents a Tyrus attack, but Eli attacks Drew with the crutch. Oh no – it’s the breakup of Drew and a guy named Eli Drake who he was affiliated with who we know nothing about, or their alliance. EC3 hits the headlock driver for the win. Eli isn’t going to #standup, but will he #showhisimpact or #jointheforce?

    To see every screenshot for the show, just click here.

  • WED. UPDATE: UFC tonight (again), Alberto El Patron comments on no-show, and more

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

    TV/major show notes notes for tonight:

    For the first time since Wednesday became the night of too many shows, UFC has a live Fight Night card from San Diego on Fox Sports 1:

    Main Card on Fox Sports 1 at 10:00 p.m. ET

    Frank Mir (262) vs. Todd Duffee (241)

    Josh Thomson (155.5) vs. Tony Ferguson (156)

    Holly Holm (135) vs. Marion Reneau (134.5)

    Scott Jorgensen (135) vs. Manvel Gamburyan (135)

    Kevin Lee (156) vs. James Moontasri (155)

    Alan Jouban (170.5) vs. Matt Dwyer (169)

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

    Sam Sicilia (146) vs. Yaotzin Meza (145.5)

    Jessica Andrade (134.5) vs. Sarah Moras (135.5)

    Rani Yahya (135.5) vs. Masanori Kanehara (136)

    Igor Araujo (171) vs. Sean Strickland (171)

    Prelims on UFC Fight Pass at 7:00 p.m. ET (Same time slot as the pre-fight show on Fox Sports 1)

    Kevin Casey (185.5) vs. Ildemar Alcantara (185.5)

    Andrew Craig (170.5) vs. Lyman Good (170)

    While short on name value past Mir and, to an extent, Thomson and Holm, this is a fun card on paper and the top three fights all have some divisional relevance. The main event is a havyweight fight that should deliver some quick fireworks on top of being a potential ticket to the top 10 for Dufee as well as a chance for Mir to prove he really has healed up and improved his training. Everything on the main card has the potential to be at least fun, with Jouban-Dwyer being a potentially fantastic action fight on piper. The top lightweights are almost always entertaining, as well, and Thomson-Ferguson should be no exception. Even on the prelims, Sicilia and Andrade are always entertaining, plus Yahya-Kanehara could potentially be a great grappling-heavy fight.

    As for the usual weekly shows:

    NXT at 8:00 p.m. ET on WWE Network has Blake and Murphy vs. Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins in a non-title match, Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte for the NXT Women’s Championship, a Sami Zayn appearance, and more.

    Lucha Underground airs at 8:00 p.m. ET on El Rey. Things are getting serious! For the first time ever, Lucha Underground Champion Prince Puma will face-off with his Ultima Lucha challenger, Mil Muertes. Super Fly and Sexy Star bring the heat in the ring, while Vampiro confronts Pentagon Jr., and Killshot battles it out in an intense match against King Cuerno. Tune in on Wednesday, July 15th at 8:00PM ET/PT on El Rey Network to see who comes out as winners!

    ROH at 8:00 p.m. ET on Destination America has Matt Sydal vs. Adam Page, Silas Young vs. Will Ferrara, and Jay Lethal (c) vs. Mark Briscoe for the ROH Television Title.

    Impact Wrstling at 9:00 p.m. on Destination America has all three singles titles on the line, the reveal of the new authority figure, and an update on Kurt Angle.

    **** 

    The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) with an extensive look at the new NWA Classics streaming service, the Houston Wrestling library, and Houston’s place in wrestling history. Among the topics covered are:

    * What made Houston Wrestling unique and how the town evolved.

    * What’s on the NWA Classics service so far and why it’s awesome.

    * What other libraries are still around?

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

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

    **** 

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

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

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

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    –Update on Jon Jones

    –Notes on all the UFC shows this week

    –Notes on the IV ban

    –UFC fighter retires

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

    –Notes on charges against the husband of Britney Palmer

    –Notes on fighters cut from UFC

    –Jose Aldo drug test note

    –Sonnen pranks Mendes just before the fight

    –Notes on Jacare Souza

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    ****

    Wednesday Daily Update

    — Last night, Alberto El Patron tweeted this statement about his no-show of an austism charity benefit card in Pasadena, Texas over the weekend:

    Due to personal reasons I wasn’t able to attend the event of @ClutchCityProd they did everything in their power to have me there.

    When nobody was able to get in touch with him about his whereabouts, there was some concern until Monday, when AAA told Medio Tiempo that the office had spoken to him and he was safe at home.

    — TNA issued a press release announcing that they’re partnering with AO1 Productions, “an industry-leading global production company,” to produce their shows with Ron and Don Harris. Given their recent public issues with paying production contractors on time, that’s…interesting.

    — Meanwhile, WWE is launching WWE Network as a traditional satellite TV channel in Malaysia. This really has nothing to do with anything, butMalaysia was, at one point (and it may still very well be), a hotbed for pirated WWE videos on VHS, DVD, and VCD, even releasing Over the Edge ’99 (the show where Owen Hart died) back in the day.

    — CZW issued this press release today:

    Combat Zone Wrestling, LLC and Stonecutter Media Ltd sign Pay-Per-View Distribution Deal

    July 13, 2015 – This weekend in the historic 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia, Stoncutter Media, Ltd president Steve Karel and CZW President David “DJ Hyde” Markland and CZW Vice President Tyrone “Maven Bentley” Scott Signed a deal with Stonecutter Media LTD for the exclusive rights to distribute Combat Zone Wrestling’s Live National Pay Per Views on all major Cable, Satellite, and Digital TV providers in the United States and Worldwide.

    Since early 2014, Combat Zone Wrestling, LLC ( CZW) has licensed Stonecutter Media Ltd.’s “Wrestling’s Bloodiest Wars” on demand pay-per-view franchise, (currently airing on INdemand, Vubiqity, Directv, DIsh Network and Shaw) with the trademark “ultraviolence” that has become synonymous with CZW.

    Future Combat Zone Wrestling Pay Per View airings will be announced soon.

    Karel and his company are best known for working with ECW during its heyday.

    — Crazy story about a male indie wrestler posing as a woman to take a dive in a fixed MMA fight in 2003 as part of one of Wes Sims’ Hammer House Fighting Championship cards. The card took place in Ohio, for whatever it’s worth.

    — Dave has three new articles that went up at MMAFighting last night on Fedor Emelianenko’s potential return to MMA, the UFC 189 prelim ratings, and the five fighters whose fortunes changed at UFC 189.

    — Dylan Hales and I have a new edition of The Trade Marks podcast talking NWA Classics, the relaunch of Whoo! Wrestling, and the Hulk Hogan/Gawker/FBI mess.

    — Brandon Howard has a fantastic article about the language of WWE at Voices of Wrestling. Make point to read this one.

    — Scott Fishman talks to Tough Enough’s Gabi in her post-elimination interview for Channel Guide Magazine.

    — Destiny wrestling proudly presents SUMMER HEAT Sunday August 30. Tickets range from $25 – $100. The show will be at the Don Kolov Arena on 4880 Tomken Road in Mississauga, ON with doors opening at 2:00 PM. Special guests former ECW/TNA/WWE tag team champions The Dudley Boyz/TEAM 3D, plus the return of Kongo Kong, former WWE star Highlander Rob, and the new Destiny Champion PJ BLACK/former WWE star Justin Gabriel. 

  • UFC Fight Night 71: Mir vs. Duffee live results and coverage

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 71: Mir vs. Duffee from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. The event, headlined by a five-round heavyweight bout between Frank Mir and Todd Duffee, airs on FOX Sports 1 at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off at 7 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass before moving over to FOX Sports 1 at 8 PM eastern time.

    Coverage provided by Ryan Frederick

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

    WELTERWEIGHTS: ANDREW CRAIG VS. LYMAN GOOD

    ROUND 1- Good is making his UFC debut. They trade punches quickly. Good with a big leg kick. Good lands a nice jab and a big leg kick again. They each land a right hand. Good is bleeding from the ear and both men are missing on punches. Good lands a solid right hand and a high kick. Craig just misses a head kick. Good lands a big jab. They trade punches. Good with a leg kick. Both men are really unable to connect with the majority of their shots. Craig lands a right hand and Good counters with a big leg kick. Good lands a combo and a head kick then a power right hand. His finish to the round probably sealed it for him. 10-9 Good.

    ROUND 2- Both men looking to establish the jab as Good lands a leg kick. Good lands another solid leg kick. Craig with a couple of leg kicks of his own. They trade right hands. Craig with a high kick. Craig lands a combo. Good lands a solid right hand. Good lands an uppercut and they clinch against the cage. Craig with a big elbow against the fence. Another big elbow from Craig and Good counters with a knee to the body. Good lands a knee and Craig slips to the mat. Good goes down and grabs the back but Craig gets to his feet. They break as Craig lands a knee to the body. Good lands a right hand and drops Craig. Good goes into the guard and is landing some big ground and pound. Lots of punches and the fight is stopped. Good gets the TKO win in his UFC debut.

    Official Result: Lyman Good def. Andrew Craig by TKO (punches) at 3:37 of Round 2

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS: KEVIN CASEY VS. ILDEMAR ALCANTARA

    ROUND 1- Casey returns from a drug suspension. They trade early and Casey lands a left hand. Casey lands another left hand. Alcantara with a right hand and then a body kick. Alcantara with a front kick and Casey gets tripped up on a takedown and gets mounted. Casey gives up his back but is able to escape into the guard. Casey pushes Alcanatara against the fence and is in high-guard but switches to half-guard. Casey with right hands from the top. Alcantara threw his legs up but it allowed Casey to reverse to the back with a hook in. Casey with some right hands from the back. Casey with more right hands from the back and then moves Alcantara to his back and is in the full guard. Casey with a big elbow. 10-9 Casey.

    ROUND 2- Slow start to the second round. Casey lands a combo. They clinch for a moment and Alcantara lands a knee on the break. Not much happening. Casey with a quick combo. Alcantara misses a right hand. Casey misses a head kick. This fight is increasingly dull. Alcantara lands a punch. Casey lands a leg kick. This is one of those rounds where both fighters need a warning for no action. Both miss punches. Casey did land a punch and then started opening up and dropped Alcantara with a left hook. One of the more dull rounds of “fighting” you’ll see before the late knockdown by Casey. 10-9 Casey, 20-18 Casey.

    ROUND 3- Casey lands a leg kick. Alcantara lands an elbow as Casey was off-balance and Casey slipped against the fence, but Alcantara didn’t take advantage. Both men are tired. Neither men are engaging much. Casey lands a combo. This fight is not a re-enactment of Lawler vs. MacDonald. Casey barely lands a right hand. Alcantara lands a big knee as Casey was coming in. Casey counters with some punches. Alcantara lands a combo and a front kick. Casey with a leg kick. They clinch as Casey looks for a body-lock takedown. They break. Casey lands some punches. Casey gets a late takedown. A complete nothing fight. 10-9 Casey, 30-27 Casey.

    Official Result: Kevin Casey def. Ildemar Alcantara by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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

    WELTERWEIGHTS: IGOR ARAUJO VS. SEAN STRICKLAND

    ROUND 1- Strickland lands a jab and Araujo lands a head kick. Araujo with a leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Strickland lands a big combo against the cage. Strickland grabs a leg and gets a takedown and is in the guard and blocks a sweep. Strickland postures up and takes the back of Araujo. Strickland with some big punches from the back. Araujo covers up as they scramble to the feet. They clinch against the fence. Strickland with a big elbow and a big combo. Strickland pouring punches on against the fence and Araujo goes down. Strickland with big ground-and-pound but it isn’t stopped and Araujo survives and has Strickland in his guard. Strickland with more big punches from the top and he takes the back and lands more punches. Araujo is in a bad position. He gets to his feet and lands some body kicks and rocks Strickland. Strickland with a big knee and a big combo. Both men are swinging. They both survive the round. 10-8 Strickland.

    ROUND 2- They both come out swinging and clinch against the fence. Araujo with a series of kicks and Strickland stuffs a takedown. They clinch against the fence. They break and Strickland lands a leg kick. They trade punches as the pace of the fight has slowed. Araujo with a body kick but Strickland grabs the leg and pushes the fight to the ground. Strickland in the guard of Araujo. Strickland with punches from the top as he gets to his feet. Strickland with more big punches. Strickland with more punches from the top as Araujo has no answer. Big punches to end the round. 10-9 Strickland, 20-17 Strickland.

    ROUND 3- They trade punches and Strickland gets a takedown. Not much happens on the mat as they get back to their feet. Strickland lands a big right hand and Araujo acts like it didn’t faze him. Araujo with a high kick. Strickland with a combo. Araujo misses a head kick. Strickland with a leg kick and a straight right hand. They trade punches. Araujo is unable to land much as Strickland is solid with his counters tonight. Araujo with a leg kick. Strickland responds with a straight right hand. Strickland with a nice combo. Strickland lands a left hand. Araujo misses a right hand but lands a push front kick. Araujo with a nice combo and he swings for the fences but too little too late. 10-9 Strickland, 30-26 Strickland.

    Official Result: Sean Strickland def. Igor Araujo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

    BANTAMWEIGHTS: RANI YAHYA VS. MASANORI KANEHARA

    ROUND 1- Yahya misses a jumping kick but uses it to set up a takedown and he has Kanehara against the fence. Kanehara counters but Yahya gets right back into Kanehara’s guard. Yahya trying to plant Kanehara on the mat. Kanhara with some punches from the bottom. Yahya working hard for position on the mat. They scramble to their feet. Yahya moves to the back. They are clinched against the fence. They break and Yahya lands a right hand and goes for a takedown. Kanehara defending and lands some punches and elbows. They get to their feet and Yahya grabs the back and gets a takedown and looks for a choke. Kanehara escapes and ends on top. They get to their feet and break. Yahya lands a solid combo. Yahya landing some punches and goes for a takedown. Kanehara with some side elbows as Yahya works. Yahya keeping Kanehara on the mat. Kanehara with short shots to end the round. 10-9 Yahya.

    ROUND 2- Kanehara with a step-in knee to start the round. Yahya with a quick combo but Kanehara lands a right hand. Yahya misses a Superman punch. Kanehara with a front kick to the body. Yahya misses a combo. Yahya initiates a clinch and grabs the neck and drops down for a guillotine. Kanehara defends and is landing body punches and elbows. Yahya locks it in tighter but Kanehara is trying to escape and keeps landing body shots. Kanehara is out and goes to half-guard. Yahya still looking for the choke but they are stood up by referee Jason Herzog. Yahya with a combo and lands a kick to the cup. Yahya lands a left hand. Kanehara with a body punch. Yahya lands a left hand and misses a Superman punch. Yahya goes for a takedown but can’t finish it as they fall to the mat. Kanehara with short elbows to the head. 10-9 Yahya, 20-18 Yahya.

    ROUND 3- Yahya with a right hand to start as Kanehara lands a knee. Yahya with a side kick. Yahya with a combo and a leg kick. Kanehara lands a big left hand and defends a takedown attempt from Yahya. Yahya still trying to drag the fight to the mat. Kanehara with hammerfists on Yahya as he defends. They are stood up by the referee. Not much happening. They trade punches. Yahya goes for a takedown but it is defended. Yahya holding onto the leg. The crowd is booing but Yahya is able to finish the takedown for a moment but Kanehara back to his feet. Kanehara with punches as Yahya tries to grab a leg and get this fight back down. Yahya is exhausted. Yahya holding on and eating punches from Kanehara. Warned to work by the referee. Stood up again. Kanehara with a body kick and a right hand. Kanehara with a liver punch and they trade to end the fight. Close fight, comes down to how the second was judged. 10-9 Kanehara, 29-28 Yahya.

    Official Result: Rani Yahya def. Masanori Kanehara by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

    WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS: JESSICA ANDRADE VS. SARAH MORAS

    ROUND 1- Moras ducks under a left hand and gets a brief takedown but they get to their feet. Moras goes for another takedown but they clinch. Andrade scores a takedown from the clinch and they break to their feet. Andrade lands a left hand. They swing wildly and Moras lands a right hand and goes for a takedown but it is defended. They trade and Andrade lands a nice combo. Andrade lands a big left hook. Moras grabs Andrade and pulls guard. Andrade with punches from the top as Moras looks for an arm. Andrade escapes and they get to their feet. Moras misses a takedown and Andrade lands punches from the top. Andrade lands a punch and they go to the mat and Andrade lands some big hammerfists. Andrade in side control and they get to their feet as Moras looks to sweep. Andrade with some elbows. They stand. Andrade knocks Moras down with a knee to the body as the round ends. 10-9 Andrade.

    ROUND 2- Andrade lands some punches. Andrade with a combo and they clinch. Andrade with a throw to the mat and she gets into the half-guard. Andrade with some hammerfists and she moves to side control. Andrade with some elbows. Andrade moves to half-guard and lands some body punches. They get to their feet. Andrade with a combo and she picks Moras up and slams her to the mat and goes to side control. Andrade with hammerfists from the top and then an elbow. More big punches from Andrade from the top. Andrade with more punches as she passes guard. Andrade looks for a finish with a quick flurry. Andrade with more body punches. 10-9 Andrade, 20-18 Andrade.

    ROUND 3- Andrade drops Moras with a right hand and lets her right back up. Andrade with a body punch and then a combo and a leg kick. Moras grabs Andrade and drops to the mat allowing Andrade into side control. Andrade with big punches from side control. Andrade with a flurry of punches looking for the finish. Moras is hanging on. Andrade with more big punches from the top and Moras is in all sorts of trouble and bloody. Andrade gets to her feet and Moras’ face is a mess. Andrade with a big combo. Moras goes for a desperate takedown and Andrade ends in the guard. They get to their feet and Andrade drops Moras with a body kick. Back to their feet. This is a beatdown. Andrade misses a punch and Moras is able to grab the neck but Andrade escapes. They go to the mat and Moras has the back mount on Andrade and looking for a choke. They stand and Moras has the back looking for the choke but it is not in. Andrade holding her finger up and the fight ends with Andrade surviving the submission attempt. 10-9 Andrade, 30-27 Andrade.

    Official Result: Jessica Andrade def. Sarah Moras by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

    FEATHERWEIGHTS: SAM SICILIA VS. YAOTZIN MEZA

    ROUND 1- They trade punches. Sicilia misses an uppercut and they clinch against the fence. Sicilia with an inside trip and he goes to the guard of Meza. Meza tries to scramble out but Sicilia grabs the neck but they scramble and Meza grabs the neck but Sicilia ends up in Meza’s half-guard. Sicilia with some punches from the top. Sicilia grabs the neck and is going for the choke but Meza scrambles out. Sicilia moves to the back and looks for an opening. Meza scrambles out and Sicilia misses a right hand as they go to the ground and Meza is in the half-guard. Meza goes for a guillotine but they scramble to their feet. Sicilia grabs the neck but lets go. Sicilia in side control on the mat. Sicilia back in the guard and they ride it out there. 10-9 Sicilia.

    ROUND 2- They trade leg kicks. They trade punches and leg kicks again. Meza lands a left hand. Sicilia misses a big right hand and Meza initiates a tie-up. They clinch against the fence. They break. They exchange punches. Meza goes for a leg kick but Sicilia grabs the leg and lands a right hand. Sicilia grabs the neck and looks for a choke but they go to the mat and Sicilia gets into the guard. They scramble to the feet and Meza with a knee to the body as they break. Meza with a leg kick. Meza with a glancing head kick. Sicilia looks for a takedown but Meza grabs the body and looks for one of his own. Meza finishes the takedown and is in half-guard. It could have stolen him the round. 10-9 Sicilia, 20-18 Sicilia.

    ROUND 3- Sicilia comes out looking to land the right hand. Sicilia lands one as Meza shoots for a takedown. Sicilia grabs the neck for a choke but Meza rolls to his back. They scramble on the mat as Sicilia stays in side control. Sicilia grabs the front headlock once again as they work to their feet. Sicilia has the guillotine choke locked in as they stand but Meza is able to spin out. Sicilia with some punches from the top and lands some big right hands. Sicilia grabs the neck again looking for the choke but lets go. They get to their feet and Meza looks for a leg but Sicilia defends and looks for the back. They stand and break. Meza misses a combo. Meza with a leg kick. Both men are tired. Sicilia goes for a takedown but Meza grabs the neck and looks for the guillotine choke. Sicilia is in trouble. Meza works to the back and looks for the arm. They scramble as the fight ends. 10-9 Sicilia, 30-27 Sicilia.

    Official Result: Sam Sicilia def. Yaotzin Meza by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

    MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT):

    WELTERWEIGHTS: ALAN JOUBAN VS. MATT DWYER

    ROUND 1- Jouban with a series of leg kicks. Dwyer misses a Superman punch. Dwyer with a front kick. Jouban slips on a missed right hand. Dwyer actually landed a right hand. Dwyer pulled guard going for a choke but Jouban escapes and is in the guard. Jouban escapes to his feet and they are up. Dwyer misses a combo. They clinch against the fence. They break and Jouban lands a big combo. Dwyer with a high kick. Jouban with a big body kick. Jouban with a body kick and they exchange punches and he rocks Dwyer with a right hand. Jouban lands a big knee to the head and it was illegal as Dwyer was on the ground. Definitely illegal after seeing the replay. Herb Dean deducts a point from Jouban. Jouban lands a left hand and a leg kick. Dwyer with a front kick and they exchange as the round ends. Close round but Dwyer takes it and is now up big on the cards. 10-8 Dwyer.

    ROUND 2- They come out trading punches. Dwyer lands a right hand. Jouban lands a left hand. Dwyer misses a leg kick. They trade punches and Jouban with a big body kick. Jouban with another body kick and then a head kick. Dwyer responds with one that is checked by Jouban. Dwyer with some body kicks. Jouban misses a left and defends a takedown attempt from Dwyer. Jouban hurts Dwyer with a body kick. They clinch against the fence. Jouban with a big elbow against the fence and a body kick. Jouban drops Dwyer with a head kick and looks to pounce. Jouban with big punches and a knee to the body. Dwyer throws a punch but Jouban counters with a left hand. Jouban with a body kick and then a kick to the head and then to the leg. Jouban with a body left hand to the body. Dwyer lands a right hand. Jouban with a cartwheel kick as the round ends with Dwyer in trouble. 10-9 Jouban, 19-18 Dwyer.

    ROUND 3- Jouban stalks Dwyer to start the third. Jouban with a leg kick. Dwyer trying to circle out of trouble. Jouban with a leg kick and looking for a big finish. Jouban lands a big left hand. Jouban misses a head kick but lands a leg kick. Dwyer has a head kick checked by Jouban. Jouban with a body kick. Dwyer misses a head kick. Jouban got poked in the eye but it was missed and it has slowed his attack. Dwyer with a checked head kick. Jouban lands a big combo and they clinch. Jouban gets a takedown and is in half-guard. Dwyer going for an arm but Jouban has his planted on the mat. Jouban with a knee to the body and some big left hands. Jouban finishes strong as Dwyer heys to his feet. Jouban with a cartwheel kick that allows Dwyer to end on top. Will be interesting to see the cards. 10-9 Jouban, 28-28.

    Official Result: Alan Jouban def. Matt Dwyer by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)

    LIGHTWEIGHTS: KEVIN LEE VS. JAMES MOONTASRI

    ROUND 1- Moontasri with a leg kick to start. Lee goes high with a kick and then one to the body. Lee with a left hook to the body. Lee with a body kick. They trade kicks. They trade and each man was poked in the eye so we have a timeout. They come out swinging. Moontasri goes for a flying knee but it allows Lee to grab him. Lee with a suplex to the mat and has the back. Lee gets the full back and has the rear-naked choke locked in. He gets the tap out! Moontasri submits and Lee picks up the win.

    Official Result: Kevin Lee def. James Moontasri by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:56 of Round 1

    BANTAMWEIGHTS: SCOTT JORGENSEN VS. MANNY GAMBURYAN

    ROUND 1- This is a do-or-die fight for Jorgensen. Jorgensen defends an early shot from Gamburyan. Gamburyan lands a right hand. Gamburyan grabs the neck and Jorgensen picks him up and they go to the mat but Gamburyan still has the neck looking for the choke. They scramble and Jorgensen escapes and now has the neck. Jorgensen with an elbow and Gamburyan gets a takedown. Gamburyan in the guard. Jorgensen tries to scramble up and does. Gamburyan gets a brief takedown. They clinch against the fence and a low blow from Jorgensen. They wrestle to the ground and Jorgensen ends up on top. Jorgensen with big punches and a knee and Gamburyan counters with a big right hand and big punches on the ground. Gamburyan looks for the finish and gets a big slam. Jorgensen survives and escapes to his feet and they clinch. Jorgensen with an uppercut and they break to the center of the Octagon. They trade right hands. Gamburyan with a body kick. Missed big right hand by both. Fun round. 10-9 Gamburyan.

    ROUND 2- They both miss punches. Jorgensen lands a combo. Gamburyan with a low kick and we have a timeout. Jorgensen lands a right hand and a leg kick. Gamburyan misses a head kick. Gamburyan goes for a takedown against the fence. Jorgensen scrambles out and lands a big body kick. Jorgensen grabs a leg and Gamburyan grabs the neck but Jorgensen escapes. Jorgensen lands punches against the fence. Jorgensen with a knee and they clinch against the fence. Gamburyan with a knee to the body followed by a right hand as they break. Gamburyan goes for a takedown but Jorgensen sprawls against the fence. Jorgensen with some elbows on the mat. They scramble on the mat and Jorgensen gets a takedown but Gamburyan reverses. Gamburyan with some elbows. Gamburyan with a big knee to the body. Close round. 10-9 Gamburyan, 20-18 Gamburyan.

    ROUND 3- Gamburyan with a leg kick and a left hand. Gamburyan with a body kick. Gamburyan with a leg kick and then another. Combo from Gamburyan. They each land shots. Gamburyan with a combo and a body kick. Gamburyan with a left hook. They trade punches. Leg kick from Jorgensen and then a hard right hand. Each man lands a punch. Gamburyan with a hard left hand after missing a takedown. Gamburyan with some kicks. Jorgensen with a right hand and Gamburyan has a takedown stuffed. They trade punches. Slower pace in the final round as Gamburyan lands a leg kick. Jorgensen lands a right hand. Big combo from Gamburyan. Gamburyan goes for a takedown but Jorgensen defends. Jorgensen with some elbows. They break and Jorgensen lands to the body to end the fight. Good fight and close final round. 10-9 Gamburyan, 30-27 Gamburyan.

    Official Result: Manvel Gamburyan def. Scott Jorgensen by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

    WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS: HOLLY HOLM VS. MARION RENEAU

    ROUND 1- Big fight for both ladies. Neither able to land in the first minute. They finally each land on a punch. Reneau with a head kick. Holm with a side kick. Holm with a leg kick and then another side kick. Holm with another side kick as Reneau is avoiding her punches. Holm with a body kick off a combo attempt. Neither really able to find their range. Holm with a leg kick. Reneau backs Holm up with a combo. Holm misses a spin kick. Reneau lands a body kick. Holm with a side kick and misses a head kick but lands a leg kick. They trade kicks. Reneau with a leg kick. They trade kicks. Not much happened. 10-9 Holm.

    ROUND 2- Holm misses a front kick and Reneau misses a body kick. Reneau with an inside leg kick. Holm with a head kick. Holm with a leg kick. They clinch and Holm lands a body kick on the break. Reneau with a leg kick. They trade kicks as the crowd begins to boo. Holm with a body kick. Holm with a combo ending with a body kick. Holm misses a head kick. Holm is throwing the same attack in repeated order but Reneau unable to take advantage of it. Holm with a side kick to the leg. Holm with a combo to the body and then side kicks to the body. Reneau with a body kick and Holm grabs the leg. Reneau jumps up and looks to pull guard but Holm shakes her off and wants this fight back up. 10-9 Holm, 20-18 Holm.

    ROUND 3- Neither able to land their punches. Holm misses a combo. Holm misses a side kick and Reneau lands a body kick. Holm with a combo and body kick. Holm with a body kick. Holm with a body kick. Holm misses a head kick. Holm with a leg kick. Holm with a leg kick. Neither able to land. Holm lands a left hand. Holm with a side kick. Reneau jumps guard and Holm throws her down and goes to the ground for a moment but gets up. Holm with leg kicks to a seated Reneau. They get back up. Holm with a nice combo and body kick that hurts Reneau but the fight ends without a finish. Good showing from Holm but nothing that makes you believe she’s close to title contention. 10-9 Holm, 30-27 Holm.

    Official Result: Holly Holm def. Marion Reneau by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28)

    29-28 is a terrible scorecard.

    LIGHTWEIGHTS: JOSH THOMSON VS. TONY FERGUSON

    Word is this will be Thomson’s last UFC bout and possibly last career bout.

    ROUND 1- Ferguson with a leg kick and Thomson with one of his own. Thomson with a front kick. Thomson catches a Ferguson leg and throws him down. Thomson gets a quick takedown but Ferguson rolls to his feet. Ferguson with a front kick to the body and then another. Ferguson with a leg kick. Ferguson lands a big jab. Ferguson with a leg kick. Thomson with a solid combination. Ferguson with a leg kick and Thomson counters with a right hand. Ferguson with a front kick. Ferguson with a leg kick and a front kick to the body. Ferguson goes for a flying knee but Thomson counters with a takedown and some punches from the top. Thomson escapes a triangle choke and is in the guard. Ferguson tries to roll but Thomson ends up in the guard and lands some punches and elbows. Close round. 10-9 Ferguson.

    ROUND 2- They trade punches. Thomson lands a big right hand and Ferguson rolls out of trouble. Ferguson with a front kick. Ferguson with a big elbow that hurts Thomson and drops him. Ferguson goes for the finish with lots of punches but Thomson looks to roll out. Ferguson with elbows and punches on the ground. Ferguson with more elbows. Ferguson grabbed the fence to keep position and they are ordered to stand up. They trade punches. They trade punches and Ferguson still has Thomson hurt. Thomson with a right hand. Thomson misses a spinning back fist and stumbles to the ground. Thomson in the guard and bleeding heavily. Ferguson looks for the triangle choke and lands elbows. Thomson escapes but is bleeding all over Ferguson. Ferguson has the kimura and is cranking. Thomson rolling out and to his knees. Ferguson with big punches. Ferguson in side control but Thomson escapes to his feet and they throw to end the round. 10-8 Ferguson, 20-17 Ferguson.

    ROUND 3- Thomson still on wobbly legs to start the final round. Ferguson goes for a flying knee but Thomson grabs the leg but they break. They trade punches. Ferguson lands a right hand. Ferguson with a short elbow. They trade body kicks. Ferguson with a leg kick. Elbow from Ferguson again. Thomson lands a left hand. Ferguson with a leg kick. Big body kick from Ferguson hurts Thomson. Ferguson with a leg kick and then a body kick. Big knee to the body from Ferguson hurts Thomson but he survives. Spinning back fist from Thomson. He is getting up there on the Muta Scale with the blood. They clinch and Thomson has the back but too late. 10-9 Ferguson, 30-26 Ferguson.

    Official Result: Tony Ferguson def. Josh Thomson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

    HEAVYWEIGHTS: FRANK MIR VS. TODD DUFFEE

    ROUND 1- They trade punches quickly. Mir rocks Duffee with a left hand and then another. They are swinging and both men are throwing big shots. Mir with a knee and some big left hands. Big knee from Mir. Duffee running into Mir’s left hand. They clinch but break. Duffee with a big jab. Mir then lands a big left hand and Duffee goes down and out cold. Mir with the big knockout win as Duffee did a face plant right in the center of the Octagon. An absolute crazy fight.

    Official Result: Frank Mir def. Todd Duffee by knockout (punch) at 1:13 of Round 1 

  • UFC Fight Night Frank Mir vs. Todd Duffee Observer Main Card Picks

    By Josh Nason, WrestlingObserver.com

    We’re back for the third UFC event in five days with the fourth in seven coming up. It should be fun, but a lot less fun now that Giblert Melendez vs. Al Iaquinta is off the card due to Melendez’s drug test failure.

    How about that Conor McGregor?

    Our Panel:

    – Jack Encarnacao (63-24 | .724) Sherdog Rewind host, The Lapsed Fan podcast co-chair, Steve Austin impersonator

    – Steve Juon (58-29 | .666)AngryMarks founder, MMA Mania writer

    – David Bixenspan (56-31 | .643) Figure Four Weekly writer, Observer Daily Update writer, podcast host

    – John Pollock (55-32 | .632) Fight Network personality, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, The MMA Report host

    – Mike Sempervive (54-33 | .620) Wrestling Observer Live co-host | Big Audio Nightmare

    – Front Row Brian (52-35 | .597) MMA newsbreaker, Twitter personality, podcast host

    – Josh Nason (50-37 | .574) Wrestling Observer digital media and content guy, WON Twitter enabler

    – Dave Meltzer (49-38 | .563) Wrestling Observer founder & writer, occasional cougher

    – Mike Sawyer (49-38 | .563)Tough Talk MMA, 2014 picks panel champion 

    *****

    > Frank Mir (17-9) vs. Todd Duffee (9-2)
    Heavyweights

    Count me among those who counted Mir out several times over the last few years amid an 0-4 stretch. Then, he found himself against a depleted Bigfoot Silva in Brazil and knocked him out in 1:40. At 36, he’s still a going concern in the heavyweight division but a bad knockout loss could change it all. Mir is looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since 2011.

    The 29-year-old Duffee returned to action for the first time in two years in December and knocked out Philip DeFries in just :33. In his three UFC wins, he’s spent a total of 2:40 in the cage. Wow. Healthy after suffering the effects of Parsonage Turner Syndrome, he puts himself in ‘Interesting Fight Territory’ with a win over a name like Mir.

    Mir: Encarnacao, Sawyer, Pollock, Meltzer
    Duffee (favorite): Nason, Bix, FRB, Sempervive, Juon

    > Josh Thomson (20-7-0-1) vs. Tony Ferguson (18-3)
    Lightweights

    The 36-year-old Thomson returns for the first time in a year, a victim of back-to-back hard luck decisions to Benson Henderson and Bobby Green. Had he beaten Henderson, he would have got a lightweight title shot and who knows what would have happened then? Life sucks sometimes.

    He’s got a chance to knock off a fast-rising contender in Ferguson, the past TUF winner who has won five straight with four finishes. Overall, he’s won eight of his nine UFC fights and looks ready to take the next big step in his career. Thomson hasn’t been finished in over a decade, so we could be in for 15 minutes of awesomeness. This should be your Fight Of The Night.

    Ferguson (favorite): Nason, Bix, Encarnacao, FRB, Sempervive, Juon, Sawyer, Pollock, Meltzer

    > Holly Holm (8-0) vs. Marion Reneau (6-1)
    Bantamweights

    The 33-year-old Holm was visibly shaking going into her February UFC debut and put on a ‘meh’ performance in a decision win over Raquel Pennington. The undefeated Holm looks to regain her mojo and put herself on the Rousey Track against the very tough Reneau, a 36-year-old who is 2-0 in the Octagon. She’s won five straight and is a very live underdog.

    Holm (favorite): Nason, Encarnacao, FRB, Sempervive, Sawyer, Meltzer
    Reneau: Bix, Juon, Pollock

    > Scott Jorgensen (15-10) vs. Manny Gamburyan (14-8-0-1)
    Bantamweights

    WEC All-Star Jorgensen heads back up to 135 in desperate need of a ‘W’ after dropping four of his last five and six of his last eight. He gets Gamburyan who is an even 1-1-1 in his last three. His bantamweight debut, however, was a success with a second round finish over Cody Gibson. (Hey, at least you’ve probably heard of both these guys.)

    Gamburyan (favorite): Nason, Bix, Encarnacao, FRB, Sempervive, Juon, Sawyer, Pollock, Meltzer

    > Alan Jouban (11-3) vs. Matt Dwyer (8-2)
    Welterweights

    The 32-year-old Jouban arguably could be 3-0 in his young Octagon run, save a bad judges’ call in a decision loss to Warlley Alves. In his two wins, he’s finished both his opponents by first round KO, so there’s plenty to like here. In Dwyer, you get a 25-year-old Canadian who is 1-1 in his UFC tenure and is an absolute finisher with all of his career wins coming via T/KO. This should be hellacious.

    Jouban (huge favorite): Nason, Bix, Encarnacao, FRB, Sempervive, Juon, Sawyer, Pollock, Meltzer

    Enjoy!