Despite Sasha Banks hailing from Boston, MA, the site of tonight’s WWE TLC pay-per-view, Becky Lynch vs. Sasha was just announced for the pre-show.
The show is likely to start shortly after 7:30 p.m.
We will be having live coverage of the show, headlined by Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE title in a TLC match, starting at that time. Bryan Alvarez and I will also be back later tonight with a post-show recap, our third of the weekend.
A full report on the show will be coming in the daily update.
Lynch and Banks had a tremendous match earlier this year on an NXT Takeover special. They also had a short Raw match. Banks has been protected in booking while Lynch has been teased in having a down-the-line feud with Charlotte.
Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive will be doing a two-hour pre-show LIVE on Sports Byline USA/Sirius Satellite Radio starting at 6 ET/3 PT, which you can listen to through TuneIn Radio on the front page of the website, or by clicking here. There will also be a Bryan and Vinny Show after the PPV tonight talking all of the matches and angles.
So WWE went ahead and rebooted itself shortly after Survivor Series. They sort of had to, after all, when their long term project Seth Rollins was put out of action with a serious knee injury. Out of all the situations they could have done, they went ahead and did the one that made the least amount of sense – make Sheamus, who on that very same show was treated like a total geek in a nothing match – the WWE champion, pinning new champion Roman Reigns after cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase.
Sheamus, now the top heel in the company (except whenever the Authority make their presence), has formed a stable consisting of him, Wade Barrett, Rusev and Alberto del Rio known as the League of Nations. Their target is Roman Reigns, who gets another title opportunity this weekend thanks to Triple H, who just gave it to him despite doing everything in his power to get the belt off Reigns. The odds are stacked against him, but he’s proven that he can win the big one, as evidenced the previous month. Will we see a new champion crowned at the final pay per view of the year, or will the Authority’s latest charge find a way to keep his title?
Chairs Match for the WWE United States Championship: Alberto del Rio (c) vs. Jack Swagger
Bryan Rose: A main event in any arena! Or, should I say, a Main Event main event in any arena. Really, the booking is so lame here. You take Jack Swagger, who has not been on TV for months besides doing jobs on Main Event and Superstars, and now suddenly he’s number one contender just because. He has zero momentum to speak of, Alberto only has a bit more, and overall this just feels like a very lame feud that they gave zero time or effort to get over. Whether or not Zeb is involved doesn’t really matter, as with the new League of Nations gimmick he’s the odd man out, plus he and Alberto really have no chemistry to speak of. With that said, I fully expect it now to be a swerve that will allow del Rio to get the clean win. Over Jack Swagger.
Winner: Alberto del Rio
James Cox: It is difficult to hold out much hope for a gimmick match that has traditionally not offered up classic matches. The most intriguing thing will be how they use Zeb, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they just completely ignore that angle and move on without him at all. Swagger can never get over with this character unless they let him win, but, clearly, he’s losing here after what I would guess will be a tussle and back-and-forth between their submission moves in the finish.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Jeremy Peeples: This feud has been built up terribly on television and this match seemingly serves no purpose. Swagger is feuding with MexAmerica, which no longer exists after Raw, so why is this happening? Beyond just giving Swagger a payday, it should be a fine showcase for Alberto and perhaps they bring Swagger and Zeb together. There’s a very slim chance they give Swagger the title here to move Alberto into the WWE Title picture officially, but that seems very unlikely.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Steve Khan: I expect a lot of chairs to be used in this match. Maybe Del Rio will double foot stomp a chair into Swagger’s face. Or maybe he’ll superkick a chair into Swagger’s face. Or maybe he’ll do an armbar through a chair. Either way…
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Eight Man Tag Team Elimination Tables Match: The Dudley Boyz, Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno vs. The Wyatt Family
Bryan Rose: I guess ECW is still popular enough in 2015 that the return of Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno are going to get big reactions. Hey, that’s a testament to the power of WWE still getting over ECW 14 years after it went out of business, plus a misguided attempt to reboot it 9 years ago. I’m not sure what to expect here other than a bunch of table shots. With the Wyatts losing clean last month to the Undertaker, something tells me they’ll do just fine against Team Extreme (not to be confused with Team Xtreme).
Winners: The Wyatt Family
James Cox: I worry that this won’t amount to much after an initial ECW pop in Boston, but I hope that I’m wrong. In theory, you can use this to reboot The Wyatts after losing last month, but I don’t know how this company thinks anymore. You can certainly beat any of these men and I would assume they will at least protect Bray and Strowman. I really want this to be a lot of fun, on a ppv that doesn’t look that exciting as things stand.
Winner: The Wyatt Family
Jeremy Peeples: They haven’t been doing much with the Dudleys, although Tommy Dreamer has been shockingly over and Rhyno is a welcome sight on the main roster. With Bubba Ray being truly wasted in this ECW/Attitude Era nostalgia act, hopefully he turns heel and does his own thing. Since there is no chance of that happening, Team Extreme will just be used to put over the Wyatts and they can talk about how the Wyatts are the only team in WWE history to defeat the Dudleys at their own game. Sure, it won’t be true, but it will tell a nice story.
Winner: The Wyatt Family
Steve Khan: Whether or not this feud is continuing, the Wyatts should win and they probably will. Tables matches are dumb so I don’t expect much from this.
Winner: The Wyatt Family
Divas Title: Charlotte (c) (with Ric Flair in her corner) vs. Paige
Bryan Rose: Does anyone care at this point? Now Charlotte’s teasing a heel turn because…I don’t know? I guess we aren’t supposed to think of the Divas as faces or heels? The only true babyface on the Divas roster at this point is Becky Lynch, who only pops up now and again. For all of this talk about a Revolution, we’re right back to square one with Divas whose one note gimmicks are that they are either heels or crazy people. Virtually nothing’s changed now and that’s probably the saddest thing about the WWE this year. Charlotte retains, I guess, but who can care at this point?
Winner: Charlotte
James Cox: I hope we see the completion of a double turn in this one. The muddying of the waters around who is the heel is just irritating. Flair can be either. On his own, he’s always going to get a babyface reaction, but with Charlotte I can see that they can use him in that way. But the fact that I’m writing this, after what happened last month with the Flair family name, is ridiculous. With no smoke and mirrors, they’re going to have to work hard to make a Boston crowd care much.
Winner: Charlotte
Jeremy Peeples: This feud has been a colossal waste of both women, but Paige’s character is more of a babyface than Charlotte’s now since she’s speaking the truth – it’s just a truth no one wants to accept. Of course, a double turn won’t do much for either of them since the commentators will just talk about how it’s okay for Charlotte to cheat because her dad did, so everything will be undercut. They had a good-ish match on the last PPV and a better one on Raw, so I expect this to have pretty good action if the match itself isn’t just a backdrop to the angle. Charlotte needs the title more than Paige, and a heel-ish win moves her cocky character forward too.
Winner: Charlotte
Steve Khan: Paige should really be the star of this division right now, as Charlotte has been nothing as champion, but her storyline over the last few weeks has probably bought her more time with the belt. She cheated last month by accident, so I think she cheats on purpose here to pick up the win. The match itself should be good.
Winner: Charlotte
Ryback vs. Rusev
Bryan Rose: This match was added at the very last minute on Smackdown. They’ve built it up the last few weeks in a build that was, well, just a build. As for the actual match, it could go either way. This could either be a fun slugfest or a WWE-style centric match, which can produce a boring bout. Let’s hope for the latter. I say Rusev wins as he needs some heat on him following his return.
Winner: Rusev
Steve Khan: It seems like this show could be dominated by heels, so Ryback getting a token win wouldn’t surprise me, but they just reunited Rusev and Lana and Rusev is in the League of Nations so he should really win.
Winner: Rusev
Ladder Match: WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day (c) vs. The Usos vs. The Lucha Dragons
Bryan Rose: I think this’ll be a stunt show, but a good one. All three tag teams are probably going to go all out here, with lots of ladder shots in between. Not the best built program leading to this, but not many matches on the show were anyway. I see the New Day winning here because there really aren’t any tag teams that are over enough for them to drop the titles so.
Winner: The New Day
James Cox: This is a classic case of being booked into a corner by creating gimmick ppvs in advance. There’s no reason to have three teams in this match. But, I’d call this to be the match of the night, provided it isn’t just a spot-fest. Kofi, Kalisto and The Usos are all capable of doing something special here. The New Day have become bloated versions of themselves in the last few weeks, but it makes zero sense for them to lose the titles, other than just for the sake of playing hot potato with the belts.
Winner: The New Day
Steve Khan: This obviously has potential to be match of the night and hopefully it’s given time to produce. I would actually put the titles on the Usos. WWE is in love with New Day but too many babyface acts are coming up short lately, and that could continue on this show if Ambrose and Reigns both lose. New Day can come out of this feud as champions eventually, and they’ll probably win here despite what I Just said, but I’ll go out on a limb (?) and take the Usos.
Winner: The Usos
Intercontinental Championship: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
Bryan Rose: This should be a good match if given time. I can’t say there’s a whole lot of interest here because the way it was built, which included Dean Ambrose throwing soda and popcorn at his opponent, and Owens using the walkout finish on nearly every match he’s been in leading up to this one. But again, if they are given enough time, they can go out there and steal the show. As for who wins, it could go either way, but I see Owens retaining here in some sort of finish that allows a rematch for next month.
Winner: Kevin Owens
James Cox: With all the bells and whistles that this show has, I feel like time could be an issue here. If they give them 15mins, they can have a great match. Less than 12 and I struggle to see this being much better than just OK. Owens is a great heel and Ambrose a great babyface, but only if the company want them to be and are prepared to invest time in them. With one eye on WrestleMania now, you’d have to think that if Ambrose wins, Owens becomes a potential for the Rumble or a high spot on the WrestleMania card. But in theory, with this weakened roster, so should Ambrose.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Jeremy Peeples: This match really hasn’t had much of a build to it, and Raw’s popcorn and soda usage didn’t exactly set fire to the feud. Dean Ambrose has no momentum, while Owens at least has some – so he seems like a lock to win – especially if they decide to throw him in as one of the many champions in the League of Nations. Doing so would keep this feud alive and make a Dean win in the future mean more since it showed Roman’s group could take something from Sheamus’s.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Steve Khan: It occurred to me that this company may not want to put a title on Dean Ambrose as long as Roman Reigns is without one himself. Imagine the Usos and/or Ambrose walking out with Reigns and they have belts but he doesn’t? That puts the odds against Ambrose and the Usos on this show. Watching the babyfaces constantly come up short is getting tiresome, so that’s probably what we’ll see. The match itself should be good.
Winner: Kevin Owens
TLC Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus (c) vs. Roman Reigns
Bryan Rose: So they went ahead and did the worst possible finish they could have done at Survivor Series by making Sheamus the WWE champion again. Booking and ratings aside, Sheamus has never felt like a main event talent, and that is what causes me to have little to no interest in this match. They’ll work hard and probably have a good match. But I’m jaded enough on WWE’s product to know there will probably be a screwy finish here that leaves Roman Reign a loser for the upteenth time this year, leading to a Royal Rumble scenario that probably sees him winning the title shot again. To say this isn’t interesting television right now is an understatement. But hey, Roman Reigns has a few people cheering for him now, so I guess it all paid off, right?
Winner: Sheamus
James Cox: A TLC match is just the kind of match that Sheamus does well in when in the main event picture: long brawls where he ultimately stands tall, drenched in sweat. There’s so much that they can do here with the two factions that they have created around each of them, that maybe this will become just a series of run-ins. I hope not. This needs to kick start this programme and, ideally, we should know by the end of it what our Royal Rumble main event is. But Reigns losing again? That feels like one too many. In a TLC match I guess you can still keep him looking strong despite the defeat. And let’s not forget that, for whatever reason, this company likes Sheamus.
Winner: Sheamus
Jeremy Peeples: Sheamus is dangerous enough in a regular match, but adding at least three implements of destruction (or toys as JBL could call them) adds even more risk to Roman. With so many people out with injury, I wouldn’t put Roman in this match against Sheamus, but it’s booked and Sheamus needs to look strong. The problem is that Roman needs to as well and really can’t be losing so many title matches. With that said, Sheamus needs the win and has an entire stable to ensure a victory, so he is the likely victor and then Roman will have to overcome the entire League of Nations to get a rematch or something along those lines.
Winner: Sheamus
Steve Khan: The finish of the match is important (or at least the follow-up) because it potentially sets up the title picture through WrestleMania, which probably has a lot of moving parts at the moment. Reigns winning here seems unlikely. If he gets a rematch at the Rumble, he can win that and go into WrestleMania as champion. But if he loses and the Authority refuses to give him another rematch, then Reigns goes into the Rumble and probably wins that. That leaves a hole for Sheamus to be filled at the Rumble. Maybe they’ll throw Brock Lesnar or Undertaker or John Cena in there to set up a match with Reigns, but for now it doesn’t really matter.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer returns today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA including tons of thoughts on UFC 194: Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo Jr.! All the fights, the atmosphere, historic finishes, and tons more, all live from Vegas with Dave! Plus, news on WWE TLC, PWG from Friday night, LUCHA UNDERGROUND AND MATANZA, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The biggest UFC event of 2015 is headlined by two title fights, two of the most intriguing fights of the year, and possibly the best main/co-main combination the UFC has ever put together. UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo takes on Interim UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor to unify the titles in the main event, and UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman defends against Luke Rockhold. Follow along with our live coverage beginning at 6:30 PM eastern time with preliminary action. We are looking for your thoughts on the show, so send us a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and worst fight to Dave Meltzer.
WELTERWEIGHTS- COURT MCGEE (16-4, 5-3 UFC) VS. MARCIO ALEXANDRE JR. (11-2, 0-2 UFC)
First round: Former TUF winner in the first of 13 matches. That’s how you know a show is loaded. Body kick by McGee. Left by Alexandre. Body kick by Alexandre landed. McGee gave him an accidental low blow. That was a kick straight through the uprights. Alexandre grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard. McGee out and threw punches. Close round 10-9 Alexandre.
Second round: Body kick by Alexandre and McGee with a low kick. McGee pushed him into the fence. McGee with a body kick. They were in a clinch against the fence and noting has been happening. McGee throwing knees to the thigh. They were separated with 50 seconds left. Body shot by McGee. High kick by Alexandre blocked. Left by Alexandre. Spin kick by McGee barely grazed him. McGee’s round so 19-19 going into the third.
Third round: McGee took him down. Trading body kicks. McGee trying for a takedown but doesn’t have it. McGee can’t take him down but he’s working for it. McGee finally picked him up low and slammed him and is busy from the top. McGee working the body. McGee pounded him out late in the round. 29-28 McGee. First and second rounds were close however, third was the only decisive round.
Scores: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for McGee
LIGHTWEIGHTS- JOHN MAKDESSI (13-4, 6-4 UFC) VS. YANCY MEDEIROS (11-3 1 NC, 2-3 1 NC UFC)
First round: Makdessi connecting on low kicks. Medeiros with a solid low kick. Makdessi with a low kick. Left and right by Medeiros. Spin kick by Makdessi. Close round. Makdessi 10-9.
Second round: Makdessi with a body kick. Left uppercut by Medeiros. Head kick by Makdessi. This fight is more like technical sparring than a fight. Nice spin kick by Makdessi just as I wrote that. Left to the body by Makedessi. Low kick,but most blows don’t have a lot of force. Medeiros with a body kick and and a nice right. Side kick by Makedessi. Body shts and side kick by Makedessi. Medeiros went for a takedown but couldn’t get it. Spin kick to the body Medeiros. Left by Medeiros. Medeiros with a right. Another close round. Medeiros’ round so 19-19 going into the third.
Third round: Medeiros with aleft. Medeiros landing jabs. Right by Medeiros. Another jab by Medeiros. Makdessi back with a low kick. Medeiros with a right. Spin kick to the body by Makdessi. Body kick by Medeiros but he was momentarily tripped. Low kick by Makdessi. Medeiros landing the jab. Right by Makdessi. Makdessi with a side kick. Big right by Makdessi . Makdessi landing shots but Medeiros knocked him down. Very close, Medeiros was winning the round early, Makdesssi was really coming on late but that knockdown may have been the difference. All three rounds close. Medeiros 29-28.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- JOE PROCTOR (11-3, 4-2 UFC) VS. MAGOMED MUSTAFAEV (12-1, 1-0 UFC)
Magomed Mustafaev (12-1) vs. Joe Proctor (11-3), lw
First round: Mustafaev moving forward. Proctor with a low kick. Proctor in with punches. Mustafaev with punches. Body kick by Mustafaev. Body kick and punches by Mustafaev. Hard knees by Mustafaev. Hard knees by Mustafaev and another knee put him down and its’ over. Proctor’s a tough guy so Mustafaev is clearly legit. 1:54
PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- LEONARDO SANTOS (14-3-1, 3-0-1 UFC) VS. KEVIN LEE (11-1, 4-1 UFC)
First round: Hard body kick by Alves, Knee to the body by Alves. Covington took him down. Alves grabbed a guillotine, Covington power bombed him, in, but Alves held on and Covington tapped out.
First round: Huge size difference here. Lybarger much taller and larger. Torres landed some punches. Nice combo by Torres. Left to the jaw by Jones. Right by Jones. Torres now landed. Torres trying for a takedown. Torres 10-9.
Second round: Crowd starting to boo as Jones has Torres pressed against the fence. Now Torres reversed the position. Body kick by Jones. She’s again pressing Torres against the fence. Torres landing punches. Joes went for a takedown but Torres landed on top and is throwing punches on the ground. Now she’s landing elbows. Torres landing hard punches from the top late in the round. Crowd gave Torres a big hand. 20-18 Torres.
Third round: Torres landed some punches. Body kick by Jones as she moved in. Nice right hook by Torres. Torres now landing several punches. She’s turning it on. Torres with hard punches. Now Jones landed a solid right. Head kick by Torres. Crowd really liked this fight. They raised each others’ arms when it was over. The crowd took to Torres. Torres 30-27. Pretty much has to be that score unless you do a 10-8 second round which is possible.
First round: Trading low kicks. Faber out fast, landed a right and took him down. Faber tried another takedown but Saenz ended up on top. Faber threw a right but it was blocked. Seanz missed pnches. Faber ducked for a takedown but Saenz out of the way. Faber with a left and low kick. Saenz back with an elbow and Faber with an elbow. Seanz with a low kick. Faber wih a knee. Faber failed on a takedown attempt but back up. Saenz landed good shots. Body kick by Saenz. Faber failed on a takedown attempt. But he hit an elbow. Saenz missed a knee. Body kick by Saenz. Faber 10-9.
Second round: Body kick by Faber. Faber landing a ton of elbow and has Saenz in trouble. He’s hurting him with elbows. Saenz surviving some huge right and left elbows. Faber with a hip toss into side control. Saenz reversed to the top. This is a great fight. Crowd gave both a huge hand. Saenz swept his leg and Faber went down. Body kick and punch by Saenz. Saenz with a punch and low kick. Right by Saenz. Low kick by Saenz and another. Faber went for a takedown but Saenz blocked. Faber 20-18 because of the opening flurry but it was Saenz the last half of the round.
Third round: God low kick by Saenz. Body kick by Faber. Body kick by Saenz. Left and right by Faber. Knee by Saenz and another knee. Saenz going for a takedown. Faber blocking. Trading knees from a clinch. Elbow by Faber. Faber with a punch but Saenz fired back. Saenz with a right. Low kick by Saenz. Big right by Faber. Left by Faber. Body kick by Saenz. Faber took him down. Saenz back up. Another takedown by Faber. Crowd gave both a big hand. Really good fight. Close round but I gave it to Saenz, 29-28 Faber.
Scores: 29-28, 29-28 30-27 Faber. Everyone cheered the decision. I thought they’d boo it just because of how much heart Saenz showed.
Faber said he was going after the belt because at the end of the story the good guy wins and that’s me. Rogan said you mean against TJ Dillashaw and Faber said Dillashaw or Dominick Cruz.
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#5) MAX HOLLOWAY (14-3, 10-3 UFC) VS. (#8) JEREMY STEPHENS (24-11, 11-10 UFC)
First round: Both missing punches. Super hot crowd anyway. Slow open. Both continue to miss punches. Holloway landed a punch. Stephens with a low kick. Holloway with a body kick. Body kick by Holloway. Stephens with a low kick. Holloway missed a punch and Stephens got behind him momentarily. Very close because little happened. Holloway 10-9.
Second round: Holloway tried a spin kick to the body but Stephens blocked it. Crowd is quiet. Stephens going for a takedown. Body punch and uppercut by Stephens. Low kick by Stephens. Holloway with a right. Stephens landed a right. Right by Holloway. Stephens again working for a takedown and can’t get it. Low kick by Stephens. Very close round again. Stephens, so 19-19 after two.
Third round: Holloway took him down. Holloway got behind him, throwing punches and working for a choke. Stephens out of trouble but Holloway is on top. Holloway with an elbow. He got Stephens’ back again and is working for a choke. Stephens back up. Stephens landed some punches. Low kick by Stephens. Holloway with a left. Stephens landed two punches and went for a takedown . Holloway blocking. Spinning elbow by Holloway. Holloway got the takedown. Stephens swinging wildly but mostly missing. Both threw at the fight ended. Holloway 29-28, but this is another close one.
Scores 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 for Holloway
Holloway challenged McGregor at Croke Park and challenged Aldo as well.
WELTERWEIGHTS- (#6) DEMIAN MAIA (21-6, 15-6 UFC) VS. (#12) GUNNAR NELSON (14-1-1, 5-1 UFC)
First round: Nelson got the takedown. Maia back up. Everyone wanted a Tokoro match on the ground here. Maia went for a takedown and Nelson tried to get his neck. Nelson now on top after a Maia takedown attempt. Crowd going crazy for Nelson. He trains in Ireland so he’s honorary Irish. Maia has his back. Maia throwing punches. Maia moved to mount and is punching him. Maia got his back. Maia punching hard from back position as the Brazilians chanted “You’re gonna die.” Maia punching from back position. He’s got Nelson is a body triangle. Maia working for an armbar. Nelson escaped and on top. The place went nuts for that reversal. The place is going crazy for a grappling match. It’s awesome. Maia 10-9.
Second round: Both landed punches. Maia with a takedown and Nelson reversed . Maia now behind him. Maia has his back again. Maia is in the piggy back position with a body triangle. Maia throwing punches from that position. Nelson reversed to the top. Maia reversed to the top. Maia landing elbows. Maia 20-18.
Third round: Maia took him down monentarily. Nelson trying for a guillotine. Maia out of it. Maia with punches and elbows from the top. Maia with elbows. Maia is working for a choke but he can’t get the arm under the chin. Maia gave it up to throw punches. Nelson reversed to the top with 15 seconds left. The crowd liked it and the two guys hugged. Maia easily 30-27.
Scores: 30-26, 30-25 and 30-25.
Maia challenged the Lawler vs. Condit winner.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#2) RONALDO SOUZA (22-3 1 NC, 5-0 UFC) VS. (#3) YOEL ROMERO (10-1, 6-0 UFC)
First round: Romero came into the ring and did a roundoff. He’s an athlete at a completely different level from almost anyone in this sport and a lot of others. Traded body kicks. Nice right by Souza. Souza moving forward. Body kick by Souza. Left to the body by Souza. Romero threw a kick but it was checked. Romero landed a hard left. Spinning punch by Romero decked Souza. Romero throwing punches from the top. Romero starting to land good punches on the ground. He’s really weary, however. Romero with punches and elbows. Romero just got out of trouble and more punches. Romero with hard elbows. Souza went for an armbar. Romero got out and got his back and punching. 10-8 Romero
Second round: Body kick by Romero. Left by Romero. Souza went for a takedown. Romero totally holding onto the fence but Souza got him down and Romero reversed. The ref should have called a penalty point for that one. It was too long and too flagrant. Body shot by Souza. Body kick by Romero. Body kick by Souza. Souza landed a right. Romero looks shaky. Body kick by Romero. Body kick by Souza. Body kick by Romero. Souza’s round 19-18 Romero after two.
Third round: Body kick by Souza. Low kick by Souza. Souza missed a kick. Front kick and left by Romero. Souza tried a takedown. He couldn’t get it. Hard left by Romero. Body kick by Souza. Souza landed some good shots. He’s got Romero hurt and took him down. Souza landign punches on the ground. He’s working for ahead and arm choke. Souza with some elbows and punches. Romero back up. Souza’s round so I’ve got 28-28, but if not a 10-8 first then it’s Souza’s fight.
The two hugged after the match and both posed with a “Jesus” flag.
Scores: 29-27 Romero, 29-28 Souza 29-28 Romero. I don’t agree with that decision in the sense Souza won rounds two and three.
UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) CHRIS WEIDMAN (13-0, 9-0 UFC) VS. (#1) LUKE ROCKHOLD (14-2, 4-1 UFC)
First round: Weidman got a huge positive reaction but no boos for Rockhold. Crowd going nuts and stomping before the match even started. Trading low kicks. Chris jumped on his back right away and got in piggy back position. Rockhold tried to throw him off but Weidman staying out of a bad position. Rockhold has him against the cage. Right by Weidman and he got the takedown. Rockhold back up. Loud let’s go Weidman chant. Elbow by Weidman. Another takedown by Weidman. Rockhold had a guillotine. Weidman motioned like he’s got nothing on it. Herb Dean called a standup. Weird to stand up from there. Hard body kick by Rockhold. Weidman took him down. Rockhold reversed and got another guillotine. Close round. Rockhold 10-9.
Second round: Rockhold landing punches. Hard body kick by Rockhold. . Weidman with a body kick. Both missed punches. Hard body kick by Weidmnan. Head kick by Rockhold. Low kick by Rockhold. Weidnan went for a takedown but Rockhold blocked and landed a body kick. Hard body kick by Rockhold. Weidman went for a takedown but Rockhold blocked and landed a body kick hard. Hard body kick by Rockhold. Another body kick by Rockhold. Weidman missed a kick. Rockhold with a right. Left by Weidamn. Hook kick by Rockhold just missed. High kick by Rockhold. Big right by Rockhold. Best punch of the fight. Right by Rockhold. Left by Rockhold. Body shot by Rockhold. Weidman with a right. Body kick by Wiedman. Body kick by Rockhold. Weidman with low kicks. Rockhold slipped a punch and landed a right. Low kick by Rockhold. Body kick by Weidman hurt him. Rockhold with a left. Rockhold 20-18.
Third round: Body kick by Weidman. Body kick by Rockhold. Body kick by Weidman. Weidman wants a takedown. Rockhold blocked him. Two body kick by Weidmann. Hard left by Weidman and he got the takedown. Rockhold back up. Rockhold with a left, a body kick and a low kick. Another left by Rockhold. Body kick by Weidman. Left and right by Rockhold. Body kick by Weidman. Another body kick by Weidman. Both guys are really tired at this point, slower and more measured. Hard kick by Weidman. Weidman missed a wheel kick and Rockhold took him down and got his back. Rockhold has full mount. Rockhold punching and elbows. Rockhold landing a lot of punches now. Weidman is in big trouble. Rockhold dropping a ton of punches and elbows. Rockhold is killing him with punches. It really should have been stopped. Rockhold 10-8 round for sure, I’ve got 30-26. That should have been stopped and I don’t know if Weidman is getting up from that.
Fourth round: Weidman answered the bell. Body kick by Rockhold. He tried for a takedown but Weidman blocked it. Rockhold got him down. Weidman has several cuts. Rockhold landing punches. Rockhold on top throwing punches again. Herb Dean stopped it and Rockhold is the new champion. 3:12
Rogan with Luke Rockhold. “It’s hard to describe. I can’t believe this is real.”
Rogan with Chris: He says this was Luke’s night, at the end of the the day I’ve got a beautiful family, fans love me, I’ll be back. He said the spin kick wasn’t the smartest move, I wanted to give everything I had, all I can do is work hard.
UFC FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP – (C) JOSE ALDO (25-1, 7-0 UFC) VS. (IC) CONOR MCGREGOR (18-2, 6-0 UFC)
First round: McGregor landed a left and side kick. McGregor knocked him out in seconds. Aldo went for a left as did McGregor, McGregor landed perfectly on the jaw and Aldo went down. Aldo is in tears. :13
Here is F4WOnline.com’s coverage of UFC 194, Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor for the featherweight title. As was mentioned yesterday almost all of the professional fighters picked Aldo over McGregor when asked who they thought would win. The professional fighters were not in such heavy agreement for the somewhat forgotten and understandably overshadowed co-mainevent between Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold for the light heavyweight title. It is a very hard fight to pick as they seem VERY evenly matched.
UFC 194 FROM THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS ON SATURDAY NIGHT
Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time
Marcio Alexandre Jr. vs. Court McGee
Yancy Medeiros vs. John Makdessi
Magomed Mustafaev vs. Joe Proctor
FS 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern time
Kevin Lee vs. Leonardo Santos
Warlley Alves vs. Colby Covington
Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger vs. Tecia Torres
Urijah Faber vs. Frankie Saenz
PPV AT 10 p.m. Eastern time
Max Holloway vs. Jeremy Stephens
Gunnar Nelson vs. Demian Maia
Yoel Romero vs. Ronaldo Jacare Souza
Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title
Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor for the featherweight title
WWE TLC PPV ON SUNDAY FROM THE TD GARDEN IN BOSTON
Sheaumus vs. Roman Reignns for WWE title in a TLC match
Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose for IC title
New Day vs. Lucha Dragons vs. Usos in a ladder match for tag tiltes
Charlotte vs. Paige in a Divas title match
Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger for the U.S. title in a chair match
Bray Wyatt & Erick Rowan & Luke Harper & Braun Strowman vs. Dudleys & Tommy Dreamer & Rhyno in a tables match
Sunday is almost NXT in Blackpool, England.
Raw will be Monday night in Philadelphia while NXT runs Monday night in Nottingham, England.
Smackdown will be taped Tuesday night in Newark, NJ while NXT runs Tueday night in Cardiff, Wale.
Coverage of the biggest weekend in UFC history, the stories behind the big matches, scouting the fighters, the business and handicapping the fights is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. We look at the promotion of the show, how changes in the UFC can affect the major fights, little things in each fight that haven’t beentalked about, fugure for the winners and much more is looked at.
We also look at the New Japan Tokyo Dome show, the New Japan tag team tournament, what’s new with A.J. Styles and his schedule, the controversy over the winners of the tournament and how it played out, New Japan business this past month and going forward, tournament standings and a rundown of the shows this past week.
We also have an update on Sting and his condition coming off the match with Seth Rollins, something to watch for about a very significant WWE employee, WWE increasing security at leve events, WWE putting up lots of new content on the network, why the Stampede tapes were taken down, Alberto Del Rio blames AAA for his not coming back and losingg the title, why the time-line of what he says doesn’t add up, another new franchise movie idea for Dwayne Johnson, a new WWE movie annnounced, Mick Foley’s son with WWE, Sami Zayn’s return, Tommy Dreamer’s schedule, WWE surveys, John Cena media, WWE and ESPN update, NXT taping news, Brock Lesnar schedule news, WWE firing, Del Rio & Colter alliance, as well as notes on all the NXT house shows from the past week as well as all the WWE house shows of the past week and the business from the last week.
We’ve got a look at this year’s Tokyo Sports pro wrestling awards, all the winners, how the balloting went down, as well as a list of every MVP dating back to 1974, and why different people won the awards and the nature of the politicas behid the awards.
You can also order the print Observer right now and get it delivered to your door via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to dave@wrestlingobserver.com” target=”_blank”>dave@wrestlingobserver.com
For the United States, it is $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.
If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. We’ve got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue.
For the record, and since he’s been spot-on with his own predictions in the past, Conor McGregor told Dana White that he would knock out Jose Aldo Jr. in four minutes of the first round tonight.
Bryan and Dave have already done the first of four straight radio shows this weekend, last night’s UFC preview show talking all of the news from Vegas, plus pro-wrestling notes from PWG, WWE and more. They’ll be back tonight with the UFC recap show, Sunday with the WWE TLC recap show, Monday with the Raw recap show, plus Bryan will have his usual weekend fare up as normally scheduled (Wrestling Observer Live TLC pre-show Sunday, Bryan & Vinny Show talking TLC Sunday night, After Dark Radio (more below), etc.).
Smackdown rose from 2.0 million viewers last week to 2.1 million viewers this week.
UFC/MMA
Dana White on Frankie Edgar getting a title shot after his destruction of Chad Mendes last night: “Nobody can deny Frankie anymore. He looked amazing tonight, and he’ll get whatever he wants.”
If the last three days straight of MMA weren’t enough for you, Pancrase 273 will air on UFC Fight Pass around the time UFC 194 ends. No real names on the show that would be familiar to North American fans with Issei Tamura, who fought TJ Dillashaw at UFC 158, being the only former UFC fighter on the card. The main event is a bantamweight title fight between Shintaro Ishitawa and Victor Henry. There will also be a men’s strawweight title fight on the show.
Speaking of Fight Pass show, Bellator Heavyweight Champion Vitaly Minakov knocked out Josh Copeland in the main event of a show that aired on the UFC’s streaming service on Friday. He’s now 17-0.
In the main event of the ONE Championships show yesterday from Manilla, which was tarnished by the death of a young fighter scheduled to compete on it just hours prior, Brandon Vera KO’d Paul Cheng to become that group’s Heavyweight Champion. Strawweight sensation Angela Lee moved to 4-0 on the undercard with a 2nd round sub. She’s finished every one of her pro opponents and is already one of the most popular fighters on their roster.
MISCELLANEOUS
On the latest edition of the 6:05 Superpodcast, David Bixenspan and Brian Last discuss the amazing story of Vince Russo being booked as entertainment at Brian’s bar mitzvah 23 years ago.
From Bryan Alvarez: For those of you asking about the Dark Matter Digital Network and the apparent final retirement of Art Bell, I really don’t know what is going on, nor do I know if I will be doing a show on the network this coming Sunday night. All I know for sure is that one way or another, After Dark will continue, even if it goes back to being a podcast on the website as it was originally before we moved over there. There will be a new show this weekend as I’ve already taped the interview with James Garbarino where we will discuss the psychology of mass shooters based on his 20 years of interviewing killers after the fact. There is more information on the situation up at Artbell.com. Whatever happens, I do want to really thank Keith Rowland for all of the often-thankless hard work and personal expense that he put into the Dark Matter Digital Network over the past few years, and I hope for only the best for him.
Freakshow Wrestling has a unique show (no surprise) tonight in East LA (926 Clela AVE, East LA 90002) with a fans bring the weapons main event featuring BLACK SANTA vs. ZOMBIE JESUS. Santa will have Mrs. Claws in his corner and Jesus will be cornered by Mary. Obviously.
WWE announced Saturday that there will be an NXT TakeOver special on April 1st at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center* in Dallas, TX, with tickets going on-sale December 19th.
The show is the Friday night before WrestleMania, making it the fourth WWE event in the market announced for that week with the Hall of Fame on Saturday, Wrestlemania on Sunday, and RAW on Monday. It seems likely the show will sell out quickly with so many people coming into Dallas that weekend.
Plans for the show’s card are likely close to being finalized already, or will be in a few weeks as they are taping television well ahead of time. Most all the television leading to this show will have been taped by the end of January.
NXT is currently on a tour in the United Kingdom, headlined by NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. the returning Sami Zayn. The tour is building up to the next TakeOver special on the WWE Network, set for Wednesday night in London, England.
*We originally reported the American Airlines Arena, and apologize for the error.
– Josh Nason (88-64 | .579): JNPO host, Wrestling Observer digital media and content guy, WON Twitter guy
*****
> UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo (25-1) vs. UFC Interim Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor (18-2)
During the first episode of UFC Embedded, there was something about McGregor that didn’t seem right, almost like he was too comfortable. As I was chatting with fellow New Englander J.B. on Twitter, he mentioned something similar without me even prompting it. Maybe we’re too tied up in David Price and thinking about the Red Sox season, but there’s talking about being hungry to get there and feeling like you’re already there.
I’m going with Aldo for a few reasons. One is that he hasn’t lost in 11 years and like champions before him (Anderson Silva, GSP, Jon Jones), long stretches of dominance and fending off challengers even when your body is screaming no. The other is he looks comfortable and ready. He’s laughing and joking. He looks like he’s ready to remind the world why so many have considered him the pound-for-pound best.
Of course, McGregor could starch him in three rounds. LET’S JUST DO THIS ALREADY.
> UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman (13-0) vs. Luke Rockhold (14-2)
A few weeks ago, I was trying to articulate to Ariel Helwani on Twitter how this fight felt like two NFL quarterbacks or two ace pitchers going head to head in their prime. Then, he nailed it: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. Now, while I don’t agree with Ariel that Weidman is in the conversation for the best middleweight champion of all time, this is, arguably, the best middleweight title fight of all time.
Weidman is undefeated, but Rockhold is pretty spot on when he says that all he’s beaten is a bunch of deflated Brazilians. The 31-year-old downed Silva twice to win the title, then Lyoto Machida in one of the best fights of 2014, and the deflated balloon that is Vitor Belfort.
After losing to the inflated version of Belfort, Rockhold has ripped off four straight with four finishes over Tim Boetsch, Costas Phillipou, Michael Bisping, and Machida. There’s some ‘eh’ in there as well, which is what makes this fight so damn compelling. Both can kick, both can punch, both are young, both can wrestle and grapple, and both are (hopefully) healthy. I could see this fight happening a few more times until it’s all said and done.
> Yoel Romero (10-1) vs. Jacare Souza (22-3-0-1) Middleweights
The awesomeness of the top two fights here has completely overshadowed what is essentially a bout for the no. 1 contendership to the winner of WIDE MAN VS. ROCK HOLD. Souza has won eight straight fights (5-0 UFC) including Chris Camozzi twice of all people. He just turned 36 and could have easily got the shot against Weidman tonight, but a win here makes him a no-doubter for that opportunity. Can he outstrike Romero and does he want this to go to the ground against the Olympic wrestling medalist?
Romero burst on the scene by busting up the consciousness of those who dare stepped in against him….except for Tim Kennedy and that whole sitting on the stool thing. Much like Souza, Romero came from Strikeforce and like Souza, is undefeated in the Octagon (6-0). He is coming off the June decimation of Lyoto Machida and has T/KO finishes in five of his six wins.
Souza has been knocked out in two of his three career defeats, but one was his first pro fight and the other was September 2008 against Gegard Mousasi. However, this is the biggest puncher he’s faced in the UFC to date. Keep that in mind if the “Soldier of God” can find his range.
> Demian Maia (21-6) vs. Gunnar Nelson (14-1-1) Welterweights
That collective satisfied moan you hear is from all of the world’s BJJ/grappling lovers who are getting to see this dream fight play out live. That being said, it will probably be 15 minutes of awkward stand-up.
The 38-year-old Maia is on a three-fight win streak and is coming off an August submission win over The World’s Most Active Fighter Neil Magny. After getting to a point in his career where he abandoned his tremendous BJJ game for the striking life with comme ci, comme ca results, Maia has found a groove again.
11 years Maia’s junior, the Icelandic Nelson has become a fan favorite in Ireland because of his association with Conor McGregor’s team. He’s 5-1 in the UFC and is coming a suffocating first round submission victory over Brandon Thatch in his first-ever fight on U.S. soil. His game plan is simple: survive and submit. I’m sure Maia sees a lot of his younger self in Nelson and the question is whether the future of BJJ aces in the welterweight division is now.
> Max Holloway (14-3) vs. Jeremy Stephens (24-11) Featherweights
Just over a week removed his 24th birthday, we’ve seen Holloway grow up before our eyes. He’s nearing the completion of his fourth year of UFC competition and in that time, he’s fought 13 times (10-3). He rides a seven-fight win streak into the PPV opener and tonight’s fight will mark the second straight calendar year in which Holloway has fought four times.
Stephens has found a nice home at 145 with a 4-2 record there since May 2013. After back-to-back losses to Cub Swanson and Charles Oliveira in 2014, the 29-year-old surprised many by beating Dennis Bermudez by 3rd round TKO in July. He’s a big underdog going into this one, but that won’t stop him from trying to take Holloway’s head off his shoulders.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back today with a packed show. Dave is live in Las Vegas with all of the excitement leading into Saturday’s Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo Jr. show — news, results from the last two nights, predictions for Saturday and more, plus WWE TLC notes, PWG, and tons more! Our first of four straight shows this weekend, so check it out~!
Friday’s matches took place February 14, 2015 in Sendai, continuing our New Beginnings coverage.
First up is an NWA Jr. title match between Jushin Thunder Liger, reigning champion, against challenger and former champion Chase Owens.
This was only about five or so minutes overall and was cut for time. Just a match. Liger is good, but can only do so much at this point. He’s good at what he can do. Owens is okay but nothing he does stands out, at least not in this match. He fits in well in New Japan but only just fits in, nothing more. Liger scores a phantom clutch hold for the win.
Owens says he might have gotten the 123, but this isn’t the last time you’ve seen this face, or the last time he’ll get a shot at the Junior heavyweight title.
It was shown in between commercials that AXS TV will air the five WrestleKingdom 9 shows on New Year’s Day.
We follow that up with a NWA World Heavyweight title match between NWA Champion Rob Conway and Hiroyoshi Tenzan
I remember this match live, and it was awesome. Not because of the work in the match itself – while it was fine, it wasn’t the highlight of the match. It was the crowd. Even in 2015 where the NWA title doesn’t mean a whole lot, people wanted Tenzan to win the NWA title that night, and they let themselves be heard. They were super into the match, and freaked out when he finally won the title. He headbutted NWA manager/President Bruce Tharpe three times, busting him open and sending him to the outside. He followed with the moonsault and pinned Conway to win the NWA title.
Tenzan thanks the fans for supporting him during the match and asks for their support in the future.Conway says he was cheated. He is the NWA He will be back for what is his.
Time for the main event, and thus we get an interview with one of the challengers. This week, it’s Yuji Nagata. He talks about how he and other wrestlers back in his day set the standard by having everyone wanting to compete for the title, including those outside of wrestling. Nakamura has done similar things with the Intercontinental title, and Nagata is amazed how he wrestles in his own world. His match with Ibushi intrigued him, and now wants to prove he can still bring his own form of wrestling to the table.
Shinsuke Nakamura defending the Intercontinental title against Yuji Nagata was next.
This was pushed like the old veteran getting the title shot as the rest of his colleagues from his era (Tenzan, Kojima, Nakanishi) were all in his corner. Overall, it was a nice back and forth match, but something just felt missing that didn’t make it stand out from normal New Japan main events.. I think it’s more of the style than anything. In the great Yuji Nagata matches I’ve seen in the last few years, they were awesome, stiff back and forth matches with some of the top talent in New Japan like Tomohiro Ishii and Katsuyori Shibata. This wasn’t it. Everything they did looked good, and the crowd was into it for the most part, but this was just a back and forth match. It seemed like they were starting to do the hot nearfalls that you’d usually see in a New Japan main event after Nagata kicked out of one boma ye, but then Nakamura laid out Nagata with another and pinned him out of nowhere. No one felt ready for the finish, it was pretty weird.
Nakamura says he wants to show respect by saying welcome to the world where everything is accepted. Okay. It was a whole new Nagata that made him boil over. Nagata says backstage that Nakamura was stronger than him. It would have been cool if he won, but today, Nakamura was stronger. He asks Nogami. He says he has a big dream now, and he is glad people backed him up. He’ll keep on fighting.
In his reflective interview, he says he should have fought him on the ground a little longer. He felt the audience still felt he had it. He wanted to pull Nakamura into his own wrestling style, but he couldn’t\, so that’s why he lost. He says his son told him good luck next time. All this was only possible by his fans supporting him.
Overall a fine show, but there have been better. The Jr. title match was okay, the NWA title match was cool, and so was the main event, but there have been better main events.
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale: Edgar vs. Mendes from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a big fight in the UFC’s featherweight division as former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar takes on former title challenger Chad Mendes in a bout that could determine the next title challenger at 145 pounds. In the co-main event, it is the finals of this season of “TUF” as Artem Lobov takes on Ryan Hall. Also on the card is a pivotal lightweight bout as Tony Ferguson puts his six-fight win streak on the line against Edson Barboza. Follow along with our live coverage beginning at 8 PM eastern time with the preliminary card bouts before heading to the main card at 10 PM eastern time.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- CHRIS GRUETZEMACHER (12-1, 0-0 UFC) VS. ABNER LLOVERAS (19-7-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Hard body kicks back and forth. Lloveras landed a right. Chris moved in and went for an elbow. Chris moved into the clinch. Knee by Lloveras. Hard body kick by Lloveras. Another hard body kick by Lloveras. Body kick by Lloveras. Chris landed punches and a low kick. Another hard body kick by Lloveras. They traded knees. Takedown by Lloveras. Chris up. Lloveras has him back down. Lloveras 10-9.
Second round: Trading kicks. Chris landed some punches a low kick and more punches. Lloveras got behind him working for a choke but Chris shook him off. Chris is bleeding from the mouth. Low kick by Chris. Lloveras with a right. Low kick by Lloveras. Lloveas with a hard snapping body kick. Close round. Lloveras 20-18.
Third round: Lloveras took him down right away and got his back. Chris got up and slammed him. Chris now throwing more. Body kick by Lloveras. Chris throwing knees to the thigh. Lloveras trying for a takedown and got it. Lloveras landed a right. Chris with a low kick. Loveras back with a low kick. Another close round. Lloveras 30-27.
Scores: All three have it 29-28 for Gruetezmacher. Rounds two and three were close, surprised but not shocked.
First round: Knee by Herrera. Sanchez dancing. High kick by Herrera. Spin kick by Sanchez but Herrera used it to take him down. Herrera 10-9 close.
Second round: Herrera landed a right. Another hard right by Herrera. Nice right by Sanchez. Sanchez with a body shot. Both started opening up. Herrera cut Sanchez near the left eye. Sanches landing a ton of shots. Knees by Herrera. Herrera tried a flying knee but didn’t land. Good uppercut by Sanchez. Herrera dropped him with a left hook and finished him with a few punches on the ground.
WELTERWEIGHTS- RYAN LAFLARE (11-1, 4-1 UFC) VS. MIKE PIERCE (17-6, 9-4 UFC)
First round: Body kick by LaFlare. Another body kick. Right by LaFlare. Pierce with a high kick. Pierce moved in to try a takedown. LaFlare threw a kick and Pierce is trying to take him down after catching the leg. Pierce tried a high kick but LaFlare grabbed the leg and threw him down as the round ended. 10-9 LaFlare.
Second round: LaFlare with a body kick. Another body kick by LaFlare. Low kick by LaFlare. Body kick by LaFlare. Another body kick by LaFlare. Left by LaFlare. Piece moved in for a takedown attempt. LaFlare blocked the takedown. Body kick by LaFlare. LaFlare with a body kick. Pierce landed a right. LaFlare 20-18.
Third round: Pierce with an elbow. Body kick by LaFlare. Pierce landed some punches. Pierce bleeding from the nose. LaFlare landed a left. Another left, almost a Superman punch by LaFlare. Body kick by LaFlare. LaFlare with a body kick. Left by LaFlare while both missed punches. Hard body kick by LaFlare. Pierce unloading with punches and knees. He landed big left. Great finish. Pierce could take this round with the late flurry, but LaFlare dominated most of the round. 30-27 LaFlare.
Scores: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for LaFlare. Some loud boos but LaFlare clearly won the fight.
HEAVYWEIGHTS- GABRIEL GONZAGA (16-10, 11-9 UFC) VS. KONSTANTIN EROKHIN (9-2, 0-1 UFC)
First round: Crowd booing as nothing is happening. Gonzaga threw a punch about 2:45 into the round. Then he went for a takedown that was blocked. Right and left by Erokhin. Gonzaga with a body kick . Gonzaga took him down at the end of the round. 10-9 Gonzaga.
Second round: Gonzaga landed a right. Crowd booing again. And nothing is happening again. This is a seriously horrible round. Gonzaga threw a high kick at 3:20. He didn’t land it, though. Body kick by Gonzaga. Gonzaga almost got a takedown. Knee by Gonzaga from close range. 20-18 Gonzaga.
Third round: Gonzaga took him down to start the round. Gonzaga landed punches from the top. Erokhim scrambled up with about 1:40 left in the round. This fight seriously sucks. Crowd booing as nothing is happening again. Crowd booing loud now that the fight is over. 30-27 Gonzaga.
Scores: 30-27, 30-27 and 30-28 for Gonzaga. Crowd booed he decision. They’d have booed it no matter who won.
MAIN CARD (FS1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- JULIAN EROSA (14-2, 0-0 UFC) VS. MARCIN WRZOSEK (10-2, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Already more action than in the last fight. Wrzosek hurt him with a punch. Big right by Wrzosek. They are in a clinch against the fence. Erosa has a guillotine but it‘s not tight. Now Erosa is working for a D’arce choke. He gave up on it. Wrzosek 10-9.
Second round: Wrzosek hurt him with a right which almost spun him around. Elbow by Erosa. Wrzosek with a takedown. Wrzosek with another takedown. Wrzosek 20-18.
Third round: Erosa with a takedown. Erosa with another takedown. Crowd is way behind Erosa. He’s trying a choke but doesn’t have it. Wrzosek landed punches late in the round. Erosa’s round so I’ve got 29-28 for Wrzosek.
Scores: 29-28 Wrzosek 29-28 Erosa 29-28 Erosa. A lot of people booing that decision.
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#13) TATSUYA KAWAJIRI (34-8-2, 2-1 UFC) VS. JASON KNIGHT (15-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Takedown by Kawajiri right away. Knight working for a triangle. He’s throwing elbows to Kawajiri’s head. Kawajiri escaped. Kawajiir was using the trunks for a cradle. Kawajiri did enough from the top that Knight is all bloody. Knight has two nice sized cuts, one near left eye and one in the forehead. 10-9 Kawajiri.
Second round: Kawajiri took him right down again. This fight is really boring. Nothing like the Gonzaga fight. But it’s quiet enough here that the most noise is an argument about whether Tyson Fury’s promos are a work. Which, by the way, they are. John McCarthy ordered a stand up. So Kawajiri just took him down again. And he kept him there the entire round. Somebody let Crusher know there isn’t a worst fight bonus. 20-18 Kawajiri.
Third round: Spin kick to the body by Kawajiri Another kick to the body. Knight tried a kick and Kawajiri used it to take him down. Another takedown by Kawajiri. John McCarthy had enough and ordered a standup. They traded punches and Kawajri got him down again. Kawajiri 30-27. No other score possible.
Scores: All three have it 30-27 for Kawajiri
LIGHTWEIGHTS- JOE LAUZON (25-10, 12-7 UFC) VS. EVAN DUNHAM (16-6, 9-6 UFC)
First round: Dunham landed several punches. Lauzon landed a nice left. Dunham landing all kinds of punches including a good uppercut. Now Lauzon back. Trading knees. Crowd is super dead though. Lauzon almost got a takedown. Dunham took him down as the round ended. 10-9 Dunham.
Second round: Dunham with a body kick. Nice low kick by Lauzon. Front kck by Dunham but Lauzon back with a punch. Dunham with punches and knees. Dunahm bleeding from the right eye. Dunham 20-18.
Third round: Dunham in with punches. Punches and low kicks by Dunham. Dunham with a body kick and punches. Nice right by Dunham. More punches by Dunham. More punches and finishing with a low kick by Dunham. Punches and a high kick by Dunham. This was a very different Lauzon tonight. Sad to see. 30-27 Dunham, has to be that score.
Scores: 30-26, 30-27 and 30-26 for Dunham
LIGHTWEIGHTS- (#6) EDSON BARBOZA (16-3, 10-3 UFC) VS. (#7) TONY FERGUSON (19-3, 9-1 UFC)
First round: Both out fast. Barboza landing. Ferguson dove in looking for a heel hook. Both guys on the ground throwing punches. Ferguson kicked him hard in the head on the ground which is so illegal. John McCarthy is pissed. McCarthy called in the doctor. He said Barboza was okay. McCarthy took a point away from Ferguson. He really had to. Both trading punches. Hard kick by Barboza. Nice body shot by Ferguson. Had left by Barboza. Ferguson dove in again looking for something. Barboza with a takedown off a kick. Barboza nailed him with a punch and spin kick. Ferguson landed a big shot. Ferguson again diving for an ankle. Spin kick to the body by Barboza. Hard kick by Barboza. Spin kick to the calf by Barboza. Huge ovation for both. More action than the rest of the show put together. 10-8 Barboza due to the foul point.
Second round: Barboza landed a right. Hard kick by Barboza. Trading low kicks. Hard right by Barboza. Ferguson bleeding from the left eye. Barboza bleeding form the right eye. Barboza took him down with a leg sweep. Barboza bleeding like crazy. Barboza missed a crazy spin kick. Ferguson with a side kick. Barboza went for a takedown. Ferguson sprawled and is working on a D’arce choke and Barboza tapped. Super fight. 2:54
TUF 22 LIGHTWEIGHT FINALS- ARTEM LOBOV (11-10-1 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) VS. RYAN HALL (4-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Hall immediately going for a leglock. He moved to a choke. But he didn’t have it. Crowd went crazy at Lobov getting out of it. USA chants. Hall has him in a body triangle. Loud USA chant. He’s back to looking for the choke. Hall 10-9.
Second round: Lobov dropped him with a punch. Hall went low for a leglock but Lobov got away. Hall pulled guard. Hall went for a leg lock but Lobov got up. Hall tried to get him down again. Hall shot in but Lobov is on top. Hall again going for a leglock. It will be interesting how this round is scored. Hall was on his back, but except or he early punch, he had the key offense. 20-18 Hall.
Third round: Hall dropped and looking for a leglock again. He’s also punching form his back. Loov go away. Hall took him down. Hall pulled him down. Lobov up and Hall jumped on his back. He locked him up in a body triangle. Hall is staying behind him in the piggy back position. Hall 30-27.
Scores: 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26 for Hall
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#2) FRANKIE EDGAR (19-4-1, 13-4-1 UFC) VS. (#3) CHAD MENDES (17-3, 8-3 UFC)
First round: Mendes is smaller then before. Hard low kick by Mendes. Edgar landed a right. Hard low kick by Mendes. Uppercut by Mendes. Edgar with a combo. Another hard low kick by Mendes. Both swinging. Edgar dropped him with a left hook and Mendes face planted and it’s over.
