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.
Night 1 of our three day UFC orgy was full of plenty of great moments. From Rose Namajunas’ star-making performance to Michael Chiesa busting down the lightweight gate to plenty of finishes, Thursday’s show was a lot of fun. The stakes escalate a bit tonight for the TUF 22 finale show, headlined by an incredible featherweight fight that could determine the next contender for either Conor McGregor or Jose Aldo.
Our panel:
– Jack Encarnacao (105-42 | .714): Sherdog Rewind host, The Lapsed Fan podcast co-chair
– Josh Nason (86-61 | .585): JNPO host, Wrestling Observer digital media and content guy, WON Twitter guy
*****
Frankie Edgar (19-4-1) vs. Chad Mendes (17-3) Featherweights
The second best featherweight fight of the weekend is essentially for the #1 contendership, but you have to think that if Jose Aldo loses Saturday night, he’s going to get a rematch. After all, it’s been, what, a decade-plus since an ‘L’ went in his ledger? The 30-year-old Mendes has fought three times in the last two years with two title shots and lost them both, the most recent to Conor McGregor this summer. His fight against Aldo last year was incredible and he’s shown a propensity in recent years of dropping suckas cold.
Edgar basically earned the right to fight for the title Saturday night, but he’s not as brash as McGregor and doesn’t compel people to click ‘buy’ enough to warrant getting another opportunity without dispatching everyone in his path. Thus, we have this 25 minutes of awesomeness in front of us Friday. The 34-year-old Frank James Edgar has won four in a row, beating Charles Oliveira, BJ Penn, Cub Swanson, and Urijah Faber along the way. If he can top “Money”, there’s no one left for him other than the champion, is there?
This fight should be hot fire and a half. I don’t know what that means, but it will be that.
Edson Barboza (16-3) vs. Tony Ferguson (19-3) Lightweights
Ferguson went from a guy that won TUF in 2011 to a force at 155 four years later. He’s 9-1 in the UFC and is riding a six-fight win streak, escalating the level of veteran he’s faced every time out. Thus far in 2015, he submitted Gleison Tibau and outclassed Josh Thomson via unanimous decision. Originally slated to battle Khabib Nurmagomedov in a battle of pure fire, Nurmy got hurt again but Barboza is no slouch.
Now in his sixth year of UFC competition, he’s 3-2 since 2014 and was last seen downing Paul Felder this summer. Every time he gets close to grabbing the brass ring, fighters like Donald Cerrone and Michael Johnson reach a bit further to snatch it first. Insanely talented, I wonder if he’s destined to be another one of those guys who never gets the opportunity compete for a title despite fighting nearly everyone in the division on their way to the gold.
Joe Lauzon (25-10) vs. Evan Dunham (16-6) Lightweights
It’s crazy to think Lauzon is just 31 years old as we’ve been watching him compete in the UFC since 2006. After fighting just once in 2014, this is Lauzon’s third bout of 2015 and he’s coming off a summertime win over Takanori Gomi. He’s still a fan favorite, but he’s also unranked. Where does he fit in the UFC 155-pound landscape these days anyway?
The 33-year-old Dunham is riding a two-fight win streak, his first since way back in 2011-12. A three-fight losing streak against the upper echelon of the division (current champ Rafael dos Anjos, #1 contender Donald Cerrone, Edson Barboza) put him in his place, and at 33 years old, we ask the same question as we do with Lauzon: where does he fit in the division? Of note, he hasn’t finished anyone since January 2012, a span of three wins over seven fights.
TUF Finals: Artem Lobov (11-10-1-1) vs. Ryan Hall (4-1) Lightweights
I stopped watching this season of TUF around episode four or so, and after 20+ seasons, I might be finally out altogether. There’s so much quality (and non-quality) MMA on TV that I’m not sure what the draw is anymore. Even the prospect of seeing Conor McGregor every week wasn’t enough to keep me interested. Anyhoo, Lobov is McGregor’s boy and took advantage of getting a second chance to come back on the show after losing on the fight-in show. He doesn’t bring much of a record into the UFC while the 30-year-old Hall gets the opportunity that Saul Rogers gave up due to lying to the UFC about his visa…or something like that. Ugh.
Ryan LaFlare (11-1) vs. Mike Pierce (17-6) Welterweights
File this under ‘Interesting’. LaFlare took the first loss of his career against BJJ ace Demian Maia earlier this year and steps into the Octagon looking to improve on his 4-1 UFC record. The 32-year-old has gone the distance in all five of them, and I wouldn’t expect much different here from the man with the wrestling background.
You might remember Pierce from such hits as “I Almost Beat Josh Koscheck!” and “Rousimar Palhares Nearly Ruined My Career!” Yep, Mike Pierce is back! Out of action since Palhares jacked up his knee and ankle by (surprise) holding onto a submission too long in October 2013, Pierce is back two years later. To be fair, he was supposed to return in 2014 against Demian Maia but got derailed due to a broken hand. He’s 35 so there’s not much of a threat of a title run, but it’s good to see him back regardless.
In a bit of sad news in an MMA heavy weekend, a 21-year-old fighter from China passed away Friday in the Philippines due to weight cutting issues.
Yang Jian Bing, a flyweight who was scheduled to compete for ONE FC, was announced by the promotion as having passed away at 12:06 PM Friday, just hours before a scheduled show at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines.
Bing (5-1) was scheduled to face Geje Eustaquiao (6-4). He had collapsed while cutting weight on Thursday morning and was rushed to San Juan De Dios Hospital in Pasay. He never recovered and passed away due to cardiopulmonary failure.
On a Facebook announcement about the death, Eustaquiao said that Bing had been rushed to the hospital due to dehydration and possible heat stroke. The promotion announced his death at the start of today’s event and said the cause was not yet determined, but sent out a release later with a cause of death.
“There is nothing more profoundly tragic and sad than when a member of the ONE Championship family, current or past, passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of Yang Jian Bing. We will work closely with the famly and offer all the support they need in any way we can during this difficult time.”
Ring of Honor television continues on the road to Final Battle with the first in a series of episodes from the Nashville. Tag Teams were the focus of most of this episode as the main event featured Young Bucks vs. Briscoes. Also, a surprise unmasking by Alex Shelley, a TV title defense and The Boys declining to rejoin Dalton Castle round out the events taking place on the show. Another theme from the show was guest commentators featured in every match.
reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) beat Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser (with The Boys)
The Boys carried the Bruiser’s keg to the ring. Fish and O’Reilly carried the IWGP jr. tag team titles. Fish and Bruiser start the match. Bruiser tries to be a bully but Fish makes a blind tag and reDRagon chop down Bruiser with a series of kicks. Silas tagged in and they double team him and make quick tags. O’Reilly gets cuts off leading to Silas and Bruiser doing a flurry of moves. Adam Cole strolled out to ringside before a commercial to provide impromptu guest commentary.
After the break, O’Reilly breaks free and tags Fish. Bobby came in off the hot tag and ran wild. Fish and Young traded strikes as the crowd did the yay/boo chants. There was action all over the place in the closing moments. Bruiser missed a frog splash off the top. One of the Boys jumped on the apron and O’Reilly kicked him off to send him flying before O’Reilly did a plancha. The other Boy snapped Fish on the top rope allowing Silas to use his Misery finisher (fireman’s carry into a diamond cutter). However, the Boys kept distracting the referee, causing him to be late to count the pin attempt and Fish kicked out. Moments later, O’Reilly tagged in and applied a guillotine on Bruiser. Silas broke up the submission and they did a series of double team moves on him leading to O’Reilly hitting a knee drop off the middle rope as Fish held Young for a backbreaker. They then executed the Chasing the Dragon finisher as best they could on the larger Bruiser and pinned him.
Afterwards, Silas ordered the Boys to attack the referee and they did so. They left him laying after a DDT. Dalton Castle came out to say he wanted his boys back. Bruiser confronted him and Dalton sent him packing. The Boys looked as if they would rejoin Dalton, but they instead left with Silas leaving Dalton bewildered and perplexed by their decision.
In another angle, Chris Sabin was in the ring and said he was hijacking the show hostage until the imposter in the KRD mask revealed himself. The masked man sauntered to the ring, confronted Sabin and, much to the surprise of everyone, revealed himself as Alex Shelley. Sabin would join Dalton in the bewildered and perplexed department.
ROH TV Champion Roderick Strong beat Samson Walker to retain
This was part of a theme of Roddy vs. the world, as Roderick wants to be a fighting champion and had vowed to take on anyone. Bobby Fish provided guest commentary and played heel in building his TV title challenge at Final Battle against Strong. Roderick dominated until Walker caught him on a dive and rammed him into the ring post twice on the outside. Walker proceeded to get heat on Strong. At one point, Walker pulled out an asthma inhaler from his singlet. He took a puff from the inhaler, put it back and pulled his straps down. However, Roddy made a comeback with a flurry and he gave Walker a gutbuster to set up a sick kick for the pinfall.
During the match, Fish grabbed the TV title belt. Following the match, Fish strapped on the belt and confronted Strong in the ring. Strong unsnapped the belt and took it back in his possession as they had a stare down with referees getting in between them.
“Inside ROH” with Mandy Leon highlighted the results from recent Survival of the Fittest tournament. Michael Elgin won the tournament and challenged Jay Lethal to a title match at the Tokyo Dome.
The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) beat The Briscoes (Mark & Jay)
Calling this action packed would be a great understatement. There were moves and sequences all over the place. The All Night Express provided guest commentary. Eventually the action slowed just a bit and the Briscoes got heat on Nick. After a commercial break, the Bucks made a comeback and the pace quickened again with a hot tag to Matt. Mark cut him off with redneck kung fu only to get cut off himself with a superkick from Nick.
A few moments later, Nick did a moonsault off the apron to the floor. Mark moved and Nick landed on his feet. He took a flying neckbreaker from Mark, who jumped off the apron. Mark signaled for the Cactus Jack elbow off the apron but he jumped down to eat a superkick instead. Jay did a dive to the outside. Back in the ring, Jay went for the Jay Driller on Matt and Nick made the save with a superkick. Jay then gave Nick a superkick. Mark delivered a froggybow and the Briscoes went for the doomsday device. However, in taking the move, Nick landed on his feet and hit a superkick. A superkick party began. Bucks used Indytaker for a nearfall before using More Bang For Your Buck to score the pinfall.
Afterwards, ANX stormed into the ring and all three teams had a pull-apart brawl to close the show.
Air Date: December 10, 2015 – Location: Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL
The Big News:
Roman Reigns and his friends beat the League of Nations. Also, Ryback vs. Rusev was made official for TLC.
Show Recap:
Non-Title: Roman Reigns (w/Dean Ambrose & The Usos) NC U.S. Champion Alberto Del Rio (w/League of Nations)
Del Rio and company came out to his music, which makes sense, but it was weird watching the WWE Champion come out to somebody else’s song. The match went about 11 minutes. Reigns eventually hit a superman punch but the League pulled Del Rio out of the ring and they were confronted by Ambrose and the Usos. Reigns jumped out and went after Sheamus. It broke down into a giant brawl so the referee called the match (no contest).
Booker asked, “What did you think was going to happen?” and Brennan responded, “I suppose we should’ve expected it.” Yeah, no kidding. The good guys sent the bad guys packing, finished off by Reigns hitting Rusev with a superman punch. The match was alright while it lasted, except for Reigns getting distracted twice by the League. Reigns couldn’t beat the U.S. Champion, but the announcers said he looked ready for Sheamus. After a break, they announced that the two teams would face in an 8-man tag match.
Dolph Ziggler beat Tyler Breeze (w/Summer Rae) via pinfall
Breeze didn’t get a full entrance. They showed Summer in the VIP section trying to will the crowd into caring about this match. Booker and Lawler said Breeze takes after Gorgeous George. Breeze worked over Ziggler’s leg, including the use of a half crab. Breeze went out to presumably try wrapping Ziggler’s legs around the post, but Ziggler posted him. Breeze jumped back in the ring, but Ziggler caught him with a superkick out of nowhere for the abrupt win. This was under 5 minutes.
Non-Title: Lucha Dragons beat WWE Tag-Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (w/Big E) via pinfall
The New Day came out and the crowd all got to their feet. Kofi Kingston announced LeBron James’ lifetime deal with Nike. New Day wanted their own endorsement deal and they showed off Kingston’s wacky shoes, which now have lights. They said their ladder match was unfair but Big E said the Lucha Booties and The Us-ows would be sent back to the kids table.
There was an amusing spot where Sin Cara was sent to the outside and Big E tried to play the trombone in his face, but he didn’t know how. After a break, Kingston swivelled his hips on the apron and again Big E failed to make a sound on the trombone.
Sin Cara made the hot tag after using the same one arm deadlift powerbomb spot that Reigns does. Sin Cara hit a suicide dive on Big E and Kingston and Kalisto hit Xavier Woods with a spinning kick and Salida Del Sol for the win.
Michael Cole hosted a contract signing for the Intercontinental Championship match. Dean Ambrose came out first. There was an attorney already in the ring to represent Kevin Owens. Cole read a prepared statement where Owens’ attorney claimed Smackdown was an unsafe work environment. The attorney signed the contract and Ambrose banged his head on the table. Ambrose said he was expecting to trash talk, flip the table over and get into a brawl with Owens.
Ambrose figured he can still do all of that stuff to the attorney, but before he could sign, Owens jumped him. Owens ripped his shirt off and launched him into the barricade. Ambrose tossed Owens into the steps and Owens jumped back into the ring. Ambrose went after him, but Owens tossed the attorney into Ambrose and ran away. As Owens backed off, Ambrose gave the attorney Dirty Deeds and signed the contract. Owens called Ambrose a bully. This was fine. Ambrose’s lip was busted open which made this better.
2-on-1 Handicap Match: Ryback beat The Ascension via pinfall
Ryback won in 88 seconds with Shellshock on Viktor. Rusev and Lana were on commentary. Rusev called him “the Ryback” at some point. After the match, Ryback confronted Rusev, but Rusev hugged Lana knowing Ryback couldn’t touch him with her in the way and they walked off.
Becky Lynch beat Paige via submission
After a double clothesline spot, Charlotte came out to her music. Paige kicked Lynch and went for the Ram-Paige, but Lynch countered into the Disarmer for the tap-out win. Lame.
The announcers plugged the network and made sure everyone who buys on pay per view feels really stupid. They also showed a video package for Sheamus vs. Reigns at TLC.
Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & The Usos beat League of Nations via pinfall
LON came out together. Ambrose and the Usos didn’t get an entrance (Reigns came out alone). Booker revealed the secret of knowing which Uso is which. Jimmy wears his face paint on the right, Jey on the left. Lawler said Del Rio might end up looking like Ronda Rousey after the number of times he’s been punched in the jaw tonight.
As the heels worked over Ambrose, Brennan asked if the deck is stacked against Reigns at TLC. It’s a one-on-one match, so no, it isn’t. Reigns made the hot tag, hit a Samoan drop and ten clotheslines in the corner to Rusev, the same sequence we saw earlier against Del Rio. Reigns hit one of his other movies, the superman punch, but Sheamus and Del Rio broke up the cover. The Usos took them out with superkicks and dives over the top rope. Reigns hit Rusev with a spear for the win. Ambrose got absolutely nothing in this match.
Lawler made sure to mention that the Usos, Ambrose and Reigns could all be champions after TLC. That seems unlikely.
Final Thoughts:
Of all the Smackdown shows that have ever aired, this one ranks somewhere in the middle.
Nice opening match to kick the night off, not too long. Enzo and Big Cass are really over and the crowd were into it from the start. Enzo and Big Cass got the win with he big splash from the top rope by Enzo.
Bull Dempsey vs. Tye Dillinger
Tye Dillinger’s ‘perfect 10’ gimmick is more over than I would have imagined, but that might be the graces of a crowd who are just happy to be here. Nothing much to see here. Bull Dempsey won with a sit down splash form the middle rope.
Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss
This was a Asuka showcase match and she was very popular with the crowd. Alexa looked pretty good as well and definitely worked well with Asuka. Asuka won with the Asuka lock.
Samoa Joe vs. Apollo Crews
Pretty standard match. Joe seemed to be the favourite here. Both got their signature moves in and then Joe won with the Muscle Buster into the Coquina clutch.
– After the intermission, they introduced William Regal to a huge pop and he thanked everyone for coming and that without the fans they wouldn’t be able to do this tour.
NXT Tag Team Champions Dash and Dawson v Chad Gable and Jason Jordan
This was a really good match (Jordan and Gable seem to be incapable of having a bad match recently), Gable isolated for the most part with Jordan getting the hot tag. Both Gable and Jordan looked really impressive and the crowd loved them. Dash and Dawson won after a distraction and roll up on Gable.
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Emma
Another standard match as far as in ring work goes. Dana Brooke came to the ring with Emma and was ejected around halfway through for interfering. Bayley won with the Bayley to Bayley. After the match Nia Jax came to the ring and looked as if she was going to get in before smiling at Bayley and leaving.
Neville vs. Baron Corbin
This was Neville’s hometown show so he got the pop of the night. Baron Corbin impressed here, against someone of Neville’s size, he certainly has a presence. Neville hit an Asai moonsault after Corbin ran to the outside. Corbin hit a huge spinning side slam but Neville managed to keep him down long enough to beat him with the Red Arrow, which probably got the second biggest pop of the night.
WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn
Balor came out first which meant that a retuning Zayn got the biggest reaction of the night for someone not called Neville. We were told this was the first time ever that Balor and Zayn were facing off. They shook hands after the bell rung. Pretty good match with some mat wrestling to start followed by some running chops to the corner by Balor. There a was a pretty good spot in which Balor was trying to keep Zayn down to hit the coup de grace but Zayn would make it to his feet before Balor could reach the top rope, getting up a little bit quicker after each blow. Zayn hit a huge tope con hilo to the outside on Balor. Balor won with the coup de grace, he lifted Zayn’s hand after the match and made a quick exit to give Sami the ring. This was a good taste of what a feud between them could bring.
The crowd were hot for most of the show and it was a better show all round than the WWE show they ran here in November.
The Wednesday, December 9th edition of TNA Impact Wrestling that featured the quarterfinals of the TNA title tournament saw the ratings rise from recent weeks with 269,000 viewers tuning in for the 9 p.m. show and 68,000 tuning in for the midnight show for a grand total of 337,000 viewers.
That 9 p.m number was up from usual but the midnight number fell right in line with the norm.
Given that the entire tournament of taped matches is now complete (the previously taped semifinals and finals are being scrapped and redone) the last few weeks on Destination America will be time fills of two hours with old taped matches before the company’s January 5th live show launch on Pop TV.
The semifinals will feature Matt Hardy vs. Eric Young and Bobby Lashley vs. Ethan Carter III. The winner will move onto the finals which will be the main event of the January 5th debut.
Three nights, 34 UFC fights, lots of coffee, some alcohol, and a lot of holiday cheer. MMA grumps? Step off to the side until next week. We got some celebrating to do for the next three days and a lot to talk about after it’s all said and done. The sport will change over the next 72 hours in ways we would never expect. Sunday’s in the horizon, but let’s stay in Vegas for as long as we can.
This is the first of three UFC picks posts you’ll get, kicking off with a fun little show you can legally stream on the Internet if you pay for it. Subscribers can get a 15-minute preview right here.
Our panel:
– Jack Encarnacao (101-41 | .711): Sherdog Rewind host, The Lapsed Fan podcast co-chair
– Josh Nason (83-59 | .585): JNPO host, Wrestling Observer digital media and content guy, WON Twitter enabler
*****
Paige VanZant (6-1) vs. Rose Namajunas (3-2) Strawweights
Ohhhh, man. This is going to be good.
PVZ has proven that she isn’t just a pretty face as she’s looked dominant in all three of her UFC wins. After beating up Felice Herrig for three rounds in April, she followed that up in September with a third round submission win over Alex Chambers. I remember nothing about that fight, but that she held up just fine in her main card PPV debut.
Namajunas is an injury replacement for Joanne Calderwood, and is an apt challenger for PVZ. The 23-year-old returned after a year’s absence to dust strawweight jobber Angela Hill in October, snapping a two-fight losing streak that included a title loss to forgotten memory Carla Esparza in the first ever UFC women’s strawweight title fight.
I said this on my 15-minute show preview, but I’ll say it again: these two are going to fight a few more times in their career.
Jim Miller (25-6-0-1) vs. Michael Chiesa (12-2) Lightweights
Past JNPO guest Chiesa is now ready to kick his career in drive after fighting just twice in 2014 and once this year. He’s coming off a decision win over Mitch Clarke in April and is 5-2 in his UFC career. At just 28 years old, a win here puts him further up the lightweight ladder which is ever shifting.
Miller is now a gatekeeper who has always come justthisclose to getting that elusive title shot. He needs to win here to stay relevant in the division as he’s lost two of his last three and is 32 years old. He is coming off a split decision victory over Danny Castillo earlier this year, and tonight marks his third 2015 fight. Originally scheduled to be the main event on this show, these two bring a combined 21 submissions into what should be a hellacious affair.
Sage Northcutt (6-0) vs. Cody Pfister (12-4) Lightweights
At 19, the undefeated Northcutt is GOD DAMN TEEN SENSATION. Did you ever think you’d see a UFC fighter in Tiger Beat? Well, you will. He notably made his UFC debut in October by blitzkrieging now-former Octagoner Francisco Trevino in less than a minute. Trevino missed weight and got busted for smoking pot, so it was like a real-life instructional video for kids. His opponent doesn’t have a Wikipedia page which explains the huge odds that are in Northcutt’s favor.
Elias Theodorou (11-0) vs. Thiago Santos (11-3) Welterweights
The 27-year-old “Spartan” is looking to remain undefeated and run his UFC record to 4-0 in the process. The TUF Nations winner finished two of his last three by second round TKO and is a decent size favorite against Santos. The 31-year-old Santos was last seen knocking the bejesus out of former hockey enforcer Steve Bosse this summer, extending his win streak to two for the first time in his UFC career. The Canadian Theodorou has to avenge the Bosse defeat for all of Canada, doesn’t he?
Tim Means (24-7-1) vs. John Howard (23-11) Welterweights
Means is coming off that awesome one round July fight with Matt Brown that has managed to get lost in the MMA tapestry of 2015. That loss snapped a four-fight win streak for the 31-year-old, a highlight of his second run in the Octagon. He faces the always puzzling Howard who has the potential to knock people out, but always seems hesitant to let himself go. He’s coming off a dull split decision win over the now-retired Cathal Pendred, a win that snapped a four-fight losing streak. With a loss, Howard could find himself out of the UFC for the second time as roster space is at a premium.
Means (favorite): Nason, Meltzer, Bix, Juon, FRB, Encarnacao, Sawyer, Means Howard: Pollock
On Thursday, WWE COO Triple H did his usual conference call before big NXT events, this time hyping up the Wednesday, December 16th WWE Network event from London, England.
Here’s some highlights and the audio itself which ran just under 40 minutes:
– He ran down the card and teased some impending announcements.
– He was asked about pushing emotion on the NXT brand as opposed to a lack of that in promos on the major brand. He made a reference to ‘some like chocolate, some like vanilla’ as he’s done before and said when it comes to NXT, he picks the flavor.
– He was asked about three-hour shows. He said the company has to be more creative, come up with a better format, and that they hear people’s frustrations. “It’s fixing it, trying to fix it, and it is what it is. We’ll get there…trust me.”
– He was asked about Finn Balor not being called up to the main roster despite there being an injury crisis. He essentially said that while he has experience in Japan, he’s still learning some things at NXT like promos, etc. He doesn’t want to call guys up to be Band-Aids when there are injury issues. He wants people to have a long-term plan in place for when they come up.
– He was asked about relationships with groups like Evolve and the possibility of opening up relationships with emerging UK groups (ones that our Alan Boon talks about weekly!) to find new talent.
– He was asked about implementing some of the ideas that begin in NXT making their way to WWE. He said that slowly, you see some things bubbling their way up but again referenced the chocolate/vanilla comparison. As far as things he’d like to see change, he mentioned how the women are characterized, but that things take time to change.
*****
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