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  • May 16, 2016 Wrestling Observer newsletter: Potential UFC sale, WWE releases, plus tons of news

    ESPN on 5/10 broke a story that UFC is in advanced talks to sell the company, noting at least four major bidders.

    Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

  • TUF 23 recap: Double J tries to get on the winning track

    This season, both the women’s strawweight division and the men’s light heavyweight division will be competing. At the end of the season, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha fight on the TUF 23 Finale with Joanna Champion defending her strawweight title.

    Last week, Gadelha’s team won again to take a 2-0 lead. She picked Andrew Sanchez to face Myron Dennis on this week’s show – her #1 pick from the men against Joanna’s #3 pick. Here we go!

    **********

    Jedrzejczyk is not happy with not having won a single fight so far and is being hard on her team as a result. “They are training like little girls in the primary schools. They train like pussies – I must say this. I must be honest with them. No more nice Joanna.”

    After Jedrzejczyk gives her speech in the locker room, Myron Dennis calls a team meeting of his own at the house. They all get in a football huddle and he promises to get the win for them to give them motivation. Sanchez isn’t happy about it and says they could have done the same thing at the gym.

    Gadelha and all her coaches come over to the house to cook Brazilian barbecue for all the fighters. “We are with them to the end of this.” Back at the gym, she’s working him very hard, but when he steps on the scale, he’s just 200 pounds. He says being smaller and faster is an advantage compared to the other guys.

    More drama at the gym as Jedrzejczyk is pissed that Gadelha’s team hasn’t finished cleaning up or left and starts throwing their equipment at them. Gadelha says they are being disrespectful. Jedrzejczyk says not cleaning up after yourself is disrespectful. This just keeps escalating.

    Weigh-in: Dennis is 204.5, Sanchez is 200.

    * Andrew Sanchez (Team Gadelha) vs. Myron Dennis (Team Jedrzejczyk)

    Dennis is in the red trunks and Sanchez the blue. “Big” John McCarthy is our referee. Sanchez gets an early takedown and decks Dennis with a right hand on the ground. Sanchez is landing some nice ground and pound until he jumps up at 1:47 looking to pass – and ends up right back where he was before in guard. Dennis kicks him away at 2:27 but Sanchez jumps to half guard. Dennis moves him back to full but eats some hard rights doing so. Dennis finally scrambles to his feet at 3:18. Sanchez takes him down again with 75 seconds left. Sanchez is given two warnings to work. Despite that, Sanchez owned this round.

    Surprise surprise: Sanchez goes for a takedown right away in R2 but Dennis avoids it and they reset at 25 seconds. Dennis is grinning like a maniac. McCarthy warns the fighters to watch their fingers. Sanchez shoots for a single leg and gets it at 1:44. Dennis kicks him away briefly at 3:30 but Sanchez jumps back on. They get up with 70 seconds left after multiple warnings by McCarthy to work. Sanchez shoots for a single again and has it at 4:20. That’s a wrap. He’s taking a unanimous decision.

    Dana White buries Dennis’ performance in the fight and with good reason. SANCHEZ ADVANCES AND TEAM GADELHA GOES UP 3-0.

    This was a very forgettable episode. Next week’s fight choice is Lanchana Green (Gadelha) vs. Helen Harper (Jedrzejczyk). See you then!

  • UFC reaffirms flyweight title shot for fall TUF…but with a twist

    The UFC announced on Wednesday’s UFC Tonight that the format for the 24th season of The Ultimate Fighter will still be a televised tournament for a shot at the flyweight title currently held by Demetrious Johnson.

    An interesting twist is that the coaches were announced as Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo, two of the top contenders for the championship that Johnson has already dispatched. In Benavidez’s case, Johnson has beaten him twice.

    The fighters brought in will be 16 talents from outside the UFC with the idea of them being pushed as flyweight champions from smaller promotions. Benavidez and Cejudo will each have an eight-man team. Another interesting note is that if by some chance, the tournament winner can take the title from Johnson, there is a good chance they would have to face Benavidez or Cejudo.

    Johnson will defend his title against the tournament winner on Saturday, December 3rd in Las Vegas, flanked by Benavidez and Cejudo battling in what is essentially a No. 1 contenders fight. This will be an intriguing test promotionally as the public won’t know who Johnson is facing until days or a week before the fight. It wasn’t noted on the show when Johnson will learn who his opponent is.

    The season will start airing on August 31st on Fox Sports One.

  • UFC Fight Night 87 Rotterdam live results: Alistair Overeem vs. Andrei Arlovski

    Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC FIght Night 87: Overeem vs. Arlovski from the Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. This marks the first time the UFC has held an event in The Netherlands. The event is headlined by a five-round bout in the UFC heavyweight division as Alistair Overeem looks to secure the next title shot when he puts his three-fight win streak on the line against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 10:30 AM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.

    UFC Fight Night 87 DFS Playbook

    Coverage provided by Paul Fontaine

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 10:30 AM ET/7:30 AM PT)

    FLYWEIGHTS- ULKA SASAKI (18-3-2, 1-2 UFC) VS. WILLIE “Whoopass” GATES (12-6, 1-2 UFC)  (Rich Mitchell – ref)

    Gates out to “Purple Rain” by Prince so he wins some points from me right away. And Ulka Sasaki counters that with Hunter Hearst Helmsley’s “Ode to Joy”. Advantage Gates. 

    Sasaki looks like a rail at this weight. He shoots for a takedown right away but Gates defends against the cage. Sasaki completes it 45 seconds in. Gates working for a triangle but Sasaki fights him off. Gates to his feet at 1:45 but Sasaki takes his back standing. Gates landing punches to Sasaki’s head but Sasaki won’t let go of his back. Sasaki with another takedown at 2:45. Gates up at 3:15 and they’re in a cage clinch with Gates in control. Sasaki stuffed on a takedown attempt and eats  a hard punch from Gates that stuns him. Gates with a hard knee to the head and follows up with a punch combo. 10-9 Sasaki but close

    Sasaki with a takedown 30 seconds in after eating some punches standing. Gates with a guillotine from a sitting position but gives up on it quickly. Gates to his feet at 1:15 and has Sasaki pinned against the cage. Sasaki gets control but Gates landing elbows to the head. Sasaki with another takedown at 1:45. Gates gives up his back at 2:00 and Sasaki with a full body lock. Sasaki landing elbows and punches to the head to set up a rear naked choke. Sasakigets the choke at 3:30 and Gates taps quickly.

    WINNER – ULKA SASAKI (19-3-2) by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:30 of the 2nd rd

    WELTERWEIGHTS- LEON EDWARDS (10-3, 2-2 UFC) VS. DOMINIC WATERS (9-4, 0-2 UFC) (Lukasz Bosacki – ref)

    Waters out to “Run this Town” by Rhianna and Jay Z. Good tunes so far today.  Edwards counters with “Mo Money, Mo Problems” by Notorious B.I.G. Dead heat right there. Lot of heat between these guys and this one should be fun.

    Waters gets  a takedown 30 seconds in. Edwards up right away and takes Waters down. Waters working for an armlock and Edwards stands up to escape. Waters shoots for a takedown and eats a hard shot to the head from Edwards at 2:00. Edwards uses a front headlock to keep Waters down after defending the takedown. Edwards takes his back at 3:00 and then gets mount at 3:15. Edwards not doing anything from mount as Waters is holding him close. Edwards finally landing some punches and elbows at 4:30 and then working for a shoulder lock. 10-9 Edwards

    Waters shoots for a takedown right away, eats a knee and then gets taken down by Edwards. Edwards actually landing more punches from guard than he did from mount. Edwards into side control at 1:30. Ref stands them up at 2:15 though. Waters rocks Edwards with a punch after the standup  but Edwards goes to a cage clinch right away. Quick separation. Edwards knocks Waters down with a jab at 3:30 but lets him up. Waters initiates a cage clinch at 3:45 and takes Edwards’ back standing. Waters with a takedown off a suplex at 4:30 and Edwards landed hard. Might be enough to steal him the round. Waters lands a few light punches before the buzzer. Very close. 10-9 Waters, 19-19

    Waters eats a hard high kick to the head early. Both corners though Edwards won both rounds, which could be right. Waters with a takedown at 1:00. Waters landing light punches to the body but not even trying to advance and Edwards to his feet at 1:45. Edwards lands a front kick to the face and Waters shoots for a takedown but stuffed easily by Edwards. Edwards with a flying knee followed by a punch combo. Waters shoots for a takedown and they end up in a cage clinch. Waters completes at 3:15 but Edwards right up. Waters still in control of a cage clinch. Edwards lands a knee to the body on another takedown attempt by Waters and ends up on top of him. Edwards landing punches to the body and head. Edwards landing elbows as well as the round ends. 10-9 Edwards, 29-28 overall

    WINNER – LEON EDWARDS (11-3) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

    FLYWEIGHTS- (#5) KYOJI HORIGUCHI (16-2, 5-1 UFC) VS. NEIL SEERY (16-11, 3-2 UFC) (Marc Goddard – ref)

    The string of awesome walkout songs came to a crashing halt here. No idea what song either guy used. Seery’s still pic looks like he’s 36 going on 100. Horiguchi cornered by Sami Zayn…no wait, that’s former WEC Champion Mike Brown.

    Horiguchi knocks down Seery with a punch combo 30 seconds in and all over him but Seery weathers it. Seery sweeps and almost ends up on top but does get to his feet. Horiguchi with a takedown at 1:15. Seery working for an armlock but gives it up quickly. Seery to his feet and in control of a cage clinch. Quick separation. Crowd is loving this. Both guys throwing bombs at 2:00. Horiguchi knocks Seery down with a punch at 2:15. Seery to his feet quickly. Seery bleeding under his left eye. Horiguchi with a takedown at 3:15. Seery landing some elbows to the head from the bottom. Horiguchi postures up and drops a hammer fist. Horiguchi into side control at 3:45 and working for a head and arm choke. Seery to his feet at 4:30. Horiguchi with a hard body kick. Almost a 10-8 but definitely Horiguchi’s round, 10-9

    Horiguchi backs up Seery with a punch combo early. Seery now cut under his right eye and bleeding heavily. Horiguchi takes him down at 45 seconds. Seery to his feet at 1:15. Horiguchi covered in Seery’s blood as well. Seery advancing for the first time in the fight. Seery with a takedown attempt but Horiguchi ends up taking his back standing. Seery escapes fairly quickly. Seery continuing to advance but Horiguchi landing punches while retreating and moving out of the way of Seery’s punches for the most part. Horiguchi with a nice punch combo at 4:00. Horiguchi with a takedown at 4:30. Closer round but still clearly to Horiguchi and he’s now up 20-18

    Seery advancing to start again. His corner seems to have closed the cut but there’s still a lot of swelling around that eye. Horiguchi initiates a cage clinch at 1:30 and gets a takedown off a trip. Horiguchi stands up and Seery follows. Horiguchi rocks Seery with a punch but he stays on his feet. Another hard shot from Horiguchi sends Seery reeling into the cage but again he stays up. Seery still advancing and shoots for a takedown at 2:30 which ends up in a cage clinch. Horiguchi gets control. Cut around Seery’s right eye has opened up again and bleeding heavily. Seery breaks free from the clinch but Horiguchi takes him down off a single leg. Seery up quickly. Horiguchi landing knees to the body while maintaining control of a clinch. Separation at 4:15. Seery stuns Horiguchi with a body shot but he recovers quickly. Seery gets a takedown at 4:45 but Horiguchi sweeps into top position. 10-9 Horiguchi, 30-27 overall

    WINNER – KYOJI HORIGUCHI (17-2) by unanimous decision (30-26; 30-27 x 2)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 12 PM ET/9 AM PT)

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- YAN CABRAL (12-2, 2-2 UFC) VS. REZA MADADI (13-4, 2-2 UFC) (Leon Roberts – ref)

    Madadi with a takedown attempt early but stuffed by Cabral. Cabral stuffed on a takedown attempt of his own at 1:00. These guys look like middleweights after seeing two flyweight fights on the prelims. They are big lightweights. Madadi in control of a cage clinch at 2:00. They trade light knees but nothing much happening. Separation at 3:00. Cabral lands a knee to the body and then shoots for a takedown but stuffed by Madadi. They’re in another cage clinch and crowd getting restless. Cabral finally gets a takedown out of the clinch at 4:00. Cabral working for a Kimura and uses it to advance into mount. Cabral takes his back and working for a rear naked choke while securing a body lock. Madadi to his feet and escapes right before the round ends. 10-9 Cabral

    Crowd boos heavily when they didn’t touch gloves to start the round. Then they exploded with cheers when they did. Then they did it again to an even louder pop. That was great. Madadi advancing and lands a punch combo at 1:15. Cabral with a takedown attempt. Madadi ends up in a cradle position with control of Cabral but Cabral escapes and gets up. Back to a cage clinch at 1:45 with Cabral in control. Ref warns them at 2:30 with not much happening. They separate on their own at 2:45. Back to a cage clinch with Madadi in control at 3:30. Madadi landing knees to the body but the ref’s had enough and breaks them. Both swinging wild punches but missing and then Madadi gets a takedown. Cabral landing punches from the bottom and Madadi stands up, making Cabral follow him. Madadi with a nice punch combo and then clinches up on the cage again as the round ends. 10-9 Madadi, 19-19

    Madadi rocks Cabral with a hard right early and Cabral shoots for a takedown. They end up in another cage clinch. Separation at 1:00. Madadi lands a spinning back fist and Cabral shoots for another takedown. Madadi with a front headlock choke but gives it up quickly. Madadi rocks Cabral with punches and the ref steps in to stop him as Cabral was out on his feet.

    WINNER – REZA MADADI (14-4) by TKO at 1:56 of the 3rd round

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- JON TUCK (9-2, 3-2 UFC) VS. JOSH EMMETT (9-0, 0-0 UFC) (Rich Mitchell – ref)

    Tuck gets the party going around with “Jump Around” by House of Pain. Emmett seems very relaxed and confident for a guy making his UFC debut on less than one week’s notice. Tuck opens up with a nice punch combo. Emmett landing punches of his own and mixes in a hard body kick at 1:45. Emmett falls after missing a head kick and Tuck follows him to the ground, briefly taking his back but Emmett up quickly. Emmett stalking him now and picking him off with punches. Emmett shoots for a takedown right before the round ends but stuffed. 10-9 Emmett

    Tuck rocks Emmett with a knee to the head early but doesn’t follow up and Emmett recovers. Emmett with a nice kick/punch combo at 2:45 but really not much happening other than both guys trading single shots. Crowd whistling/booing at 4:30 as nothing is happening. Emmett rocks Tuck with a hard left at 4:45. I almost never do this but that was a 10-10 round, 20-19 Emmett

    Emmett opens with a punch combo. Round is going the same as Round 2 for the most part although Emmett is definitely more active. Crowd is very quiet. Emmett with some bleeding on his nose from a Tuck punch. Tuck advancing at 2:45 and the crowd is really starting to turn on the fight. Jon Anik says it’s the first time tonight but it’s definitely not. Emmett acting like he may have broken a finger and Tuck is picking up the pace at 3:45. Tuck chasing him down but not really throwing much of anything. Tuck finally hits him with a punch combo and follows up with a knee. Emmett literally running away at 4:30. Tuck stuns him with a combo at the end. 10-9 Tuck, 29-29 overall. Apparently, Emmett’s bone was sticking out of his finger at the end of the round. 

    WINNER – JOSH EMMETT (10-0) by split decision (29-28 x 2; 28-29)

    Emmett’s finger was mangled as they did a close-up of it in his post fight interview. 

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- MAGNUS CEDENBLAD (13-4, 3-1 UFC) VS. GARRETH MCLELLAN (13-3, 1-1 UFC) (Lukasz Bosacki – ref)

    McLellan looks like a long-lost member of the Wyatt family and comes out to 80’s classic “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC. Cedenblad couldn’t look more different. Like a really tall accountant. 

    Cedenblad with early cage control but it’s McLellan landing more shots, mostly kicks to the body and legs. Cedenblad knocks McLellan down with what might’ve been his first landed punch at 2:30 but McLellan right up. Cedenblad lands another hard right at 4:15. McLellan misses a spinning back fist right before the buzzer. 10-9 Cedenblad

    Cedenblad rocks McLellan with a kick to the body and then finishes him off with punches.

    WINNER – MAGNUS CEDENBLAD (14-4) by TKO at 47 seconds of the 2nd round

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- RUSTAM KHABILOV (19-3, 4-2 UFC) VS. CHRIS WADE (11-1, 4-0 UFC) (Leon Roberts – ref)

    Khabilov gets the first takedown off a clinch at 1:15 but Wade right up. Both guys mostly trading leg kicks for the first two minutes. Crowd solidly behind Khabilov with RUSTAM chants. Wade with the first punch combo after a front kick to the body of Khabilov at 3:00. Wade initiates a cage clinch. Khabilov takes control, takes the back of Wade and gets a takedown. Wade up at 4:15 but Khabilov takes him down again and nails him with hammerfists to the head. Khabilov still on his back in a front headlock position. 10-9 Khabilov

    Khabilov controlling the pace early. Wade knocks Khabilov down with a head kick and follows him to the ground but Khabilov recovers quickly and ends up on top. Khabilov takes his back. Wade escapes into top position but gets caught in a triangle at 1:45. Wade escapes and still in top position but Khabilov has him tied up in the guard pretty well. Khabilov bleeding from the mouth, probably from the kick. Wade not able to do anything from the guard, despite his corner telling him to strike. Wade stands up at 4:00 and Khabilov follows him. Khabilov with a punch combo backs Wade up. Khabilov with a takedown at 4:30. Khabilov working for a head and arm choke and lands some elbows to the head. 10-9 Wade, 19-19 overall

    Wade advancing to start the round. Nice punch exchange 45 seconds in. Khabilov takes Wade’s back standing at 1:15 and gets a takedown. Khabilov with a full body lock on the ground. Wade landing light punches to the head while Khabilov working for a choke. Khabilov landing hard punches to the head and gives up the body lock to improve position. Khabilov takes the back again and landing a ton of punches to the head and body. Wade desparately trying to get to his feet and does at 3:30 but Khabilov takes him right back down, landing in his guard. Khabilov into side control at 4:15 and continuing to land punches. Wade briefly up at 4:45 but Khabilov takes him right back down again. 10-8 Khabilov. 29-27 overall

    WINNER – RUSTAM KHABILOV (20-3) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)

    MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 2 PM ET/11 AM PT)

    WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS- (#10) KAROLINA KOWALKIEWICZ (8-0, 1-0 UFC) VS. HEATHER JO CLARK (7-4, 1-0 UFC) (Marc Goddard – ref)

    Clark is fighting for the first time since the TUF 20 finale in December 2014. They pretty much trade single shots for the first 90 seconds. Clark with a punch combo and initiates a cage clinch at 2:00. Quick separation. Clark with another punch combo and back to the cage clinch at 2:45. Quick separation. KK slips off a high kick attempt but Clark lets her up. Clark initiates another cage clinch. Separation at 4:00 as KK punches out of it. Nice punch exchange at 4:15. KK stuns Clark with a spinning back kick. Clark initiates another cage clinch and landing punches to  the body as the round ends. 10-9 Clark

    Kowalkiewicz more aggressive to start the 2nd. Nice punch combo from KK 45 seconds in. Clark initiates a cage clinch and gets a flash takedown but KK right up. Nice punch combo at 2:15 from KK. Clark with a cut on the side of her nose and she initiates another cage clinch at 2:45. KK gets separation after a series of knees to the body but Clark clinches up again the first chance she gets. KK lands elbows to the head and breaks out of the clinch, chasing Clark across the cage. KK with a Muay Thai clinch in the centre and lands knees to the body. KK with a takedown and takes Clark’s back, working for an armbar. She loses position but holds on to the armbar right before the round ends. 19-19, rd 2 for KK

    Kowalkiewicz advancing again to start. Clark pushes her against the cage and clinches at 1:30. KK landing body punches and gets separation fairly quickly. KK rocks Clark with a punch combo and tries for a takedown but they end up in a cage clinch. Clark ends up in control. Quick separation and KK with another punch combo. Clark goes for the takedown but KK lands some knees to the body. Clark clinches on the cage but KK separates quickly. Clark now advancing. KK lands a hard knee to the body and follows up with a punch combo. Clark clinches up on the cage again at 4:15. KK separates and just peppering Clark with punches and elbows. KK landing a ton of punches right before the bell, almost finishing Clark. 10-9 Kowalkiewicz, 29-28 overall

    WINNER – KAROLINA KOWALKIEWICZ (9-0) by unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28

    KK gets a post-fight interview and thanks all the fans from Poland and asks for a top 5 fighter next time out. Best use of mic time so far tonight. 

    LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#14) NIKITA KRYLOV (19-4, 4-2 UFC) VS. FRANCIMAR BARROSO (18-4, 3-1 UFC)  (Lukasz Bosacki – ref)

    Krylov was called “The Miner” in the pre-fight video package but was back to “Al Capone” by the time Buffer did the ring intros. Krylov rocks Barroso early with punches but the Brazilian clinches up on the cage to stop his momentum. Krylov landing knees to the legs from the clinch. Crowd booing 1:45 in as not much happening, unusual for a Krylov fight. He’s only been out of the first round once according to the announcers. Separation at 2:15 and both guys landing punches. Barroso lands an uppercut and shoots for a takedown at 2:45 and they end up in a cage clinch. Barroso completes the takedown at 3:15 but Krylov up quickly. Krylov advancing. Krylov with a punch combo backs Barroso up and they clinch again. Krylov landing knees to the legs and body. Separation at 4:15. Another cage clinch at 4:30 initiated by Krylov and then Krylov separates with a punch combo to close the round. 10-9 Krylov

    Krylov all over Barroso with punches and kicks to start the round and they end up in another cage clinch. After Krylov tries to separate, Barroso gets a takedown. Krylov sweeps to top position. As Krylov tries to posture up, he’s nailed by an upkick. Krylov warned for a headbutt to the chest but gets to keep his position. They bring Marc Rattner in and he questions that decision as well. Krylov in his guard and landing punches to the head. Krylov postures up to improve position and ends up in a triangle but he quickly escapes. Krylov takes his back at 3:00 and secures a rear naked choke and gets the quick tap.

    WINNER – NIKITA KRYLOV (20-4) by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:11 of the 2nd round

    And he changed his nickname again, as Buffer refers  to him as “The Miner” in the winner’s announcement. 

    WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS- (#14) GERMAINE DE RANDAMIE (5-3, 2-1 UFC) VS. ANNA ELMOSE (3-0, 0-0 UFC) (Rich Mitchell – ref)

    de Randamie is from the Netherlands and gets a superstar reaction coming out. Elmose looks so happy. Crowd exploding with every shot that de Randamie lands early but Elmose pushes her into a cage clinch. early. Crowd going nuts with chants I can’t make out. Elmore landing just enough punches to avoid a separation . de Randamie lands knees to the body to break free and the crowd explodes with each one. Elmose with a takedown attempt but de Randamie defends and ends up on top. Crowd is so loud with each punch landed, it can’t help but influence the judging. de Randamie landing hard knees to the body against the cage and Elmose down. One more shot and the ref steps in to stop it and the place comes unglued. Can’t imagine what it will be like if Overeem knocks out Arlovski.

    WINNER – GERMAINE DE RANDAMIE (6-3) by KO at 3:46

    In her post-fight promo, Jon Anik brought up that she was offered the Cyborg fight next week in Brazil but turned it down to be on this card in her home country. That fight would make sense to do next if Cyborg beats Leslie Smith. 

    WELTERWEIGHTS- (#13) ALBERT TUMENOV (17-2, 5-1 UFC) VS. GUNNAR NELSON (14-2-1, 5-2 UFC) (Marc Goddard – ref)

    Nelson opens up with a punch combo. Nelson standing there with his chin out, daring Tumenov to hit him. Tumenov advancing. Nelson with a side kick that pushes Tumenov back into the cage. Nelson with a takedown at 2:00 and moves quickly into mount. Nelson not doing a lot from the position but does land a couple hard elbows. Tumenov escapes at 4:30. Tumenov with a nice punch combo and a side kick before the buzzer. 10-9 Nelson

    Tumenov advancing to start. Tumenov with swelling on his forehead from those elbows from mount in Round 1. Nelson shoots for a takedown and they’re in a cage clinch 45 seconds in. Tumenov has a big cut on his back, not sure where it happened. Nelson with a takedown at 1:30 and right into side control. Nelson into mount at 2:15. Tumenov tries to escape and gives up his back. Nelson with a full body triangle and landing punches to the head from behind. Nelson working for a choke and he gets it and the quick tap.

    WINNER – GUNNAR NELSON (15-2-1) by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:15 of the 2nd round

    HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#12) ANTONIO SILVA (20-7-1, 3-5-1 UFC) VS. STEFAN STRUVE (26-8, 10-6 UFC) (Leon Roberts – ref)

    Crowd is so loud you can barely hear Buffer’s intro. Struve drops Silva with a knee early and finishes him with elbows on the ground. Crowd is going nuts. Silva is completely done as a fighter.

    WINNER – STEFAN STRUVE (27-8) by TKO at 16 seconds

    That was the third fastest finish in UFC HW history. He dedicated the fight and performance to Jordan Parsons, who passed away earliest this week. He did a promo in Dutch with no translater that the crowd seemed to  like. 

    HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#3) ALISTAIR OVEREEM (40-14 1 NC, 5-3 UFC) VS. (#5) ANDREI ARLOVSKI (25-11 1 NC, 14-5 UFC) (Marc Goddard – ref)

    Place came unglued for Overeem’s entrance, as expected. Arlovski advancing to start and opens up with a punch combo that seems to hurt Overeem but he weathers it. Arluvski backs him up to the cage at 1:00 and they’re in a cage clinch. Crowd chanting for Overeem and the ref warns them to work as they’re stalled against the cage. Overeem escapes after a knee to the body but Arlovski still advancing. Overeem clinches in the centre and lands some knees to the body but Arlovski separates. Arlovski lands a hard body kick followed by a leg kick and the crowd explodes for each one. Overeem gets a trip takedown after a couple more leg kicks at 4:00. Overeem landing punches to the head and body from guard. Overeem postures up and gets nailed by an Arlovski upkick so he backs off a bit. 10-9 Overeem but close

    Arlovksi advancing to start again. Overeem rocks Arlovski with a punch to the face but Arlovski fires back with a crisp cobo. Overeem drops Arlovski with a front kick and then finishes him off with punches on the ground. Arlovski actually looked really good up until that kick. Overeem is a serious contender. 

    WINNER – ALISTAIR OVEREEM (41-14) by TKO at 1:12 of the 2nd round.

    Overeem dislocated his toe after the head kick and the doctor put it back into place after the fight. 

    Overeem had his goals set out before the promo. He challenged the winner of Miocic/Werdum to a title fight at MSG in November and then promised to defend the title next year in The Netherlands. 

  • UFC Fight Night 87 DFS Playbook: value picks, who to avoid

    The Octagon makes a stop for the first time in The Netherlands for a fight card on Mothers’ Day as UFC Fight Night 87 rolls into Rotterdam, airing on FOX Sports 1 as an afternoon event in the United States. Headlining the event is a heavyweight bout as Alistair Overeem puts his three-fight win streak on the line against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. Below are our studs, value plays and fighters to avoid when setting your line-ups for Sunday’s event.

    STUDS

    Magnus Cedenblad ($10,600)

    Magnus Cedenblad hasn’t fought since October 2014 yet he remains one of our top plays on this slate of fighters for UFC Fight Night 87 on Sunday. He has won three straight fights, and eleven of his thirteen professional wins have come by stoppage. He is a huge middleweight and has some real good talent. He is a solid grappler, and that is the area his opponent, Garreth McLellan, has some trouble. McLellan has a tendency of getting taken down, and with a bigger opponent in Cedenblad who has excellent grappling, it is going to be hard for McLellan to avoid getting taken down. Cedenblad should be looking to utilize his size and grappling advantages, and a finish early should be in line. He has good hands, but a submission early seems more likely. Cedenblad is an excellent pick to start your roster off with.

    Alistair Overeem ($10,300)

    I am honestly surprised that Alistair Overeem is coming as cheap as he is for his main event bout against Andrei Arlovski. Overeem has won three straight and has looked excellent in doing so, and his last win over Junior Dos Santos was arguably his most impressive inside the Octagon, making Dos Santos look like a finished fighter, which is amazing considering how impressive Dos Santos looked in his last fight a month ago. He also faces an opponent known for a glass jaw in Arlovski, who is coming off being knocked out in 54 seconds in his last fight against Stipe Miocic. Yes, Overeem has suffered nine knockout losses of his own, but his style should be able to keep Arlovski from getting on the inside. Arlovski did look like a rejuvenated fighter up until his smashing at the hands of Miocic, and I expect to see more of that Arlovski than the one who had an impressive win streak leading into the Miocic bout. Overeem’s salary makes him an easy play for your roster, and I expect him to be widely owned.

    VALUE PLAYS

    Chris Wade ($9,000)

    Chris Wade is an interesting play for a $9,000 salary. He is undefeated inside the Octagon, but he takes on his stiffest test to date when he meets Rustam Khabliov on Saturday night. Khabilov is an injury replacement, but he had a good amount of notice for the bout and likely got as close to a full training camp as you can get. Khabilov hasn’t looked the same in his most recent fights, and while he got the win over Norman Parke in his last fight, he didn’t look overly impressive, and Wade is a sneaky rising prospect. Wade has good wrestling and some solid submissions, and he may overpower Khabilov to the mat. Khabliov had shown some great throws and takedowns, but that has seemingly gone out the window lately. I’m not sure if he regressed or if the having to stay overseas to train due to visa issues have hurt him, but he just hasn’t looked the same. Wade is a sneaky play to score a lot of takedowns and grind out a decision win.

    Gunnar Nelson ($8,900)

    Gunnar Nelson is going to be the most debated fighter on the card at his $8,900 salary. It’s hard to predict what is going to happen when he takes on Albert Tumenov on Sunday. Tumenov has shown to be an explosive striker so Nelson will be looking to take it to the mat. If Nelson can get the fight down, Tumenov is going to be in a lot of trouble on the ground. Nelson is still world class on the mat, but he did get embarassed by Demian Maia in his last fight. He needs a big rebound if he is ever going to be in the title picture at 170 pounds, and Tumenov is a beast with a five-fight win streak and has explosive finishes. Nelson has yet to be finished, and he could grind the fight out for three rounds and find a submission on the mat. He has good value if he can turn the fight with Tumenov into his kind of fight. It may be a challenge, but I see Nelson having some very good value.

    FIGHTERS TO AVOID

    Yan Cabral ($10,200)

    Yan Cabral has a decently high salary on Sunday’s event, but he is an easy pass for me. He is just 2-2 in his UFC career and hasn’t been overly impressive in his bouts. He has one finish in the two wins, but that was over Naoyuki Kotani, who was 0-5 inside the Octagon. He has a tough match-up against Reza Madadi, a fighter who is very tough to finish, and one that has a good shot at scoring an upset win. Madadi lost his last bout to Norman Parke, but it was his first fight in two-and-a-half years, and the ring rust was certainly evident. Madadi has a very good chance in finishing Cabral, but this looks to be a fight that will go the distance. I don’t expect much from either man, and I actually think Madadi picks up the victory. It makes Cabral an easy fighter for me to avoid.

    Ulka Sasaki ($9,100)

    Ulka Sasaki is the other fighter on my avoid list. He is coming into his bout against Willie Gates as a late replacement for the now-retired Paddy Holohan and enters the fight on a two-fight losing skid. He is in a must-win situation if he intends on having a UFC future, but Gates is a tough foe to go against, especially when he has a full camp. Gates is just 1-2 in his UFC tenure, like Sasaki, but both of his losses came in short-notice situations. When he had a full camp, he won in 96 seconds. Sasaki’s last two losses have come by finish, and Gates is a finisher himself. Sasaki is an easy fighter to avoid, even though his low salary is tempting if you are looking for cheap options.

    OUR LINE-UPS

    RYAN FREDERICK- Magnus Cedenblad ($10,600), Alistair Overeem ($10,300), Nikita Krylov ($10,100), Willie Gates ($9,600), Chris Wade ($9,000)

    I have Magnus Cedenblad and Alistair Overeem as my top plays for this week, and thus they will be on my roster this week. I love Cedenblad’s chances against an overmatched Garreth McLellan and Cedenblad’s grappling will be the big difference. Overeem is on a roll and has looked good-to-great in his three-fight win streak. Andrei Arlovski has a real suspect chin, and against a heavy kickboxer like Overeem, it is looking good for Overeem to get an early win. I like Nikita Krylov against Francimar Barroso. Barroso does just enough to win fights by decision, but he hasn’t been overly impressive, and Krylov has against lesser competition. I like Krylov to win by submission. Willie Gates gets a short-notice opponent who has been finished in his last two, and Gates is impressive with a full camp. I’m taking a chance on him. I’m also taking a chance on Chris Wade. I think he wins and he is cheap and of great value. Takedowns and significant strikes will lead him to the win.

    PAUL FONTAINE- Karolina Kowalkiewicz ($11,200), Alistair Overeem ($10,300), Nikita Krylov ($10,100), Willie Gates ($9,600), Garreth McLellan ($8,800)

    “Reem” is fighting in his home country and is on the verge of a title shot. He’s my lock of the week. A must for any DK team and at a reasonable salary. Nikita Krylov has the best nickname in MMA, “Al Capone” and his last 5 wins have been first round finishes. KK is unbeaten and that shouldn’t change against TUF 20 alumnus Heather Clark. The women on that show have not faired well in UFC competition for the most part against fighters that weren’t on the show. I expect KK to get her UFC finish here as the biggest favorite on the card. Garreth McLellan is a darkhorse for sure but when he wins, he finishes. Magnus Cedenblad was finished by Francis Carmont. ’nuff said. I’m going with Willie Gates for my last pick. KO power in the flyweight division is rare but Gates has it. Yuta Sasaki has been finished in two straight fights and Willie is going to make it three on Sunday morning.

    PEACH MACHINE- Kyoji Horiguchi ($10,700), Albert Tumenov ($10,500), Yan Cabral ($10,200), Anna Elmose ($9,400), Chris Wade ($9,000)

    I will always take Kyoji. He will be a champion someday and I’ll always put him on my team. He’ll get the finish, or a ton of points. Tumenov has a really tough opponent across the cage but he’s game as hell and maybe he saw the blueprint for beating Nelson. Wade is as tough as Khabilov. I’m sure Wade is there to lose, but I don’t think he cares what UFC has planned. Nor should he. Yan Cabral is going against Madadi who I’ve never liked. Elmose is a newcomer but looks tough and de Randamie has been out of action for a while. I like the upset here. I’m not as confident in these picks as I’ve been in the last couple but as usual, my advice is to never play it safe.

  • TUF 23 recap: The strawweights battle in their first fight of the season

    This season, both the women’s strawweight division and the men’s light heavyweight division will be competing. At the end of the season, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha fight on the TUF 23 Finale with Joanna Champion defending her strawweight title.

    Last week, Gadelha’s team won and picked Tatiana Suarez to face JJ Aldrich, putting the two #1 seeds on a collision course in only the show’s third week! 

    This Week:

    Jedrzejczyk is helping Aldrich work on the “small things” to get better. Helen Harper gets injured as they’re working on submissions. Jedrzejczyk gives her a pep talk but Harper is still feeling bummed and “a bit rubbish” even when she gets to the house. Rountree tells her he’s out and can’t even come back but she’s still in the hunt.

    We switch to team Gadelha and Suarez talks about how she had to overcome a cancer diagnosis just to be where she is today. “I don’t really talk about it much with people because it’s something very very personal, but I believe if you continue to persevere you can get through anything.”

    Cory Hendricks and Khalil Rountree are having a donut eating contest, and the loser has to get makeup done by the girls in the house, while the winner gets a sparkling golden donut. Joshua Stansbury is the emcee/announcer for the battle. Rountree finishes his pile of donuts first and is declared the winner – not shocking he was able to do it given he’s already out of competition and doesn’t have to worry about making weight. Or does he? You never know if me might come back as an alternate.

    Back on team Jedrzejczyk we see Aldrich talk about how nobody who meets her believes she’s a fighter, but (cliche coming) getting in the cage “flips a switch.” She says to beat Suarez she’s going to have all the takedowns and light her up with strikes.

    Time for the weigh-in! Aldrich is 115, Suarez is 115.5. Fight’s on! Dana White says that five years ago Suarez was the #1 wrestler in the U.S., but that you can’t count Aldrich out because she trains with Rose Namajunas, so he expects a classic fight.

    It’s makeup time for Cory Hendricks. He also has to put on a Reebok sports bra. He says he’s not afraid to do it, but that it’s his own fault for underestimating Rountree’s eating abilities. Lanchana Green is impressed that he went all out. Hendricks says that he can’t figure out whether the guys are attracted or upset.

    * Tatiana Suarez (Team Gadelha) vs. JJ Aldrich (Team Jedrzejczyk)

    Aldrich is in the red and Suarez is in the black. Suarez shoots for the double, Aldrich sprawls at first, but Suarez gets her with the leg trip. She tries to scoot back to the fence to get up, gives up her head in the process, but ultimately gets to her feet. Suarez single legs her back down at 1:45after a warning not to grab the cage and quickly moves to her back looking for hooks. She goes for a choke with only one in and Aldrich escapes and stands back up. Aldrich tries to widen her stance but is taken down again at 2:58. You can see why Suarez comes so highly touted for her wrestling, and she’s bull strong too, able to just drag Aldrich to the ground when the obvious takedown technique isn’t there. She’s going for a standing guillotine with a minute left but Aldrich escapes and survives to R2.

    Suarez got “a tiny little cut” in the first round which was so tiny I didn’t even see it in HD, and Gadelha tells her not to worry. Suarez has another takedown at 40 seconds. She’s quickly moving to side looking for the arm triangle. Aldrich escapes at 1:26 but Suarez is all over her from behind. Aldrich stands at 1:55 but is thrown down head first. Suarez gets the left hook and hammers away looking for the RNC.

    She gets the second hook in and at 3:14 of R2 Aldrich taps – TEAM GADELHA WINS AGAIN.

    Jedrzejczyk is disappointed that Aldrich didn’t scrap harder. Suarez is happy but knows she has two more fights to go. Jedrzejczyk tells all of her team to fight to the end no matter what. Claudia picks Andrew Sanchez to face Myron Dennis. See you next week!

  • May 9, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWE Payback review, Hulk Hogan suing Gawker, tons more

    WWE is now claiming the start of a “new era,” based on the idea that Shane and Stephanie McMahon are going to be running Raw together, no doubt building to the inevitable battle for power. And at least at the start, it looks like HHH is sitting this one out.

    Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

  • UFC begins post-UFC 200 plans with some interesting July fights

    Photos: Blackzilians.com

    The UFC is working on a number of fights for July involving big names including Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, as well as former champions TJ Dillashaw and Holly Holm.

    As reported on UFC Tonight and MMA Fighting Wednesday night, a number of fights are in the planning stages:

    • Former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw vs. Raphael Assuncao, a rematch of their 2013 fight that Assuncao won via close decision, is being targeted as the “main event” for the Fox Sports One portion of UFC 200. They are also planning on adding one more big-name fight to that card which will round out the five-fight PPV show.
    • Rumble Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira is being worked on for the company’s July 23rd show in Chicago, a big FOX show. After Teixeira’s recent quick win over Rashad Evans, he called out Johnson who was game for the fight. The winner would determine the No. 1 contender for the winner of the light heavyweight title unification bout between Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier at UFC 200. That fight could be part of the first Madison Square Garden show this fall.
    • Also in the works for that FOX Chicago show and a possible main event is former bantamweight champion Holly Holm vs. Valentina Shevchenko. Shevchenko had a 58-2-1 record as a kickboxer before going into MMA, where she is now 12-2. However, she did lose her last UFC fight to Amanda Nunes.
    • As if that wasn’t enough for the FOX Chicago show, Globo reported Wednesday that former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gil Melendez will return after a year off due to testing positive for PEDs to face Edson Barboza, he of the recent big win over Anthony Pettis.
    • The company also announced that UFC 201 would take place on July 30th in Atlanta, GA, with an anticipated main event of welterweight champion Robbie Lawler vs. Tyron Woodley.

    ​We’ll talk more about these fights and the rest of the news in wrestling and MMA on Wednesday’s Wrestling Observer Radio.

  • Former UFC, Strikeforce & Bellator heavyweight headed to prison

    Former UFC, Bellator, and Strikeforce heavyweight Lavar “Big” Johnson was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday stemming from an August arrest on domestic battery charges.

    Based on an incident on August 11, Johnson was charged with corporal injury on a spouse/co-habitant, assault likely to produce great bodily harm, dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, and dissuading a witness by force.

    He was charged with punching, kneeing, and slamming his girlfriend’s head on the ground and the wall. Johnson told the judge he was ashamed and embarrassed about the ending of the seven-year relationship, and had friends speak and write for him to try and get the sentenced reduced.

    Judge Glenda Allen-Hill wasn’t moved by the testimony, pointing to the severity of the beating and also that it wasn’t a first time occurrence as Johnson was sentenced to 14 days in jail and three years probation and forced to undergo alcohol counseling after a 2007 incident with a different girlfriend. He was also jailed for 30 days for criminal threats and disobeying a domestic relations order.

    Hill noted that he could have stopped and not inflicted so much damage on his victim, but he did not stop.

    Johnson (18-10) was noted for having a great physical similarity (and same last name) to Dwayne Johnson as he’s 6-foot-4, 255 pounds bald, muscular, and with similar tattoos. He was known as a “kill or be killed” heavyweight as in his 28 pro fights, only one went the distance, a UFC fight with Brendan Schaub where Schaub took him down and held him down for three rounds.

    Over the last six years, Johnson had 11 pro fights (4-11), nine of which ended in the first round. He came to the UFC in 2012 when UFC brought all the Strikeforce heavyweights into the promotion and went 2-2 in four fights, cut after the loss to Schaub.

    He was signed by Bellator and had lost three of his last four fights with his last fight on September 5, 2014.

  • TUF 23 recap: Joanna & Claudia get physical on episode 2

    This season, both the women’s strawweight division and the men’s light heavyweight division will be competing. At the end of the season if both Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha, they’ll be fighting on the TUF 23 Finale LIVE with Joanna Champion defending her strawweight title.

    Here’s what you missed on the first show.

    Here are the teams:

    • Coach Gadelha: Tatiana Suarez, Andrew Sanchez, Kate Jackson, Eric Spicely, Amanda Cooper, Abdel Medjedoub, Lanchana Green, Cory Hendricks
    • Coach Jedrzejczyk: JJ Aldrich, Joshua Stansbury, Jamie Moyle, Khalil Rountree, Ashley Yoder, Myron Dennis, Helen Harper, Elias Urbina IV

    Jedrzejczyk picked Khalil Rountree vs. Cory Hendricks for the first fight but that’s later to come. First is the TUF fighters being brought to their palatial estate for the filming of the season. Both Rountree and Harper are super stoked. Medjedoub is the last to find a bed but the only room left with a bed has three women. Being that he’s married and of the Muslim faith Harper completely understands why he doesn’t want to do it. Hendricks offers to stay with the girls to help Medjedoub out.

    This leads to Hendricks having both feet checked out at the doctor’s office, and they do look pretty swollen. The doctor says he has contusions but no fractures, and that he should avoid striking with kicks for a few days. From there we go to a Team Gadelha meeting, where she splits up the men and the women to train separately with her assistant coaches, with Gadelha there to oversee and give advice to everyone.

    Before Jedrzejczyk’s team can even hit the gym for their session, Gadelha and Jedrzejczyk get into a shoving match — that’s our teaser before the commercial.

    As you’d expect everybody gets between them to break it up before it can get physical. Gadelha says she’s not going to let herself be bullied and let Jedrzejczyk get in her head. Dana White: “These two have so much animosity between each other I don’t know how they’re going to make it through the season.”

    Jedrzejczyk reveals her philosophy is completely different from Gadelha’s – she believes the women should train with the men. Jamie Moyle is completely down with it because she thinks training like the champ trains will take her to a whole new level. Jedrzejczyk: “I will try to help them as much as I can.”

    Hendricks and Rountree are joking about the fact they are both from Syndicate MMA yet have to fight each other. Moyle is heartbroken (she’s from Syndicate too) about it but understands it has to happen. Gadelha and her assistants are trying hard to help Hendricks do alternate training and get the swelling down so he’s able to stand and fight.

    Rountree talks about all the reasons fighting changed his life – having no father figure, not fitting into his peer group because he liked punk rock and skateboarding, being overweight – and training with his brother and other fighters gave him something to  feel confident about. “I lost the weight of a complete man just to be in this position – just to be on the stage to show the world what I can do.”

    Jedrzejczyk and Gadelha get into another smack talking session before their fighters can even weigh-in. Jedrzejczyk wears the title belt around her waist just to rub it in Gadelha’s face, then puts it over her shoulder and talks smack to her boxing coach, which pisses Gadelha off since she says he can’t even speak English. Gadelha claims Jedrzejczyk didn’t even beat her the first time (it was a split decision).

    Rountree is 204. Hendricks is 204. Fight’s on!

    Helen Harper was sick this whole episode but everybody looked in on her and took care of her – especially Rountree. Dana White is giving out four bonuses this season – two for best performance at $25,000 each and two fighters get $25,000 each for being in the fight of the season.

    * Khalil Rountree (Team Jedrzejczyk) vs. Cory Hendricks (Team Gadelha)

    Hendricks gets a takedown at 40 seconds but Rountree gets back up quickly. Rountree stuffs the next attempt and Herb Dean forces Hendricks to stand. Hendricks gets another takedown and gets Rountree’s back. He’s got a rear naked choke in. Rountree taps at 2:33 and TEAM GADELHA GETS THE FIRST WIN.

    Next week: Tatiana Suarez (Gadelha) vs. JJ Aldrich (Jedrzejczyk). See you then!