UFC Fights Reported 8/11/18 – 8/17/18

Just like every week, there have been many fights added to upcoming UFC cards.

Lucie Pudilova vs. Irene Aldana – UFC 228

Irene Aldana, who was scheduled to fight on UFC 227 against Bethe Correia has been bumped to 228 with a new opponent. UFC announced that Aldana will face Lucie Pudilova on the UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims, presumably finishing the currently 14 fight card. Both fighters are coming off a victory, both via Unanimous decision.

Sean O’Malley vs. Jose Quinonez – UFC 229

Charismatic “Sugar” Sean O’Malley has been put back on assignment, with his next task being Jose Quinonez at UFC 229. The fight was announced by O’Malley himself Monday while on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. Quinonez has lost two of his nine career bouts, while O’Malley has stayed 10-0, undefeated. O’Malley broke into the UFC through season 1 of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, being one of the biggest personalities on the show. Since then he has picked up two more wins, both via scorecards. He was sidelined briefly after his last win as he suffered a foot injury that needed surgery.

Quinonez has been on a tear himself as well, being on a four fight win streak with the past three being going all three rounds. The only time that Quinonez has lost in the UFC was back in 2014 when he made his debut. Quinonez looks to improve to five wins in a row and to end O’Malley’s undefeated streak on the same night that McGregor challenges Nurmagomedov for a belt that he previously held.

Alan Patrick vs. Scott Holtzman – UFC 229

Adding to the Las Vegas card is Alan Patrick and Scott Holtzman. Reported by Combate and MMAFighting.com, Patrick and Holtzman will battle in the Lightweight division on October 6th at the T-Mobile Arena. UFC has yet to confirm this bout for the lineup.

Satoshi Kojima To Return On The 9th

New Japan’s Satoshi Kojima is set to return to in-ring action after suffering injury back in January. NJPW’s English Instagram account broke the news Thursday that Kojima will be on the September 9th card, fighting at the Togane Arena in Chiba. In January New Japan reported that Kojima had suffered a “ruptured ACL” and would of course be out of action because of it. Since then Kojima has stayed active on social media accounts, providing updates throughout his absence from action. Friday afternoon Kojima posted an Instagram photo that when translated said “Training is over … I received a lot of power from all of you.” Kojima’s fans who called themselves members of his “Bread Club” look forward to his return.

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4 Preview

In recent years the NXT Takeover before Summerslam has created many memories. Some would argue that past Takeovers have outshone the Sunday show. The first time that NXT came to Brooklyn, Sasha Banks and Bayley delivered a Match of The Year contender. The two years after that saw a title change hands in the main event. Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Samoa Joe, and Drew McIntyre defeated Bobby Roode. One of the best parts at looking back at the older shows is to see where these wrestlers are now. Nakamura for example, main evented Takeover two years ago and is now fighting on the Summerslam card defending his US title. NXT is the future of the main roster. Let’s see what the roster has to showcase on Saturday.

The five fight card starts with a grudge match. The only grudge match on the card. EC3 faces The Velveteen Dream. It doesn’t seem like there is too much of a story behind this match, but the in-ring action should be entertaining. An angle was done on the final episode leading up to the PPV where they confronted each other in the ring. EC3 won the unscheduled beatdown.

After a grudge match the rest of the night has title implications. The tag team champions and members of The Undisputed Era Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong plan to “Shock The System” when UK duo Tyler Bate and Trent Seven A.K.A Mustache Mountain challenge for their belts. These two teams are very familiar with each other as they played hot potato with the belt in June. Mustache Mountain ended the 150+ day reign for The Undisputed Era, winning the belts back at NXT’s UK Championship show. The belts were won back only days after on NXT. Mustache Mountain have proven they can do it once, but now they have to do it again. Maybe it was a fluke that they won it once, or maybe they can find success once more.

NXT’s new North American Championship sees it’s first TakeOver appearance since it was won back at New Orleans in April. Adam Cole, who won the title via a ladder match sees himself facing Ricochet, another man who was vying for the belt that same night. Ricochet was the one who issued the challenge on NXT TV. Despite Cole not being too keen on the idea, the match was booked.

The final two matches of the show have lots of backstory to them. In the first one, Kairi Sane looks to become an NXT Women’s Champion when she faced Shayna Baszler. The two have met before, with Sane being victorious in that meeting. Sane defeated Baszler to become the winner of the Mae Young Classic last year. Since then Baszler became the NXT Women’s Champion, looking down on Sane and the rest of the roster. Sane fought her way to the rematch after winning a #1 contenders match on NXT TV. In the final week leading up to Takeover Sane tried to intimidate Baszler by beating Aliyah to a pulp. Sane hopes that history will repeat while Baszler hopes to end get the final laugh on their rivalry.

After betrayal in 2017, the long standing rivalry between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano has another chapter installed into it on Saturday. Ciampa ditched the tag team called #DIY that he had with Gargano after a loss to The Authors of Pain back in 2017. Since then Ciampa battled back from injury, making his return at TakeOver in New Orleans, defeating Gargano in an “unsanctioned” bout. He beat him once again at NXT Chicago II. This match wasn’t originally scheduled to be just between these two, but became that way after Aleister Black suffered a groin injury. He was written off of NXT TV last week as footage showed that someone attacked Black on the campus of Full Sail University. After defeating Gargono two times in a row, this fight could be the last chance for “Johnny Wrestling” to prove himself.

NXT has an exciting lineup Saturday which has potential to put on many quality matches. Personally I am most excited about the tag bout and the women’s bout. The women’s one because I don’t know who will win, and the tag one because it looks like it will be an absolute barn-burner. NXT’s fourth time in Brooklyn has potential to be spectacular and if it holds that quality afterwords will be seen tomorrow.

PFL 6 Report: Cooper III Wins In 18 Seconds

Live from Atlantic City, New Jersey, PFL presents it’s 6th fight since it’s new season format. Starting off the Facebook Live prelims for PFL 6 had major implications. Eddie Gordon faces fellow Middleweight Gasan Umalatov, with the winner being taken out of playoff contention. In Umalatov’s corner for this fight was Khabib Nurmagomedov. In Gordon’s corner was Matt Serra and Ray Longo. The first round was a feeling out process with a burst of energy in the final 30 seconds. In the final two rounds both fighters fought a composed battle, with Umalatov outplaying him. All three judges gave Umalatov won 30-27 unanimously. Gordon seemed confident up until the moment that the score was announced. This was an obvious closed case before the announcement even came.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Gordon 9 9 9 27
Umalatov 10 10 10 30

The second bout went to the ground almost immediately. Andre Lobato was trying repeatedly to get a submission in, but Taylor was avoiding it while landing strikes. The commentary booth did not understand why Taylor repeatedly went for takedowns on a guy who has such good ground game. Taylor had good takedowns in the second, outscoring Lobato who wasn’t engaging as much. This fight went the distance with the judges giving Taylor the Unanimous win (30-27, 30-27 & 30-26).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Taylor 10 10 10 30
Lobato 9 9 9 27

The next fight is Rex Harris, who defeated Lobato who just fought a few shows ago, facing Shamil Gamzatov. This fight was very close, staying standing for most of the time. Just like the two fights before this one went the whole 15 minutes. Gamzatov stays undefeated after a Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Harris 9 9 10 28
Gamzatov 10 10 9 29

Abus Magomedov faced Anderson Goncalves in the next bout. In the first round Magomedov landed a strong right strike to down Goncalves. The ref rushed over to end the fight while Magomedov was adding a few extra punches to the exchange.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Magomedov
Goncalves

Continuing with the prelims, Bruno Santos tested his skills against John Howard. Howard fought in a style where he would act all collected but then explode with punched every 20 seconds. Santos took it to the ground with two takedowns in the first round. Howard hit Santos many times in the second round then took him down to the ground. It looked scary for Santos but he recovered. Howard was fighting the clock at the end of round 3 as he had an submission move on Santos. Santos was able to last the final 10 seconds, making the fight go the distance. Bruno Santos picked up his win Unanimously (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Santos 10 10 10 30
Howard 9 9 9 27

Jake Shields, who was coming off his main event loss from a months ago is facing Herman Terrado. This was another elimination bout. The first round was close, but went to Shields in my book. The second round was primarily on the ground. Shields got a takedown then stayed in control for the rest of the time. In the final round Shields started to get rocked by some shots while standing. He recovered when he went to the ground. Shields held on for the rest of the round and made it go to decision. The judges all had Shields win 29-28.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Terrado 9 9 10 28
Shields 10 10 9 29

Carlton Minus comes in as a last moment replacement to face Rick Story in the final preliminary bout. Minus has fought his whole career in Alaska up until now. Story was dominant in the first round, not ever coming close to a finish, but being successful. Story did a takedown and went into full guard seemingly with ease in the second round. When Story slipped in the Rear Naked Choke it put him away. Completely one sided fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Minus 9
Story 10

Starting off the main card on NBCSN was Joao Zeferino versus Yuri Villefort. Zeferino had outstanding ground game in the first round, with his strikes visibly shaking Villefort. Zeferino had a slower second round, exploding in the end of the round. In the third round Zeferino finally put a stop to it with a Rear Naked Choke. After the fight Zeferino talked about how he was battling illness leading up to the fight. His will power to not give up is what powered him on.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Zeferino 10 10
Villefort 9 9

In the first elimination fight of the main card, Jonatan Westin faced Abubakar Nurmagomedov. In the first round Nurmagomedov was hit below the belt by accident. Luckily he was able to get back into the battle within moments. Nurmagomedov was able to take it to the ground in the first round and land tons of strikes. At the start of round 2 Westin got clipped right before getting taken down. Westin got close to putting in a Triangle Choke but could not succeed with it. With a minute left Westin almost slipped in a submission but Abubakar avoided. Westin had a significant cut on his head throughout the third round. The judges gave Abubakar Nurmagomedov the win via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28). This continued the winning streak for fighters that Khabib Nurmagomedov were cornering this evening.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Westin 9 9 9 27
Nurmagomedov 10 10 10 30

The next fight is a very interesting one. Jozette Cotton faced Kayla Harrison. Harrison made her debut at PFL 2 winning via submission. It will be interesting to see how she can fair in only her second fight. Harrison called her shot, that being either a KO or a submission in round 1. When Cotton was asked what she predicts, she said she will win in the second round via stoppage. A very good video package about Harrison was played before the fight. Harrison took the fight to the ground, where Cotton didn’t want it. Harrison went into full mount with a minute left and started swinging away. Harrison put in an Armbar with 20 seconds to go, but Cotton survived. Kayla brought the fight back to the ground almost immediately in the second round. Kayla seemed less focused on submission moves and more focused on strikes this time around. 15 seconds into the third round Harrison executed another takedown. When Harrison started to really land strikes on top the ref finally put a stop to it. It was impressive how long Cotton was able to stay in the fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Cotton 8 9
Harrison 10 10

Bojan Velickovic faced Magomed Magomedkerimov in the co-main event of the evening. Just like many other fights on this card, Khabib was in the Russian’s corner. Magomed got a takedown and put Velickovic in a Guillotine. Somehow he escaped the hold, which was applied tightly. A section of the crowd was rallying behind Magomed. There was a pause for both fighters in this fight as each other them were hit in the groin. The second round was so close, with very entertaining ground game. This fight went the distance in a absolute competition. Khabib’s management goes 5-0 tonight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Velickovic 9 10 9 29
Magomedkerimov 10 9 10 28

In the main event of the evening, Paulo Kusch faced Ray Cooper III. 15 seconds into the main event Cooper III floored Kusch with strikes making the ref step in almost immediately. It looked like he landed a strike after the ref intervened, but it didn’t connect. The crowd was absolutely stunned by this stoppage. Cooper III clinched the #1 seed for his weight class with this win. Kusch left the octagon before the official decision. This wrapped up PFL 6.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Kusch
Cooper III

 

Magnus Cedenblad Announces Retirement

Thirty-six year old MMA fighter Magnus Cedenblad announced his retirement last Tuesday. Announced via Instagram, Cedeblad cited the catalyst for his retirement being his injuries. His last fight was in November of 2016, losing to Jack Marshman. Since then he has been tied up with injuries. He was scheduled to face Chris Camozzi at UFC Fight Night in Stockholm, Sweden, but pulled from the card. Cedenblad retires with a record of 14-5, with four of those wins coming from inside the UFC octagon.

UFC 229 Ticket Prices Announced

The long awaited clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor does not come at a cheap price. Tuesday AXS announced the price tiers for tickets to the October bout, with the highest level being a hefty $2,505. The other ticket prices were $2,005, $1,505, $1,005, $755, $555, $405, $355, $305, $255 and $205. Tickets go on sale to the general public after five different pre-sales, starting on the 15th and ending the following day. On the 17th the tickets will go public for purchase at 10AM EST. The event goes down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card currently has six fights booked, with the most anticipated one being McGregor versus Nurmagomedov. UFC 229 goes down on October 6, 2018.

UFC Releases Two Veterans Of MMA

UFC has let go of two fighters this week, both after being with the promotion for a fair amount of time. The first of the two was Tom Lawlor, who was still serving a USADA suspension which was issued back in November of 2016. While serving his suspension Lawlor picked up pro wrestling, a form of entertainment that he had been involved with before. Lawlor was vocal during his suspension about how he had asked for a release, but was not granted one.

News was broke via Dave Meltzer on WrestlingObserver.com on Monday. Lawlor was employed by the UFC for more than a decade, participating in a season of The Ultimate Fighter. He fought in 11 bouts for the UFC, with his most recent one being a loss to Corey Anderson at UFC 196. Outside of the octagon he garnered attention of fans by having a creative personality. Many times he would dress up at weigh-ins, imitating other fighters or personalities within the sport.

The other release by the UFC this week was of Gleison Tibau, another veteran of the sport. Originally reported by MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz, Tibau will have to look elsewhere if he wants to continue pursuing MMA. Tibau fought 28 times in the UFC, starting back in 2006 against Nick Diaz. He had recently been on a four fight losing streak which started back in 2015, became four in June.

Bellator 205 Card Sees Two Substitutions

With just over a month until Bellator 205, the main card sees two major changes. The main event, which was originally scheduled to be undefeated AJ McKee Jr. versus Pat Curran is off the table, as Curran has suffered an injury. Replacing him in the 145 weight class fight is John Teixeira. Originally reported by MMA Junkie, the news came Monday afternoon. Another change that came this week was for another main card fight which was scheduled to be between Patricky Freire and Goiti Yamauchi. Teixeira is looking to break his two fight losing streak, being his only two losses in his career. Both of his losses come by decision. His last win was at Bellator 167 against Justin Lawrence.

ESPN reported last Friday that due to Yamauchi’s injury, he would be replaced by Roger Huerta. Similar to Teixeira, Huerta is coming off a loss at Bellator 196, when Benson Henderson beat him in the second round via submission. This will be his second bout in Bellator since his return to the promotion. He fought for Bellator in the early days, facing Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 33.

Glover Teixeira Off UFC Sao Paulo Card Due To Injury

UFC’s return to Sao Paulo, Brazil in September is left without a main event for now, after Glover Teixeira has pulled out of the bout due to a shoulder injury. What was set to be a Heavyweight bout between Teixeira and Jimi Manuwa is off the table, Ariel Helwani for ESPN reports, leaving the card with 11 bouts. Manuwa voiced his displeasure on the cancellation via Twitter, simply tweeting an angry emoji. This is not the first fight issue for this card, with Mark Godbeer pulling out of his fight with Luis Henrique due to injury. Ryan Spann has already committed to step in as a replacement for that fight. With just over a month to go until the show, UFC might have to scramble to find a main event replacement.

Kazuchika Okada To Fight On Friday CMLL Arena Mexico Card

Kushida and other NJPW stars have been announced for ROH’s two September events in Las Vegas. ROH says farewell to the Sam’s Town venue that they have run for many years in Vegas, hosting their two nights in the 9,500 seater Orleans arena. On Tuesday ROH announced that KUSHIDA will be at the TV taping that follows the night after the Death Before Dishonor iPPV.

While no opponent has been announced for KUSHIDA, many of his CHAOS buddies with have their hands tied the night before. At Death Before Dishonor, Cody, The Young Bucks, Marty Scurll and Hangman Page will team up to face Chuckie T, Rocky Romero, Tomohiro Ishii, Trent Barreta and Kazuchika Okada. Jushin “Thunder” Liger has also been announced to compete that same night. Tickets are still on sale for both the PPV and TV Taping.