Tag: 2019

PFL 2019 #9 Live Report

Happy Halloween! PFL held their final quarter-final and semi-final evening of fights in 2019 on Halloween night. The show showcased their light heavyweight and heavyweight fighters aiming to reach the New Year’s Eve grand finals.

All of the quarter-final fights this evening were two-rounds long, with the semi-final bouts being three-rounds.

Bout 1: Emiliano Sordi (19-8) (#1) vs. Sigi Pesaleli (1-2) (#8) (Light Heavyweight Quarter-Final)

The evening opened up with a quarter-final fight between top seed Emiliano Sordi and Sigi Pesaleli. Sordi was the more dominant striker from the start. Sordi started to pour on punches and kicks early on to Pesaleli, who was up against the cage. Pesaleli was dropped from uppercuts, getting hit a couple more times before the referee stepped in.

Bout 2: Bozigit Ataev (21-4) (#4) vs. Viktor Nemkov (30-7) (#5) (Light Heavyweight Quarter-Final)

The next light heavyweight bout was between the two closest light heavyweight seeds, Bozigit Ataev and Viktor Nemkov. Nemkov got a takedown in the first minute of the fight. They stood back up, with Nemkov keeping Ataev in a clinch against the cage. Ataev dropped Nemkov with strikes while in clinch. Nemkov was able to recover and stayed on the ground until the referee stood him back up. Ataev kept coming forward, landing punches. Nemkov stopped Ataev’s momentum with a headlock. Ataev got a takedown in the final minute of the round, catching a leg of Nemkov and throwing him.

In the second minute of the final round, Nemkov put Ataev up against the cage, attempting a takedown. Nemkov tried for another takedown which was stuffed. Not much more happened before the fight concluded. When heading to the scorecards, the fight was ruled a draw. When the judges were asked to pick one fighter, two of the three fighters chose Bozigit Ataev.

Bout 3: Maxim Grishin (30-7-1) (#2) vs. Jordan Johnson (11-1) (#7) (Light Heavyweight Quarter-Final)

The third light-heavyweight quarter-final saw the more experienced Maxim Grishin face Jordan Johnson. Johnson got a takedown in the first minute of the fight, taking the back of Grishin. They got back up shortly after, where Johnson pursued another takedown. Grishin was taken down by a strike and a shove, although he got back up quickly. Grishin had Johnson backing up in the final moments as he landed some good strikes.

At the very start of the second round, Johnson got another takedown. They stood back up after a minute or so. Grishin stopped another takedown attempt but was put up against the cage for some time. When going to the scorecards, the fight was ruled a majority draw. The tiebreaker had all three judges pick Jordan Johnson move on to the semi-finals.

Bout 4: Vinny Magalhaes (19-11) (#3) vs. Rashid Yusupov (11-2) (#6) (Light Heavyweight Quarter-Final)

The final light heavyweight quarter-final fight was between Rashid Yusupov and Vinny Magalhaes. After a close striking competition for a few minutes, Yusupov  dropped Magalhaes with a two-punch combination, earning a walkoff knockout victory.

Bout 5: Kelvin Tiller (11-3) (#4) vs. Ali Isaev (6-0) (#5) (Heavyweight Quarter-Final)

The first heavyweight quarter-final of the evening was between Ali Isaev and Kelvin Tiller. Tiller clinched up early, although it was Isaev that got the takedown. Isaev did ground and pound on top of Tiller for most of the round.

Tiller found himself in the same position that he was in the round before, as Isaev took top position and continued ground and pound. When going to the scorecards, all judges favoured Ali Isaev in moving on (20-16, 20-17 & 20-17).

Bout 6: Mo DeReese (8-1) (#2) vs. Jared Rosholt (18-7) (#7) (Heavyweight Quarter-Final)

The next heavyweight bout saw Jared Rosholt face Muhammed DeReese. A leg kick brought Rosholt to the ground early. Rosholt took lots of damage on the ground but after a few minutes got up. Rosholt got a takedown and took the back of DeReese. Rosholt kept throwing punches from the back, with DeReese not doing anything to fight out of it. The referee eventually got involved, giving Rosholt a win.

Bout 7: Denis Goltsov (24-5) (#1) vs. Satoshi Ishii (22-9-1) (#8) (Heavyweight Quarter-Final)

Moving from ESPN+ to ESPN 2, the heavyweight quarter-finals continued. Satoshi Ishii faced top seed Denis Golstov. Ishii had Mirko Cro Cop cornering him for this fight. After a minute of slow striking from both fighters, Ishii tried for a single leg takedown. The referee stood them back up. Ishii eventually got a takedown, taking top position with a minute left in the round.

The second round was another slow one. Ishii stayed on his back for a lot of the round, while Goltsov threw strikes while standing. Selected to move on via majority decision, Denis Goltsov got the win (19-19, 20-18 & 20-18).

Bout 8: Alex Nicholson (14-8) (#3) vs. Francimar Barroso (24-7-1) (#6) (Heavyweight Quarter-Final)

The final quarter-final fight of the evening was between Alex Nicholson and Francimar Barroso. In the first minute of the fight, Barroso got a takedown. When they stood back up, both fighters were trading hard punches. Barroso landed an overhand right that shoot Nicholson. He later connected with another overhand, this time it dropped Nicholson. Barroso took top position on the ground. They got back up, with Nicholson throwing bombs. Nicholson landed a low blow knee to Barroso while up against the cage, causing a pause in the fight. They eventually resumed, with Barroso trying for a single leg. They went to the ground for a short moment. Nicholson stormed forward with punches as the round ended.

Nicholson started the second round with another charge forward of strikes. Nicholson slipped while doing a kick, hitting Barroso in the groin once again. Referee Herb Dean did not opt to take a point away from Nicholson. When they resumed, Nicholson landed a push kick which hit Barroso in the groin. A point was taken away that time. Nicholson got hurt by a punch from Barroso, falling to the ground. He recovered and got back up, but was taken down moments later. Nicholson tried for a kimura from the bottom position but couldn’t secure it. After going the distance, all three judges put Francimar Barroso to the semi-finals (20-17, 19-18 & 19-18).

Bout 9: Jordan Johnson (11-1-1) (#7) vs. Rashid Yusupov (12-2) (#6) (Light Heavyweight Semi-Final)

The first semi-final fight of the evening was between Jordan Johnson and Rashid Yusupov. The first round was a striking battle, with both fighters having good combinations.

Johnson got a takedown halfway through the second round. While both fighters were active strikers, it was clear that Johnson was the more active striker.

Johnson dumped Yusupov onto the ground in the opening of the second round as well. He kept the pressure from top position for the whole round. When going to the scorecards, all three judges selected Jordan Johnson as the winner (30-26, 30-26 & 29-27).

Bout 10: Bozigit Ataev (20-4-1) (#4) vs. Emiliano Sordi (20-8) (#1) (Light Heavyweight Semi-Final)

To find the grand final opponent of Jordan Johnson, Emiliano Sordi and Bozigit Ataev faced off next. This was a rematch from August, where Sordi beat Atave in the first round. Sordi had the better striking early on, although Ataev landed a punch which stunned Sordi for a moment late in the round. Sordi got a takedown, eventually took the back of Ataev and put in a rear naked choke which made Ataev tap out. After quite the quick and successful evening, Emiliano Sordi punched his ticket to PFL 10.

Bout 11: Kelvin Tiller (11-4) (#4) vs. Jared Rosholt (19-7) (#7) (Heavyweight Semi-Final)

In the first of two heavyweight semi-final fights, Jared Rosholt and Kelvin Tiller competed. Tiller was the replacement fighter after neither Francimar Barroso or Alex Nicholson were able to fight. Rosholt looked like he was in pain when doing his walkout. Rosholt got a takedown in the second minute of the fight. He stayed in that position until the round concluded.

After Rosholt was on top of Tiller on the ground for a while, the referee stood them back up for the final 30 seconds of the second round.

Rosholt got a takedown early in the final round, assuming the position he was in for the two prior rounds as well. They stayed on the ground until the fight concluded. Jared Rosholt won over the judges with his performance, moving on to the finals (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

Bout 12: Ali Isaev (7-0) (#5) vs. Denis Goltsov (25-5) (#1) (Heavyweight Semi-Final)

The main event of the evening determined the final entrant into the PFL finals. Undefeated heavyweight Ali Isaev went up against top seed Denis Goltsov. The first round was a very methodical one from both fighters.

In the second minute of the second round, Isaev tried for a takedown but Goltsov got out of it shortly. Isaev got a takedown again, but it was Goltsov who got the better position. Isaev eventually got in top position and kept control until the round ended.

The final round was mostly inactive until the final moments when Isaev dropped Goltsov with a punch. He continued to throw down punches from above until the referee stepped in with only a few seconds left. Ali Isaev is the final entry into the PFL 10 grand finals.

RIZIN 15 Preview

On Sunday RIZIN will return with their first event of 2019. Their last event was the classic New Year’s Eve MMA event being held in Saitama Super Arena. The show saw kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa lose within a round of boxing to the 50-0 Floyd Mayweather. The loss went viral, as did Mayweather’s reported nine million dollar paycheck did. The show also saw the crowing of Kyoji Horiguchi and Ayaka Hamasaki as champions. Horiguchi defeated Bellator star Darrion Caldwell via submission to become a Bantamweight Champion, and Hamasaki beat Kanna Asakura with a second-round armbar to become a Super Atomweight Champion.

This weekend’s show will be headlined by Jiri Prochazka and Bellator’s King Mo, as they compete for the inagural RIZIN Heavyweight Championship. Below them on the card will also be RIZIN regulars Kyoji Horiguchi and Tenshin Nasukawa.

RIZIN 15 will see inaugural promotion’s return to Yokohama, with their last appearance being in April of 2017. With the order of this weekend’s card being unveiled this week, let’s preview the card in order.

Taiga vs. Thalisson Gomes Ferreira (Kickboxing Bout)

The first fight of the evening is contested under kickboxing rules, as Taiga returns to face RIZIN newcomer Thailisson Gomes Ferreria. Taiga competed at RIZIN 13, where he fought to a draw against Kento Haraguchi. Both fighters are coming off of losses from the RISE kickboxing promotion.

Kanako Murata vs. Saray Orozco

The matchup of Kanako Murata and Saray Orozco only became official this week when Orozco’s original opponent, Shinju Nozawa-Auclair backed out of the bout due to injury. Nozawa-Auclair noted on Instagram that she fought through an injury before, and it forced her to be sidelined for a year after the fight because of the severity of the injury afterwards. Kanako Murata is no newcomer to RIZIN as she has an established 4-1 record within the fighting federation. Saray Orozco has a 4-2 professional MMA record and is on a three-fight win streak heading into her battle in Yokohama.

Seiichiro Ito vs. Manel Kape

Manel Kape is an example of someone who RIZIN has really built up. Prior to his career within RIZIN, he didn’t compete in any major promotions. Although RIZIN has made him into a huge star, he hasn’t had an easy run. Out of his last four career losses, he has been given three of them in his last four fights. He lost to Ulka Sasaki on New Year’s Eve back when he was coming off a win against Yusaku Nakamura. He’ll be facing Seiichiro Ito in his next fight. Ito will be making his second RIZIN appearance, getting a win at the last Yokohama show. He’s a veteran within the ZST promotion in Japan and is coming off his first MMA loss in over five years.

Koji Takeda vs. Damien Brown

Damien Brown had a strong debut with RIZIN at New Year’s Eve after wrapping up his 2-4 UFC career. He defeated RIZIN veteran Daron Cruickshank via guillotine in just one round. He faces Koji Takeda, a DEEP promotion fighter who, despite only debuting in 2017, has racked up eight victories. His last win came against Satoru Kitaoka, who also fights on this card.

Kana Watanabe vs. Justyna Zofia Haba

Justyna Zofia Haba and Kana Watanabe are two success stories that came from the New Year’s Eve shows. Watanabe defeated Shizuka Sugiyama in 11 seconds after a knockdown (which Sugiyama protested about after the match) in their sequel fight, and Haba handed Shinju Nozawa-Auclair her first pro loss via submission. Watanabe’s fight came from RIZIN’s afternoon show “RIZIN Heisei’s Last Yarennoka!” Since then she has also gotten her either pro victory at DEEP JEWELS 23, defeating Soo Min Kang. While Watanabe isn’t a veteran by any means, her 8-0-1 record is many more minutes in the sport than what Haba has experienced in her 1-0 pro MMA career.

Mikuru Asakura vs. Luis Gustavo

This weekend’s show was set to be a showcase of both of the Asakura brothers, but couldn’t happen after Kai Asakura’s fight fell through. After Ulka Sasaki and Justin Scoggins both pulled out due to injury, RIZIN decided to bench Kai for the event. Mikuru’s bout is still set to happen, as he faces Luis Gustavo. The undefeated Brazilian left an impact in his debut in RIZIN when he dropped Yusuke Yachi in the main event of RIZIN 12. Mikuru defeated Shooto veteran Takeshi Inoue at the “Heisei’s Last Yarennoka” show on NYE.

RENA vs. Samantha Jean-Francois

A bout that was set to go down at RIZIN 14 will be tried for again at this event. Samantha Jean-Francois didn’t have an opponent last minute in December due to RENA suffering from anemia and dehydration during her weight cut. The last fight took place at 49 kg, and this fight will be held at 51 kg.

Karl Albrektsson vs. Christiano Frolich

Karl Albrektsson will make his return to RIZIN, facing Christiano Frolich, who will make his debut in the promotion. Albrektsson’s last fight in RIZIN was against Jiri Prochazka, losing in the first round via punches. Since then he has gotten two more wins in the Swedish promotion “Superior Challenge,” making his record 8-2. Frolich comes into RIZIN with a 10-4 record, with his last fight being a win in July against Eduardo Rufino.

Roberto de Souza vs. Satoru Kitaoka

Nearly two decades into his MMA career, Satoru Kitaoka is still fighting frequently. After defeating Tatsuya Kawajiri on New Year’s Eve, Kitaoka will face Roberto de Souza in his next battle. Souza is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu based MMA fighter, having presence in Japan through his participation in QUINTET events.

Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Ben Nguyen

RIZIN’s top MMA dog Kyoji Horiguchi will face former UFC fighter Ben Nguyen in his next fight. Horiguchi is coming off a championship victory in December. Nguyen will be making his first appearance outside the UFC after he first fought for them in 2015. At the end of his stint with the promotion, he lost two fights, finishing with a UFC record of 4-3. This fight won’t be for a title, and will only be three rounds.

Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Fritz Aldin Biagtan

Tenshin Nasukawa’s recent fights seemingly follow a theme of being involved with people who don’t have much to do with kickboxing. At RIZIN 13, he fought Kyoji Horiguchi in a kickboxing match. At RIZIN 14, he lost to Floyd Mayweather in boxing after being knocked down three times. And now at RIZIN 15, Nasukawa will face a kickboxer that has been brought in through famous boxer Manny Pacquiao. Fritz Aldin Biagtan was the fighter that “Pac-Man” assigned for the event. The Filipino fighter is a current WBC Muay Thai Featherweight Champion and will be facing Nasukawa in Kickboxing rules. Nasukawa’s last fight was last month at RISE, competing in the first round of the promotion’s 58kg tournament.

King Mo vs. Jiri Prochazka (RIZIN Heavyweight Championship Match)

RIZIN will have their first Heavyweight Championship match in the main event of the show. Muhammed Lawal, also known as King Mo will come into the promotion from Bellator to face Jiri Prochazka. Prochazka is currently on a seven-fight win streak, defeating Brandon Halsey in December. He has fought for RIZIN since their inaugural event. This won’t be the first time he’s squared off against Mo, as he took his third and most recent loss to him back in 2015 via punches. King Mo has lost his last two fights, both being via strikes. In RIZIN he has a record of 3-1.

After RIZIN makes it’s long-awaited return to Yokohama, the promotion will make their debut in Kobe afterwards. On the 2nd of June, RIZIN will go to the World Memorial Hall for RIZIN 16. But until then, there are 12 bouts that have the potential to be very entertaining.

Lewis Hamilton Gets 2019 Australian GP Pole Position and New Track Record

It will be an all Mercedes front row for the Australian Grand Prix tomorrow as Lewis Hamilton grabbed pole position on Saturday. Putting in a 1:20.486 lap, the British driver set a new best lap for the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. Qualifying behind by 0.112s, Valtteri Bottas will start on the front row as well. The second row will have Sebastian Vettel from Ferrari and Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing. Charles Leclerc from Ferrari placed fifth with the two Haas drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen placing sixth and seventh. The other Red Bull driver, Pierre Gasly, placed 17th.

Q1

In the first qualifying session, it was Charles Leclerc who got first place, beating both Mercedes drivers who were holding the place before. Williams were in the bottom two places during Q1 with Robert Kubica going into the grass during a hot lap. Lance Stroll was knocked into 16th place in the final minutes of the session. Sebastian Vettel made it through to Q2 in Medium tyres, as opposed to most of the grid who drove in Softs.

Q2

In Q2 it was Renault drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo who came the closest to moving on but failed. The two Toro Rosso drivers Alexander Albon and Daniil Kvyat also did get eliminated. Antonio Giovinazzi was eliminated while his teammate Kimi Raikkonen moved on.

Q3

Before Lewis Hamilton grabbed pole position with his record lap, Valtteri Bottas also set a track record with a 1:20.598 lap. Vettel placed third but has a 0.704 gap to the top lap. Sergio Perez drove the slowest lap in Q3, being 2.295s behind Hamilton.

Mercedes hopes to use their front row lockout to their highest potential tomorrow when the Australian Grand Prix takes place. The broadcast starts at 1 AM EST.

Lewis Hamilton Puts In Best FP1 and FP2 Laps At Albert Park – 2019 Australian GP

Lewis Hamilton topped both Friday practice sessions in Australia, ahead of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

FP1

In Free Practice 1 it was last year’s champion Lewis Hamilton who had the fastest lap. Putting in a 1:23.599, Hamilton was ahead of Sebastian Vettel by 0.038. His teammate Valtteri Bottas was 5th on the timing sheet, behind by 0.267. Charles Leclerc was in third place, behind by 0.074s.

During the session there was a red flag put out due to Alexander Albon spinning out in sector one. The car collided with a barrier, making the front wing of the car fall off. Valtteri Bottas spun in sector three but avoided making contact with any walls.

The two Williams cars placed last in the timing sheet, both being more than four seconds behind the best lap. George Russell stopped his car on pit lane at one point in the session and had his car pushed back to his box.

Kimi Raikkonen was the highest placing driver in this session who isn’t in a 2018 top three team, as he joined the Alfa Romeo squad this year.

FP2

In the second practice session Lewis Hamilton found himself improving his FP1 lap time, clocking in a 1:22.600 lap to get first place. Fellow Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas was behind him by 0.048s. The Red Bull Racing duo of Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly took third and fourth with Sebastian Vettel from Ferrari taking fifth. Gasly reported a loss of power in the car with only a few minutes left in the session.

Alexander Albon’s troubles continued into the second practice session as he went off track in sector 3, losing control by hitting grass beside the track.

Kimi Raikkonen continued to be the highest placing driver who wasn’t from Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull. Renault placed 7th and 8th after Ricciardo was in 17th in FP1.

Williams continued to struggle in the second practice session, nearly being a second slower than everyone on the grid.

The final practice session will be held tomorrow at 11 PM EST with the qualifying held at 2 AM EST. The Formula 1 season will officially commence on Sunday when the Australian Grand Prix takes place at 1 AM EST.

Formula 1 Race Director Charlie Whiting Passes Away At Age 66

Formula One’s Race Director Charlie Whiting passed away on Wednesday night at age 66. The FiA (Federation Internationale De L’Automobile) put out a on Wednesday statement saying that he suffered pulmonary embolism. “I have known Charlie Whiting for many years and he has been a great Race Director, a central and inimitable figure in Formula One who embodied the ethics and spirit of this fantastic sport,” said FIA President Jean Todt in the statement.

The loss comes before F1’s inaugural 2019 race weekend in Australia. On Thursday a press conference was held where drivers reflected on Charlie Whiting and his impact. “I spoke to him yesterday… Difficult to grasp when somebodies just not there anymore,” said Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel. Whiting first became involved in F1 in 1988 when he was a Technical Delegate for the sport.

“We just have to appreciate every day and every morning you wake up and that you enjoy life and that it’s not only about Formula 1 but a lot of other things in life,” said Max Verstappen, reflecting on Whiting’s sudden passing. Verstappen also told a story about how he chatted with Whiting in Geneva recently. F1 put out a tribute video online on Thursday which recapped his career in motorsport and his impact on the sport.

Sky Sports have released out an interview where current F1 Managing Director and former driver now Motorsport journalist Martin Brundle reflected on Whiting.
It has been reported that Michael Masi will be the race director for this weekend. Masi has formerly worked in a similar position with the V8 Supercars series.

WWE RAW 3/11/19 Results and Review

RAW was from Pittsburgh, PA this week. The show opened with The Shield coming to the ring via the crowd. Michael Cole told us that they are here to give their “farewell address.” Roman Reigns talked about the situation with all three Shield members. Reigns said that if last night was their last night, he has no regrets. He encouraged Seth about his upcoming Wrestlemania match against Brock Lesnar, saying he will “slay the beast.” All three Sheild members put their fists together, and then Reigns and Ambrose left the ring. It’s hard to tell if that was their split because it felt so nonchalant. Rollins was talking in the ring by himself before Paul Heyman came out. Rollins said he is suited to beat Lesnar at Wrestlemania. Rollins pointed out how Lesnar has lost to Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles and Finn Balor in the past, who are all smaller guys. Heyman made the excuse that all those fights were short notice changes of opponents.

Heyman pointed at the video screen and played a video about Lesnar. This felt lame because the way Heyman talked made it seem like Lesnar was actually coming out. Who wants to see a video package? After the video, Heyman was talking to Rollins, which distracted him from Shelton Benjamin who came from the crowd to attack him. There was no real explanation for this other than maybe Benjamin is friends with Lesnar. Also, just because The Shield split doesn’t mean they can’t run out and help Rollins? Like, did Reigns and Ambrose just turn a blind eye to Rollins getting jumped?

Seth Rollins vs. Shelton Benjamin

We saw after a commercial break that Benjamin and Rollins started fighting. Paul Heyman was on commentary during this. Rollins won the match with a Curbstomp. A huge chunk of this match happened under commercials. I don’t really know why Benjamin is involved.

Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley (Intercontinental Championship Match)

The next match was Finn Balor and Bobby Lashley in a championship battle. When Balor did his entrance we saw this weird camera shot of Lashley staring at Balor via the big screen. Balor was ahead in this match and was heading to the top rope for a Coup de Grace, but was then distracted by Lio Rush, who rang the ringside bell. Rush got taken out by Balor, but when he went off the top rope he was given a Spear by Lashley to end the match.

Ronda Rousey In The Ring

Before the next segment, we got a slideshow recap of last night where Ronda Rousey interfered in the match between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Rousey was in the ring to talk. Right off the bat, she was very aggressive, being very mad at the crowd. After she cut her promo, which didn’t make a ton of sense, Dana Brooke came out. Yes, Dana Brooke. As Brooke was talking you could hear one person in the crowd very audibly shouting “who are you?” Brooke challenged Rousey to a fight and got beat up. I don’t think beating up Brooke will make Rousey look any more cool or bad or whatever they want her to be.

Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable

The next match was Aleister Black and Ricochet versus Roode and Gable. Of course the new guys got the win. They were impressive as usual. The Revival attacked Ricochet and Black on the stage after the match.

A Moment of Bliss With A Big Wrestlemania Announcement

On Alexa Bliss’ talk show, she unveiled who will be hosting Wrestlemania. After tons of build up, she announced that she is actually hosting.

Braun Stroman Hates Colin Jost

Last week, Colin Jost was attacked by Braun Stroman for questioning if wrestling was real or not. This week, Colin had a car delivered to RAW as an apology to Braun. He got in the car with a smile on his face and drove away. Just kidding, of course he destroyed the car. Stroman said Jost will “get these hands” in New York.

Elias Has A Hometown Concert

Elias played in front of the crowd next. This was his hometown, so he had very positive support. Elias made the crowd turn against him by saying that not many people from Pittsburgh aren’t a “waste of life.” No Way Jose came out with his conga line and interrupted the concert. Jose was rocking a new neon green haircut. Elias attacked Jose and that was the end of the segment. Wow, boring, but I guess they wanted to find a way to put Elias on this show.

Nia Jax w/ Tamina vs. Natalya w/ Beth Phoenix

Before the next match, we had Beth Phoenix come out with Natalya to support her in this match. Right as the match started, Phoenix did a run-in to end the match via DQ. We saw backstage that Sasha Banks and Bayley got into a brawl with Jax and Tamina. I don’t know why Phoenix attacked so quickly in the match. This felt very rushed.

Triple H Calls Out Batista

Triple H came to call out Batista. Batista came out in a button up and shiny blazer. Batista had eight security guards with him. Batista stayed on the apron and refused to come into the ring. Batista kept saying that he wants to be given what he wants. After saying “give me what I want” a dozen times, he unveiled that what he wanted was a match with HHH at Wrestlemania. Alright, well he got the match, and HHH made it a No Holds Barred match. While the repeated line from Batista was odd, I thought the last thing he said was a good line, saying that he will have his final match on his own terms, and that it will be HHH’s final match.

Kurt Angle vs. Apollo Crews

Kurt Angle came out to address his future. He announced that at Wrestlemania he will have his farewell match. He also said that he should give Philadelphia one last match. He faced Apollo Crews and got the win. He thanked the crowd and hugged Crews.

Roman Reigns Attacked Before Match

The next match was scheduled to be Roman Reigns versus Baron Corbin. When Reigns got into the ring he was attacked by Drew McIntyre. Reigns was given a Claymore Kick at ringside. If The Shield decided to break up in the final segment of RAW then none of this would have been an issue. Seth Rollins did run out to see if he was okay though. There was some weird skit that they did where Roman convinced the doctors that he wasn’t injured or something. Backstage we saw Dean Ambrose say to HHH he wants to fight Drew McIntyre tonight. HHH granted the wish, with the match happening next.

Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre (Falls Count Anywhere Match)

Ambrose charged at McIntyre, attacking him on the ramp and then brawling into the crowd. They went up the stairs and into a standing area when Ambrose threw a table. During the break, McIntyre threw Ambrose over a concessions stand table. Back around the ring, McIntyre did an very painful looking vertical suplex onto the floor. They brawled over to the commentary table and were both on top of it. McIntyre did a low blow and then raked the eyes of Ambrose. Off the table now, McIntyre threw Ambrose head first like a dart into the LED entrance screen. Ambrose was wedged in between a barricade and then given a Claymore Kick to end the match. While the final spot was pretty good, I thought the match, in general, was pretty lame. They brawled around the arena but it was just the same thing after a while. Renee Young was being over the top during this segment about Dean being beaten up.

This show had a lot of either boring or just bad wrestling. I can’t figure out one whole segment that I would consider good on this show. I’m not being harsher than usual, I genuinely think this was a lame episode.

Formula 1 2019 Season Preview

If this year’s offseason for Formula 1 could be defined by two words it would be “team changes.” Out of the 20 driver field, 12 of them find themselves in a different position than last year. Some left, some moved up or down the totem pole, and some made the rare return to the top tier of motorsport. The two most focused on teams will, of course, be Mercedes and Ferrari, but everyone has their own unique story heading into this weekend in Melbourne.

Fans of Formula 1 have been given a TV series to watch ahead of the 2019 season called “Formula 1: Drive To Survive.” The series followed teams throughout the 2018 season, chronicling struggles through 10 episodes. The first episode focused on Red Bull Racing and Haas during the 2018 Australian Grand Prix. The show mostly focused on the bottom eight teams in the series, as Mercedes and Ferrari initially opted to not participate in the show.

2019 Race Schedule Schedule

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport

Mercedes come into the 2019 season being champions of the past five seasons. Being the most dominant and successful team also makes them the least interesting one. The team is one of the only this year to keep their previous lineup. Five-time champion Lewis Hamilton will team with Valtteri Bottas, looking for a third trophy in a row in the World Drivers Championship. Bottas did not win any races last year but had consistent point placings within the top 10. Both drivers will be behind the Mercedes AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+ car. It has the Mercedes M10 EQ Power+ power unit, which ROKiT Williams Racing will also be using this year.

Scuderia Ferrari

Veteran Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel will be joined by Charles Leclerc this year. Leclerc previously raced for Sauber in the 2018 season, being a rookie in the tour. His best placing in the year was 6th, placing in the points 10 times in the year. He is replacing Kimi Raikkonen, who drove under Ferrari for five seasons. He essentially swaps places with Leclerc as he is going to Alfa Romeo Racing (formerly Sauber). Vettel is going into his fifth year with Ferrari, finishing 2nd in the Driver’s Championship in his past two years. Vettel stayed in the fold of the championship last year until the third last race, the Mexican Grand Prix. He had a successful first half of the season, winning five of 11 races. Lewis Hamilton had only won four at that point. In the second half of the season, Vettel only won one race while Hamilton won seven. The battle for the championship was much more intense at the start of the year. With a clean slate, Vettel will aim to keep his streak going through the whole season this year. Vettel and Leclerc will drive the SF90 car this year with the Ferrari 064 engine, which two other teams also use.

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing

This year, Red Bull Racing saw a change in their driver line-up and engine brand. The team formerly ran the Renault R.E. 18 which was called a TAG Heuer engine, but this year they have a Honda RA619H in their RP19 car. This came after the team had 11 DNFs in the 42 times their cars were entered in races last year. What’s interesting is Honda hasn’t had great engines in the past either, with McLaren ending the partnership after the 2017 season to go to Renault. How Honda’s reliability will hold up against Renault will be a story to follow in the season. The lineup for Red Bull is Pierre Gasly and Max Verstappen. Gasly comes from Toro Rosso, the team which he attained 29 points for in 2018. The season was his first full one in F1, although he did race five near the end of 2017 for the team. Max Verstappen stays with Red Bull this year, making it his fourth year with the team. In 2018 he was the highest ranked driver that didn’t come from Ferrari or Mercedes, placing fourth.

Renault F1 Team

In 2018, Renault was the top team that wasn’t in the top three. From one of those top three teams, that being Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo will be coming down to Renault for this season. He is joined by Nico Hulkenberg, who is going on his third year with the team. Ricciardo will be, ironically, leaving his Red Bull car that gave him tons of troubles for another car which is also Renault powered. Ricciardo is the only driver in the field that has home field advantage at the first race of the season in Australia. The chassis for this year is called the R.S. 19, and the engine is the Renault E-Tech 19.

Rich Energy Haas F1 Team

The only current North American F1 team Haas is one of the only teams to have the same lineup as last year. Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will drive for the team as they have for the past two years (and a third for Grosjean). The team secured a new title sponsor for this season called Rich Energy. The team will be using their VF-19 model with a Ferrari 064 engine.

McLaren F1 Team

McLaren has a lineup of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz Jr. in 2019. Norris did a slew of test drives for the time last year while placing second in Formula 2. In his F2 season he had one win and five podiums. Sainz is participating in his fifth year of F1, but joining McLaren for the first time. He drove with Renault and Toro Rosso in the past. McLaren is using the MCL34 chassis with the Renault E-Tech 19 engine.

SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team

After Lance Stroll drove for Williams for two years in a pay driver position, his father has purchased Force India for this year. The pink car duo found itself under huge financial troubles in the 2018 season. Lawrence Stroll, whose net worth is 2.6 billion US dollars, bought the team, securing a seat for his son in the next season. He’s filling in for Esteban Ocon, who doesn’t find himself in the 2019 Formula 1 lineup. Stroll’s teammate is Sergio Perez, who is staying with the same team. The team went by Force India last year but now go by Racing Point, also securing the title sponsor of SportPesa, a sports gambling website.

Alfa Romeo Racing

Alfa Romeo Racing takes on a completely new lineup with Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi flying the team’s colours this year. Raikkonen, the now 39-year-old will drive for the team after being with Ferrari for five years. He placed third in the 2018 Drivers’ Championship, behind Lewis Hamilton and former Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel. Raikkonen’s teammate Giovinazzi will be a rookie in the series after being a Ferrari and Haas test driver in the past. He also participated in the 24h of Le Mans in 2018, placing 5th in the LMGTE Pro category with the AF Corse team. The team has dropped the Sauber part of their name and now just goes by Alfa Romeo. They will drive a C38 which sports a similar livery to the year before, and a Ferrari 064 engine.

Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda

Toro Rosso said goodbye to both their past drivers this year, bringing in Alexander Albon and Daniil Kvyat. Kvyat is one of the two drivers this season who are returning to the tour after an absence. Kvyat was present in Formula 1 since 2013 but disappeared in 2018. In that time he was a development driver for Ferrari. He has now found himself back on the grid alongside Alexander Albon, who is set to make his F1 debut. Albon is an example of someone who has climbed up the open-wheel ladder. He was in the regional F3 series in 2015, and then GP3 in 2016, and just finished his second season in Formula 2. In the 2018 season, Albon won four races for the team DAMS. This year he will be driving a STR14 with a Honda RA619H engine, as will Kvyat.

ROKiT Williams Racing

Williams has had a rough start to the 2019 season even though no racing has taken place yet. In the February testing at Barcelona, the team only started to drive on the third of 10 testing days due to the car not being ready yet. Their lineup this year will be rookie driver George Russell and the returning Robert Kubica. Kubica is making his Formula 1 comeback after suffering major injuries from a crash while rally racing in 2011. A report from Autosport in 2011 said he suffered “multiple fractures to his right arm, leg and hand.”  He was a test driver for Williams all of last year, but will finally get to race this year. His teammate George Russell is a 21-year-old who has been dominant in the Formula 1 feeder tours. In 2017, Russell won four races and became the GP3 Series champion. In 2018, he won seven races in the Formula 2 series and placed first once again. His skill will be tested once he steps into the big league for the first time. Williams will be the only team on the grid besides Mercedes themselves to be using a Mercedes M10 EQ Power+ engine. The chassis for the car is the FW42. The team lost longtime sponsor “Martini” at the end of the 2018 season, but have partnered with ROKiT, a smartphone company that have yet to launch products.

The Graduating Class of 2018

Formula One said goodbye to five drivers this year. The graduating class of Formula One for 2018 was Marcus Ericsson, Stoffel Vandoorne, Esteban Ocon, Sergey Sirotkin, Brendon Hartley and Fernando Alonso. The biggest name on the list is easily Alonso because he is a former World Drivers’ Champion and veteran of the sport. If this was an actual graduation, he would be the valedictorian.

Big and Small Changes

Formula 1’s tyres will undergo a change in their presentation in 2019. There will be five types of tyres, but the three ones used on any given race weekends will be called Soft, Medium and Hard tyres. This is done to make it easier to understand the tyres and their meaning, because in previous years there were many tyres all with unique names.

This year the Mexican Grand Prix will go ahead of the United States Grand Prix on the calendar.

Different from previous years, in this season if a driver weighs below 80kg, weights will be put in their car to make them that weight. This rule was put forward so that weight cutting isn’t as much of a factor in the sport. The weight of the driver is measured separately from the car that he drives in.

Cars are allowed more fuel at the start of the race so that preserving fuel isn’t as much of a factor.

As Australia Approaches

It is only days until we will see Formula 1 cars back on the track. The season kicks off in Albert Park, Melbourne, with the first race on Sunday at 1 AM EST (4 PM local time). If you’re even more eager to see the cars, the first practice session will be on Thursday at 9 PM EST (Friday at noon in Melbourne). The points board is wiped, everyone’s slate is clean, and now people have another chance to prove themselves. Will it be another year for the Silver Arrows? Or will Ferrari break their streak? Can another team come in and be a top tier competitor? We will have to watch and see.

Kyle Busch Wins Boyd Gaming 300 in NASCAR Overtime

Less than 24 hours after his Gander Outdoors Truck Series win, Kyle Busch was in victory lane once again, winning the Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The win came after two NASCAR Overtimes, with Busch staying ahead of John-Hunter Nemechek to close out the race.

Busch overcame some obstacles to win the race. He started in the top 10 but had to pit under green early on as a wheel was loose. He worked his way up and took the lead on lap 112, battling with Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick for a long time. After Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell got caught up in an incident during the first Overtime, Busch started on a front row with Nemechek to win.

Stage 1 went to Cole Custer and Stage 2 was won by Tyler Reddick. Both stage wins came with a lead over a lap ahead of the second place driver.

“It’s cool to be able to back up Christopher’s win last week and bring the Supra back to victory lane,” said Busch after he became the second driver to win an Xfinity race in a Toyota Supra. The car model was only debuted in the Xfinity series at Daytona in February.

On Sunday the NASCAR Cup Series races the Pennzoil 400 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Xfinity series returns next week on Saturday from ISM Raceway with the Phoenix 200.

Kyle Busch Wins Second Consecutive Truck Race, Winning The Stratos 200

Similarly to Kyle Busch’s performance last week in Atlanta, Nevada raised driver performed a full stage sweep on Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Busch kept the lead for most of the race, losing positions due to pit stop only.

The 134 lap race was split into two 30 lap stages and a 74 lap finale. The stages ending caused yellow flags, but besides them, there was only one other flag, which was waved on lap 6 due to Sheldon Creed spinning.

During the race Busch would often pit and take more tires than his competitors, making him lose positions. This was the intentional move though as he would speed through the pack and regain first place shortly after. Busch won the race a second ahead of second place finisher Brett Moffitt.

NASCAR has a triple-header in Vegas this weekend, with the Xfinity race tomorrow and the Monster Energy Cup Series race on Sunday. After three straight weeks of truck racing, the Gander Outdoors Truck Series will now take a short break, not returning until March 23rd at Martinsville Speedway.

Brad Keselowski Wins The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, Breaking Penske Team Record

Brad Keselowski won the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on Sunday, making him the most winningest Penske driver ever. The win broke his tie with Mark Donohue, who held the record previously. The race came down to the final laps where a faster Martin Truex Jr. failed to surpass Keselowski.

“We had the best car we probably should have won that one,” said Truex Jr. after the race. The 325 lap race had a restart with 43 laps to go, with Kurt Busch and Joey Logano on the front row. The race had many leaders, as Kyle Larson won Stage 1 and Kevin Harvick won stage 2.

Keselowski was battling sickness during the weekend in Atlanta, even missing the final practice session because of it. He had a backup driver ready for the race on Sunday but was able to participate himself.

The race did not have many cautions. Besides the stage ending cautions there was only three other incidents that made cars slow down. The first one was a competition caution which occurred on lap 36 due to the rain the night before. There was a caution on lap 223 because of Kyle Busch’s car smoking, and another one on lap 274 after Ryan Preece collided with B.J. McLeod while exiting his pit box. 27 of the 37 cars finished the race within a 5 lap gap behind the leader.

Kyle Busch started from the rear after needing a backup car and made a charge up the field throughout the race. Busch finished in 6th place.

NASCAR heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on with a triple header lineup. On Friday the Gander Outdoors Truck Series holds the Strat 22 in the evening at 9 PM EST. On Saturday at 4 PM EST, the Xfinity Series will hold the Boyd Gaming 300. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will hold their third season race on Sunday at 3:30 PM EST, with the Pennzoil 400.