WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley will be appearing at the Smackdown television tapings from London, England, next Tuesday, for the show that will then air on Friday.
Foley announced his involvement in a message on Twitter, saying he will be in the UK for his comedy tour so he will be dropping by before he starts his 18-city over a span of 19 days.
Both RAW and Smackdown will be taped in London’s O2 Arena next week.
PWInsider.com is reporting that CM Punk has been pulled out of all future WWE house shows and will not be working non-televised events for the time being, including the upcoming European tour which starts this week.
This deal will limit Punk’s wrestling for WWE to just once a week plus other appearances for the company, a nice change from the usual four days a week of touring including television.
The WWE website has no mention of Punk at non-televised events till early July, where he is then advertised for tours in Japan and Australia.
The former WWE champion revealed on the MMA Hour show with Ariel Helwani yesterday that he might be attending the UFC event in San Jose, California, this weekend, confirming himself that he would not be traveling with the WWE crew for the bi-annual long European tour.
Punk and his girlfriend and former WWE Diva Lita attended The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale in Las Vegas this past Saturday and was acknowledged on the live broadcast on FX.
The Undertaker will be making a rare appearance at the WWE International tour and will be a part of next week’s Monday Night RAW which will be taped from London’s O2 Arena.
Usually just wrestling just once a year lately and only at WrestleMania, the 21-0 record holder will be joining Kane and Daniel Bryan to take on The Shield in a six-man tag team match that will be broadcast on television. The tag team champions saved Taker from a Shield attack during the post-WrestleMania RAW in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The Undertaker will not be wrestling at any other non-televised events during any of the European tour.
RAW and Smackdown Superstars and Divas will embark on the yearly post-WrestleMania unforgiving tour of Europe, with 12 days on the road and a total of 22 consecutive shows.
The tour will take the WWE crew to 12 different countries – Netherlands, Ireland, France, Switzerland, England, Belgium, Russia, Poland, Italy, Germany, Wales, and Scotland.
The RAW side starts on April 17 with a show at the Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands. On the 18th it’s at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Ireland. On the 18th at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland. Paris, France, is on the schedule next on the 20th with a show at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy and the next day, the 21st, at the Arena Geneve in Geneva, Switzerland. RAW taping is on the 22nd at the London O2 Arena in London, England, followed by a show at the Nottingham Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England, on the 23rd and then on the 24th at the Country Hall Liege in Liege, Belgium. On the 25th and 26th they travel to Russia for one show at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, and another at the Luzhniki Small Sports Arena in Moscow. The tour wraps up for RAW with a stop in Lodz, Poland, at the Atlas Arena on the 27th.
The Smackdown crew will kick things off on the 18th of April in Glasgow, Scotland, at the Glasgow Braehead Arena. On the 19th it’s off to the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England, and then on the 20th in Birmingham, England, at the LG Arena. On the 21st they go to Sheffield, England, at the Sheffield Motorpoint Arena before heading off to Wales on the 22nd at the Cardiff Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff. Smackdown TV taping will be held at the London O2 Arena in London, England, on the 23rd, and then another show at Le Galaxie in Amneville, France, on the 24th. Two shows in Italy on the 25th and 26th, one in Bologna, at the Unipol Arena and another one in Trieste and the Pala Trieste. The final two shows are in Germany, on the 27th in Mannheim at the SAP Arena and then on the 28th at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne.
The Triple H vs Brock Lesnar feud will continue at least through the Extreme Rules pay-per-view as a challenged was issued yesterday on RAW by Paul Heyman on behalf of his client.
The proposed match – and one of the main events of the pay-per-view – will be a steel cage match to determine the only “alpha male” in the WWE between Triple H and Brock Lesnar.
This would be their third match against each other with Brock winning the first one at SummerSlam and Triple H winning the second one at WrestleMania.
Sherdog.com obtained The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale salaries from the Nevada Athletic Commission on Monday. The main event winner Urijah Faber was the biggest payee of the evening taking home $55,000 guarantee plus another $55,000 for his win bonus to make his total for the evening $110,000. The next highest payee was actually Cole Miller who fought as the final Facebook preliminary fight. Miller submitted Bart Palszewski in the first round with a rear naked choke to double his take home of $21,000 with another $21,000 for the win bring him to $42,000 for the night.
These figures are just what is mandatory for the UFC to report. It does not include any discretionary bonuses or performance bonuses the UFC may hand out. It also does not include any deductions for such things as taxes, licenses, insurance or other fees. These figures also do not include the event bonuses of $50,000 that went out to Travis Browne for “Knockout of the Night”, Daniel Pineda for “Submission of the Night”, or Cat Zingano and Miesha Tate for “Fight of the Night”
UFC ‘The Ultimate Fighter 17’ Finale Salaries:
Urijah Faber: $110,000 (includes $55,000 win bonus)
Scott Jorgensen: $23,500
Kelvin Gastelum: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Uriah Hall: $8,000
Cat Zingano: $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus)
Miesha Tate: $28,000
Travis Browne: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
Gabriel Gonzaga: $24,000
Bubba McDaniel: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Gilbert Smith: $8,000
Josh Samman: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Kevin Casey: $8,000
Luke Barnatt: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Collin Hart: $8,000
Dylan Andrews: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Jimmy Quinlan: $8,000
Clint Hester: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Bristol Marunde: $8,000
Cole Miller: $42,000 (includes $21,000 win bonus)
Bart Palaszewski: $15,000
Maximo Blanco: $26,00 (includes $13,000 win bonus)
Sam Sicilia: $8,000
Daniel Pineda: $26,00 (includes $13,000 win bonus)
Justin Lawrence: $8,000
WWE today announced that Superstars for Sandy Relief, the largest ever global online auction to benefit Hurricane Sandy relief efforts in New York and New Jersey, has raised $524,742. As part of WrestleMania Week activities around the New York and New Jersey region, the auction was a combined effort between WWE, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Hollywood celebrities and professional athletes with proceeds benefiting the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund.
The auction generated more than 2,000 bids from 152 countries, making this the largest auction of the year on global charity auction site Charitybuzz.com.
“The state of New Jersey is still recovering from Hurricane Sandy,” said Governor Chris Christie. “The overwhelming support from WWE and a host of celebrities to help the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund is something that the people of New Jersey will never forget.”
“Hurricane Sandy relief is an on-going effort,” said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “We are grateful to WWE and all the celebrities involved for putting its global resources behind a cause that is so important to the City of New York and our more than 8 million residents.”
Scott Batchelor is a lifelong WWE fan looking to break into the field of writing about wrestling. This is his first published article (and hopefully not the last). You can contact him at MaxSct86@hotmail.com.
I was skeptical at first. When The Shield debuted, it kind of upset me honestly. To come out during a highly touted PPV match at Survivor Series and make such an impact felt more like a cop out to keep the title on Punk.
Many nights go by and all we see is the same thing night after night.
Popular Superstar comes to the ring. Shield comes out. Superstar is beat three on one, and then put through a table.
After long it got old, it got stale, it became predictable.
Ryback seemed to be the Superstar most targeted and it was only a matter of time before he got his revenge. Sure enough, he was teamed with Team Hell No and I had this pegged as a revenge match that would put The Shield back to only being able to take out Superstars when they had the numbers.
Something unexpected happened, The Shield won that match and they continued to win; each match they had, seemingly had potential to be its last, even beating the likes of bigger stars like John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show.
It became a mystery of who was gonna knock off The Shield. They have to lose sometime and when they do, something will have to change. I hope they don’t break up so fast because there is a serious lack of factions in the WWE right now.
As good as Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns are, they will need a big star to keep them interesting.
So let’s take a look at some big-name guys that could potentially take the role of a leader. Now these have to be larger-than-life guys who could realistically control big personalities. So as much as it would be nice to see someone like The Miz or Ziggler to join The Shield, they don’t quite have what is needed.
CM Punk
This feels like the obvious choice so I am getting it out of the way now. For a long time The Shield and Punk were linked. Punk’s enemies became enemies of The Shield. However, if this was going to happen, I feel like it would have been done by now. And Punk is doing just fine with Paul Heyman. However, Punk has already proven himself as a leader when he took over the Nexus.
Chris Jericho
I like the idea of Jericho being in a faction, considering he has always been more of a solo guy (except for his random tag team partners). Jericho already has the star power needed to make this believable and you could even count his recent loss to Fandango as someone who feels he needs people to watch his back. This would also work in the favor of Jericho due to his main successes coming as a heel.
Kane
Team Hell No is fun, they worked well as a team, the comedy was there, they had a great run with the tag team titles and their story arc seems just about over. Kane turning on Bryan would allow Bryan to go forward with a much needed singles push and this lets Kane take charge for a change. I also think Kane might look badass in the swat gear.
Mr. McMahon
If anybody knows how to lead its Vinnie Mac. What a perfect way for Vince to get back on television then have control over the most dominant forces of the better part of a year. The only issue here would be is Vince would have to turn heel again and find a formidable foe to feud with. Maybe Triple H? Thinking about a DX vs. Shield feud would definitely put asses in seats.
Undertaker
This one may be a bit out there but hear me out. Paul Bearer passing could be the reason for the end of the dead man gimmick. Although if the end is near for ‘Taker then I would assume he might as well go out with it. However, if you want to keep things interesting maybe Undertaker goes back to appearing on television on a more regular basis as the leader of The Shield.
Maybe during the Raw they interrupted him they weren’t coming to attack, they were coming to join him. He would not have to wrestle every night because he has The Shield to fight for him. He would essentially go back to being the American Badass but this time with a faction and some sweet swat gear.
Ryback
It seems they are trying to turn him heel already, and if he can’t beat them, why not join them? Ryback is a late entry to the list because I did not see it working until Raw when he watched The Shield take out Cena. He would be my last choice on the list because he is powerful enough without The Shield, but I am just thinking about the power The Shield would have with him, scary thought.
There you have it. My top contenders for joining one of the most interesting storylines on WWE the last six months.
Any ideas yourself? Want to tell me how wrong I am?
Please, contact me on MaxSct86@hotmail.com.
Former WWE champion CM Punk revealed on the MMA Hour show with Ariel Helwani that he might be attending the UFC event in San Jose, California, this weekend, suggesting that maybe he will not be traveling with the WWE crew for the bi-annual long European tour.
Punk said he didn’t want to spoil anything about tonight’s RAW but they have given him an open mic once again, and his comment about going to a UFC show this weekend rather than WWE will “make sense” after everyone sees tonight’s broadcast.
Punk and his girlfriend and former WWE Diva Lita attended The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale in Las Vegas this past Saturday and was acknowledged on the live broadcast on FX.
WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin wrote on Twitter that judging by the reaction Fandango has been getting since the night after WrestleMania, he predicts some big things for him in the coming months.
“Bold prediction – Fandango will be IC champ within 6-8 months,” Austin wrote. “You heard it here first.”
Meanwhile, the Fandango theme song just missed the UK Top 40 chart according to W-O reader Ian Hamilton, coming in 44th place just 239 copies away from making history.
Sports teams are jumping on the Fandango bandwagon, playing the WWE theme song in stadiums prior or after matches after a lot of requests from fans.
In England, Everton, Wolves, and Blackpool played the song for their fans at football (soccer) stadiums while Rangers in Scotland also did the same this weekend.
In the United States, the Kansas City Royals played Fandango’s theme at the conclusion of their game on April 10.
Some of the official Twitter accounts of the teams also tweeted that they played the song.
“@WWE @WWEFandango Yes, we can and yes, we did,” said the Kansas City Royals Twitter account last week after the game ended. The yes we can and yes we did refers to Fandango asking fans to say his name and sing/play his song.
“@WWEFandango We just played your theme over the PA system before today’s match at Ibrox. @TheDrewMcIntyre & @WadeBarrett will be jealous,” said the Twitter of the Rangers football club in Scotland.
WWE travels to Europe on Wednesday for the usual post-WrestleMania Revenge tour and you can bet that the Fandango Revolution will continue considering it was mostly European fans who started all this on that wild night on RAW in New Jersey.
Meanwhile, the term “Fandangoing” has been added to the popular website UrbanDictionary.com with the description, “The act of humming or singing the entrance theme song of WWE superstar Fandango.”
Dwayne Johnson, on suggestions by his doctors, has chosen not to undergo surgery to reattach tendons to his pelvis according to a tweet from the former WWE champion.
“They’ll just scar up,” Johnson wrote, noting that he is continuing his prep to shoot his next big movie, Hercules.
Putting Johnson under the knife would have delayed production for the Hercules: The Thracian Wars movie which is due out in 2014.
The movie is directed by Brett Ratner and also has Aksel Hennie as Tydeus, Rufus Sewell as Autolycus and Ian McShane as Amphiarus in the other big roles.
Johnson suffered different injuries with 15 minutes to go in his match against John Cena at WrestleMania 29. He tore his abdomen and abductor muscles off the bone as well as suffering a hernia injury.
Former WWE champion CM Punk was present at the Ultimate Fighter 17 finale yesterday in Las Vegas and was shown on the air during the broadcast on FX.
“For all you wrasslin fans, CM Punk has arrived at TUF Finale,” tweeted Dave Sholler, the UFC Director of Communications. Sholler also revealed that Punk attended the post-fight press conference and sat in the back.
“If he invades this presser, I’m not sure what I’ll do,” he jokingly said.
Punk was accompanied by his girlfriend Amy Dumas, formerly known as WWE Diva Lita.
You can see two photos of Punk, one from the broadcast, and one standing next to Dumas below.
LAS VEGAS – A new network, new day and time, new coaches and new captivating storylines.
The Ultimate Fighter, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) signature reality series, moves to FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports’ newly minted multi-sport national cable channel, when it returns in September. The series, featuring UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and challenger Cat Zingano as coaches, also moves to Wednesday evening at 10:00 PM ET where it anchors FS1’s prime time UFC programming block. FS1 launches Saturday, Aug. 17 and season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter premieres Wednesday, Sept. 4 (10:00 PM ET).
“Bringing The Ultimate Fighter to FOX Sports 1 is like adding a big bat to an exciting young lineup,” said Shanks. “TUF has jump-started the careers of dozens of fighters, many who have gone on to become UFC champions. It’s going to be a welcomed addition to FOX Sports 1, and the perfect anchor for our Wednesday prime time UFC block. We’re absolutely thrilled to have it.”
“Season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter just ended and it was the best season we’ve ever done,” said UFC President Dana White. “Season 18 is going to be historic and groundbreaking with the first-ever women coaches, and men and women training and living together, and we’re excited to be airing it on the best new sports network in the country, FOX Sports 1.”
Earlier this year, UFC announced that Rousey, who defeated challenger Liz Carmouche in the UFC’s first women’s bout during UFC 157, would serve as the first-ever woman coach on the series alongside the winner of today’s Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano No.1 contender fight.
Moments ago Cat Zingano defeated Miesha Tate by TKO (referee stoppage) in round 3 at The Ultimate Fighter Finale event in Las Vegas.
Together Rousey and Zingano will mentor male and female bantamweight (135 lbs) fighters – living and training together – vying for the title of The Ultimate Fighter and a six-figure contract with the UFC.
“Having the opportunity to help fighters kick off their careers – especially the women – is an amazing experience,” said Rousey. “I’ve had the chance to be a guest on past episodes, and I felt the passion, determination and commitment these fighters bring to the sport. I can’t wait to start coaching this next history-making season on this exciting new network.”
The Ultimate Fighter, which debuted in 2005, has launched the careers of more than 100 UFC fighters and has produced past champions such as Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping and Matt Serra. Bantamweights were most recently featured on The Ultimate Fighter 14, when John Dodson emerged as the season’s winner.
At launch, FOX Sports 1 is available in over 90 million homes, making this the biggest sports cable network launch in history, and one of the largest network launches ever. It boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually. In addition to TUF 18, over the course of the year FS1’s Wednesday night UFC programming includes live fight events; UFC TONIGHT, the weekly authority for UFC news and information; and the best library programs.
UFC will crown a tournament champion for season 17 at the 185 pound weight limit. Also a season 18 coach will be decided as the winner of Miesha Tate vs Cat Zingano will get the job and a shot at Ronda Rousey and her belt. In the main event Urijah Faber takes on former fellow WEC fighter Scott Jorgensen. Keep refreshing and the most current fight will be added right after this paragraph or follow @wonlinemma on twitter for live coverage also.
Its been 10 years since Urijah Faber made his pro MMA debut and tonight he takes on a former training partner in Scott Jorgensen. Jorgensen quickly goes for a take down and Faber lands as quick combo as he was on his way in. Jorgensen gets the inside trip off the cage then gets Faber’s back as he gets to his feet. Faber side slams him instead and is working on taking the back. Jorgensen gets back to his feet and they separate. Faber with a big knee to the chest as Jorgensen comes in. Faber prevents a take down put switches over to the back of Jorgensen and locks in the hooks. Jorgensen is more then adapt on the ground and these two are rolling back and forth as Faber holds on to a front choke. Jorgensen is able to work free but Faber flips around as is back on the back of his opponent. What a great ground grappling session by these two. In round 2 Jorgensen charges forward and eats an inside leg kick to the groin and they briefly pause the action. Jorgensen is successfully landing the counter now and Faber winsors out of a take down attempt. Faber is doing a great job of mixing the strikes up top with those to the body along with a knee and kick. Faber gets the take down and is in the guard of Jorgensen. Jorgensen working for a kimura. Faber switches to side control and back to his feet as Jorgensen tries to manipulate that arm. Jorgensen is landing the counter strikes effectively now. Third round Jorgensen is landing the right hand with hooks and uppercuts. Jorgensen eats a right left combo to the head that was followed by a right hook to the body. Jorgensen working the left jab. Jorgensen goes for another take down against the cage. Knee now a right as they get to the center of the cage. Faber eats a right and Jorgensen tries to take the back of Faber. Jorgensen with an elbow on the break. Jorgensen with a right uppercut followed by a left straight. Faber is now trying to counter and gets a huge double and now has the back of Jorgensen but the round comes to a close and that’s two rounds to one for Faber in my eyes. Two rounds to go. Faber now is pressing the action again and Jorgensen is unsuccessful at a double leg. Faber with an uppercut followed by a blocked left and right but a knee behind it finds a home. Jorgensen is sneakily landing a lead elbow when they get in close and Faber now with a take down and he switches onto the back od Jorgensen. Faber has the body lock now rolls onto his back and hooks the neck crank then sinks it under the chin to get the RNC and Jorgensen taps out.
Winner by Submission at 3:16 of round 4 Urijah Faber.
Next up the newest TUF winner will be crowned as Kelvin Gastelum took on fellow Team Sonnen fighter Uriah Hall. Hall looked great through the whole tournament and Gastelum is the youngest TUF competitor ever. Gastelum came out full speed ahead while Hall looked to set up precision striking. Hall looked a little cocky pulling middleweight king Anderson Silva type moves with his hands down and trying to bob his head out of the way. Hall was rocked though and Gastelum got the take down and was in control from the top most of the round. Hall in the second now is finding a home for his kicks as he puts a spinning back kick into the body then a high kick. Gastelum gets the take down once he backs Hall into the cage. Hall is taking some damage but nothing real dangerous. Hall reverses and now has Gastelum on his back. Gastelum gets back to his feet but eats some punches and kick to the body. Hall was able to get the trip with his back to the cage and pounds away at the body of Gastelum. Hall moves Gastelum’s head toward the cage and as Gastelum gets up Hall takes his back. Hall picks him up and belly to back suplexes him only for Gastelum to turn and get back to his feet. Gastelum does some work from the clinch but not much before the second stanza comes to a close. Hall looks to be in no hurry and lands a pair of kicks. Now Hall is feinting with his hands down and landing the straights. Hall gets suplexed now but is able to roll with it and do some damage briefly from the top as Gastelum gets back to his feet. Half way through the last round and I would say Hall needs to end this fight to get the win but he is in no hurry and Gastelum is walking him down then lands an over hand left. Gastelum gets another double and is working for a kimura but doesn’t get it and now Hall goes for an arm bar but Gastelum is back in the guard and dropping down punches. Hall is firing away from back but Gastelum catches the arm and is going for an arm bar right before the fight comes to a close. I think the 21 year old last pick took this fight, the TUF crown and a new Harley-Davidson.
Winner of The Ultimate Fighter 17 by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Kelvin Gastelum
Kelvin Gastelum gets the submission of season with his RNC against Josh Samman. Luke Barnatt vs Dylan Andrews take home fight of the season and obviously Uriah Hall gets the knock out of the season for that ridiculous spinning heel kick. Each fighter gets $25k.
Dana White announces that next season of The Ultimate Fighter will be airing on the soon to be debuting FOX Sports 1 channel. TUF 18 will feature men and women bantamweights and be coached by Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano. Jon Anik said that the new season will premier in September.
The second ever Women’s fight in the UFC featuring Miesha “Cupcake” Tate vs Cat “Alpha” Zingano was next up on the fight card. Tate came out looking for the take down Zingano defended well and nearly got a standing guillotine but Tate popped free. Zingano got rocked by some big punches from Tate. These two are going back and forth. Tate gets the take down and Zingano sweeps to get side control. They get back up and exchange some big punches but both chins are holding up thus far. Tate gets another take down this time she is doing damage with the elbow on Zingano. This was a furious pace to round 1. Zingano charges out for the start of round 2 with a flying knee. Tate gets the dominant position as they go to the ground and works the body of Zingano. Tate postures up delivers some huge ground and pound before she goes for an arm bar. Tate can’t get it though and she goes back to mount to rain down more punches. Zingano is bleeding from the nose now. Tate goes for the back and Zingano gets into the guard of Tate. Tate now switches to a heel hook but Zingano is avoiding and she turns and is now in half guard. Tate is eating the big shots now from the ground. Tate gets back to her feet but eats a pair of jabs before she unsuccessfully goes for a take down at the end of the second. Zingano now with the take down and has Tate folded up delivering shots from the top. Zingano now is in half guard trying to get the mount but still doing damage. Zingano has now bloodied up Tate with these punches and elbows. Tate keeps trying to do anything possible but Zingano is making her pay. Tate gets up and eats a knee and she quickly drops back to the ground. Tate gets up again and eats three more knees and an elbow to drop Tate and Winslow has seen enough. Zingano had to be down on the score cards going into that last round but she pulls it out and moves to 8-0. Zingano will coach opposite Rousey and get a championship fight next.
Winner by TKO at 2:55 of round 3 Cat “Alpha” Zingano
Finally the big boys have made their way to the cage as the lone heavyweight battle of the night. Travis Browne took on former title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga. Browne came out aggressive and missed with a head kick that Gonzaga ducked under. Gonzaga tied up Browne and worked non-stop for the take down until Browne drove his elbow into the side of Gonzaga’s head as he was working for a take down to knock out Gonzaga cold. That some power!
Winner by KO at 1:11 of round 1 Travis Browne
In the first fight to take place on the main card Gilbert Smith matches up with Jackson MMA fighter Bubba McDaniel. McDaniel came out and pressed the action from the get go including getting a thai clinch and landing some knees. Smith got the separation and take down shortly after. Smith spent most of the round on top but Bubba was able to threaten submissions from the bottom including a deep guillotine. Bubba was able to use the guillotine to sweep Smith and do some damage from side control at the close of round 1. McDaniel stuns Smith early in the second round but the next couple minutes are made up of Smith working for a take down. McDaniel gets the separation and lands a couple good shots before he goes for a take down himself. Smith sprawls and tries for a guillotine but McDaniel quickly changed sides and popped his head free. McDaniel briefly takes the back of Smith then into the half guard before Smith gets to his feet. In round 3 they alternate ground positions as Smith shows how versed he is getting off his back and McDaniel landing some shots when he was on top however the last time Smith swept McDaniel he landed right into the arm in triangle and quickly tapped out mid way through the final round.
Winner by Submission at 2:49 of Round 3 Bubba McDaniel
I’ll be back top of the hour with the main card on FX.
The final prelim fight is Kevin Casey vs Josh Samman. Samman quickly gets the take down but Casey locks in an arm in triangle and has it deep but Samman slams Casey over and over and Casey lets go of the hold. Casey sweeps though and is now on top pounding away on Samman against the cage. Samman is doing all he can to sweep or lock in a submission but Casey is just relentless from the top pinning the arm of Samman then delivering some shots. Samman wall walks with 45 seconds left and eats a knee to the body. Samman gets Casey against the cage now and Samman locks up a thai clinch and delivers knee after knee to the body as the first round ends. Second round Samman gets the clinch again and knees away again and again at Casey. Casey has been hurt and goes down but comes up only to get caught back in the clinch and eats more and more knees and he drops again. The ref has seen enough.
Winner by TKO at 2:17 of round 2 Josh Samman
The first overall pick from this season the 6’6″ Luke Barnatt took on Team Jones fighter Collin Hart. Hart who only is at a one inch reach disadvantage despite 4″ in height stays in close trying to keep Barnatt from using his height. Hart came in leading with the leg kicks each time. Hart gets the big man down two minutes into the fight and quickly takes Barnatt’s back but Barnatt gets to his feet and shakes off Hart. Hart is not being timid and is charging inside winging the big punches. Barnatt is utilizing the jab now and both men are cut now. Barnatt is coming forward with what looks like a stepping right elbow but than brings the hand and not the elbow at the chin. Great first round as these two look to make this a serious fight. Hart once again connects and stuns Barnatt. Hart tries for a swinging back fist then immediately spins again for a high kick that is blocked this time. The 6’6″ Barnatt tries for a huge flying knee that misses but he gets good air. Barnatt again working that jab and these two continue the non-stop action. Hart’s face is busted up as he is bleeding from the nose and mouth. Barnatt is not unscathed as he has some swelling and minor cuts himself. Both men are starting to slow at the end of the round but the fight as left neither as Barnatt goes for a kimura as Hart tries to take him down then a standing guillotine right before the end of the second stanza. The third round was much like the first two Barnatt working the jab and swinging for the fences when Hart came in close. Hart worked over and over for the take down but was only able to get it for short periods. Barnatt proved his wrestling training with Chael Sonnen paid off and he gets to have a memorable 25th birthday with his first UFC victory.
Winner by Unanimous Decision (29-28×2, 30-27) Luke Barnatt
Team Jones Dylan Andrews was up next as he met Team Sonnen’s Jimmy Quinlan. Quinlan sprints across the cage immediately to attempt the take down. Andrews is able to avoid and once Quinlan does get him down he quickly gets back to his feet but Quinlan doesn’t give him any space. 2 minutes into the fight Quinlan gets a take down into side control but once again can’t keep Andrews there. Once Andrews is back up Quinlan swarms and tries for another take down and the ref breaks them apart and as Quinlan charges Andrews drills him with a right to the back portion of the head and Andrews pounds away with the right on a turtled up Quinlan.
Winner at 3:22 of round 1 by TKO Dylan Andrews
Just as we saw the Facebook prelims all featherweights the FuelTV prelims will feature all middleweights.
Now that we have switched to FuelTV for the prelims a season 16 fighter Bristol Marunde will square off with this TUF season fighter Clint Hester at middleweight (185lbs). In what started out as a slow first round and brought on numerous boos from the Vegas crowd picked up when Marunde got a take down with 90 seconds left than Hester landed a right when he got back to his feet to drop Marunde briefly before Marunde secured another take down and laid in the guard to end the round. The second round saw more action and far less boos. Both men where more loose and willing to strike but Hester was the aggressor pressing the action. Marunde missed with a head kick and slipped. Marunde kept fighting and got the top position when Hester swarmed on him. Hester attempted a triangle and Marunde stood up only to eat an up kick and fall back down to his knees. Hester nailed him with more shots and Marunde tried to fire back to no avail but was able to survive till the end of round 2. In round 3 the action slowed again as there was not as much on the strikes from either. Hester did land a flying knee and was able to sprawl out of the take down that followed from Marunde. After the first couple take downs in the fight Hester did a good job of sprawling and putting pressure on the back of Marunde’s head to avoid the take downs. Hester lands an arching standing elbow that knocks Marunde out as he came forward with an upper cut to end the fight with just over a minute left.
Winner by KO at 3:53 of round 3 Clint Hester
FuelTV prelims will begin in 20 minutes.
In the final Facebook prelim fight another pair of featherweights take to the cage as Cole Miller and Bart Palaszewski enter. At first Miller was getting the edge in striking keeping Palasweski at a distance but Palaszewski started countering well then even had Miller backed into the cage and landed some good combos. Miller with a minute left in the first got a double leg take down Miller got his back as he tried to get up and locked in the rear naked choke to secure the victory.
Winner by Submission at 4:23 of Round 1 Cole “Magrinho” Miller
Two more featherweights enter the cage as Maximo Blanco faces off with Sam Sicilia. While Blanco got an early take down this first round was pretty. Blanco utilized the jab to keep Sicilia at a distance and Sicilia landed more of the lunging punches. Both men also spent a fair amount of time striking the opponents body and legs with kicks. Early in the second Sicilia landed a nice combo and looked to hurt Blanco. Blanco escapes and hurts Sicilia and the two men stand and trade punches not trying to block anything. Blanco gets the take down and got the full mount. A bloodied Sicilia was able to get to his feet and immediately stays in close trying to punish Blanco. Sicilia catches Blanco with a left right combo that jarred the head of Blanco only for Blanco to land a combo of his own. Again another close round. Blanco charges forward and misses with a flying knee but fires off punch after punch that hurts Sicilia . Sicilia now lands a right that wobbles Blanco. These two are trading big shots yet neither one will stay down. Winslow has warned Blanco over and over again about grabbing the fence. They spend the last minute of the fight trying to secure a take down or get a submission. Ultra close fight that I would edge to Blanco due to volume and take downs even though Sicilia dropped him at one point. The judges scored it the same.
Winner by Unanimous Decision (29–28×3) Maximo “Maxi” Blanco
Up first though is the featherweights (145lbs) as Justin Lawrence takes on Daniel Pineda. Pineda takes this fight down to the ground early. Lawrence was briefly able to get to his feet. Pineda gets him back down to the mat and locks in a kimura from the top and Lawrence has no choice but to tap.
Winner by Submission at 1:35 of rd 1 Daniel “The Pit” Pineda
Torrie Wilson stepped out by the pool with boyfriend and MLB star Alex Rodriguez to show off her smashing bikini body while on vacation in Miami, Florida.
The two have been dating since the end of 2011 now and last year they were filmed ringside at WrestleMania in Miami. The two are reportedly looking for a home in Beverly Hills.
The 37 year old who worked for WCW between 1999 and 2001 and for WWE between 2001 and 2008 is still looking as good as ever. You can see her latest bikini photos below.
Photo Credits: Bauer-Griffin
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Tonight the UFC wraps up another TUF season as season 17 comes to a close. Uriah “Prime Time” Hall will compete against Kelvin Gastelum to see who will be crowned the new Ultimate Fighter middleweight winner. The action begins on Facebook at 5:30 pm ET /2:30 pm PT. The FuelTV prelims will follow at 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT and main event action kicking off on FX at 9pm ET / 6pm PT.
Two former WEC standouts will main event the nights activities as “The California Kid” Urijah Faber takes on Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen in the bantamweight division.
On of the most intriguing headlines of the night is who will be the opposing coach of Ronda Rousey next season and receive a shot at the women’s bantamweight belt. Former Strikeforce Champion Miesha “Cupcake” Tate, whom Rousey won the belt from, will take on the undefeated Cat “Alpha” Zingano. Season 18 of TUF will feature both men and women bantamweight fighters.
Follow along on twitter @wonlinemma for the fight by fight winners and notes or check back on the site later for a recap of the night in whole.
Main card on FX
Bantamweights (135lbs)
Urijah Faber vs Scott Jorgensen
TUF 17 Championship
Middleweights (185lbs)
Uriah Hall vs Kelvin Gastelum
Womens Bantamweights (135lbs)
Miesha Tate vs Cat Zingano
Heavyweights
Travis Browne vs Gabriel Gonzaga
Middleweights (185lbs)
Bubba McDaniel vs Gilbert Smith
Prelims on FuelTV
Middleweights (185lbs)
Josh Samman vs Kevin Casey
Middleweights (185lbs)
Luke Barnatt vs Collin Hart
Middleweights (185lbs)
Dylan Andrews vs Jimmy Quinlan
Middleweights (185lbs)
Clint Hester vs Bristol Marunde
Facebook Prelims
Featherweights (145 lbs)
Cole Miller vs Bart Palaszewski
Featherweights (145lbs)
Sam Sicilia vs Maximo Blanco
Featherweights (145lbs)
Justin Lawrence vs Daniel Pineda
WWE has surpassed the 100 million Facebook fans across its network according a press release issued this week, making WWE one of the most followed brands in the world.
WWE’s Facebook network – which includes all the Facebook pages of current WWE Superstars and Divas – has more fans than the NFL, MLB, NHL, ESPN, Pepsi, CNN, and other brands.
17 WWE Superstars rank in the top 100 most-followed athletes on the social network website with John Cena as the third most followed athlete in the United States with 14 million fans.
Dwayne Johnson attended the Pain & Gain red carpet movie premiere at Regal Cinemas on Miami Beach yesterday in his first public appearance since WrestleMania 29 last Sunday.
Johnson was there with his fellow co-stars Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Mackie, Ed Harris, Tony Shalhoub, Rob Corddry, and Ken Jeong as well as director Michael Bay and others.
The movie – based on a true story about three Florida bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong – opens nationwide on April 26.
You can see photos of Dwayne Johnson and the cast at the premiere below.
All photos are courtesy of JustJared.com.
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Not to be outdone by 51 hot cheerleaders, PETA – the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – decided to do their own Fandangoing!
“PETA’s animal rights and WWE fans show their love of fleet-footed fighter Fandango. Lay the smack down on cruelty to animals by going vegan, and you’ll never miss another step. FAHN. DAHN. GO. VEGAN!”
The video shows a bunch of people dressed in animal outfits holding the “FAHN DAHN GO VEGAN” signs as they sign and dance to the Fandango theme.
You can see the video below.
