Reminder that there is a deal out there if this is what gets you to buy ESPN+. 1 year plus a PPV for $80, which saves you about $40 assuming you were getting the year anyway. Otherwise, you could get a month, get the PPV, and cancel ESPN+ next month for about $65 [Reply]
I'm still kinda amazed that Rountree completely reinvented himself. Just straight up moved to Thailand, apparently lived there for a while, and came back looking like he was lost and accidentally wandered into a UFC cage bouncing in a Muay Thai stance. [Reply]
This is not a great weekend for MMA. We have a UFC card, but well....
Wednesday
11pm - (Fightpass) - AFC 147
Fights tonight in Alaska. The card is almost always low-quality.
Saturday
9:15am - (ESPN+) - UFC Fight (Night?), Overeem vs. Oleinik
The main event is kinda interesting. We also have a ranked strawweight fight. Aside from that, nothing but unranked prospects and unranked Russians. This card is awful, but its not for us, the UFC is pitching this to Russian fans. There may be fun fights on it anyway, who knows.
I just booked airfare and hotel for UFC 239 in Vegas for my son, brother, dad, and me. My dad is 77 and had never even been on an airplane before. This will be a great time for three generations of us! Stoked!!
Now I just gotta buy tickets as soon as they go on sale. [Reply]
This weekend Bellator and the UFC goes head to head with cards that are both not bad.
Friday
7pm - (Fightpass) - Titan FC 54
One of the top B-league promotions in the US, this card isn't as good as usual for them.
Saturday
3pm - (Fightpass) - Cage Warriors 104
Top promotion in Europe, this isn't a bad card for a local promotion.
4:30 pm - (4:30pm ESPN2/6pm ESPN/8pm ESPN+)
The prelims are on TV, but the main card is on ESPN+ Sounds weird? Several cards will be like that this year as ESPN's schedule was already packed when they signed their TV deal. They did try to pack the card though, 4 of the prelims look pretty good, and the main card does as well. Not great or terrible, just pretty good on paper from beginning to end.
9pm - (DAZN) - Bellator 220, MacDonald vs. Fitch
This is a good Bellator card with 2 championship fights and a match in their Welterweight Grand Prix, but I'm not watching it because its on DAZN, and I'm already paying too much for MMA. [Reply]
Looks like Stipe has successfully waited out the UFC for a title rematch.
Story coming to https://t.co/tzuIcRazJx shortly from @bokamotoESPN and I: Brock Lesnar’s return is not likely anymore. UFC is moving on. Barring a last-minute Hail Mary, the dream is no more.
BREAKING: DC vs. Miocic 2 on tap for UFC pay-per-view on Aug. 17 in Anaheim, California. Both fighters confirm they are in the process of finalizing the bout to @ESPN. pic.twitter.com/LDBYf1NqtJ
On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer says Brock Lesnar wanted a flat fee for his next UFC fight due to UFC pay-per-view now being online only. Dave says the number was deemed too high & turned down by the UFC.
We've got about 2 or 3 good fights on the UFC main card this weekend. Bellator has a card this weekend too, but its both very bad and tape-delayed, so fuck them.
Friday
7pm - (Fightpass) - Invicta: Phoenix Rising 1
So, Invicta is doing something Friday night in Kansas City that I normally do not like, but it probably works in this case since its a small weight division, strawweight in this case. They are having an 8-woman single elimination one-day tournament. These are normally not fair because someone with 2 quick KO's might be facing someone who fought 30 grueling minutes, but in this case no one is getting knocked out, so maybe its fine. I'm not sure if the winner is getting the title, I assume so.
10pm - (Fightpass) - Friday Night Fights
This promotion is very small and usually has guys who are unheard of or very low ranked.
Saturday
3pm - (ESPN+) - UFC Fight Night, Iaquinta vs Cowboy
Well, all right then. Thats a cool main event. The main card (beginning 7pm) has 3 or 4 decent fights, but the prelims are a bit light. The main event should start sometime after 9:30pm if thats all you care about.
Sunday
7:15 am - (Fightpass) - World Lethwei Championship 8
So, I looked up Lethwei, and it is a Burmese form of kickboxing. Specifically, it is bare knuckle Muay Thai kickboxing with one very big exception: headbutts are not only legal, they are encouraged. Well, ok that sounds kind of nuts. Anyway, thats on Sunday morning.
On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer says Brock Lesnar wanted a flat fee for his next UFC fight due to UFC pay-per-view now being online only. Dave says the number was deemed too high & turned down by the UFC.
So they offered Brock PPV points and he's smart enough to see through that and just asked for $10 mil or whatever up front. I wonder if he has a UFC contract or if he could just go to Bellator or One FC. I'm sure DAZN wouldn't mind having Brock on one of the Bellator show. [Reply]
