MMA Fighting: All Posts by Dave Meltzerhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52789/mma_minimal_navy..jpg2020-03-25T20:00:00-04:00https://www.mmafighting.com/authors/dave-meltzer/rss2020-03-25T20:00:00-04:002020-03-25T20:00:00-04:00With no new sports content, UFC replay is ESPN’s No. 2 show
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<figcaption>Esther Lin, MMA Fighting</figcaption>
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<p id="oxZ4A9">With no more major live sports events in the U.S., ESPN turned its channel over this weekend to taped UFC and WWE events.</p>
<p id="BBPmBX">UFC had an 11-hour marathon on Saturday, with the first eight hours, from Noon to 8 p.m., built around airing many of the greatest modern fights in company history. Built around classics like both <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight/6109/conor-mcgregor-vs-nate-diaz">Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz</a> fights, the first <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight/8539/jon-jones-vs-alexander-gustafsson">Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson</a> fight, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight/4804/robbie-lawler-vs-rory-macdonald">Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald</a>, and the first Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/88/dan-henderson">Dan Henderson</a> fight, the audience ranged from 327,000 to 410,000 viewers.</p>
<p id="qKUGZw">The prime time hours, from 8-11 p.m., aired <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1054/ufc-244">UFC 244</a>, the Nov. 2 show from Madison Square Garden, headlined by <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/520/jorge-masvidal">Jorge Masvidal</a>’s win over <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/365/nate-diaz">Nate Diaz</a>, and <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3278/darren-till">Darren Till</a> over <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2077/kelvin-gastelum">Kelvin Gastelum</a> averaged 725,000 viewers. The show was ESPN’s second-most-watched of the weekend, trailing a replay of the 2014 WrestleMania show on Sunday night that did 839,000 viewers.</p>
<p id="38CW4W">The UFC show peaked at 1 million viewers at the start of the main event.</p>
<p id="YEvyXO">UFC and WWE in replay form were more valuable as far as attracting viewers than boxing.</p>
<p id="rtOoG9">On Monday night, ESPN aired both Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder heavyweight title unification fights. The first fight did 356,000 viewers at 7 p.m. They aired the recent pay-per-view in its entirety, headlined by the second fight, from 8 to 11 p.m., and did 447,000 viewers.</p>
<p id="HtJnu3">The UFC will be airing another of the greatest fights in its history, the March 7 <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4539/zhang-weili">Zhang Weili</a> vs. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2758/joanna-jedrzejczyk">Joanna Jedrzejczyk</a> fight from Las Vegas this coming Saturday.</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/3/25/21193341/with-no-new-sports-content-ufc-replay-is-espns-no-2-showDave Meltzer2020-03-24T19:00:00-04:002020-03-24T19:00:00-04:00Branko Cikatic, K-1 and Pride pioneer, dead at 65
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<figcaption>Stipe Lucic, Wiki Commons</figcaption>
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<p id="rplPJH">Branko Cikatic, one of the first stars of the modern Japanese fighting world and the first K-1 World Grand Prix champion, passed away today in Croatia. He was 65. </p>
<p id="dOA5Y9">Cikatic was best known in K-1 and was later one of the first major names in the nascent Pride Fighting Championships. While the striking vet didn’t have a ground game, he didn’t need one in early MMA, and having a K-1 champion in Pride gave the company a major fighting star that was well known in the Japanese sports world. He was later one of the coaches of <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/24/mirko-filipovic">Mirko Cro Cop</a>.</p>
<p id="LCte8X">Cikatic’s death was attributed to Parkinson’s Disease. His career included 270 known fights over 27 years. </p>
<p id="GTxIno">Cikatic was already nearly 39 years old when he first made his name as an international fight star in Japan. During his prime, kickboxing was a relatively small sport. </p>
<p id="3BVil4">Cikatic started martial arts in 1966 when he was 12. In his early years, he competed in Shotokan karate, taekwondo, judo, boxing, kickboxing and muay Thai.</p>
<p id="QRfiVQ">In 1979, Cikatic won his first major championship, the WAKO European championship in full-contact karate. He won a world championship in that same sport in 1981, defeating Ray McCallum when McCallum was disqualified for a head-butt. He had other big fights, losing to future actor and UFC television announcer Don “The Dragon” Wilson via knockout on September 12, 1987, in Orlando, and drew with Dennis Alexio, perhaps the biggest star of the time in the kickboxing world, on March 16 1992, in Las Vegas.</p>
<p id="z2ECkQ">His career was made on April 30, 1993, at the first K-1 World Grand Prix in Tokyo. This was an eight-man tournament at the Yoyogi National Gym, and it aired live on the Fuji Network. It was the first event of its type and did a very strong television rating on network television in Japan. By winning, he immediately was a significant sports name in the country. </p>
<p id="tsLlVw">In 1997, Cikatic had a kickboxing match on the first Pride show, held at the Tokyo Dome before 30,000 fans, which was headlined by <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/762/rickson-gracie">Rickson Gracie</a>’s win over pro wrestling superstar Nobuhiko Takada. Cikatic kicked opponent Ralph White while he was on the ground at 1:52, and the fight was stopped and ruled a no contest. </p>
<p id="r8d3Cu">As Pride went from being a mix of different type matches to mostly what is now called MMA, Cikatic had his only two MMA rules fights. On March 15, 1998, he faced <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2607/mark-kerr">Mark Kerr</a>, who was then considered the best heavyweight in he world. The battle of the “Smashing Machine” and the first K-1 champion was the main event of the second Pride event ever, and it ended in controversy.</p>
<p id="pL4EBM">Cikatic continually held onto the ropes to avoid being taken down. He wouldn’t listen when warned, and at one point left through the ropes to avoid a takedown. At another point, when Kerr was working for a takedown, he held the ropes and threw illegal elbows to the back of the head. Fans booed his continual cheating in a ridiculous fight. Finally, the referee disqualified him in 2:14 of the first round.</p>
<p id="hOKj6D">Cikatic returned on September 12, 1999, just weeks before his 45th birthday. He faced <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2614/maurice-smith">Maurice Smith</a>, himself a former world champion and K-1 star. But by this time, Smith had considerable ground training, and had already held both the Extreme Fighting and UFC heavyweight titles in MMA, in the latter beating <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/857/mark-coleman">Mark Coleman</a> in one of the early legendary fights in company history. In a matchup of two kickboxing legends, Smith played the smart game, taking Cikatic down, where he was lost, and Smith won via submission in 7:33 with a rudimentary forearm choke. It was Cikatic’s last fight.</p>
<p id="8h5sz3">During his career Cikatic amassed a 152-15-3 record with 138 knockouts in amateur kickboxing and Muay Thai fights. As a pro, his kickboxing record was 87-9-1, with 82 knockouts, one draw and one no contest.</p>
<p id="dstzrF">Cro Cop, under his tutelage, became an even bigger star in Japan as the most popular foreign fighter during the heyday of the Pride Fighting Championships. </p>
<p id="pmb5eK">Cikatic’s health had worsened in recent years, starting with suffering a pulmonary embolism, and in 2018, an infection that led to sepsis. He started suffering from Parkinson’s disease at the time.</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/3/24/21191519/branko-cikatic-k-1-and-pride-pioneer-dead-at-65Dave Meltzer2020-03-19T17:00:00-04:002020-03-19T17:00:00-04:00Fortunes changed for five at UFC Brasilia
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<img alt="UFC Fight Night: Lee v Oliveira" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Y120skStWKNKulsvpEwGiJzS7Is=/0x0:3168x2112/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66527859/1212443875.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Charles Oliveira | Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC</figcaption>
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<p id="inTj6c">The state of the world as we know it changed so much in the past week that it has left the entire sports world in limbo.</p>
<p id="J8skpK">Unlike every other major sporting organization, the UFC attempted—to the bitter end—to keep going on a regular weekly schedule. There are many aspects to this story.</p>
<p id="6qpbnc">One is likely the determination to produce events as planned. But every sports organization has that. If the medical information available was enough for the NBA, NHL, NCAA and everyone else aside from UFC and pro wrestling to try and wait this one out, there was clearly a risk in running an event. UFC fighters, who don’t have guaranteed income, need to fight to support their families. And while the UFC is historically extremely profitable, it was built on acquiring substantial debt, both from the original owners, Lawrence and Frank Fertitta, with <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2230/dana-white">Dana White</a>, and now with Endeavor, which leveraged heavily to make the $4 billion purchase in 2016.</p>
<p id="YH08Y3">The interest on the debt alone comes to a number believed to be in excess of $120 million annually. In short, the UFC needs profits of above that figure each year just to cover the interest on its debt. But with EBITDA approaching $300 million per year, there has been little stress in making that figure.</p>
<p id="kuCry4">With the current deals with ESPN, for television, streaming and pay-per-view, guaranteeing in the range of $500 million annually in revenue, and with total gross income in 2019 being $900 million, paying off the interest on that debt wasn’t even an issue in the old world.</p>
<p id="Bbdycm">Until, suddenly, it is. Nobody could have foreseen the idea of being unable to run shows when the UFC made the call recently to pay out $300 million in dividends to the owners. That left the organization with far less financial cushion in the event a disaster happened.</p>
<p id="jJxJ5f">It’s unfair to second-guess the decision, as aside from the idea that fighters should have been paid more, something most would agree with, there was no need for huge amounts of cash on hand in a business with huge contractual financial guarantees.</p>
<p id="mC8IxZ">The problem is, the UFC needs to produce shows to get that guaranteed money.</p>
<p id="HlSu5x">The UFC has at least three shows off right now - Saturday’s event scheduled for London, the March 28 event scheduled for Columbus, Ohio, and an April 11 show scheduled for Portland, Ore. Dana White has talked of making up the dates, meaning that when the country and the world return to something resembling what it was two weeks ago, we may have both Friday and Saturday night events some weekends to catch up.</p>
<p id="pt2Zc3">The next date they are still trying to save is April 18, with <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight/9903/khabib-nurmagomedov-vs-tony-ferguson">Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson</a> for the lightweight title. The UFC has tried to make this fight on five different occasions. So it goes down as the most jinxed in UFC history. It was, arguably to the public and certainly to hardcore fans, the most highly-anticipated fight of the year. </p>
<p id="QvaStf">Complicating matters is there is no location for that fight at this time. Given President Trump’s guidelines—and Dana White is an avid Trump supporter--it doesn’t look to be possible to stage an event of that magnitude, even in an arena with no fans, in the U.S.</p>
<p id="9NnCdd">White’s trying to continue on as the rest of the sports world has stopped has hardly made him look good to he public. It’s worse when it’s public knowledge that he can’t run in the original arenas, or his own arena, and had still tried to run on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma. Before this was an issue, the pro wrestling group, All Elite Wrestling, did a television show from a cruise ship, but even that’s not possible with the shutdown of that industry.</p>
<p id="P65qaV">And then there’s the training issue if White finds a place overseas.</p>
<p id="on9z3g">This should be the most important time for <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1480/khabib-nurmagomedov">Nurmagomedov</a> when it comes to his most intense training. It’s more important than ever considering the amazing pace that <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/538/anthony-ferguson">Ferguson</a> can fight at. But San Jose, where Nurmagomedov usually trains, is on a shutdown. Gyms aren’t allowed to be open. It’s technically a misdemeanor to leave your residence unless you work in essential services, or are in need of essential things like food or money. It is legal to run outside, but going to a gym does not fit into those parameters. So unless he was able to get out of the quarantined area, meaning a new gym at the last minute, he and his coaches violate the statute, neither a good thing, or he goes into the Ferguson fight not at his best, the worse thing of all for him, this date now threatens the competitive aspect of the fight.</p>
<p id="CpOox7">This is a trying time for most people and most businesses. Unfortunately, it is in these times of duress where leaders can come off great, or not so great, when it comes to history. When things get back to whatever normal will be, people will want to see fights. For decades, boxing promoters were thought by the public to be exploiters and corrupt, but fans still supported big fights.</p>
<p id="YF3DR7">There were all kinds of financial reasons, and perhaps even positive reasons since many in the public could use a sports escape right now, for continuing. But people in hindsight will look at NBA commissioner Adam Silver one way, and Dana White in a very different way.</p>
<p id="bPMQ87">Let’s look at how Fortunes Changed for Five stars of Saturday’s show in an empty arena in Brasilia, Brazil.</p>
<p id="v5C41m"><strong>CHARLES OLIVEIRA - </strong><a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/175/charles-oliveira">Oliveira</a> (29-8-1), the company’s historical king of submissions, added No. 14 with his guillotine on <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2665/kevin-lee">Kevin Lee</a> in the third round. To show how amazing this record truly is, Oliveira is 30. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/93/demian-maia">Demian Maia</a>, who is second with 11 submissions, is 42. And after pioneer <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/656/royce-gracie">Royce Gracie</a> with 10, next on the list are three fighters with eight, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/365/nate-diaz">Nate Diaz</a>, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/153/jim-miller">Jim Miller</a> and <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/28/frank-mir">Frank Mir</a>. So Oliveira’s record looks to stand for some time to come.</p>
<p id="Jzu9sj">Oliveira’s 16th UFC finish tied him with <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/58/donald-cerrone">Donald Cerrone</a> for that record, and Cerrone is about to turn 37, meaning Oliveira has a good chance of breaking that and putting up some distance in that category as well.</p>
<p id="gBW95U">Still, Oliveira was only ranked No. 13 in the deep lightweight division going into the show. As far as a next opponent, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1526/justin-gaethje">Justin Gaethje</a> (21-2) would make the most sense. The only obstacle is that if a Gaethje vs. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1859/conor-mcgregor">Conor McGregor</a> fight was in play, then Gaethje would not be viable here. Oliveira then should face the winner of the scheduled May 16 fight with <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2917/daniel-hooker">Dan Hooker</a> (20-8) vs. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/233/dustin-poirier">Dustin Poirier</a> (25-6). </p>
<p id="FYCBlR"><strong>KEVIN LEE -</strong> Lee was so disappointed with his loss that he has since talked of taking time, even years, off. That type of frustration historically changes in time. For Lee, an exciting fighter and colorful personality, his next fight should be with the loser of Poirier vs Hooker.</p>
<p id="HrCAQH"><strong>RENATO MOICANO - </strong>After Moicano (14-3-1) finished <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3543/damir-hadzovic">Damir Hadzovic</a> (13-6) in the first round, he noted that he was No. 7 at featherweight. In winning, he wanted to face No. 7 in lightweight, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2970/paul-felder">Paul Felder</a> (17-5). It’s viable, but since Felder’s loss to Hooker was a very controversial decision, he may get a more established lightweight next. If that’s the case, good next foes for Moicano could be <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/260/al-iaquinta">Al Iaquinta</a> (15-6-1), <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/215/anthony-pettis">Anthony Pettis</a> (22-10) or <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2674/beneil-dariush">Beneil Dariush</a> (18-4-1). The first two would make him more well-known to fans than a bout with Dariush would.</p>
<p id="oJChka"><strong>BRANDON MORENO - </strong>In what looked to have been a fight to determine a flyweight title contender, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3844/brandon-moreno">Brandon Moreno</a> (17-5-1) took a controversial decision over <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/472/jussier-da-silva">Jussier Formiga</a> (23-7). Formiga came in looking like the logical first contender for the winner of the likely <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/285/joseph-benavidez">Joseph Benavidez</a> (28-6) vs. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4188/deiveson-figueiredo">Deiveson Figueiredo</a> (18-1) rematch to determine the vacant championship. But it should be noted that Formiga got 62 percent of the media scores even thought the judges had it unanimously for Moreno.</p>
<p id="KIY1ZR"><strong>JUSSIER FORMIGA - </strong>Formiga, because of the nature of the loss, could get a title shot next even off a loss if Moreno was injured. If not, he should next face either <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1614/alexandre-pantoja">Alexandre Pantoja</a> (22-4) or <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2839/ray-borg">Ray Borg</a> (13-4) in a title eliminator.</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/3/19/21184317/fortunes-changed-for-five-at-ufc-brasiliaDave Meltzer2020-03-18T19:00:00-04:002020-03-18T19:00:00-04:00UFC Brasilia averages 672,000 viewers
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<img alt="UFC Fight Night: Lee v Oliveira" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vmFvig0sbiO7DkoFBCl0Zhp4yB8=/0x0:3782x2521/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66522202/1212442195.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC</figcaption>
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<p id="DBtOJz">For those who thought that UFC being the last sports organization running a live event on television would mean record numbers due to lack of competition, that theory didn’t hold up.</p>
<p id="zJ53Dp">The last UFC show for at least a month, this past Saturday’s empty arena show from Brasilia, Brazil, averaged 672,000 viewers on ESPN. </p>
<p id="aPgaZm">The number sounds low because of UFC fights of late that had been topping 1 million viewers consistently. But there are a number of circumstances in place here.</p>
<p id="OuvY0a">The key one is the time slot. The show aired from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, meaning most of the show aired outside of prime time. The larger numbers of late have been for prime time shows. In addition, while there were no competing sports events, and people were home more than usual for a Saturday afternoon, people were far more likely to watch news shows.</p>
<p id="PuwWHE">The number was also the average of five-and-a-half hours, and not just of the main card as ESPN didn’t break them down separately as different shows, as would normally be the case for a televised Fight Night.</p>
<p id="jQA85A">The UFC show was first on cable in its time slot in the Male 18-49 demo and first on all of television during those hours in Males 18-34.</p>
<p id="Fm02ZJ">The peak, for the <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/175/charles-oliveira">Charles Oliveira</a> win over <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2665/kevin-lee">Kevin Lee</a> was 909,000, and that was in prime time in the Eastern time zone, but not in any other zone. So the number wasn’t great either.</p>
<p id="kPdwRH">Another key point is that the fight was originally scheduled to only be on ESPN+ as a streaming show, and it airing on television wasn’t decided until the last minute, meaning a large number of fans likely didn’t know about it. And the number doesn’t include viewership on the streaming service, which simulcasted the show.</p>
<p id="MnNQcp">The show was also hurt as far as atmosphere, by not having any fans, but there was no way around that issue.</p>
<p id="EwoTvY">If there was a takeaway from the show without fans, is that it greatly lessens the appeal for women. In the 18-49 demo, the audience was 79 percent male, considerably higher than most UFC television shows. </p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/3/18/21184816/ufc-brasilia-averages-672000-viewersDave Meltzer2020-03-11T17:00:00-04:002020-03-11T17:00:00-04:00Fortunes changed for five at UFC 248
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/w0H008pFQdGNRSbf5SlI4Q6TVp0=/0x0:2880x1920/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66485727/228_Zhang_Weili_x_Joanna_Je_drzejczyk.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Zhang Weili | Esther Lin, MMA Fighting</figcaption>
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<p id="CKleKN">Generally speaking, the UFC doesn’t like to book immediate rematches. Yet, due to a variety of circumstances, it looks like in the past three weeks we’ll have had three.</p>
<p id="BkBU6W"><a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight/9901/jon-jones-vs-dominick-reyes">Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes</a> seems to be the targeted next light heavyweight title fight. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4326/magomed-ankalaev">Magomed Ankalaev</a> vs. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3637/ion-cutelaba">Ion Cutelaba</a> is already booked for next month. And <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight/8730/joseph-benavidez-vs-deiveson-figueiredo">Joseph Benavidez vs. Deiveson Figueiredo</a> for the vacant flyweight title is also being targeted.</p>
<p id="O4swKe">For <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/47/jon-jones">Jones</a> vs. Reyes, the hoped-for rematch is because it appears the majority believed Reyes won the first three rounds and should have gotten the decision and the championship in their fight last month. In Ankalaev vs. Cutelaba, it was due to controversy over an early stoppage in what started out as a great fight. With <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/285/joseph-benavidez">Benavidez</a> vs. Figueiredo, the latter missed weight and a head butt led to the outcome of Benavidez being knocked out. So the title remains vacant.</p>
<p id="BdWd5P">There were two more close decisions on Saturday’s <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1095/ufc-248">UFC 248</a> card in the two key title fights that could have easily been judged in the other direction.</p>
<p id="c5GpA9">In the case of <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight/10017/israel-adesanya-vs-yoel-romero">Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero</a> for the middleweight, while the fight was close enough that it could have gone either way, it’s almost a lock we will never see that match again. It’s unlikely we’ll see <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/387/yoel-romero">Romero</a> in another title fight at all, given his age and performance. Romero’s apparent strategy, to stall and try and use short bursts to win rounds, didn’t pay off. Adesanya never tried to pick up the pace. If you were invested in the outcome, the fight was close enough that it was intriguing, but it was the opposite of an action fight.</p>
<p id="jvf1V3">What couldn’t have more different was the fight that preceded the two men.</p>
<p id="W9fm4K"><a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4539/zhang-weili">Zhang Weili</a> vs. Joanna Jedrzjczyk for the strawweight title may have just happened, but it’s a lock for being considered an all-time classic. With 351 strikes landed between the two, it was the closest thing MMA has ever had to a Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed II movie fight. It was clearly the greatest women’s fight in American MMA history, and may have been the best fight, regardless of gender within the UFC. It will certainly be near the top of any historical list going forward.</p>
<p id="GXIGjW">Should there be an immediate rematch?</p>
<p id="0bL5zZ">I can’t see anyone complaining if there would be. But as far as fairness—that word that rarely applies to fight sport matchmaking—perhaps that should be on hold for a few weeks.</p>
<p id="MFkxy3">Two former champions, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2024/rose-namajunas">Rose Namajunas</a> (8-4) and <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2360/jessica-andrade">Jessica Andrade</a> (20-7), are scheduled for <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1094/ufc-249-khabib-vs-ferguson">UFC 249</a>, on April 18 in Brooklyn. Andrade won the title from Namajunas when she dropped Namajunas on her head in a slam, in a fight that up to that point Namajunas had been dominating. If Namajunas wins, coupled with her two wins over Jedrzejczyk, she absolutely is the most deserving of a mach with Zhang for the title.</p>
<p id="JydKPO">Plus, after the beating Zhang and Jedrzejczyk took on Saturday, there should be no rush to get either back in the cage.</p>
<p id="N8XL1J">If Andrade wins, then it gets more difficult. Zhang overwhelmed Andrade in 42 seconds on Aug. 31 to win the championship. Jedrzejczyk also defeated Andrade when she was champion. An Andrade win would have a Zhang-Jedrzejczyk rematch make the most sense.</p>
<p id="Ilia87">But there’s a flip side when it comes to what the fans want to see. And that depends somewhat on how Namajunas performs. If she wins impressively, there would be interest in her getting a title shot, although the bar is high as far as what the public would want as compared to a rematch of Saturday’s fight. Just a win in workmanlike fashion could cost her the first title opportunity, but likely keep Namajunas on track for a shot down the line.</p>
<p id="TKZIPO">From the outside, the idea could look like the company is doing too many rematches. But the last three were justified and if they rematch Zhang and Jedrzejczyk, whatever complaints some might have would likely fall on deaf ears.</p>
<p id="NmVLyz">Let’s look at how fortunes changed for five stars of Saturday’s show.</p>
<p id="tFOQIE"><strong>ISRAEL ADESANYA - </strong>Adesanya (19-0) did not help his standing in such a lackluster fight. But the negativity from this type of a win usually doesn’t last long. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/101/anderson-silva">Anderson Silva</a> and <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/123/georges-st-pierre">Georges St-Pierre</a> had bad fights in their heyday. In time, people forgot about them after one exciting fight or dominant performance. They are still considered two of the greatest of all-time. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3984/paulo-henrique-costa">Paulo Costa</a> (13-0), who is likely Adesanya’s next fight, drew a Fight of the Year level bout out of Romero. So this becomes an important fight for the perception of Adesanya as a major star.</p>
<p id="JVFmqw"><strong>ZHANG WEILI - </strong>The close win ups her winning streak to 21. As far as where she goes next, it’s either Jedrzejczyk (16-4) or Namajunas. The question is more how the fight changes Zhang’s perception as much in China as the U.S. UFC has been trying for years to follow the NBA and break into China in a big way, a market that has proven frustrating for most American companies. The dream was always a Chinese star, and a world champion coming off one of the great fights in history is something UFC would have hoped for, but likely would have thought was a long time away. It’s just a question of marketing, staying at the top, and—the hardest piece of the puzzle—how the public reacts.</p>
<p id="i9O0r0"><strong>JOANNA JEDRZEJCZYK - </strong>If Namajunas looks impressive enough to get the next title shot, Jedrzejczyk would probably be one win away. She could face Andrade, provided Andrade loses to Namajunas. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3662/tatiana-suarez">Tatiana Suarez</a> (8-0), who has been battling neck problems would make for a good opponent if she’s healthy. If not, the best bet is <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4274/yan-xiaonan">Yan Xiaonan</a> (12-1).</p>
<p id="AEM5G7"><strong>NEIL MAGNY - </strong><a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1887/neil-magny">Magny</a> (22-7) looked the most complete he’s ever looked in a clear decision win over <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2727/li-jingliang">Li Jingliang</a> (17-6). Logical next opponents would be <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/796/rafael-dos-anjos">Rafael dos Anjos</a> (29-13), to avenge a 2017 loss by Magny, or <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1643/michael-chiesa">Michael Chiesa</a> (17-4).</p>
<p id="vMN0rx"><strong>SEAN O’MALLEY - </strong>Returning after two years on the sidelines due to injury and failed tests for Ostarine, O’Malley (11-0) crushed <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3076/jose-quinonez">Jose Quinonez</a> (8-4). Possible next opponents could be <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4669/song-yadong">Song Yadong</a> (15-4-1), <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4276/merab-dvalishvili">Merab Dvalishvili</a> (10-4) or <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2918/rob-font">Rob Font</a> (17-4).</p>
<p id="au6ThT"> </p>
<p id="twgaBv"> </p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/3/11/21174005/fortunes-changed-for-five-at-ufc-248Dave Meltzer2020-03-11T13:00:00-04:002020-03-11T13:00:00-04:00UFC 248 prelims become third PPV lead-in to crack 1,000,000 mark this year
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ccA6XWC2uhyBb21zxpVMiGg6sy0=/0x0:2880x1920/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66483809/049_Sean_O_Malley_x_Jose_Quinones.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Sean O’Malley | Esther Lin, MMA Fighting</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="n9P1wH">The <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1095/ufc-248">UFC 248</a> prelims, getting a strong lead-in from the Duke vs. North Carolina basketball game, did 1,195,000 viewers on ESPN.</p>
<p id="hlxlrL">The number was the third best of the three pay-per-view shows this year, but it was also expected to be. The number is determined somewhat from the lead-in, but mainly from the headline star of the PPV later that night.</p>
<p id="MMhE50"><a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4366/israel-adesanya">Israel Adesanya</a>’s first defense of the UFC middleweight championship against <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/387/yoel-romero">Yoel Romero</a> headlined Saturday’s show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, while a bantamweight bout between <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4140/sean-o-malley">Sean O’Malley</a> and <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3076/jose-quinonez">Jose Quinonez</a> served as the final ESPN preliminary.</p>
<p id="0CuaV2"><a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1086/ufc-246">UFC 246</a>, headlined by <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight/9902/conor-mcgregor-vs-donald-cerrone">Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone</a>, saw the prelims do 1,767,000 viewers. Last month, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1093/ufc-247-jones-vs-reyes">UFC 247</a>, headlined by <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight/9901/jon-jones-vs-dominick-reyes">Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes</a>, saw the prelims do 1,491,000 viewers.</p>
<p id="DmPPHJ">But any figure of more than one million viewers for pay-per-view prelims that aren’t headlined by McGregor would be considered strong.</p>
<p id="PiU5Uc">The Duke-North Carolina lead-in did 2,232,000 viewers. Because of that, the peak quarter audience for the prelims was the opener rather than the main event, as is normally the case. The <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight/10109/gerald-meerschaert-vs-deron-winn">Gerald Meerschaert vs. Deron Winn</a> early rounds did 1,603,000 viewers.</p>
<p id="d4c0N2">The UFC show was No. 2 for the night on cable in 18-49 and males 18-49, behind the basketball game. It was first in 18-34 and tied for first in males 12-34. It won its time slot on cable in every male demo under 50.</p>
<p id="1rKMNN">The PPV itself, paced by Adesanya vs. Romero and <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4539/zhang-weili">Zhang Weili</a> vs. Joanna Jedrzjczyk for the strawweight title did 2.1 million Google searches, which was a higher level of general interest overall aside from a McGregor or <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/47/jon-jones">Jones</a> headlined event.</p>
<p id="8mWjmk">The strongest UFC audience was males between the ages of 35 and 49.</p>
<p id="YZcTEF">In the 18-49 demo, the audience was 69 percent male and 31 percent female.</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/3/11/21173888/ufc-248-prelims-become-third-ppv-lead-in-to-crack-1000000-mark-this-yearDave Meltzer2020-03-04T14:00:00-05:002020-03-04T14:00:00-05:00Fortunes changed for five at UFC Norfolk
<figure>
<img alt="MMA: UFC Fight Night-Norfolk-Benavidez vs Figueiredo" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/trUF7s4S1r0rsI9X5qB-lCkKJ7Y=/0x0:5184x3456/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66436831/usa_today_14120477.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="FV1t4L">Joseph Benavidez has had a mixed bag of good and bad luck in being a top-five competitor consistently in the eight years since the UFC first established the flyweight division.</p>
<p id="KvtFES">For almost that entire period, he would have been among the top three in the division. It’s a level of longevity at the top that not a lot of fighters can match. But the bad luck is even being in that position, he hadn’t had a title shot in more than six years.</p>
<p id="fzRBTF">The good luck is that there is such a division, which the UFC was in the process of eliminating. While Benavidez was a top bantamweight before the flyweights were added in the UFC, much has changed in the landscape of the smaller weight classes and things would be likely far more difficult for Benavidez when it comes to giving up size than in the old WEC days.</p>
<p id="Ug0Qn7">After six years, his story of waiting for that elusive title shot seemed to have ended Saturday. He suffered a devastating knockout loss to Deiveson Figueiredo in Norfolk, Va. But the story in the last few days looks like it may have an added chapter since the UFC still doesn’t have a flyweight champion.</p>
<p id="IWMMvC">Figueiredo missed weight by 2.5 pounds, a substantial amount when you are talking the 125-pound weight class, for a fight for the title that Henry Cejudo vacated after winning the bantamweight title. Figueiredo was significantly larger in the cage, to the point his not cutting all the way, a decision out of his hands, but still what happened, gave him a noticeable size edge.</p>
<p id="KeebY5">Still, Benavidez looked to have won the first round, although it was competitive and exciting. The second round offered more of the same with both men connecting on strong punches until their heads collided. Benavidez had a deep cash on his forehead, and was bleeding heavily. He was then was knocked out with a punch seconds later.</p>
<p id="qyT6fl">Dana White has already talked about wanting to bring it back. He cited both the head-butt and Figueiredo missing weight. It’s always a problem in MMA when a fighter misses weight and then comes in larger, and in doing so, derails a contender on the way up. Or in this case, derails filling a vacant championship. Just the fact that Figueiredo is a lock for the next shot at the vacant title means that even though he lost money on the night for missing weight, he was ultimately rewarded for it.</p>
<p id="peI2tu">There is no way of knowing what would happen if both fighters were on weight. And there is no way of knowing what would happen if they were on weight and their heads didn’t collide. Still, in situations like this, the losing fighter, even though he would have a legit gripe, would in most cases not get a rematch coming off such a devastating looking knockout.</p>
<p id="gXF9QC">The difference here is the lack of depth in the division.</p>
<p id="eC32hA">Right now, there are three men at the top, Figueiredo, who just missed weight. Benavidez, who was knocked out and Jussier Forminga (23-6), who Benavidez knocked out but who is the only fighter to beat Figueiredo. Formiga’s spot in the big three is up for grabs on March 14 in Brasilia, Brazil, when he faces Brandon Moreno.</p>
<p id="dY84TD">A strong win by Formiga could change the equation, while a Moreno loss would strengthen Benavidez’s position as being in the next match for the vacant title that Figueiredo clinched by the win.</p>
<p id="yoO4UR">In a deeper division, the devastating nature of the knockout may have taken Benavidez out of consideration for a title match, and at 35 in a speed division, it could have been for good, but Dana White revealed recently that a rematch between Benavidez and Figueiredo is likely next. </p>
<p id="EOUteu">Let’s look at how Fortunes Changed for Five Stars of Saturday’s show.</p>
<p id="KAJlXz"><strong>JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ - </strong>If Benavidez doesn’t get the spot in the next fight for the vacant title, and it goes to Formiga, his next opponent should be Alexandre Pantoja (22-4), with the winner of that fight being a lock to be the next title contender.</p>
<p id="gfo3FV"><strong>FELICIA SPENCER - </strong>Spencer (8-1) finished Zarah Fairn (6-4) via strikes on the ground at 3:37 of the first round. Women’s featherweight is the most shallow division in the company. It was created for Cris Cyborg, who is gone, and who dominated Spencer when they met last year. During the Cyborg reign, it was about bringing up bantamweights who were undersized and not able to handle the champion. That was until Amanda Nunes, the top bantamweight, knocked her out.</p>
<p id="esp2Fa">Just due to lack of alternatives, Spencer’s win, combined with an earlier win over Megan Anderson, makes her the top contender if Nunes returns to defend her title. And if Nunes doesn’t, Spencer and Anderson (11-4) would likely have to meet again for the vacant title, simply because there is nobody else unless another bantamweight is asked to move up.</p>
<p id="ic7o0v"><strong>MAGOMED ANKALAEV - </strong>Ankalaev (14-1) had one of the strangest fights in recent memory. Opponent Ion Cutelaba (15-5, 1 no contest) tried to literally walk through him during the introductions which caused security, arriving late, to have to jump in between them. Then the two threw big punches and kicks, Cutelaba took a shot that clearly hurt him but he was still swinging back, and ref Kevin MacDonald stopped it just 38 seconds in. The stoppage was the worst one in a long time. That, combined with the fact that was one of the hottest fight opens there has been, means they should bring the fight back. If not, a good opponent for Ankalaev would be the debuting former Rizin light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka (26-3-1).</p>
<p id="gHbBnZ"><strong>GRANT DAWSON - </strong>Dawson (15-1) missed weight by 3.5 pounds and dominated Darrick Minner (24-11). A good next test for Dawson would be Cub Swanson (26-11). But it’s another case where a fighter is seemingly rewarded with an upward career trajectory while badly missing weight.</p>
<p id="o41aoG"><strong>MARCIN TYBURA - </strong>Tybura (18-6) won a decision over Serghei Spivac (10-2) in the heavyweight division. A good next fight for Tybura would be Sergei Pavlovich (14-1).</p>
<p id="iDLqd3"> </p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/3/4/21163928/fortunes-changed-for-five-at-ufc-norfolkDave Meltzer2020-02-26T16:00:00-05:002020-02-26T16:00:00-05:00Fortunes changed for five at UFC Auckland
<figure>
<img alt="UFC Fight Night: Felder v Hooker" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/czmFLiv8kk9lOhqnhlKIdv-GqSg=/0x0:4450x2967/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66380245/1208058326.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="c1Dc1L">For the second time in three weeks, the main event of a UFC show ended with a controversial decision in a close fight. </p>
<p id="00zBN2">Because it was an ESPN + show with <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2970/paul-felder">Paul Felder</a> facing <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2917/daniel-hooker">Dan Hooker</a>, and not a light heavyweight title fight with <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/47/jon-jones">Jon Jones</a>, there wasn’t the outrage or questioning the nature of the MMA scoring system this week.</p>
<p id="pKAICV">Like with Jones vs. Dominic Reyes, it was a close fight could be reasonably argued either way. Perhaps the difference is that in Jones vs. Reyes, there was the 49-46 scorecard and it was a unanimous decision for Jones, who most seemed to feel lost the first three rounds.</p>
<p id="f3LJlB">With this fight, Felder had strong support, but there were close rounds and all three judges had it 48-47, two for Hooker and one for Felder. There was no unanimity in judging three of the five rounds. The only thing the three judges agreed on was Hooker won the first round and Felder won the fourth. And Hooker did have the edge in significant strikes landed in three of the five rounds, and the second round was even.</p>
<p id="SGxfB9">There are judging doctrines that are usually the case, and that is in close fights, the star or the hometown fighter has an edge. You can always point to the opposite at times, but that did hold in recent weeks. Jones was by far the bigger star. Hooker was the local favorite, born in Auckland, New Zealand, the site of Saturday’s show.</p>
<p id="HWpwpM">Media scores as tracked by MMA Decisions were 70.5 percent for Felder and 23.5 percent for Hooker, and with the exception of a 48-48 score, every media member had it 48-47 in one direction the other.</p>
<p id="1opdoF">Felder, who looked the worse for wear when it was over, was in tears and talked of retiring. Since then his camp has downplayed that, and based on his performance, he didn’t look like a fighter who needed to retire.</p>
<p id="mjdwNt">But the loss came at a bad time in a deep division. It probably won’t hurt him significantly in booking, as he should still be viewed as a top ten fighter in a division where that ranking is significant. And both men should come out of this with name opponents next.</p>
<p id="mllFOv">There still should be ways to fine-tune judging, even if the human element in close fights will always be part of the game. The only other option is a criteria points scoring system, like in amateur wrestling. And there are good and bad points to that, but it’s simply never going to happen in the foreseeable future because of the nature of commission regulation and how hard it is to change even minor aspects of scoring.</p>
<p id="FqmrU6">Let’s look at how Fortunes Changed for Five stars from Saturday.</p>
<p id="iqooyK"><strong>DAN HOOKER - </strong>Being on the fortunate end of the decision gets Hooker (20-8) into a position where he’d be in the higher mix. He could next face either <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1526/justin-gaethje">Justin Gaethje</a> (21-2) or <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/233/dustin-poirier">Dustin Poirier</a> (25-6). With a win over either, that would put Hooker in the discussion for a championship fight, or at least a No. 1 contenders fight, in the follow-up.</p>
<p id="xVzigi"><strong>PAUL FELDER - </strong>Provided he chooses to continue, he should next be matched with <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2836/carlos-diego-ferreira">Diego Ferreira</a> (17-2) or <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/215/anthony-pettis">Anthony Pettis</a> (22-10). Ferreira would be the higher ranked of the two, but a win over Pettis, being a former champion and bigger name, would be a fight that should Felder win, would benefit him more in the eyes of most fans.</p>
<p id="5CvjbG"><strong>JIMMY CRUTE - </strong>Crute (11-1), came out wrestling, scoring four takedowns in the first round before beating <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4278/michal-oleksiejczuk">Michal Oleksiejczuk</a> (14-4, 1 no contest) via submission with a Kimura. Crute immediately made it known he was looking for a rematch with <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1589/misha-cirkunov">Misha Cirkunov</a> (15-5). Cirkunov submitted Crute in the first round to hand Crute his only loss. But Crute said he figured he needed one more win before he could get that fight. A good opponent would be Alekander Rakic (12-2).</p>
<p id="TiE6YG"><strong>YAN XIAONAN - </strong>Xionan, who came into the fight not ranked in the top 15, went to 5-0 in UFC competition when she injured the eye of former strawweight title contender <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2752/karolina-kowalkiewicz">Karolina Kowalkiewicz</a> (12-6) to take a one-sided decision. Xiaonan should next face <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2648/nina-ansaroff">Nina Ansaroff</a> (10-6).</p>
<p id="ABE3jo"><strong>KAI KARA-FRANCE - </strong>After a decision win over <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1862/tyson-nam">Tyson Nam</a>, Kara-France (21-8, 1 no contest) moved to the No. 7 contender position in the UFC rankings at flyweight. He should next face either <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5064/askar-askarov">Askar Askarov</a> (11-0-1) or <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/841/alex-perez">Alex Perez</a> (23-5). The top of the division will start to sort itself out over the next few weeks with the <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight/8730/joseph-benavidez-vs-deiveson-figueiredo">Joseph Benavidez vs. Deiveson Figueiredo</a> fight for the vacant title on Saturday and <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/472/jussier-da-silva">Jussier Formiga</a> (23-6) vs. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3844/brandon-moreno">Brandon Moreno</a> (16-5-1) on March 14.</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/2/26/21153335/fortunes-changed-for-five-at-ufc-aucklandDave Meltzer2020-02-25T17:00:00-05:002020-02-25T17:00:00-05:00Bellator weekend TV numbers up from late 2019
<figure>
<img alt="Bellator 240" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HDWVU4pYXYH2MFj6Bzf4znwnFgs=/0x0:3116x2077/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66373872/1202652443.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="BBmGTd">Bellator opened its 2020 television season over the weekend with two non-major events on Paramount.</p>
<p id="Zgln5P">The numbers for both shows were up from the level similar events were doing since this past summer.</p>
<p id="h4azyZ">The Friday night show, from Thackervlle, Okla., did 296,000 viewers. It was headlined by undefeated Yaroslov Amasov moving to 23-0 with a decision win over former three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3852/ed-ruth">Ed Ruth</a>. It also featured one of the biggest television upsets in recent years when <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3238/timothy-johnson">Timothy Johnson</a> knocked out previously unbeaten heavyweight <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3854/tyrell-fortune">Tyrell Fortune</a> in the first round.</p>
<p id="HXjy0P">The Saturday show, a taped event from Dublin, Ireland, did 310,000 viewers with a main event of <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2489/brent-primus">Brent Primus</a> over <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4745/chris-bungard">Chris Bungard</a>. It also featured former UFC and Bare Knuckle fighter <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2017/bec-hyatt">Bec Rawlings</a> winning a decision over Elini Kallionidou,</p>
<p id="kExesc">The number was even more impressive given the Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder fight was the big event of Saturday night, although doing such a big number for a taped show that featured no marquee names might give an argument that the fight wasn’t a big negative, even with boxing on television head-to-head..</p>
<p id="tq6Vmb">That number is at the high end of what the company’s Paramount shows have been doing. The company hasn’t topped 314,000 viewers for a television show in the previous seven months.</p>
<p id="bOwK63">The taped Saturday show went against live boxing on both ESPN 2 and FS 1, which did 862,000 and 441,000 viewers respectively, as both networks broadcasted the lead-in for Fury vs. Wilder from Las Vegas, which did a $16.9 million gate, making it the highest grossing heavyweight boxing championship fight of all time.</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/2/25/21153112/bellator-weekend-tv-numbers-up-from-late-2019Dave Meltzer2020-02-19T15:00:00-05:002020-02-19T15:00:00-05:00Fortunes changed for five at UFC Rio Rancho
<figure>
<img alt="UFC Fight Night: Anderson v Blachowicz 2" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cWK8bwMD-CqqPBFEdsEMlHVZyQY=/1x0:5128x3418/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66338556/1206562321.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jan Blachowicz | Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="so720e"><a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/620/jan-blachowicz">Jan Blachowicz</a>’s first-round knockout of <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2846/corey-anderson">Corey Anderson</a> in the main event of <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1096/ufc-fight-night-anderson-vs-blachowicz-2">UFC Rio Rancho</a> added another name to the list of potential next opponents for UFC light heavyweight champion <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/47/jon-jones">Jon Jones</a>.</p>
<p id="rceqpe">It was going to take more than just a win by Blachowicz or Anderson to get in the conversation for a title fight. There was already a path that seemed obvious this past week in a rematch between Jones and <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4111/dominick-reyes">Dominick Reyes</a>. A vocal majority felt that Reyes beat Jones and a rematch was in order.</p>
<p id="u6h70n">But for Jones, they’re just two different options. There’s also a champion a weight class below him, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4366/israel-adesanya">Israel Adesanya</a>, who’s brought up his name. There’s a champion a weight class above him, heavyweight king <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/775/stipe-miocic">Stipe Miocic</a>. Realistically, the story of Jones moving to heavyweight and going for the title would be as big a fight as any of the four options, and likely the biggest. But like everything in fighting, it’s all about timing.</p>
<p id="JJSkQ3">There is still no date for the next heavyweight title fight, Miocic vs. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/373/daniel-cormier">Daniel Cormier</a> 2. A decisive win by either <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5156/jairzinho-rozenstruik">Jairzinho Rozenstruik</a> or <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3362/francis-ngannou">Francis Ngannou</a> puts them in line for the winner. If Cormier beats Miocic, it’s doubtful he’ll fight again, and that timing may work for Jones. A fight between Miocic and the winner of Rozenstruik vs. Ngannou sounds less appealing than Jones moving up and facing the Rozenstruik-Ngannou winner. But that may be one fight down the line.</p>
<p id="LuUgJD">Right now, if Jones is to defend his title, it’s Blachowicz (26-8) or Reyes (12-1).</p>
<p id="UHVGT2">Blachowicz has been on a strong run, with seven wins in his last eight fights. It’s not just the number, but the names – he’s handed major losses to some solid ones. His victims list includes Anderson, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/395/ronaldo-souza">Ronaldo Souza</a>, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/98/luke-rockhold">Luke Rockhold</a>, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/2322/nikita-krylov">Nikita Krylov</a>, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/389/jimi-manuwa">Jimi Manuwa</a> and <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/3047/jared-cannonier">Jared Cannonier</a>. His only loss during that run is to <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/938/thiago-santos">Thiago Santos</a>, who fought Jones to a split decision loss while competing with two blown-out knees.</p>
<p id="Ni7yYo">Reyes, meanwhile, is technically coming off a loss to Jones. But it was really his most impressive performance in the eyes of the public.</p>
<p id="KlawZH">Still, the most recent impression left is Blachowicz’s knockout of Anderson. With Reyes, it’s him fighting to survive, exhausted, as Jones picks him apart in what turned out to be the deciding round five. Fans saw Jones dominate Reyes for two rounds, and if Reyes did have the edge in the first three, he should be champion today.</p>
<p id="tAfhlL">In different times, the determining factor would be who the UFC felt could draw the most public interest and money with Jones right now. Today, with ESPN guaranteeing the pay-per-view revenue, UFC has less financial pressure to go with the bigger money fight over what would be the “right fight,” whatever that means.</p>
<p id="hdEdcG">But here, it’s not clear in either category. Neither Blachowicz nor Reyes come in with a track record of being needle-movers. And the right fight comes down to an argument of how much we trust three judges and value their scoring.</p>
<p id="xYrgJc">If it’s about wins and losses and accepting judging decisions as final, Blachowicz is your guy. If it’s about addressing the actual Jones vs. Reyes fight, with public perception that Reyes won, that puts him in the lead, because as impressive as Blachowicz’s recent wins have been, none of them trumps the people’s belief that Reyes should be champion today.</p>
<p id="WWXLVg">The Google search test of marketability shows both men relatively even over the last year. But over this past month, Reyes is far ahead. That’s because the Jones fight had far more interest than Blachowicz vs. Anderson.</p>
<p id="Jcwpjd">The gut feeling is that Reyes would be the bigger fight to the public. And the judges getting it wrong in the eyes of most also makes it even bigger. Blachowicz can beat every good light heavyweight on the roster, but none of them are Jones. To some, Reyes was the first guy ever to hand Jones a real defeat, and the judges got it wrong.</p>
<p id="kK5SvZ">Let’s look at how fortunes changed for five stars of Saturday’s show in Rio Rancho, N.M.</p>
<p id="7LTINN"><strong>JAN BLACHOWICZ - </strong>From Blachowicz’s standpoint, Jones is the opponent that makes sense. If that doesn’t work out, he should face Thiago Santos (21-7), the only fighter who’s beaten him in his past eight fights. It could also be a fight where the winner gets a title fight.</p>
<p id="ZxBVn7"><strong>COREY ANDERSON - </strong>Anderson’s quest to get back in contention—and who is available—leads to a prospective fight withv the winner of the April 25 fight with <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1091/anthony-smith">Anthony Smith</a> (32-14) vs. <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/388/glover-teixeira">Glover Teixeira</a> (30-7). Anderson has a win over Teixeira on July 22, 2018, in Hamburg, Germany.</p>
<p id="oGddt2"><strong>MONTANA DE LA ROSA - </strong>De La Rosa (11-5) won all three rounds over <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4113/mara-romero-borella">Mara Romero Borella</a> (13-7, 1 no contest) in a battle of women flyweights ranked at the lower part of the top-15. To move up, good next opponents would be <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1073/alexis-davis">Alexis Davis</a> (19-10) or <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4554/maycee-barber">Maycee Barber</a> (8-1).</p>
<p id="YEaxtX"><strong>RAY BORG - </strong>Borg (13-4) missed weight by two pounds and spent three rounds dominating <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/4980/rogerio-bontorin">Rogerio Bontorin</a> (16-2,1 no contest) with his wrestling. It was a solid one-sided win over the No. 7 contender. The question becomes how much should someone be rewarded for winning, especially in this manner, after missing weight, which gave him the size advantage and added to his strength. Borg should face ether <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/1614/alexandre-pantoja">Alexandre Pantoja</a> (22-4) or <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/5064/askar-askarov">Askar Askarov</a> (11-0-1). If he can win that fight and make weight, at that point he should be in the top level of contenders.</p>
<p id="wpxbTv"><strong>ROGERIO BONTORIN - </strong>Even more than the benefits Borg got from missing weight, a fighter close to the top tier hitting a career skid by losing a wrestling-based decision to an overweight opponent is a tough way to go. But that’s the nature of the beast today. Bontorin should next face either <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/827/dustin-ortiz">Dustin Ortiz</a> (19-8) or <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/fighter/841/alex-perez">Alex Perez</a> (23-5).</p>
https://www.mmafighting.com/2020/2/19/21143001/fortunes-changed-for-five-at-ufc-rio-ranchoDave Meltzer