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livwwe1 · 5 years

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My Best Friend

Jon Moxley x Amber (requested by @wwesarahjaneroszko)

Summery: Jon Moxley has recently gone through a divorce with, Renee Young. Cody’s sister, Amber, has just joined AEW after coming from WWE. Cody and Jon are best friends and both Amber and Jon’s feelings for one another resurface.

Warning: Swearing, lil angst, fluff.

Word count: N/A

A/N: @wwesarahjaneroszko I hope you like this one!!

*Requests are closed*

*2 months prior to joining AEW*

‘Listen Vince, I just don’t like the way I’ve been treated recently. It’s been Becky this, Charlotte that! I’m done, ok. I’m asking for my release. I am grateful for the last 5 years, but it’s my time to go’ You exclaimed to Vince. You have been in WWE for 5 years, but recently you’ve been shelved and haven’t appeared on tv for 2 months. You have been really pissed with the authority and creative recently. I mean, being a former 4x Raw women’s champion and a 2x Smackdown women’s champion isn’t a small accomplishment, hell you’ve had more reigns than Becky Lynch.

‘Amber, hey! You alright?!’ You look behind you and see Alexa running towards you. ‘Hey Lex. I’ve been better. I just asked Vince for my release’ You explained to Alexa. ‘What?! Why. You can’t leave! You’re amazing and I’m gonna miss you like hell’ Alexa pleads with you. ‘I wish I could Lex, but I’m not gonna be treated like a dickhead and my brother has offered me a contract with AEW’ You whispered the last part quietly, as WWE was their revival company. ‘Damn. Joining the enemy, huh. I will respect any decision you make. Just don’t forget about me, ok. I love you so much Ambs’ Alexa says whilst giving you a massive hug ‘I will never forget about you Lex. We will always see each other’ you reassure her and let go of the hug. You smile at her once again and walk out the arena

‘Oh and Amber’ you hear before leaving ‘Don’t forget to give Jon a big hug’ she says and winks. You roll your eyes and leave.

You and Jon have had a complicated relationship. Before getting with Renee, you two were best friends. You did everything together. You ate together, roomed together and even road together. However, that all changed when he got with Renee. You two slowly stopped hanging out and that’s when you realised you had feeling for him. You were silently praying they would end their relationship, but they did the complete opposite in 2017. They got married. That’s when you knew you had to stop all feelings for him. You actually did. You started a relationship with Finn Balor a couple of months after they got married, and you really liked Finn. However, that ended a couple of months ago, when he got drafted to Smackdown and got stayed on Raw. The only con about joining AEW was seeing Jon. Cody and him became really close friends, and you were happy that Jon was happy their and was making friends. But, you knew you were gonna be treated correctly at AEW.

*Present day*

Today was the day you were debuting at AEW. News broke out 3 weeks ago that you were released from WWE, and everyone was hoping and praying you join AEW. You were currently sitting backstage in front of a screen watching Brandi vs Allie’s match. It was ‘Fight for the fallen’ tonight, and you were going to debut at the end of their match. The plan was for Brandi and Awesome Kong to beat up Allie, and you were gonna save her. Starting your feud with Brandi.

‘Hey sis. You ready for tonight?!’ Cody sits next to you and hugs you ‘Yeah I can’t wait. Thanks again for giving me this opportunity. I love you’ you smile and hug him. ‘No worries. I know how much wrestling means to you, and you deserve all the recognition you get. I mean it’ he relies. You look at the screen and see Brandi about to pin Allie. ‘I guess what’s my queue’ you say and stand up ‘You got this sis!’

‘One. Two. Three’ ring the bell!! ‘The winner of this match, Brandi Rhodessss’ Justin announces ‘awww come on Allie. Get up girl. What’s wrong bitch? Huh’ Brandi shouts at Allie. Her and Kong start to kick, punch, throw her around the ring. ‘This is unacceptable. Brandi won the match. She doesn’t have to do this!’ Jim Ross exclaims on commentary

*Amber’s theme song*

‘Oh. My. God. Is that Amber?!’ Jim Ross exclaims as you run down the ramp to the ring. ‘That sure as hell is here. What is she doing here?!! The crowd is going nuts!’ Alex says. It’s true, when you ran out, the crowd was going nuts. They were chanting ‘Holy Shit!’ ‘This is awesome’ ‘Amber!’ You dropkick Kong our the ring and went straight to work on Brandi. You do your signature move on her and go and check on Allie. ‘You alright?!’ You ask. ‘Yeah I’m good. Thanks Amber’ she smiles and stands up. You look around the arena and see everyone standing up, cheering. ‘I’m back baby’ you wink at the camera.

You and Allie walk backstage and are greeted by your brother, Cody. ‘That was fucking amazing. Great job, sis. They fucking love you!’ You hug him ‘thanks Cody. I’m gonna go to the locker room and freshen up. I’ll see you and Brandi tonight?’ You ask. You and Brandi were really great friends. I mean she was your sister in law after all. It was funny being in a feud with one of your family members. ‘Yeah definitely. See you then’ he replies.

Jon’s POV:

‘I’m back baby’. Jon was watching your match. All of it. He was in his changing room and couldn’t believe you joined AEW. He thought you were happy in WWE but he couldn’t deny the happiness he felt inside him when he saw you in that ring. Him and Renee got divorced 3 months ago. After joining AEW and her still being in WWE, it was too much for them and long distance wasn’t his thing. He always had a special place in his heart for you. When you were best friends, he did have feelings for you, but Renee happened and he did fall in love with her.

He left his changing room and made his way to catering. He didn’t have a match tonight, but he still liked coming to the arena. ‘Shit, I’m so sorry’ he hears a girl say from the floor. ‘No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going’ he replies and looks down. Only to see you on the floor. His heart just stopped.

Amber’s POV:

You start walking to the locker room looking at your phone. You got a text from Alexa, saying how proud she was with your debut. You were happy that her and you managed to stay close friends. That was until you walked into what felt like a brick wall. ‘Shit, I’m so sorry’ you exclaim. ‘No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going’ you hear the guy say. You look up and see Jon. Your heart just stops.

‘Amber...h-hi. How are you?’ He says and puts his hand out to pick you up. ‘Yeah I’m good. How are you?’ You smile and take his hand. The hand with the stupid, tattooed wedding ring. You never understood why he got his wedding band tattood. Why not buy a regular wedding band? What if you get divorced? The feelings you felt before just resurfaced. Stupid feelings. ‘I’ve been better. You know. Going through a divorce isn’t the best thing, but I feel better now’ he smiles. Wait divorced. Did he just say, he got divorced?! ‘Yo-you got divorced? Why didn’t you tell me? I mean I know he haven’t spoken to each other in a while, but I’m still your friend. I could’ve helped you’ you ask. ‘I know but you were in WWE. She was there too. I guess, it would’ve triggered me too much. I’m sorry, Amber. I really am. I’m glad your here tho. I really am’ he smiles and hugs you. ‘Me too Jon’ I say. Little did you know, Cody and Brandi were standing not that far away seeing this. ‘You know they’re meant to be right?’ Brandi tells your brother. ‘I know. I hope she goes for it’ he replies.

*Later that night*

You, Cody, Brandi, Jon and some others decided to celebrate the success of the PPV and went our for a couple of drinks. You felt so much happier being here than at WWE. Everyone around you was so friendly. Kenny was amazing and sweet. He helped show you around the arena, and you guys became friends quite quickly. ‘Hey, Amber. You want me to get you another drink?’ He asks you. ‘Uh, yeah sure. Thanks Ken’ you smile. You could see Jon shift in his seat in front of you, looking a little disoriented. ‘You alright Jon?’ You ask him. ‘Yeah I’m good’ he drinks his drink. You didn’t want to toot your own horn, but you thought he seemed a little jealous. I mean, come on. Kenny is great and all, but he’s no Jon. You were so relived when he said him and Renee got divorced. You may have sounded like a bitch, but you really loved him. Like a lot. Kenny came back with your drink and sat next to you.

The night went on. Everyone got a little tipsy, expect for you and Jon. You guys were the designated drivers for tonight, and you knew you couldn’t get drunk. You guys had one drink and that was it. ‘Hey Amber. You want to go out tomorrow?’ Kenny asked you. Right after he said that, Jon stood up and left to go outside ‘for some air’. ‘Oh uh...I would love to but I have training tomorrow. Maybe another time’ you say. You didn’t really have training tomorrow, but you didn’t want to lead him on. You stood up and followed Jon outside.

‘Hey. You alright?’ You ask him. ‘Yeah I’m good, doll. Looking forward to your little date with Kenny tomorrow?’ He smirks. You could hear the tint of jealously coming out of his mouth. ‘There’s going to be no date tomorrow, actually. Why, you jealous Jon’ you smirk back. ‘Why would I be jealous for? Were best friend remember. It’s all good’ he replies back. Best friends. Right. Nothing more, nothing less. ‘Just messing with you’ you sigh and sit on the bench outside the pub. You wish you two could be more than friends. Renee isn’t in the picture, it would be perfect. However, you knew he didn’t like you like that. It was obvious. ‘I’m gonna head back in. See if the guys are ready to leave’ you say and just as you were about to get up, Jon pulls your arm to sit back down. ‘Why did you think I was jealous for?’ Jon asks. ‘I didn’t. I was joking remember’ I whisper. ‘I don’t think you were joking’ he whispers back. You looked into his eyes. ‘Look Jon, it was just a silly jo-‘ you were then cut off by his lips onto yours. It took you a couple of seconds to realises what was happening, until you started kissing him back. ‘I really like you Jon’ you say into the kiss. ‘I really, fucking like you too, Amber’ he replies back. You break apart and smile at each other. ‘Let me take you on a date tomorrow’ he smirks. ‘I would love that’ you smile and kiss him again.

‘Hey g-guys leets go ho-‘ Cody says walking out the pub, but stops when he sees you and Jon. He stands there and smirks. ‘I told you she would go for it’ he smirks at Brandi.

#jon moxley #aew #aew imagine #wwe #cody rhodes #brandi rhodes #kenny omega #request #alexa bliss #wwe imagine #dean ambrose

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techcrunchappcom · 4 years

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New Post has been published on http://techcrunchapp.com/ufc-experts-debate-whos-next-for-dustin-poirier-and-mike-perrys-coach-less-strategy-espn/

UFC Experts debate who's next for Dustin Poirier and Mike Perry's coach-less strategy - ESPN

It’s safe to say that a familiar face is back in UFC title contention.

In what could be a fight of the year candidate, Dustin Poirier won a brutal battle against Dan Hooker in the UFC Fight Night main event on Saturday in Las Vegas. Both fighters traded wicked shots from the opening bell, and Poirier took control of the fight in the later rounds.

The win was critical for Poirier, who was coming off a loss in September to world champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov is expected to face interim champ Justin Gaethje in a title-unification bout later this summer.

Mike Perry also had an impressive win, and apparently all he needed were his physical tools and moral support at the UFC Apex.

Perry looked sharp and in shape in defeating Mickey Gall by unanimous decision, and he won with only his girlfriend, Latory Gonzalez, in his corner.

ESPN’s expert panel of Ariel Helwani, Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim weigh in on the wins for Poirier and Perry and more.

What’s your biggest takeaway from the main event?

Dustin Poirier, right, proved that he’s still among the elite lightweights in the world by winning a hard-fought battle versus Dan Hooker on Saturday. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Helwani: That fight was every bit as good as we thought it was going to be. That’s pretty much all that comes to mind. If you recall, earlier in the week, my bold prediction for this card was that the main event would go the distance. Well, early on, that prediction looked like it was going to be off because of the shots they were throwing and landing. However, I knew it would go 25 minutes because of how supremely tough both are. And 25 minutes it went. What a fight. What a show. What a display of toughness, heart and grit. These are the fights that make us love this sport so much. Hopefully Hooker doesn’t get too down after this one. He’ll be back. He can hang with the elite at 155. Also, the curse of Paul Felder, which is that everyone who beats him goes on to lose their next, is alive and well.

Okamoto: We need more consistent lightweight title fights. This can’t continue. Since Conor McGregor won the lightweight championship in November 2016, there have been four undisputed 155-pound title fights. Four. That’s not fair. This division is full of talented and deserving title challengers. Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, Justin Gaethje was as frustrated as anyone. It took Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson falling apart again for him to get an opportunity to fight for an interim belt and set himself up for a real title shot. I hate watching a fight such as Saturday’s, in which both guys leave a piece of themselves in there, and not knowing what’s next for the winner because this division never moves. The UFC has to do everything in its power to get this division running more consistently.

All fights from UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker will be available to watch on ESPN+.

• Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker • Mike Perry vs. Mickey Gall • Gian Villante vs. Maurice Greene • Brendan Allen vs. Kyle Daukaus • Jason Witt vs. Takashi Sato • Sean Woodson vs. Julian Erosa • Luis Pena vs. Khama Worthy • Philipe Lins vs. Tanner Boser • Jinh Yu Frey vs. Kay Hansen

• Jordan Griffin vs. Youssef Zalal

Watch the complete card on ESPN+

Raimondi: Dustin Poirier is still an elite lightweight. He’s still evolving. My favorite moment in the fight was when he had Hooker in a Khabib-esque leg ride in the fourth round. Not only is Poirier one of the best people in the sport — honored Friday with the UFC’s inaugural Forrest Griffin Community Award — but he’s also one of the toughest and most cerebral, a true ambassador for the game, and he isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Hooker is excellent. He did work in the first two rounds. But Poirier, hurt and tired, outlasted him as the fight went on. Let’s not forget that Poirier owns a win over current UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. Poirier is right there in the division, despite the loss to Nurmagomedov last year.

Wagenheim: If I’m a UFC matchmaker, I’m looking to book someone from American Top Team against a fighter from across the Pacific. That was proven once again to be a magical combination. Back in March, the promotion’s lone champion from China, strawweight Zhang Weili, was put through the fight of the year by ATT’s Joanna Jedrzejczyk. That bout got a run for its money from Poirier, who also trains in the South Florida gym, and Hooker. If Saturday’s main event had been for only a belt, it might have surpassed the glorious 115-pound tussle in my eyes. What a show of skill. What a show of will.

Who’s next for the winner of the main event?

Helwani: I need to see Dustin Poirier vs. Tony Ferguson next. It makes all the sense in the world. Poirier lost to Nurmagomedov recently, and Ferguson just lost to Gaethje. Plus, on paper, it would be phenomenal, with high stakes attached to it. Let’s go. As for what’s next for Hooker, that one is a little trickier. He’ll obviously need some time off. Maybe Kevin Lee, who is currently rehabbing an injured knee? Charles Oliveira would be fun, but he last fought (and won) in March, so the timing doesn’t work. A Drew Dober-type would be fun, but I’m not sure Hooker would take that. And you know what? I wouldn’t hate seeing Paul Felder vs. Dan Hooker 2, considering that I thought Felder narrowly won their first meeting in February.

Damn!! Let me rest bruh!!! https://t.co/RgP5aOV0Co

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) June 28, 2020

Okamoto: For Dustin Poirier, why not Conor McGregor? Why the heck not? When I spoke to Poirier this week, he said he has a habit of living and dying with every result in his fight career, and it has put a lot of pressure on him over the years. Having said that, he also believes that way of thinking affected him negatively before the McGregor fight in 2014, when he lost via first-round knockout. McGregor has apparently been frustrated with the UFC because he wants to fight. Well, here it is. Poirier is ranked above him. This is the one. McGregor wants to prove he’s still elite? Fight Poirier.

Raimondi: Poirier is still on the outside looking in as far as the upper echelon at lightweight goes. Nurmagomedov will defend the title against interim champ Gaethje next. McGregor is still out there lurking, with the UFC wanting him to fight Nurmagomedov as soon as it’s feasible. Perhaps McGregor would be interested in a Poirier rematch. That could be a lot of fun. If not, Poirier is probably stuck with another rising contender next, someone like Hooker. Charles Oliveira comes to mind as a possibility.

Wagenheim: If life were fair, Poirier would be in position to wait for the winner of Nurmagomedov’s title defense against Gaethje. Short of that, he would get the opportunity to avenge his 2014 loss to McGregor and make a huge bank deposit afterward. But all is not fair in love and war and money-fight promotion. Considering that Poirier lost to the champ less than 10 months ago, I’m thinking he will be passed over if Nurmagomedov retains his throne. If the challenger wins the belt, maybe the storyline of Gaethje trying to avenge a 2-year-old TKO loss to Poirier will carry the day, but an immediate Khabib rematch seems more likely. Poirier might be left to fight a guy ranked above him who’s coming off a loss (Tony Ferguson) or one ranked below him who’s on a seven-fight winning streak (Charles Oliveira).

What did you think of Mike Perry’s corner experiment?

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0:34

Mike Perry goes back to his corner and gets some words of encouragement from his girlfriend, Latory Gonzalez.

Helwani: Hard to hate on it because Perry won and looked good. I have heard from fighters who have said they don’t put a lot of emphasis on corners during fights, so I guess Perry backed that claim up tonight. But in all seriousness, I don’t think this is something that should be replicated, and it’s a little weird that a week after telling me they’d investigate the Robert Drysdale–Max Rohskopf situation, Nevada was OK with this. In any event, it worked out for Perry, and it generated attention, but I think he knows this isn’t sustainable. I suspect Perry will join another team before his next fight. Maybe it’s American Top Team, as his manager Malki Kawa suggested on Twitter, or maybe it’s elsewhere. Who knows with Mike Perry. He always keeps us guessing, and that’s why so many love him. But one thing is certain: Latory Gonzalez is undefeated as a corner woman. Put some respect on her name.

Okamoto: You know what? I am 100 percent good with it. I think it was a brilliant move, actually.

Now, I’ll add to that: I don’t think it’s the smartest thing moving forward. At the end of the day, is it a good idea for a UFC fighter to go into a high-caliber matchup with no one in his corner who can offer advice, recognize injury or provide expertise? Of course not. But I think most of us would agree that Perry looked … different … all week. Maybe he needed to do this one time — prove a point, do it for himself, whatever the case was — so that he could go out on his own and get a win this weekend.

If he moves forward with this peculiar strategy, again, I don’t think it’s a good idea, but the truth is Perry is probably never going to win a championship. He’s an entertainer. To borrow his words, “He knows how to fight.” If, from a mental standpoint, he feels most confident going in there with his girlfriend, that isn’t something I would ever advise someone to do, but I don’t think it’s the end of the world, either.

Thanks Perry, now my wife thinks she’s walking out with me next fight 😅

— Ricky Simón (@RickySimonUFC) June 28, 2020

Raimondi: It worked, mostly because Mike Perry is flat-out better than Mickey Gall. Perry’s strength and athleticism were just too much for Gall, and that had nothing to do with who was in Perry’s corner. The biggest takeaway for me was that Perry was in great shape, and he was polished. Yes, his girlfriend, Latory Gonzalez, was in his corner, but it was clear that Perry took his conditioning and training seriously.

Overall, though, one inexperienced person in a fighter’s corner is a bad precedent. It’s something the commission should take a look at if it happens again. It was funny tonight because Perry is such an over-the-top character. But it’s also a health and safety issue. A corner person is a state-licensed position. It should be taken seriously by the commission, with those licenses going to experienced people who are there to take care of their fighter. MMA isn’t a game; it’s a brutal, dangerous sport.

Wagenheim: Perry fought a more disciplined fight than I’d ever seen from him. Maybe coaching complicates things for the guy, gets him out of his instinctual rhythm. Then again, maybe what we saw was something of a mirage, a deceptive byproduct of an experienced veteran of high-level opposition being in the Octagon with an opponent who had fewer than half as many pro fights. Would Perry have been able to get by without coaches in his corner if he were competing against someone the caliber of Donald Cerrone or Paul Felder, to cite two names on his résumé? Who knows? Let’s chalk this up to Mike Perry being Mike Perry.

Which prospect made the biggest statement?

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0:25

Kay Hansen and Jinh Yu Frey trade massive blows to each other’s faces early in the third round of their bout at UFC Fight Night.

Helwani: I know Tanner Boser is now 18-6-1 following his vicious, first-round knockout of Philipe Lins on Saturday, but he’s only 28, and that was just his third UFC fight, so I’ll go with the native of Bonnyville, Alberta. In my eyes, he’s still a prospect. How much fun is Boser? The hair, the teeth, the Western Canadian accent … it’s a wonderful package. He’s now 2-1 inside the Octagon, with his lone loss to uber-prospect Ciryl Gane, so I think he’s a name to keep an eye on at heavyweight. Now, if we want to talk about who has the highest ceiling of the bunch, I’ll go with 20-year-old Kay Hansen. In case you missed it, Hansen, who is the youngest woman in the promotion and the second youngest overall (behind Chase Hooper) was signed just six days ago. She’s a big-time prospect and will be a player at 115 for years to come. It was a great win for her Saturday against former Invicta atomweight champion Jinh Yu Frey. That armbar submission was a beaut.

Okamoto: I have to go with Kay Hansen, and it isn’t particularly close for me. Although I wouldn’t say her victory over Jinh Yu Frey was one of the most memorable of the card — there were plenty of other finishes on Saturday that stood out more — a 20-year-old, making her UFC debut, against an opponent with much more experience against better opposition? This result says a lot. Khama Worthy, Tanner Boser, Youssef Zalal, all of them had big wins on the undercard, but there’s something impressive about seeing a 20-year-old win in the Octagon. Not to mention, Hansen’s best skill (at least right now) — her wrestling — should continue to serve her well as she progresses through this division and grows into her body.

Raimondi: Kay Hansen. It wasn’t just that she beat former Invicta FC atomweight champion Jinh Yu Frey with a slick armbar in the third round of her UFC debut. It was that Hansen was able to battle adversity to do it. She clearly had a game plan of getting the smaller Frey down and imposing her will on the ground. Frey had none of that for most of the first two rounds, and she was making Hansen pay for her aggression, popping her with hard left hands. Hansen, to her credit, stuck to her strategy, finally got Frey down in the third and finished the bout that was tied heading into the final round. Hansen is just 20 years old, the second-youngest fighter in the UFC. There is immense potential there.

Wagenheim: It’s tough to go against Kay Hansen, who at 20 years old took out a far more experienced fighter who has been a champion in another fight organization. But I was most impressed by Khama Worthy, who scored his second straight eye-opening UFC win. Last summer he was a humongous underdog when he won his UFC debut. Was that just a matter of his having the night of his life? No, it was not. This time, he took on Luis Pena, who came in with six fights in the UFC, including wins over some seriously legitimate opponents. After a good start by Worthy, Pena put on a dominant display of wrestling in the second round. But Worthy persevered, and when the fight went back to the canvas in Round 3, he was ready. Worthy sunk in a modified guillotine choke to squeeze the air out of any lingering doubts.

Which fighter had the best finish?

With less than a week’s notice, @juicyj_erosa pushed the pace for three rounds and sunk in this D’arce choke to finish it off at #UFCVegas4 pic.twitter.com/kIdxwdzB9q

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 28, 2020

Helwani: There were so many good ones to choose from tonight, as this was a fun card with great finishes. In the end, I’ll go with Julian Erosa‘s D’Arce choke. First of all, the fact that he took this fight on four or so days’ notice and was a +400 underdog against the previously undefeated Sean Woodson is impressive in its own right. However, that D’Arce was as slick as can be and came at the end of a phenomenal fight. I love stories such as Erosa’s: Former “The Ultimate Fighter” alum, released in 2016 after going 1-1, gets a second chance on Contender Series two years later, wins that fight, gets signed again, goes 0-3 in the UFC, gets cut, wins a fight on the regional scene and then capitalizes on this opportunity after a visa issue precluded Canadian Kyle Nelson from competing Saturday. Way to persevere, Julian.

Okamoto: Julian Erosa. Four days’ notice against arguably the most promising prospect on the card in Sean Woodson. Was it the “highlight reel” KO we usually think about when it comes to best finish? No. Not at all, actually. But taking everything into consideration — fighting on four days’ notice, the biggest betting underdog on the card, losing the first round, the fact that he has been cut from the UFC before — it’s incredibly impressive. Erosa knew after that first round against Woodson that he had to bite down, eat shots and make the fight ugly, and that is way easier said than done. Not only did he have the intelligence to acknowledge that, but he also had the courage and heart to do it. It’s difficult to not feel happy for him.

Raimondi: I won’t soon forget Tanner Boser, sporting an absolutely glorious mullet, starching former PFL heavyweight champion Philipe Lins with a punching combination for a knockout win. Boser, from Alberta, Canada, is unassuming. Maybe he caught Lins by surprise. Boser let loose with a fast combination and clanged multiple punches off Lins’ head. Lins was out when he hit the ground, spurring referee Herb Dean to dive in and hit a near-judo throw to get Boser off an unconscious Lins. It was a memorable knockout for a fight — and a fighter — many people didn’t have circled coming into this event.

Wagenheim: The second- or third-best finish on this night would have been in the running for top honors on many fight nights. At one point, there were five straight finishes, each a thing of beauty. But I have to go with Julian Erosa’s third-round D’Arce choke, which handed prospect Sean Woodson his first career defeat. Erosa, who twice has been cut by the UFC, came in on four days’ notice and was the biggest underdog on the card. He looked the part in the first round, absorbing a steady diet of straight left hands. But he ate them all and kept coming for more, and when he finally got Woodson on the canvas, he did not waste the opportunity, efficiently and stunningly eliciting a tapout.

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happenable-blog · 5 years

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Raw Review 22/04/19: New Contender for Universal Title!!

Welcome to Happenabler's Raw Review of 22nd April 2019. There is a new Contender for Seth Rollins Universal Championship. And some bizarre new names and gimmicks have been introduced with Bray Wyatt. So here is the Raw Review. Triple H and Seth Rollins opens Raw Triple H comes out to open the show. While he is making his way to the ring we got informed that there are two triple threat matches tonight. The winner of both the matches will fight in the main event to determine Seth Rollins’ Money in the Bank opponent. As Triple H is still grabbing a mic Rollins also joins him in the ring. Rollins said it is still surreal to him after all he had been through. He said he has brought the title to his home state. Triple H said now the landscape has changed after the superstar Shake-up. He should be ready for his next challenger. Triple H then just repeated what we already knew about how Seth’s title contender will be determined. This brought out all the 6 superstars involved in two matches. They all said basically the same thing that they deserve the title shot. Rollins said that it doesn’t matter which one of them he faces at MITB because he is Seth Freakin’ Rollins and he is going to Burn it Down. The promos were good here. All did their best but I am not a fan of everyone coming out one by one and taking turns to speak. That feel so much scripted and staged. It was good to see the crowd super hot in the beginning, cheering and booing very loud. We will see if they can keep up by the end of the night... Segment Rating: 3/5 AJ Styles def. United States Champion Samoa Joe and Rey Mysterio This was an awesome match. I really loved the chemistry between these three. Any combination worked in the ring. Even all three of them at the same time as we saw towards the end. There were some awesome spots in the match like when Rey and Styles went over the top rope. It seemed like Rey was going for a suplex on the floor. But Joe joined them at the top and got each of them on his shoulder and tossed them down the ring. Rey had both Joe and AJ in 619 positions. He delivered the 619 on Joe and went for a springboard hurricanrana on Styles. AJ caught him and delivered a powerbomb followed by a Styles Clash, both on top of Joe. Styles pin Joe to win the match. This is the only complaint I have. In my opinion, Rey took most of those moves and he should have been the one to get pinned instead of Joe. But anyways, a heck of a match. Match Rating: 4/5 Naomi def. Billie Kay The IIconics made some jokes before the match. Their laugh at their own jokes was funnier than the jokes itself. The crowd joined in on the IICONIC moment which was good to see. The match was over in a blink. Peyton tried to interfere but Naomi takes both of them out and rolled Billie over for the win. I don’t know where they are heading with Naomi. She will just get a random partner in the Raw roster to challenge for the Tag Titles. The only good thing was IIconins’ promo before the match which always is. Match Rating: 2/5 Baron Corbin def. The Miz and Drew McIntyre Corbin and Drew teamed up for a while to beat down Miz. But Miz fought back. There was a cool spot when Drew had got Miz in a white noise position on the ropes in the corner. Corbin joined in and got Drew in a powerbomb position. This was an interesting variation of the tower of doom. At one point Miz Figure four locked in on Drew for a very long time but he didn't tap. Drew got out of the lock with a thumb to the eye. Drew delivered a Claymore from out of nowhere to Miz but before he could pin him, Corbin pushed him out to go for the cover himself. That was one way to protect Drew. Corbin got a lot of heat from the crowd. I think he is not a bad choice now. The match wasn’t that good as it's counterpart but it still was a good match. Match Rating:3.5/5 Sami Zayn Promo Sami Zayn came out to say basically the same thing he has been saying for the past two weeks. He was very happy being away from the WWE Universe. It was the best time of his life. He went on to show his Instagram photos when he was injured, traveling around the world. Zayn told everyone, he was very happy but when he got cleared to wrestle again he got depressed. It wasn’t the corporate structure or other backstage superstars. It was the “WWE Universe”. He said he will rather be in Switzerland, Sweden or Mexico rather than the depressing town of Iowa. This got the most heat from the crowd. He went on and said that they should take a trip… to Hell! This was a great promo. It dragged a little long but a great delivery by Zayn. I don't know where is it leading but we will see. Promo Rating: 3.5/5 Cesaro def. Cedric Alexander Cesaro is on Raw? Well OK. These two can really pull off a corker if given time and freedom. It was an interesting match to book as they both could have done something with a win under their belt. I hope Cesaro get a singles push on Raw and I feel the same about Cedric. Cedric didn't look weak in defeat so I have no problem with Cesaro winning here. Match Rating: 2.5/5 The Usos are backstage with Charlie Caruso. They made some jokes about Raw Tag Teams and also on the drink & drive (a shot at thier real life arrest). They were interrupted by the Revival who said the Usos were undoubtedly the best tag team on SmackDown but this is Raw and they are the top guys around here. The tag team division on Raw has some potential bit we will see if they can capitalise on this. Viking Raiders beat down Lucha House Party Yes, they are called the Viking Raiders now. But don’t worry your favorite name isn’t going anywhere cause we have got it as their finisher name. Raiders delivered the Viking Experience which is the pop-up power slam, to Kalisto in the end. I don’t know what is going on here. The Viking Raiders is much better than Viking Experience but they don’t have their NXT Tag Titles with them and they are heels in the main roster? I can’t wait to see the main roster to botch these guys. Segment Rating: 1.5/5 Becky Lynch vs Alicia Fox Before the match, Becky cut a promo saying she has beaten some blondes who are favored backstage. Evans came out to teach Becky some lessons. They basically said they will beat each other up. Nothing sort of note here I thought it was going to be a squash match but Alicia Fox got a lot of offense in here. This dragged on for too long. Becky made Fox tap out to win. But as the Dis-Arm-Her was still in Lacy Evans came from no where to deliver a Woman’s Right to Becky and followed it with another one to keep her laying in the ring. Meh. Segment Rating: 2/5 Ricochet vs Robert Roode They changed Bobby Roode’s name to Robert Roode. It’s a little odd to suddenly change someone’s name but no major problems here. But there were problems when they didn't give any explanation to why he did it. There was a wwe.com interview with Roode but it doesn’t even mention the name thing. Names are changing without explanations here. This was another match that dragged on for too long. Roode won with the glorious DDT to Ricochet. The only talking point was the name change of Bobby Roode. Many think it is terrible but I don’t think it is that bad. I just don’t like it being changed without any explanation. Match Rating: 2/5 Fireflies Funhouse Bray Wyatt is back! And he is a loving cheerful guy who loves kids now. It was skit with him introducing his new friends, the buzzard and the witch to the kids. He said he had been a very bad guy in the past but he had left it behind. He grabbed a chainsaw and cut the cardboard picture of his previous self. This was an interesting gimmick change for Bray Wyatt. There were some shades that he might lose it at any moment. I think this has some real potential with Bray’s past haunting him down. Segment Rating: 3/5 AJ Styles def. Baron Corbin This was the weakest match of the bunch. Styles kicked out of a Deep Six. Corbin stomped Styles head on the mat to get out of the Calf Crusher. Corbin went for a top rope move but Styles moved out of the way. And delivered a phenomenal forearm to win the match. After the match, Rollins comes out to Shake hands with Styles. It will be a great match. Styles vs Rollins at MITB. Can’t wait. I really thought they may have Corbin win here with some shenanigans. And might hold off on Styles vs Rollins till summer slam. But no problems here. I just can’t wait! Match Rating: 2.5/5 Raw Review - Final Opinion Overall this was a average show. It had a great opener. A lot of talking points – new challenger being determined, some name changes, Bray Wyatt's new gimmick. But the wrestling was a little lacky after the opening match. The matches were too long. That’s what you suffer from when you have 3 hours to fill. But overall I am happy with the booking decisions and did I mention I can’t wait for Styles vs Rollins? Raw Rating: 2.5/5 That was our Raw Review. Don't forget to read Raw reviews every week in here. Also, join us tomorrow for the SmackDown review. Read the full article

#AJStyles #BrayWyatt #Raw #Rawreview #SethRollins #wwe

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dylanissicc · 5 years

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XPWEW All or Nothing 2019

⚡️XPWEW All or Nothing 2019

Hammerstein Ballroom

New York, NY

July 28th, 2019

Commentary: Joey Styles and Kandi Khaos

Opening Video Package:

Song: Nothing to You by Twiztid

Showcases the feuds of Priscilla, Regina Clausen, Troy Clausen and Audrey Carbine then Slayer vs Moxley then the Case Your Luck match then Edwards vs Awesome

Will Olaffub gets his own entrance to no music and a chorus of cheers which is completely bizarro. But that’s the Hammerstein Ballroom for you!

Eddie Edwards enters first as the challenger to a big reaction. A “Fuck him up Eddie fuck em up *clap clap*” chants that resonates throughout the Ballroom. Edwards salacious smile as he feels he has home turf. Edwards even starts jaw jacking with Casey Alfonso sitting in the front row.

Jake Awesome enters to a mixed reaction. Chants of “Fuck Jake Awesome” clashing with “Awesome Sucks”

Awesome even stops halfway down the aisle way to notice a fan in full on Captain Falcon gear

Quote: Joey Styles “I’ve had the pleasure to call every single Jake Awesome World Title match and tonight something feels at jeopardy”

M1: XPWEW World Heavyweight Title

Sixty Minute Ironman Match

Jake Awesome (c) vs Eddie Edwards

Creative chants throughout this match go:

* Captain Falcon clap clap clap clap

* Fuck him Eddy fuck him up

* Fuck Jake Awesome

* Awesome Sucks

* We Love Olaffub clap clap clap

* Chris Benoit chant

* They start doing Nakamura’s theme song chant for some reason

* Yes there will be beach balls

After 27 minutes of action Awesome gets his Awesome Bomb countered as Edwards absorbs the impact and rolls hum into a crossface and Awesome taps out

Edwards is up 1-0 with 33 minutes to go

About 8 minutes later Awesome connects a big splash for the top and a slow pinfall gets him the 1-2-3

It’s now tied 1-1 with 25 minutes left

19 minutes pass without a fall and Edwards starts to show his desperation and tells Olaffub to hit awesome with a weapon, it’ll get him disqualified and cost him a point but maybe he can catch up and make it even before time expires. Will Olaffub hits Awesome with a steel chair and it doesn’t even phase Awesome and the ref awards a point to Jake for that DQ making it 2-1 Jake up; Casey Alfonso gets fed up with Ollafub’s subtle remarks to him at ringside the whole night and he jumps the rail and tackles Ollafub and starts to wail on him and Jake pulls him off but the ref deducts a point from Jake as a DQ making it 1-1 now after all that about 5 minutes remain. Edwards starts to get some chain Olympic style wrestling on Jake to make the time expire but Jake starts to outwrestle him quite a bit and somehow Edwards locks in the crossface with about 2:35 left. Awesome powers out and lifts up to his feet meanwhile Edwards still has his crossface haphazardly allpied Jake drops him outside onto the thin mat outside the ring. Jake goes to the ropes, Suicide Dive connects and Jake rolls Edwards in the ring Edwards seems done, Jake covers 1-2 KICKOUT! 40 seconds remain and Jake hits a quick awesome bomb and this time that’s enough for the 1-2-3. Jake then dumps Edwards out to the outside of the ring landing on the exposed concrete and Edwards can’t get up as 19 seconds slowly expire. Awesome wins 2-1 and still the XPWEW World Heavyweight Champion

Winner: Jake Awesome 2-1

Awesome celebrates and begins a proper Hey Hey Hey Nah Nah Nah Nah goodbye chant. Edwards scowls at Jake and walks off with the crowd hitting him with that chant. The crowd play made this seemingly long match a lot more enjoyable. Well paced

Promo: Heatwave 2019 commercial

Song: Born to raise Hell by Crazy Town

Charlotte North Carolina

Sunday August 18th, 2019

Doxy Deity and Toni Storm enter followed by Amy Lee then Kiera Hogan with Rosemary. Enter Genevalisse who enters the ring to big fanfare now makes her debut! Based Fabian even introduces her himself

M2: 6 Woman Tag Elimination Match

Amy Lee, Rosemary & Kiera Hogan

Doxy Deity, Toni Storm & Genevalisse

* Doxy, Toni and Genevalisse triple pin Amy Lee

* Rosemary eliminates Toni Storm

* Kiera Hogan rolls up Doxy Deity (her first pinfall victory in XPWEW finally)

* Genevalisse superkicks Rosemary and pins her

Now it’s down to Kiera Hogan and her long time Major League Wrestling rival opponent formerly known as Ivelisse going at it 1 on 1

* Genevalisse defeats Kiera and wins it for her team

Genevalisse, Toni and Doxy defeat Amy, Rosemary and Kiera Hogan. Kiera Hogan’s losing skid is over her and Rosemary jump for joy and even Based Fabian with his Juniorweight title comes out and puts it around the waist of Genevalisse congratulating her on her debut victory

Nick Simmonds Interviews the All Man; All Man asks where the fuck is Dr. Cube he’s running around in the shadow realm with the XPWEW No Limits Title But who cares I’m focused on tonight. My night. My show. Do you like the stage setup? I have a chance tonight. A chance albeit a chance split up between 8 people so that gives me realistically what a 12 and a half percent chance of victory tonight? Those odds aren’t great but I always have a plan A, Plan B even C.

Best 2 out of 3 Falls

M3: Champagne Clausen defeats GG with no help from the Freight Train which was a huge criticism from General Manager Romeo Roselli. Curt wins both falls in the contest 2-0 over GG! Curt Clausen is now 6-0! Troy Clausen comes in the ring and even says 6-0! 6-0! 6-0! Freight Train comes out and nervously asks for the mic, Troy graciously gives him the mic, sure Freight Train you are apart of the family. What did you want to say? Freight Train: since,,since he won the match two times I think that makes him Seven and Zero! Troy laughs! Yes! Yes! Yes! Seven and O!!!!!

Post Match Interview Champagne Clausen pops a bottle of Champagne and says his little sister Regina Clausen is going to become the women’s champ tonight!

M4: Chris Johnson defeats Dragon Kid and he’s now the #1 contender for the XPWEW Juniorweight Title (current champion Based Fabian)

Interview: Nick Simmonds is joined by Slayer. Slayer says this match is over a decade in the making. I’ve been wanting to see the myth that is John Moxley in that ring for so long. I knew one day he was gonna be in my ring. Now I’m gonna make him tap. And I will walk out of the Hammerstein Ballroom this infamous and beautiful venue with the IWGP United States Title in my hands

M5: XPWEW Tag Team Championships

Ruckus & Lexoni defeat Vinny Testaverde & Rondo in a bloodbath. Easily one of the best matches for Free Agency as a team.

nZo blood smeared in his face tried to talk but this Hammerstein Ballroom crowd can’t let him get a word in without some creative chants; “you may have won the battle but you smucks have not won the war”. Ruckus and Lexoni laugh it off holding their titles in the air!

M6: XPWEW World Women’s Championship

3 Way Dance

Priscilla Kelly retains the title defeating Regina Clausen and Audrey Carbine

Closing sequence Priscilla Kelly puts her tampon in Regina’s mouth causing Regina to forfeit. Curt Clausen tries to interfere and Audrey applies the art of ballistics on him and while she’s got the armbar applies Priscilla comes off the top rope with a steel chair straight to the face. Stuns her! Priscilla pins Audrey 1-2-3 for the win! The crowd goes insane! Priscilla is really over here!

Backstage: Troy Clausen is banging on the door of General Manager Romeo Roselli! Where in the god damn articles of confederation does it say anywhere that a medical, rag, sheep wool, sanitary Tampax pad can be used as a weapon. I know the books in here this used to be my filing cabinet you know that, and you probably moved all my shit around. Romeo listen Troy, were XPWEW. Fans can bring the weapons here ok there are no rules. A tampon while albeit disgusting and disturbingly unique is all fair. Troy: Oh fair? You know what’s not fair. This crowd. This sea of human waste throwing their garbage at my son and daughter. Think about that Romeo, human garbage flushing garbage at athletic royalty because of what? Jealousy. Is that fair? Is it fair that a jagaloon like Audrey Carbine thinks it’s fair to attack my son, who wasn’t even involved in the match. I’m sick of it. My daughter probably has HIV. And we’re gonna get here tested. Better than that we’re gonna test. Priscilla Kelly. And knowing your lifestyle Romeo you should consider a check up yourself. I’ll be back on Friday with a test and we’re gonna make some changes around here.

M7: Unsanctioned Match

IWGP United States Championship

Slayer vs Jon Moxley

Closing sequence: Jon Moxley has concocted this board taped with thornbushes and Mox Drops Slayer onto it from atop the ladder for the 1-2- kickout Slayer applies the helmed sharpshooter from the dead essentially and Moxley taps out

AND NEWWWWWWWW IWGP UNITED STATES CHAMPION THE DRAGONSLAYER. Moxley picks him up after and they both praise the audience!

M8: Case Your Luck Ladder Match

Golden Bryce vs Leonard McGraw vs Brodie Croyle vs 3M Ultra vs All Man vs Joe Gacy vs Based Fabian vs Jaques Dudley

Best High spots: Leonard McGraw lariat mid air off one ladder to a hanging 3M Ultra

Jaques and 3M hit side by side 630 splash off ladders onto Croyle and Joe Gacy But they both move out the way

Jocelyn Washington jumps the rail and tries to wake up Golden Bryce and Brodie Croyle grabs her and hits her with the Silent Echo and crowd pops huge. Croyle scales the ladder, Leonard McGraw tips the ladder slowly backward and Croyle does a sick no look bump falling onto A table. Unbelievable spot!!!! Leonard McGraw goes to climb the ladder (Dragon Kid and Ms. Ryu cheering him on, he hesitates to climb and Dragon Kid gives him the mask and he puts it on but that might of spent too much time because when he grabs the case up top he’s hit by some powder - like substance by this bust blonde woman wearing a milk man? I guess milk woman suit. The powder was a little distracting but then she pulls a flourscent light tube out of a belt holster and nails McGraw across the back. McGraw drops like a sack of potatoes and All Man in a raven taunt slump in the corner gets lifted up by this female and hoists him on the ladder, All Man regains consciousness enough to speed up the ladder and he unlocks the hook and wins the case Your Luck Ladder match! All Man is Mr. Case Your Luck

Winner: All Man thanks to a busty blonde female in a milk woman outfit. Who turns out to be Emma from WWE under a new name

After the match: Crowd is boo-ing throwing garbage and trash and this female grabs the mic and excitedly announces herself as Emma, Tenille Dashwood she is the ALL WOMAN!!

All Man and All Woman Walk up the ramp with smiles on their faces and they look at the entrance setup with basically a tribute to the All Man and they give each other this look and go to the right side and pull down a curtain to reveal a giant poster of All Woman as well. Great moment. What a debut. Show Ends

#fantasy #jake awesome #eddie edwards #all man #tenille dashwood #priscilla kelly #audrey carbine #regina clausen #slayer

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junker-town · 7 years

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Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor: The fight in their own words

Hear about the blockbuster bout from the fighters themselves.

The time to talk came and went—and then returned.

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor had talked an ugly talk before they fought their highly anticipated fight. Those anticipatory words were coarse and corrosive, tiresome braggadocio mingling with outright bigotry. But after Mayweather defeated McGregor by TKO in the 10th round of their boxing match on Saturday night, both fighters opted to strike different tones from behind the podium during a post-fight press conference.

Occasionally candid and even complimentary, Mayweather and McGregor discussed the fight, boxing strategy, refereeing, the crowd and the flurry of answered punches that halted the bout. Here are some of the key quotes from both fighters:

Mayweather on strategy:

We've been doing this for 21 years. I told you guys I'd come straight ahead. So, you know, coming straight ahead I was going to take some contact. I could of sat back and just boxed and counterpunched and made it boring. I didn't want to do that. I felt like I owed the fans a last hurrah. So I went out there and that was the game plan.

Me and my dad communicated before we went out there. The whole game plan was to go out there and let him shoot heavy shots from the beginning, take him down the stretch and do what we do best.

I told you guys there would be blood, sweat, tears. I told you guys he was a hell of a fighter standing up--kinda shocked me. I told my dad. It was something I was talking to my dad about that we would keep amongst us because certain things don't go out to the public. But we had a game plan.

Our game plan was to take our time, let him shoot all his heavy shots, keep walking him down, keep walking him down, shoot heavy shots to the body, shoot big shots upstairs. My dad thought it was going to be a little bit earlier, around the seventh or the sixth. It took us a little longer than expected, but we did what we said we was going to do. And I promise everybody, remember this, I guaranteed this fight wouldn't go the distance. I was going for the knockout. I was going straight ahead. And with going straight ahead, you're going to take contact. I understand that.

After 21 years in the sport of boxing, I had some great fights, I had some boring fights. But, at the end of the day, I will always be remembered as a winner. No matter how you win, as long as you win. I know how to dissect my opponent. I know how to go out there and break him down and just stick to the game plan.

McGregor on how the fight played out

It was a good fight. I thought I smoked him in the early rounds. I thought I bushed you up the early rounds. But I tell you what, you're one composed individual. You didn't get rattled. You tucked in when you needed to tuck in. I thought you switched up your game plan three times. You came out looking to box. I thought you were being outboxed early on. You looked to play against the ropes like you like to play. You were getting kicked off there and then you came in hands up toward your forehead, dipped in forehead on the chest and tried to fight that kind of fight. I didn't anticipate that. Three game changes in the fight. That's what a true champion does. Much respect. You came with it, you know what I mean. I've got to give respect to that.

It was a hell of a fight. I would have liked to see the end of the 10th. With fatigue there is like a patch somewhere in the middle of fights, even with the Diaz II fight, I have this patch where I must overcome. I get a little wobbly, but it's more fatigue. If you look at the Diaz II fight, I came through that, came back Round 4, round 5. I would have liked to see the end of Round 10 and see where it brought us. But a hell of a competitor. Switched it up, kept the pressure. You've got to give your hat off to Floyd, a hell of a career. Congratulations. It was a good fight. It was a bit of fun! Right? It was a bit of fun!

Mayweather on McGregor's power

He was solid. I've been off for a couple of years, and I'm a lot older now. Remember, I told you guys, I'm not the same Floyd Mayweather I was 21 years ago. I told you guys, I'm not the same Floyd Mayweather I was two years ago. But remember I still have a hell of an IQ, and I'm still a thinker.

As far as his punching, he's solid. I mean, I've felt it before. It obviously wasn't the type of power to say I can't come forward. If it was that type of power I wouldn't have came forward.

Mayweather on McGregor’s technique

I knew he was going to be awkward from the beginning. But right before we came out I talked with the legendary trainer Floyd Mayweather, my father. We talked and we communicated. When I got older, me and my dad is able to talk. There is a difference between when I'm 21 and when I'm 40. Me and my dad is able to have a father-son conversation. We communicated. We talked. And my dad was in the corner a couple of times and he wanted more out of me. But he knew what I was doing. We talked about it in the back. We said the game plan was let him shoot his load, let him shoot all his hard shots. He's going to try to kill me, keep switching, keep switching. We'll take our time, shoot hard shots to the body, and eventually break him down. We get him around the sixth or the seventh, but he lasted a little longer than we expected. But I stuck to the game plan.

McGregor on Mayweather’s technique

Floyd’s frames were nice. When he chose his shots and he smothers, he frames, and early on, when he was framing at me, I was trying to shock him and take his back. But midway through the fight when I had his back, the referee was just resetting us in the middle, and somewhere in the middle of all that, I was like ‘I’m using valuable energy here to get to this man’s back, and then we’re just being reset to go again.’ So it kind of flustered me a little bit and he was able to capitalize on it. he's very composed, takes his shots very well. bounces shots off himself very well, and hides himself well. i believe he was hurt a few times but he keeps his composure and doesn't show it.

I thought I’d put him out there and I went to put him out, and I believe the first couple of shots flustered him and I hit him a few times but then he started reading it and then he started parrying the shots well, he had a good strong parry on his lead hand. He dipped low, caught the body shots well, when he started engaging his right hand to the body, I thought it was very well. I enjoyed the fight. It was a great contest. And a lot of stuff I’ll take with me in my training.

Mayweather on the referee

I let the referee do his job. I'm not here to bash the referee. But you guys know what was going on. Lot of rabbit punches, a lot. Things happen, but you live and you learn. The referee is a hell of a referee. Conor McGregor is a hell of a fighter. I'm not here to bash anyone. I just went out there to do my job tonight.

I'm not here to bash anyone. I knew he was going to be a tough competitor. It's about pushing myself. In No. 49 it wasn't good enough. No. 48 wasn't good enough. So I told you guys I was going to come straight ahead for No. 50 to be good. I can't be the fighter and the ref. I have to choose what I'm going to be. A lot of rabbit punches, lot of hitting in the back of the head, hitting in the back. Once again, I'm not the referee. I'm the fighter. That's for the referee to do his job. And I told the referee in the back, if you go back and view it, when the referee was in the back with me I told him he's going to be doing a lot of rabbit punching. My only concern was hitting me in the back of the head. I said I wanted him to keep the punches on the side and front. But all the shots was coming to the back. But he's tough. He's a tough guy.

Mayweather on talking trash in the fifth round

I pushed him and taunted him. 'You still ain't knocked me out yet? I thought you said it wasn't going past four? Show me your real power!' That's all. It was just trash talking that fighters do. Whether it's MMA or boxing, we talk trash. That's what we do. When the best compete against the best we want to be pushed; and that's how boxing and MMA goes.

Mayweather on glove weight and taking hits

Remember, I told you guys this. You go back and look at the last press conference, this is exactly what I said: Remember, you can give it, but I've been hit by some of the best punchers in the world throughout my career. Ninety percent of the time I'm dishing it out. I told Conor McGregor. This is exactly what I told him: You can dish it out, but you have to be able to take it. The same way you dish it out, you have to be able to take it.

Most of the time, your big punchers, they can't take it. They can take it early on, but down the stretch they can't take it.

McGregor on preparing for fatigue

One of the main things in camp was go from five rounds to 12 rounds. That was obviously the main fucking thing. I had to experience that 12-round fatigue. And in the spars, with all my sparring partners, when I'd do the 12 round there was always those middle rounds where I'd get to say 6 and then I'd be like, ‘Fuck, I've got so many more rounds left.’ I couldn't see the finish line. But then when I got through them, when I got to Round 10 or certainly 11 and 12 then I could see, ‘OK there is only six minutes left,’ and I could dig deep. Then I'd get that second wind. That's why I would have loved it if I could just got to the end of that 10th round. But the referee I thought did a great job, he let the fight play. I thought Floyd was phenomenal in there, very composed, very selective with his shots. We live and we learn.

Mayweather on the atmosphere — and the stakes

I never focus on anything but the guy that's in front of me. I always said this for many, many years. The fans cannot fight for you. One thing I know I can do: I can fight. So the fans, when they shout and scream, I don't worry about nothing. I just keep my composure and stick to the game plan: Constantly keep coming ahead, coming ahead, pushing him. pushing him, pushing him back pushing him back.

When he goes back to his corner and he sits down, I said when he come out he's going to come out for 30 seconds and fight hard, and then he's going to break. And once he break I'm going to shoot a hard shot to the body, hit him with a hard shot up top and keep pushing him back, keep pushing him back.

Remember I told you guys, weight doesn't win fights. Fighting wins fights. And then I said, talking doesn't win fights. Fighting wins fights. Meaning that when we was on stage for the weigh-in, I don't have to do no more talking. We're fighting tomorrow, so I did enough talking on our tour, basically. Everyone is saying, ‘Oh, Mayweather, you were talking on the tour.’ OK, I did a lot of talking on the tour. But now it's time to fight. We 24 hours away from the biggest fight in the world, the biggest combat fight in the world. There's no need to talk anymore. There's no need to talk anymore. And remember, all the fans that was here, those are soccer fans—and for the international people those are football fans. But he's a hell of a fighter.

And then I hear him talking, ‘You should let me go out on my back or go out on my face.’ No, the referee saves you because the referee is thinking about your future. You're still young and we want you to be able to fight again some day. The referee is saving you, he's not saving me.

Mayweather on the end of the fight:

Of course, it's like a ‘Catch 22.’ If he hit the canvas then they would have said, ‘Why didn't you guys stop it earlier?’ Then when you stop it and they’re going to say, ‘Oh, I didn't hit the canvas.’ I mean, you didn’t throw a punch for a whole minute and was getting hit with big shots. But, like I said, I'm not here to bash Conor McGregor. I'm not here to do that. We done enough talking. I told him before, we both done a lot of talking, a lot of barking. It's time to bite. And that was it.

McGregor on the end of the fight:

It was a hell of a fight. I would have liked to see the end of the 10th. I think with fatigue there is like a patch somewhere in the middle of fights, even with the Diaz II fight. I have this patch where I must overcome. I get a little wobbly, but it's more fatigue. If you look at the Diaz II fight, I came through that came back Round 4, Round 5. I would have liked to see the end of Round 10 and see where it brought us. But he’s a hell of a competitor. Switched it up, kept the pressure. You've got to give your hat off to Floyd, a hell of a career. Congratulations. It was a good fight. It was a bit of fun! Right? It was a bit of fun!

McGregor on the scorecards:

I thought I won the first three rounds clearly. The fourth round could be argued either way. Let's say 3-1. And then he started to take over then. I thought I snuck in Round 8. Then he won Round 9, and then got the stoppage in 10. So what was that 5-4 into the final round, and he got the win. In reality, all that means is nothing. He got the win. Respect to him.

Mayweather on post-fight greeting

I told him, ‘You're a tough competitor. Good fight, and keep up the good work.’ I always want to carry myself like a gentleman. Even though, you gotta realize, when we're in the press conferences, and we doing what we doing, that's my job. He's the Notorious One. I'm the Money Man.

So we gotta give the fans what they want to see. When we did the press tour we went to four cities in three countries in four or five days. So when we had arenas like this packed with 20,000 fans we got to give them a show. And a lot of people thought it was fake. No, we didn't like each, and we probably still don't like each other. But we still had to act like gentlemen at the end of the day. After making over $300 million I'm not going to be like, ‘Oh, I don't like you.’ Good fight, you know. Make your career go on.

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