Tom, Tony and Rich discuss the week’s boxing and MMA news, kick around the idea of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. facing CM Punk in the Octagon, and preview the upcoming events for this weekend. UFC 219 features an amazing matchup of the top female fighters in the world in Holly Holm and Cris “Cyborg” Justino. Tony also invites us to his fantasy football championship parade in Philadelphia.
Listen live here:
This broadcast of the FNU Combat Sports Show starts off with one of the most controversial stories of the week. Many sports pundits are quick to ridicule Guillermo Rigondeaux for bowing out of his blockbuster boxing match with Vasyl Lomachenko last Saturday. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith wasted no time during the broadcast, ripping into the Cuban boxer for refusing to come out for the seventh round of the one-sided fight. Teddy Atlas, exiled from his ringside reporting duties thanks to his outspoken views on boxing corruption and his abrasive treatment of lesser-experienced commentators, came to Rigo’s defense. Atlas argued with Smith from his own home studio, basically explaining that everyone is human. Tom, Tony and Rich all offer their own takes on the situation and their thoughts on the “fight.”
We also track the latest news in combat sports, recap the past week’s events and preview competing UFC and Bellator events this Saturday. We even touch on the multiple story lines involving Floyd Mayweather Jr. that are making the rounds in the sports media this week. “Money” claims he can make up to a billion dollars if he goes into the UFC for a three or four fight deal. Well, good luck, Floyd. I hear CM Punk wants another fight.
Listen to the two part broadcast below.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Photo Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME
SHOWTIME SPORTS confirmed today that the SHOWTIME PPV presentation of Mayweather vs. McGregor on August 26, 2017 generated 4.3 million pay-per-view buys in North America. This includes traditional television distribution and online portals such as the new SHOWTIME PPV app and SHOWTIMEPPV.com as well as UFC.TV in U.S. and Canada.
Mayweather vs. McGregor, a four-fight SHOWTIME PPV boxing event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, officially stands as the second largest pay-per-view event of all time behind Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, which set the North American pay-per-view mark at 4.6 million buys in 2015. The SHOWTIME PPV totals for Mayweather vs. McGregor far exceed the now third best event in history—nearly doubling the 2.48 million buys for Oscar De La Hoya vs. Mayweather in 2007.
The total global revenue from the event including ticket sales, sponsorship and international distribution exceeds $600 million, which—along with Mayweather vs. Pacquiao— is among the largest for a single-day sporting event of all time. Mayweather and SHOWTIME PPV now account for the three highest grossing pay-per-view events in television history with the third-ranked event Mayweather vs. Canelo from 2013.
|
||
|
After a couple weeks off, we come back this week to talk about the combat sports world. Tom, Tony and Rich catch up and discuss the events of the past couple weeks and preview upcoming boxing and MMA action. Tom, Tony and Rich pay special attention to last weekend’s awesome UFC card with two of the best fights of the year in MMA to chat about. Eddie Alvarez’s masterful performance against Justin Gaethje was exciting enough, but add in the performance of Yancy Medeiros against Charles Oliveira and that put this card into a category all its own. We also discuss the latest boxing news and Miguel Cotto’s retirement fight. Listen to the broadcast in the player below.
Tom, Tony and Rich are back this week with a great show! We feature lots of engaging discussion about mixed martial arts and boxing, from Connor McGregor’s slapping a Bellator official to Deontay Wilder wanting to end Anthony Joshua’s career. We also chat about Dana White getting into boxing and Bellator’s 8 Man Heavyweight tournament. Again we get back to the nagging question of where are the legends in MMA, and we also cross over to where are the legends in boxing?
|
WORCESTER, MASS. (October 27, 2017) – The official “New England’s Future 4” weight in was held today at Pepe’s Pizza & Restaurant in Worcester (MA) for tomorrownight’s the final installment of the popular “New England’s Future” series show in 2017, presented by Rivera Promotions Entertainment (RPE), at DCU Center, Exhibition Hall, in Worcester.
OFFICIAL WEIGHTS
Main Event – Light Heavyweights (6)
Richard “Popeye The Sailor Man” Rivera (3-0, 2 KOs), Hartford, CT 177.6 lbs.
Hansen Castillo (0-2), Orlando, FL 176 lbs.
Co-Feature – Heavyweights (4)
Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga (pro debut), Worcester, MA 280 lbs.
Alejandro Esquilin Santiago (pro debut), Tampa, FL 235.8 lbs.
Super Middleweights (4)
Elvis Figueroa (2-0, 1 KO), New Haven, CT 167 lbs.
Rene Nazare (pro debut), Brazil 167 lbs.
Junior Middleweights (6)
Edwin Soto (10-2-2, 4 KOs), New Haven, CT 140 lbs.
Anthony Everett (1-6), Lawrence, MA 153.6 lbs.
Welterweights (6)
Adrian “Tonka” Sosa (5-0, 4 KOs), Lawrence, MA 139 lbs.
Shakha Moore (12-23-2 (2 KOs), Norwalk, CT 146 lbs.
Welterweights (4)
Wilfredo “El Sucaro” Pagan (2-0), Southbridge, MA 146.6 lbs.
Patrick Leal (0-3), Woburn, MA 148.6 lbs.
Junior Welterweights (4)
Omar Bordoy, Jr. (2-0), Danbury, CT 139.8 lbs.
Bryan “The Brick” Abraham (6-30, 6 KOs), Schenectady, NY 141 lbs.
(All fights & fighters subject to change)
WHEN: Saturday, October 28, 2017
WHERE: DCU Center, Exhibition Hall, Worcester, MA
PROMOTER: Rivera Promotions Entertainment
TICKETS: Tickets, priced at $75.00 (ringside) and $45.00 (general
DOORS OPEN: 6:30 P.M. ET
FIRST BOUT: 7:00 p.m. ET
RING ANNOUNCER: John Vena
INFORMATION:
Facebook.com/
Twitter: @RiveraPromoEnt @joseriverachamp, KingRivera_
|
|
||
|
EXCLUSIVE RANDY COUTURE MEET AND GREET TO BE HELD FOR BELLATOR 186 TICKETHOLDERS ON FIGHT NIGHT
WHAT: Limited-Edition Randy Couture Bobblehead Giveaway and Meet & Greet
Bellator MMA will be giving away a free limited-edition Randy Couture bobblehead on Friday, Nov. 3 to the first 5,000 fans in attendance at Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State University for Bellator 186: Bader vs. Vassell. The bobblehead giveaway is limited to one per person and will only be available to ticketholders upon entry into the arena.
Additionally, Bellator MMA fans are invited to attend a unique opportunity to meet the MMA and wrestling great prior to Bellator 186: Bader vs. Vassell. The meet and greet will take place on the concourse of Bryce Jordan Center on Friday, Nov. 3, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. ET. Space is limited and fans are encouraged to arrive early to reserve their place in line.
***Bobblehead giveaway and meet and greet are exclusively for Bellator 186 ticketholders***
***Bobbleheads distributed at venue points of entry, only while supplies last at each entry***
WHERE: Bryce Jordan Center
127 Bryce Jordan Center
University Park, Pa. 16802
WHEN: Meet & Greet
Friday, November 3 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. ET
WHO: Randy Couture
Randy Couture (19-11)
Randy “The Natural” Couture made his mark in the sport of wrestling and later MMA, where he was a multiple-time world champion at both heavyweight and light heavyweight. Over his 14-year career, Couture compiled 19 victories, while also competing in 15 title fights. Prior to his professional career in mixed martial arts, the retired United States Army Sergeant made an impact on the high school and collegiate wrestling community by earning a state championship while attending Lynnwood High School in Washington state and a historic collegiate career that saw him become a three-time NCAA DI All-American at Oklahoma State University. Couture also serves as a coach for his son, Ryan Couture, who currently competes in Bellator MMA’s welterweight division.
FIGHT INFO: Bellator 186: Bader vs. Vassell will be broadcast LIVE and FREE on SPIKE, Friday, Nov. 3 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased at Bellator.com, as well as the Bryce Jordan Center box office and Ticketmaster.
Complete Bellator 186: Bader vs. Vassell Fight Card:
Light Heavyweight World Title Bout: Ryan Bader (23-5) vs. Linton Vassell (18-5, 1 NC)
Women’s Flyweight World Title Bout: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (6-0) vs. Emily Ducote (6-2)
Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: Phil Davis (17-4, 1 NC) vs. Leo Leite (10-0)
Middleweight Feature Bout: Ed Ruth (3-0) vs. Chris Dempsey (11-5)
Lightweight Feature Bout: Saad Awad (20-9) vs. Zach Freeman (9-2)
Preliminary Card:
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Logan Storley (6-0) vs. Matt Secor (9-4)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Tywan Claxton (Pro Debut) vs. Johnny Bonilla-Bowman (1-0)
Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Dominic Mazzotta (12-2) vs. Matt Lozano (8-5)
160 lb. Catchweight Preliminary Bout: Brett Martinez (6-4) vs. Mike Wilkins (7-4)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Frank Buenafuente (7-4) vs. Francis Healy (7-4)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Michael Trizano (4-0) vs. Mike Otwell (3-1)
150 lb. Catchweight Preliminary Bout: Scott Clymer (Pro Debut) vs. Mike Putnam (1-1)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Andrew Salas (3-1) vs. Ethan Goss (3-3)
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Josh Fremd (1-0) vs. Mike Diorio (1-0)
