Daily Update: UFC 311 card changes, Chris Weidman, Logan Paul

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Friday Update

– Our weekend schedule is that I’ll be doing a week in review show with Garrett Gonzales today and it’s a huge week of news. We will also be back tomorrow night talking about the weekend news and the first UFC PPV event of the year.

– The new issue of the Observer up on the site is a monster issue with our annual business year in review:

  • The biggest attended shows in combat sports of 2024
  • Who drew the most big crowds of the year
  • What companies drew the biggest crowds
  • Amazing UFC PPV gates
  • The biggest pro wrestling drawing card by year from 1916 to 2024
  • The biggest enduring drawing cards of all-time and where the modern stars rank with the historical stars
  • Updating all the Vince McMahon legal issues, from the SEC findings, the criminal investigation and the lawsuits, plus several things that have happened regarding the Grant case this past week and who are with Vince for his start of a new company
  • WWE and NBC book Saturday Night’s Main Event head-to-head with All In Texas
  • The history of this tactic, and an estimate of how much revenue it would cost AEW
  • WWE on Netflix, what episode one did for business, trying to figure out what the numbers mean, time of show and more
  • WWE & TNA make deal
  • New Japan Battle in the Valley coverage
  • The arenas in the U.S. that have held pro wrestling for the longest amount of time
  • Bret Hart talks his favorite wrestler and the life of Sweet Daddy Siki
  • What is up with Corey Graves
  • Death of Ray Richard
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings over the past week and key takes
  • Blue Panther vs. Hechicero
  • Athena tours Stardom
  • New Japan big shows coming up
  • Thoughts on the death of Bob Uecker
  • VOW best wrestlers of 2024
  • More on the AEW show in Brisbane, Australia
  • Lots more on AEW ratings declines and where
  • Darby Allin update
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • Conor McGregor sued again in a sex case
  • PFL drops the Bellator name, releases Bellator’s biggest star and cuts tournament prize money in half
  • Lots of new stuff from GFL
  • WWE sets more business records
  • Notes on the next Saturday Night’s Main Event
  • Paul Heyman talks booking

– Arman Tsarukyan’s back went out while riding a stationary bike last night. UFC tried to get him medical help but there was no way he could fight tomorrow, so Islam Makhachev will now defend the lightweight title against Renato Moicano. Moicano was scheduled against Beneil Dariush but that’s off and Dariush isn’t fighting. Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spirvac is being moved to the PPV show and Merab Dvalishvili’s bantamweight title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov is now going on last. The show is sold out at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

– Dana White said that Moicano was told about the change before weigh-ins because Moicano had to make 155, rather than 156 for a non-title fight. White said that when they told Makhachev about Tsarukyan being out and offered Moicano, he agreed to it without hesitation. Tsarukayn was considered a far tougher opponent.

– The prelims, originally on ESPN News, will still be there but FX is also going to be airing them.  Disney + is as well.

New lineup starts at 6 p.m. Eastern on Disney +, FX and ESPN+

  • Tagir Ulanbekov (125.5) vs Clayton Carpenter (125.5)
  • Ricky Turcios (136) vs. Bernardo Sopai (135)
  • Rinya Nakamura (135.5) vs. Muin Gafurov (136)
  • Karol  Rosa (135.5) vs. Allin Perez (135)
  • Zachary Reece (185.5) vs. Azamat Bekoev (185.5)
  • Grant Dawson (156) vs. Diego Ferreria (156)
  • Bogdan Guskov (205.5) vs. Billy Elekana (200)
  • Payton Talbott (135.5) vs. Raoni Barcelos (135.5)

PPV at 10 p.m.

  • Kevin Holland (183.5) vs. Reinier de Ridder (184.5)
  • Jailton Almeida (235) vs. Serghei Spivac (233)
  • Jiri Prochazka (204.5) vs. Jamahal Hill (205.5)
  • Islam Makhachev (154.5) vs. Renato Moicano (155) for the lightweight title
  • Merab Dvalishvili (134) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (135) for the bantamweight title

– Want to thank people for the feedback on the Sweet Daddy Siki story in today’s issue.

–SmackDown is tonight in San Diego. Tiffany Stratton vs. Bayley for the women’s title, Nia Jax & Candice LeRae vs. Bianca Belair & Naomi, Jimmy Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes plus Motor City Machine Guns vs. Los Garzas for a tag team title match have been announced, along with the return of Solo Sikoa. They had 9,800 tickets out as of last night and a sellout for the set-up is 10,700 so it should end up sold out.

– Chris Weidman, 40, the former UFC middleweight champion who ended Anderson Silva’s reign as champion in one of the biggest fights in history, announced his retirement today.  Weidman lost his last fight in December to Eryk Anders.

– The NCAA announced that women’s wrestling has been added as a recognized championship sport and the first national tournament will be for the 2026 season. There were 76 schools that had women’s wrestling teams last season.

– Tammy Sytch’s appeal to get her prison sentence cut back was denied.

– A few notes on the AEW quarter hours from Wednesday. The high point of viewers, as is almost always the case, was Kenny Omega vs. Brian Cage (831,000/0.19) at the start of the show. The high point with men 18-49, overall 18-49 was the Casino Battle Royal. Jon Moxley vs. Powerhouse Hobbs at the end was the second highest in 18-49 behind the Casino Battle Royal. The high point in every women’s demo was Omega vs. Cage, but the first segment almost always is that because so many women watch Big Bang Theory that Q1 is always the strongest for them. For 18-34 the high point was MJF and Jeff Jarrett. Keep in mind this is only TV viewers and doesn’t include MAX viewership.

– Logan Paul on his podcast said that Conor McGregor called him and said that the boxing match McGregor has talked about could happen in India. Paul said if the $250 million purse is real, he’s got to take that unless Nick Khan matches it. Like that’s going to happen. Paul noted that McGregor couldn’t do the fight without UFC approval. Dana White has said that the fight isn’t going to happen.

– The reason we haven’t heard much on the Dark Side of the Cage ratings is because episode one on 1/8 featuring Kimbo Slice only did 51,000 viewers. That’s well under half of what event the lowest rated wrestling episodes have done.

– CMLL is now headlining Mistico & Mascara Dorada & Neon as The Sky Team. Basically they are going to be the top main event trio going forward. Their first match together since being given the name is tonight at Arena Mexico against Volador Jr. & Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja.  Tonight also features a rematch of one of the best matches of last year at Arena Mexico with Hechicero vs. Euforia vs Valiente vs. Esfinge, the anniversary show main event.

– Clay Guida is off the UFC roster. He’s been with the company since 2006 and has had the fourth most bouts in UFC history. Giuda had lost three in a row and had some of the greatest fights in history with the likes of Diego Sanchez and Benson Henderson. If he wants to continue, the GFL is being built on 40+ year old former UFC stars.

– Ozawa makes his first GHC title defense on 2/11 against Galeno del Mal, the son of Dr. Wagner Jr.

– GCW’s show on Sunday at the Hammerstein Ballroom will start at 7 p.m. Eastern.