UFC 323 Preview: Merab's Historic Fourth Defense vs Petr Yan in Las Vegas Rematch

Merab Dvalishvili attempts something no UFC champion has ever done - four title defenses in a single calendar year. Tomorrow night at UFC 323, the Georgian champion faces former champion Petr Yan in a highly anticipated rematch at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

This is also the LAST UFC pay-per-view before the Paramount Skydance deal takes effect in 2026.

Ringside Report MMA hosts Dave Simon and AJ D'Alesio break down the historic main event plus Alexandre Pantoja vs Joshua Van for the flyweight title, Brandon Moreno vs Tatsuro Taira, Henry Cejudo's retirement fight, and Jan Błachowicz vs Bogdan "The Goose" Guskov.

OFFICIAL PREDICTIONS:

Main Event - Merab Dvalishvili (c) vs Petr Yan:
- Dave Simon: Merab by Decision/Late Finish
- AJ D'Alesio: Merab by Finish Before Round 5

Co-Main - Alexandre Pantoja (c) vs Joshua Van:
- Dave Simon: Pantoja by Submission (Darce/RNC)
- AJ D'Alesio: Joshua Van by Upset

Brandon Moreno vs Tatsuro Taira:
- Both Pick: Tatsuro Taira by Decision

Henry Cejudo vs Payton Talbott:
- Both Pick: Payton Talbott (Cejudo's retirement fight)

Jan Błachowicz vs Bogdan Guskov:
- Dave Simon: "The Goose" Guskov by KO (Underdog Pick!)
- AJ D'Alesio: "The Goose" Guskov by KO

Dave's Official Parlay ($20 to win $69):
Bogdan Guskov (+105) + Payton Talbott (-275) + Merab Dvalishvili (-425)

KEY TOPICS:
- Why Merab's 4th defense is unprecedented
- Last UFC PPV before Paramount+ era
- Petr Yan rematch from March 2023
- Joshua Van's upset potential at 24 years old
- Henry Cejudo's legacy and retirement
- "The Goose Is Loose" - new fighter nickname
- Complete betting analysis and parlay picks
- Fighter of the Year discussion

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WWE Survivor Series 2025 War Games Preview: The Brock Lesnar Problem

WWE brings War Games to Petco Park tomorrow night in an outdoor spectacle featuring Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and more locked in dual cages. But Dave Simon and Johnny North have serious questions about the format and the four-match card.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Why the War Games format might be WWE's worst match type
• Brock Lesnar's challenge working a 30+ minute multi-man match
• Leadership tension between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes
• The outdoor setting and weather concerns at Petco Park
• AEW's Samoa Joe becoming the new World Champion
• Continental Classic tournament update and Full Gear recap
• Ringside Report Network's 20-year anniversary celebration

Dave and Johnny break down both War Games matches, debate the value proposition of a four-match premium live event, and discuss the state of professional wrestling heading into the final weeks of 2025.

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UFC 324 Interim Lightweight Title Fight Announced!

Ilia Topuria steps away for family, so Justin Gaethje takes on Paddy Pimblett for interim gold on January 24 in Vegas – the first Paramount pay-per-view!

Dave Simon, AJ D'Alesio, and Fred Garcia break down:

• The stacked UFC 324 card featuring 6 champions
• Whether Gaethje and Pimblett are really the best two lightweights
• Ian Machado Garry's dominant win over Belal Muhammad
• Why Kamaru Usman should NOT get the next title shot against Islam Makhachev
• UFC 323 preview: Merab vs Petr Yan
• New Paramount schedule changes (9 PM ET start!)

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AEW Full Gear Final Preview & WWE WarGames Teams are OFFICIAL!

Dave Simon and Pro Wrestler Genesis Johnny North deliver your final preview before the marathon that is AEW Full Gear 2025! Plus, they break down a HUGE week of WWE programming as the card for Survivor Series: WarGames is locked in.

✆ WWE WarGames & Major News:

• Dave and Johnny discuss the big, messy brawl from Monday Night Raw that confirmed the star-studded Men's WarGames teams, featuring the returns of Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar.
• Which legendary names complete the Women's WarGames teams? The co-hosts react to the shocking final members announced on SmackDown.
• New champion crowned! Maxine Dupree defeats Becky Lynch for the Women's Intercontinental Championship with help from a major returning star, AJ Lee.
• Why the John Cena vs. Dominic Mysterio rematch at Survivor Series in San Diego will be interesting.

💲 AEW Full Gear Final Card Preview:

The crew goes match-by-match on the massive AEW Full Gear card, debating who will walk out victorious:

• AEW World Title (Steel Cage Match): Hangman Page (c) vs. Samoa Joe
• AEW Women's World Title: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Mercedes Moné
• TNT Championship (No DQ): Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Mark Briscoe (Briscoe's future is on the line)
• $1 Million Trios Match: Kenny Omega & Jurassic Express vs. Young Bucks & Josh Alexander
• Inaugural AEW National Champion: Casino Gauntlet Match entrants breakdown
• No Holds Barred: Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O'Reilly
• Plus: Tag Team Titles, Darby Allin vs. Pac, and the convoluted Women’s Tag Tournament stipulation match.

Movie Review: Stick around as Johnny North reviews the hyper-violent Finnish action film, Sisu!

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In this explosive episode of Ringside Report MMA, your hosts Dave Simon, Fred Garcia, and AJ D'Alesio dive deep into the biggest news in the combat sports world: Islam Makhachev's legendary win, the future of the Welterweight division, and a detailed preview of the upcoming UFC Qatar card!

👑 The Makachev Effect: Is He the GOAT?

We break down Islam Makhachev's commanding, one-sided victory over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 and discuss why his dominance makes him a two-division champion in "rarefied air". The crew debates whether Makhachev should now be in the conversation for the greatest MMA fighters of all time.

Plus, we look at the incredible coaching dynasty out of Dagestan, led by Javier Mendez, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the AKA team, and question whether Mendez is now the greatest coach in MMA history.

🔥 UFC Qatar Preview: Usman "Irrelevant"?

The conversation heats up as we look ahead to UFC Qatar!

• Usman vs. The Welterweight Future: The guys react strongly to the potential Islam Makhachev vs. Kamaru Usman title fight. Dave calls an Islam/Usman match a "gimme fight" and a "money fight" driven by their shared manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
• The Dream Matchup: Forget Usman—Dave reveals the only fight he wants to see for Islam: the undefeated Kazakh wrestling machine Shavkat Rakhmonov at 170 pounds.
• Main & Co-Main Breakdown: We go through the top fights for Saturday's event, including Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dan Hooker and Ian Machado Garry vs. Belal Muhammad.

Dave and the crew are highly confident in the main and co-main winners and share their best UFC Betting Parlays for the card.

🤼 Wrestling Updates: WWE Survivor Series

We quickly touch on the Pro Wrestling world, looking at the stacked teams for WWE's upcoming War Games Survivor Series. The teams feature major names like Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Logan Paul.

Tune in to catch all the hard-hitting analysis, bold predictions, and fiery combat sports discussion!

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Ringside Report MMA airs live every Thursday at 8 PM Eastern Time on YouTube and is part of the Ringside Report Network, your source for all things combat sports.

John Cena wins the Intercontinental Championship for the FIRST TIME in his legendary career! Dave Simon and pro wrestler "Genesis" Johnny North deliver their honest take on Cena vs. Dominik Mysterio, and it's not pretty.

Plus: Zack Ryder's shocking SmackDown return (Johnny was on the same show with Matt Cardona days earlier!), War Games teams revealed, Nikki Bella turns heel, Jesse Ventura RELEASED, and Chris Jericho's inevitable WWE return.

On the AEW side: Blood and Guts delivers absolute CHAOS with Darby Allin literally set on fire, Jon Moxley tapping out to Kyle O'Reilly, and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat showing how to use legends properly.

All this plus Dave's Top 5 Wrestlers of All Time and Full Gear predictions!

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• 00:00:00 - Show Open & Johnny's Sudbury Weekend
• 00:02:07 - Matt Cardona to Zack Ryder Pipeline
• 00:04:09 - SmackDown Review: Championship Match
• 00:05:06 - War Games Team Predictions
• 00:10:51 - John Cena's Historic IC Title Win
• 00:21:09 - Women's War Games Chaos
• 00:27:55 - Sami Zayn & Solo Sikoa Downgraded
• 00:31:02 - Jade Cargill Match Analysis
• 00:41:30 - Jesse Ventura Released (SHOCKING!)
• 00:43:40 - Chris Jericho Return Watch
• 00:48:12 - AEW Blood and Guts Breakdown
• 01:04:34 - Full Gear Card & National Title
• 01:10:45 - Ricky Steamboat: Legend Done Right
• 01:22:47 - Top 5 Wrestlers of All Time Debate
• 01:33:30 - UFC 322 Watch-Along Info & Signoff

UFC 322 PREVIEW: Islam Makhachev vs Jack Della Maddalena at Madison Square Garden

Dave Simon goes against the grain with a BOLD main event prediction – he's picking Jack Della Maddalena to upset pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev at +215 odds. Is the Dagestani aura fading? Can the Australian welterweight champion defend the takedowns from a natural lightweight? Dave breaks down why size, age, and recent competition quality all favor Della Maddalena.

AJ D'Alesio counters with Islam's legendary training camp intensity and championship pedigree.

ALSO COVERED:

• Zhang Weili vs Valentina Shevchenko co-main event – both hosts pick Weili to overwhelm the longtime flyweight queen
• Sean Brady vs Michael Morales – future title contender matchup
• Leon Edwards vs Carlos Prates – the hosts split on this one
• Benoît Saint Denis vs Beneil Dariush – age and hunger favor BSD
• Bo Nickal vs Hiago Vieira prelim breakdown
• Complete betting odds and parlay strategy
• Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua breaking news
• 
  

Plus: Aaron Judge wins third MVP, Blue Jays World Series heartbreak debate, and all the combat sports news you need.

JOIN US LIVE Saturday, 10 PM ET for our UFC 322 Watch-Along with Dave, Fred, and AJ!

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CM PUNK Wins Title, Logan Paul Turns Heel! Jade Cargill Dominance, AEW Full Gear Final Hype

This episode of Wrestling Uncensored features Dave Simon and Ben Simon (filling in for the wrestling-in-Sudbury Pro Wrestler Genesis Johnny North) delivering the definitive, two-hour breakdown of the week's biggest stories in combat sports.

🛑 WWE: SHOCKWAVE AND WARGAMES

• CM Punk's Surprise Title Win: The co-hosts discuss why Punk was the *best* choice for the World Heavyweight Championship, despite predicting a Jey Uso win.
• The Logan Paul Heel Turn: Breaking down the chaotic final segment and Paul's shocking alignment with The Vision. Is this the definitive setup for the **Survivor Series: WarGames** match?
• Cody Rhodes' Excellence: Arguing why Cody is the best in-ring world champion since Bret Hart.
• Dirty Dom's Ceiling: Analyzing the incredible crowd reaction to Dominik Mysterio and whether he is destined for a WrestleMania main event with a star like **Braun Breaker**.

🔥 WWE WOMEN'S DIVISION DOMINANCE

• Jaded: Analysis of **Jade Cargill's** destructive win and why her monster push is exactly what the women's division needs.
• Unmatched Depth: Why the WWE Women's Division is the best in all of wrestling, even while missing major stars like **Rhea Ripley** and **Bianca Belair**.

💥 AEW FULL GEAR BOOKING CRISIS

• "Big Bull or Wrong": Dave and Ben critique the repetitive **Full Gear** card, including the third **Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe** match and the new, unnecessary **AEW National Championship**.
• Stakes and Star Power: Hype for the high-stakes Mark Briscoe match and the major **Kris Statlander vs. Mercedes Moné** title trilogy.

🥊 COMBAT SPORTS PREVIEW: UFC 322

• TKO Takeover: A look ahead to the massive **UFC 322** card at Madison Square Garden on November 15, featuring two champion vs. champion fights: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev and Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili.
• 
  

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Halloween might be over, but things are "still spooky" in the UFC. The sport is reeling from a major betting scandal after the Isaac Dulgarian vs. Yadier del Valle fight, and Dave, Fred, and AJ are digging into the details.

The crew discusses the suspicious betting lines [cite: 27], Dulgarian's "weird" performance [cite: 35], and the fact that the FBI is now officially investigating[cite: 22]. Why did the UFC let the fight happen, and how deep does this go? [cite: 39] Is this connected to the James Krause scandal?

Then, the guys shift to the massive card coming to MSG: UFC 322. They break down the two epic champ vs. champ fights:

• Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena: Can Islam's wrestling translate to 170? [cite: 374, 378]
• Zhang Weili vs. Valentina Shevchenko: Who wins this co-main super-fight?

PLUS: The disastrous Aspinall vs. Gane eye-poke [cite: 492], the debate on fighter pay [cite: 254], and a preview of this weekend's "not great" Fight Night[cite: 369].

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Ringside Report MMA broadcasts live every Thursday at 8 PM Eastern.

Wrestling Uncensored Episode 755: Saturday Night's Main Event Preview

Dave Simon and Johnny North deliver a comprehensive breakdown of tonight's WWE Saturday Night's Main Event from San Antonio's Frost Bank Center. The spotlight shines on CM Punk vs Jey Uso for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship, with Dave presenting a compelling theory about Jey's heel turn and alliance with Paul Heyman and Bronson Reed that would position him as Roman Reigns' ultimate nemesis.

The hosts analyze Cody Rhodes' WWE Undisputed Championship defense against Drew McIntyre, made more dangerous by SmackDown's new stipulation: if Cody is disqualified or counted out, he loses the title. This restriction eliminates Cody's ability to take shortcuts while giving Drew multiple paths to victory.

Additional matches include Tiffany Stratton defending the Women's Championship against Jade Cargill, and Dominik Mysterio's Intercontinental Championship triple threat against Penta and Rusev—a match created when Dominik's interference scheme backfired spectacularly.

Beyond the match predictions, the conversation explores John Cena's polarizing retirement tour with Johnny North delivering brutal criticism of Cena's current in-ring performance. The hosts discuss Kit Wilson's unexpected singles push following Elton Prince's injury, suggesting Pretty Deadly's tag team run is finished, and WWE's missed opportunity to embrace Halloween on SmackDown despite perfect set design.

The AEW Dynamite discussion focuses on Hangman Adam Page's creative Tony Schiavani disguise to attack Samoa Joe—a concept the hosts loved but felt suffered from execution issues that diminished the segment's impact. Chris Jericho's anime character costume also drew mixed reactions.

Dave and Johnny close with industry observations including confusion about Saturday Night's Main Event's Canadian broadcast (YouTube access only), TKO's Nashville cross-promotion weekend with both WWE and UFC, Nick Khan's World Series appearance contrasted with Vince McMahon's work obsession, and Ronda Rousey's controversial recent comments about Khabib Nurmagomedov and Joe Rogan.

Unfiltered wrestling analysis from the Combat Sports Authority. No corporate spin, just honest perspectives from two insiders who aren't afraid to call out creative missteps while celebrating strong storytelling.

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