Michael Schiavello and Rich Franklin are on the call with a hype video for Eddie Alvarez vs. Lapicus. Eddie takes him down and throws shots to Lapicus, but Lapicus turns his head and Eddie gets DQed. Rich goes to Michael and asks to show off the illegal shots and why they were illegal - making a great point. Eddie is pissed about all this. Eddie gets a headset on, but can't hear Michael.
Eddie is a class act here and says he hopes everyone is safe. He says he doesn't want anyone to wind up on a stretcher - he's been there and he wants folks to be safe. He's sorry for American fans - they put people IN A CAGE and the ref did his job. Mighty Mouse is up next. Michael talks about this being a chance for him to cement his legacy. Big intro from Lenne Hardnt for him and big tron presentation too - THIS is how the show should have started. "Immigrant Song" is a good theme, too!
Moraes gets a hype video and is THE MAN OF 1,000 SUBMISSIONS! "HE HUNTS MORE NECKS THAN DRACULA!" DJ circles Moraes and goes for a low leg kick, but Maraes gets a high kick that DJ blocks with a forearm. DJ takes him down, but gets put into a heel hook - with no pressure. DJ is on this back, but Moraes isn't throwing much at him. Round 2 features DJ getting too anxious and then he eats a big right uppercut off a missed knee and then KOs him with a knee to the jaw! FIREWORKS FROM THE LIGHTING RIG. I love it.
DJ is humble in defeat, while Moraes is gracious in victory. An anti-Asian hate ad airs showing everyone as one people - beautiful. Recap of the heavyweight fight earlier alongside a bit of a kickboxing fight recap. Welterweight fight recap. Next week's show is hyped up with Christian Lee and the April feature fights are hyped before...they kind of act like the show is over at 10:59 and ads roll. BUT THE SHOW HAS A TIMESLOT UNTIL 11:30.
Rodtang faces Danial Williams in a muay thai fight. Williams is out to AC/DC and "TNT". Schiavello hypes up muay thai as lacking grappling, but having more action and higher-level strikers because they're more focused. Rodtang has over 200 wins and is only 24 with an 84% winning percentage. RODTANG DANCES DOWN and has the best tron ever.
Rodtang circles and lands a few strikes - but nothing significant for the first of three rounds. Rodtang lands some sick leg kicks and a SLUGFEST ENSUES and a left hook takes him down. Williams gets up and he's wobbly and eats a series of elbow shots. MINI T IS RUNNING INTO THESE SHOTS. An uppercut elbow hits and an elbow shot slices Mini T up. Mini T goes for a spinning elbow, but misses. Mini T gets some rest in-between rounds and has enough gas in the tank to throw some shots, but he's breathing heavy. Rodtang asks to have a break so they can get all the blood off him - wise move. More up-close elbows by Rodtang! Mini T lands an uppercut elbow, but eats a shot to the body. Mini T lands a great right hook and Rodtang is sliced on the hairline. Rodtang wins it by decision - THIS FIGHT RULED!
The show had a really rocky start - but that was captivating to watch just from an analytical point of view. The fights escalated too, with DJ losing in decisive fashion. The quick recaps of earlier fights serve a purpose - but not much of one beyond being filler for future videos as there isn't enough context given to what's going on. The main event ABSOLUTELY RULED and both men came off as stars. That's the goal of this TNT run and that kind of action will help the company stand out.
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