Gill’s Comments Regarding Transfers Restores Hope Amongst United Fans.

By Sheldan Keay

 

 

Earlier this week, Sir Alex Ferguson left many Manchester United fans frustrated, when he announced that their will be no more signings coming to Old Trafford this season. After the arrivals of David De Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young, a large void was still left in the centre of midfield following the retirement of Paul Scholes, a void that many believed Sir Alex would fill with a Summer signing. The likes of Wesley Sneijder, Samir Nasri and Luka Modric were all rumoured to be potential targets for United, but after Sir Alex’s comments, it looked as if those targets were no longer going to be linked with United. That was until David Gill’s interview on Tuesday. Speaking on MUTV, the United Chief Executive claimed that the club are looking to bring in one more ‘world class’ player, a statement that should bring hope back to United’s fan base. However, with the contrasting views between Chairman and Manager, it remains to be seen whether or not the United fans can expect another signing this Summer.

After Sir Alex Ferguson’s comments, the first question many United fans were asking was what happened to the proposed move for Wesley Sneijder. Many trusted news outlets and journalists were reporting that Sneijder had agreed terms to join United, and that the only stumbling block was the transfer fee between Manchester United and Inter Milan. Sneijder had reportedly originally demanded wages of £250,000 a week, but it was then reported that he had agreed to reduce his request to £190,000 a week. A £35 million transfer between United and Inter then looked imminent, but it was then reported that United had no interest in Sneijder. It initially appeared that once again a proposed move for a player fell victim to both internet and newspaper rumours, but many trusted sources still claimed that a deal for Sneijder could still be struck in the near future. However, the proposed move once again hit another setback, following the news from Sir Alex that United’s Summer spending was over. Sir Alex was quoted as saying, “We are always looking for good quality players, however we are satisfied with the players that we started the season with. At the moment we are looking at central midfielders from within the club to replace Scholes.” Sir Alex’s comments put the likes of young players such as Tom Cleverley on note, as it then appeared that they would be called upon this season to step up and try to command the position that was once mastered by Scholes. 

Cleverley had a successful season at Wigan, and many have tipped the England Under 21 star to be the one to replace Scholes, stating that he had the potential to achieve the success that Scholes obtained at United. However, at such a young unproven age, it is unclear whether or not Cleverley is good enough at this stage of his career to carry that pressure on his young shoulders, and with this Premier League season looking to be tougher than ever, it would appear to be unwise for Sir Alex to risk using Cleverley in such a staring role. This is why many United fans felt a Summer signing to replace Scholes was needed. While the signings of Ashley Young and Phil Jones were well received among most United fans, they were positions that United did not necessarily need to strengthen. If money was an object for United, it remained unclear why moves for these players were more craved rather than a move for a centre midfielder, a position which at the start of the transfer market, was arguably the position that needed strengthening the most along with the goalkeeper position following Edwin van der Sar’s retirement. Things then became more unclear when following Sir Alex’s comments, it looked as if United had finished their business in the transfer market for this Summer, that was until David Gill’s interview on Tuesday.

While speaking on MUTV, Gill said “Edwin made it known that last season would be his last so we had planned for a new goalkeeper well in advance. With the others, the opportunities came along and we were comfortable with that. We’ve made three signings. We're looking at one more player to bring in.” Gill went on to add “Nothing is happening and nothing imminent is going on at the moment, but we'll see what happens when we get home. There is still be 31 days of the transfer window to see if anything develops. But I'm not working on anything at the moment, in that respect." The news from Gill will bring renewed hope to fans, who only a few days earlier had believed that they would see no more signings this Summer. But with contradicting views from both Manager and Chief Executive, it does leave slight confusion amongst fans as to where exactly United stand. It would not be the first time that after claiming United were no longer in the market, Sir Alex would go out and complete a transfer, however it is confusing as to why Sir Alex would make that statement, only to have David Gill make a completely contradicting view only days later. You have to imagine that Sir Alex can not be best thrilled to have been undermined in such a way, but the relationship between Sir Alex and David Gill has proven in the past to be a successful one, and it is doubtful that any hard feelings between the pair will stem from this situation. Confusion aside, the news from Gill leaves United fans in a much more comfortable position than it had appeared earlier in the week, and it again fuels speculation on a number of potential targets for United, with the most likely option being a certain Mr Sneijder.

 

With no confirmation from within the club, it is still unclear whether or not it is a central midfielder that United are looking to bring in, although it is unlikely that they would be seeking players in other positions where new talent is not required. With the news from Gill that it is a ‘world class’ player that they are currently seeking, it looks more and more likely than it will be Wesley Sneijder who finds himself playing at Old Trafford next season. However, with sources close to Inter Milan stating that Sneijder has no desire to leave, and with him also being at the centre of a new formation debuted by Milan earlier this week, there are also still clear signs that he may indeed stay at Inter Milan. If that is the case, there is also still the possibility that Arsenal’s Samir Nasri may be the one to join Manchester United, but he also found himself the subject of another of Sir Alex’s statements, when it was claimed that United would not be signing Nasri, but it has been proven this week that Sir Alex may not be entirely truthful when talking to the media. The arrival of Nasri would be a great signing for United, however it is no secret amongst most fans, that the player they sought after the most is indeed Wesley Sneijder. If United are able to get Sneijder, it would bring to an end one of the transfer sagas of the Summer, and would arguably be one of the biggest signings of the Summer, and with Sneijder possibly being the face of the new United midfield, it would be very hard to bet against United not only retaining their Premier League title, but also once again becoming the marquee team in Europe.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

James DeGale Given European Title Shot.

By Sheldan Keay

 

James DeGale will fight for the European super-middleweight title on home soil in September, despite surrendering the British strap in his latest bout. DeGale, an Olympic champion, saw his reputation dented when he suffered a narrow points defeat to George Groves, his long-standing rival, in May. But he now has an immediate opportunity to bounce back against European champion Piotr Wilczewski, who has lost once in 30 fights and is ranked third in the world by the WBO.

Speaking about the situation, DeGale said "Challenging for the European title is a fantastic opportunity to get myself back in the big picture in my first fight back, I've been hard in training since my last fight and I'm ready to box tomorrow if I need to, come September I'll be in great shape. The fight with Groves is in the past, I still believe I beat him, but I'm a positive person and now I'm focused on the future and a win will put me in a great position for a world title."

Surprisingly, DeGale's defeat against Groves does not appear to have thrown him off course in his bid to secure a world title-shot by the end of next year. His promoter Frank Warren pulled off a similar trick when he landed Amir Khan in a world championship bout just six months after he lost to Breidis Prescott.
"My promoter Frank Warren has done a great job in getting me home advantage for this title shot and now I've got to go out there, do the business and win it in style," DeGale said. In fact, I'm about to sign a new three-year deal with Frank and I'm really happy that he will continue to build my career as he has done since I turned professional. He brought Amir Khan back from a devastating knockout loss to a world title so I know that he can do it for me."

But Warren has warned DeGale that another defeat would send his career hurtling into reverse. "This is a make or break fight for James. He's got a big opportunity in front of him against Wilczewski and now has to go out there a deliver the goods and show the fans what he can do," he said. The fight announcement puts to an end any speculation that a rematch with George Groves could culminate, and instead it appears that DeGale has come out of the fight better off than Groves, despite Groves being the victor.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Carlos Tevez Wants To Leave Man City.

By Sheldan Keay

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has put an end to the speculation, and has confirmed that he does wish to leave the club. Tevez has stated family reasons as being the cause for his desire to leave, saying that he can no longer cope with not being able to live in the North West without his daughters. 

The news may not come as a shock to many, however it was just a few days ago that Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was certain that Tevez would stay at Eastlands. Speaking over the weekend, Mancini said "Yes, of course Tevez will stay, he is a fantastic player." There had been talk of a potential swap deal with Inter Milan for Samuel Eto'o, with Mancini adding "here was talk of an exchange with Eto'o but Inter did not want to sell." This statement from Mancini may have calmed the minds of some fans, but others felt that the situation was not over, and indeed that proved to be the case. The situation first began back in December, when Tevez handed in a transfer request, citing the same family reasons that he recently announced in his latest statement. He later removed that request a week later, and commited his future to the club, however many believed that Tevez would still leave at the end of the season, which now appears to be the case.

In his statement, Tevez made it clear that he had no animosity towards the club, and his decision was made based entirely on his family. "I need to be closer to them and to spend more time with them, living without my children in Manchester has been incredibly challenging for me. Everything I do, I do for my daughters. I need them to be happy because my life is about them now. I need to be in a place where they can adapt. I hope that the people understand the difficult circumstances I have been living under the past 12 months, in regards to my family." Tevez went on to say that he thanks for the club for everything they have done for him during his time there. "I would like to state that I have great respect for the club, its supporters and the owner, Sheikh Mansoor, who has been nothing other than respectful to me. I hope that most of the City fans will understand that I have given them my all on the pitch and that my dedication to the City cause has been 100% on the pitch. I hope I have done my bit to help City continue their progress towards their ambition to be champions of England and to advance in the Champions League. I have no doubt that the players and management of City will achieve great success in the future."

Tevez enjoyed a succesful 2 year spell at City, which saw him captain the side to their first trophy win in 35 years when they lifted the F.A Cup, and also securing City's place in the Champions League following their 3rd place finish. There is no doubt that replacing the void that Tevez will leave will be a tough one for City, however, with money not an object for them, it is likely that the Argentinian will be replaced by another world class striker. The likes of Neymar, Alexis Sanchez and Sergio Aguero have all been linked with moves to Eastlands, but City have announced that they are in no rush to sell Tevez and look for a replacement. A city spokesman said "Carlos is a contracted player to Manchester City for another three years and we have had no offers for him." It is likely that if City do sell Tevez as expected, they wish to recieve a fee of over £40 million for the Argentinian's services, a fee that only a handful of clubs around the globe will be able to afford, and with Inter Milan, the team who Tevez was heavily rumoured to be joining announcing that they do not wish to pay Tevez's £200,000 a week wages, where the Argentinian's future lies is anyone's guess.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Haye Disappoints In One Sided Loss To Klitschko.

By Sheldan Keay

With all the trash talking finally over, the two year wait for David Haye to challenge for the honour of being the first man since Lennox Lewis to unify the heavyweight division, and attempt to cement his place as one of the best heavyweights in a long time was upon us, all that stood in his way was the number one heavyweight in the world Wladimir Klitschko, and we soon found out why Klitschko is indeed number one. 

The fight started with Klitschko immediatly taking the centre of the ring, and this would be repeated throughout the fight. Klitschko did what he has done to each of his recent previous opponents and utilised his jab to perfection in order to keep Haye at bay. Haye rarely provided a threat to Klitschko, and it appeared that all he could offer the Ukrainian in the form of an attack was an looping over hand right that was thrown several feet away from Klitschko, who in all but two occasions was about to avoid the shot. The two times Haye did land, Klitschko was able to hold Haye and prevent him from getting in any follow up shots when Haye ran in looking for the knockout. Quite disappointingly, Haye appeared to purposely go down whenever Klitschko leaned on top of him, and on several occasions it was quite clear that Haye could have easily remained on his feet. Haye's actions did result in the referee deducting a point from Klitschko in round 7 but after Klitschko's trainer Emanuel Steward reacted angrily about this decision,  the referee appeared to take no interest in Haye's antics any longer, and instead gave Haye a count in round 11 when he again decided to fall to the canvas.

Haye's ability to avoid many of Klitschko's shots did prove key at times, as Klitschko was unable to connect with any follow up to his jab on many occasions. Klitschko did appear to have Haye in trouble midway through the fight, but Haye was able to recover well get right back into the action. Haye also had Klitschko wobbled in the 3rd round and in the 12th round, but Klitschko also showed good composure to immediately recover, proving that despite the talk of both men having weak chins, they both took several shots well and appeared to show no real sign of being hurt by them. After 12 rounds of rather lacklustre action, the fight went to the judges scorecards, on all three saw Klitschko the victor, with one sided margins of 118-108, 117-109 and 116-110. 

Haye revealed after the fight that he was nursing a broken toe, and he felt that this was the reason for his loss. "I couldn't push on my right leg. I broke my toe on my right foot. I couldn't push off the right foot to throw the right hand. I thought adrenaline would get me through it but it was tough. It's incredibly frustrating. We were thinking about pulling out three weeks ago but we couldn't with all these great fans here. My plan was to win this fight but for whatever reason it wasn't meant to be today. It's frustrating because I'm so powerful, but I couldn't land many punches.I've got a lot of respect for Wladimir and he's a great fighter. Everything that was said in the lead up was for him to come and get me so I could land my shots." Despite the heated trash talk from Haye leading up to the fight, it was evident that he respected Klitschko post fight, and this was shown when the two finally embraced with a hand shake after the bout, there was no denying that Klitschko deserved it, as he outstruck Haye in 11 of the 12 rounds.

Haye made it clear that he had no intention to continue fighting after his 31st birthday in October, but after his loss to Klitschko, Haye has now stated that if he was to get a rematch, he would consider postponing his retirement plans. Haye stated "I’d love the opportunity to do it again. In an ideal world, let’s do it again.”

They say that if it makes dollars, it makes sense. He said he’d knock me out, that I’d be his 50th knockout. I do believe I was not at my best. If I had been 100pc, maybe it would have made a difference, but we’ll never know. If I were to fight him again, I’d do things differently. The Klitschko camp has since said that they have no intention of granting Haye a rematch, but if one was to culminate, then Haye would have a lot of work to do if he is to stand any chance of defeating Wladimir Klitschko, as Saturday showed that Klitschko is a league above the former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Cruz Decisions Faber In Enthralling Main Event.

By Sheldan Keay

Just over 4 years ago, Urijah Faber earned a submission victory over Dominick Cruz to retain the WEC Featherweight Championship. The two met again in the main event at UFC 132 as bantamweights, and despite this time fighting for over 23 minutes more than their last encounter, it was a much more exciting affair which saw Cruz earn his revenge and come out the victor. After 5 rounds of fast paced exciting action, Cruz got the decision victory with scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47, and proved that the bantamweights have well and truely arrived on the world stage.

Despite the score of 50-45, the fight was a lot closer, and Faber was able to knock Cruz down on several occasions, but the champion was never in any trouble, and he was able to compose himself and cause Faber some problems too. While Faber may have landed the eye catching shots, Cruz landed a lot more strikes on his opponent, and these shots added with his speed and movement were far too much for a much more stationary Faber to deal with. A couple of the rounds could have arguably gone either way, and Faber believes he did enough to get the win. "Congratulations to Dominick, he won. It wasn't enough of an output on my side to make it a decision. I didn't finish him. So, I felt like it could have gone either way. I thought I won the fight. But again, you can't really judge when it comes to that." After each man now holding one victory each, a triology fight may be possible, and there shouldn't be many who would disagree following the exciting battle the two men fought in on Saturday.

Despite the 25 minutes that the two main eventers fought for, the co-main event was much nearer to 25 seconds, as it took Chris Leben just 27 seconds to knock out MMA legend Wanderlei Silva in Silva's first UFC bout in 17 months. Nobody expected this fight to go the distance, and this was proven when the two started swinging wildly after only a few seconds of the bout, but Leben landed flush several times on the chin of the Axe Murderer, and Silva dropped to the mat to then be hit by some of Leben's ground and pound which saw the contest come to a close. Leben weighed in on the situation, stating that "Wanderlei is my hero, he's always been my favorite fighter. I only visualized a three-round war. I never envisioned a knockout. It's unbelievable." It was a sad sight for Silva, who if Dana White gets his wish, may well have had his last bout in the Octagon.

Another man who was expected to be having his last bout in the Octagon, will be back again, after Tito Ortiz ended his 5 year wait without a victory to submit Ryan Bader in the first round. Bader went into the bout as the heavy favourite, and was regareded as being the much better striker out of the two. However, it was Ortiz who dropped Bader with a right hand, and he was able to pounce on Bader and secure the guillotine choke after 1:56 of the first round. Speaking after the fight, Ortiz said "The key tonight was the guys that I've been training with, it's such a positive group of guys, and anytime I thought I wanted to let up in training, they kept pushing me. I put my private life on the backburner for this training camp so that I could focus on performing like I'm capable of performing. It's such a great feeling to get this win. I'm reinventing myself." Where this lives Ortiz is anybodys guess, but Bader was also looking to revive his career following his loss to Jon Jones in February. Bader explained "I just woke up in a guillotine, I got rocked with a big punch and next thing you know, I was in a guillotine. I thought I was doing well with my footwork, but I talked to my coaches and realized I made some mistakes." This bout proved that you can't count anybody out in MMA.

Carlos Condit continued to impress, as he knocked out the undefeated Dong Hyun Kim in the first round of their fight. Kim would have been expected to come into this fight looking to take Condit down,  and he was able to do so early on in the round, but Condit showed that he has vastly improved his wrestling, and was able to get back up, before nailing Kim with a flying knee that left him slouched against the cage. Condit then followed this up with some punches which resulted in the referee waving off the contest. Condit is doing nothing but good things in his quest to get a title shot, and he made this clear after the fight, asking Joe Silva if he was ready for a title shot. Also reflecting on his win, Condit explained "I had an excellent game plan and I trusted in it, every time I go out there, I just fight to the best of my ability and tonight I couldn't be more pleased with how it worked out."

In the final main card bout, Dennis Siver won a close decision against Matt Wiman which the crowd certainly didn't agree with. This bout turned out to be a typical striker vs wrestler bout, Siver used his striking ability to trouble Wiman in the first, Wiman then used his wrestling in the second to keep Siver down for the majority of the round and open up a cut on the head of Siver following some vicious elbows. But despite many then scoring the third round for Wiman, Siver was given the decision with each judge scoring the bout 29-28 in the German's favour. Wiman disagreed with the judges decision and referring to the fight, stated that "maybe Siver got the decision because he threw more punches, but they weren't effective. Effective striking and grappling is what they say, and he didn't have that at all."

Notable bouts on the preliminary card saw Melvin Guillard continue to work his way to a lightweight title shot, with a first round stoppage of WEC veteran Shane Roller. Another lightweight bout that featured on the prelims, saw George Sotiropoulos suffer his second straight loss, as he was also knocked out in the first round to Rafael dos Anjos. Brian Bowles has been mentioned as a possible next opponent for Dominick Cruz, and he won a decision over Takeya Mizugaki in his quest to reclaim his belt. Overall, UFC 132 was a great event, and helped to give the lower weight divisions such as the bantamweights the exposure they needed in order to help them become known on the world stage.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Djokovic Proves His Class To Win Wimbledon.

By Sheldan Keay

Following Novak Djokovic's semi-final win over Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, it was announced that he would become the new world number 1. Many people questioned whether this should be the case if the former world number 1 Rafael Nadal was to beat Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. This was not to be the case as Djokovic blew away the Spaniard on his way to his maiden Wimbledon title.

In a final that pitted the two top seeded players together, both men entered the final with two amazing streaks to their name. Nadal had won 20 straight matches at Wimbledon, having not lost a match since losing the 2007 Wimbledon Men's Final to Roger Federer. Djokovic also boasted an impressive record, having entered the contest with 49 wins from 50 matches this year. The majority of people were torn as to who they believed would win the final, stating that it would be a close affair, but it was anything but that. Djokovic came into the match having beaten Nadal in four finals this year, and it looked like it could soon be a fifth, when Djokovic captured the first set, breaking Nadal in the 10th game after the first 9 games had stayed on serve. The first set may have been close, but the second set was far more dominant, as Djokovic smashed 13 winners on his way to securing a one sided 6-1 set. It looked like Nadal was down and out, but it would be foolish to count out the defending champion, and this would be proved to be correct.

Nadal hit back in the third set to get right back into the match, and earned himself a 6-1 set of his own, and many believed that Djokovic may not have the mental toughness to be able to see off the fierce comeback that was being displayed from Nadal. However, Djokovic was able to keep his nerve, and despite Nadal having break point at the start of the set, Djokovic was able to keep his serve and continue to play the sort of tennis that he has been playing all year to secure the set 6-3, and become Wimbledon champion for the first time.

Speaking after the match, Djokovic said "It's really hard to describe this with any words except as the best day of my life, the most special day of my life. This is my favourite tournament, the tournament I always dreamed of winning, the first tournament I ever watched in my life. I think I'm still sleeping, I'm still having my dream. When you're playing the best player in the world, Rafael Nadal, who has won two out of the last three Wimbledon's and he has always been winning the big matches against me in the Grand Slams, I had to be on the top of my game, I had to play my best. I think I played probably my best match on the grass courts ever." Djokovic sealed his victory by kissing the centre court grass, and if anybody had doubts over whether he deserved to be world number 1, those doubts surely will no longer exist.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay

Kongo Stops Barry In Amazing Comeback.

By Sheldan Keay

After the chaos that surrounded the UFC on Versus card following the cancellation of the main event and subsequent release of Nate Marquardt, many were skeptical as to whether or not this card would live up to expectations. The new main event certainly did.

After being promoted from the co-main event to the headlining bout, heavyweights Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry were given the task of making sure that the paying spectators went home happy, and the pair succeeded in doing so. After around 2 minutes of neither man significantly engaging, Barry knocked Kongo down to the mat and followed that up with some ground and pound, that led to UFC commentators Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan both believing the bout was over. However, Kongo was able to get back to his feet, only to then be knocked straight back down, again leading to many believing the fight was coming to a close. It turned out that it would be, but not the way anybody expected it. Kongo again managed to return to his feet, and while staggering back towards the cage, a pressing Barry was soon hit with an unexpected right hook and upper cut, which resulted in him lay flat out on the mat. Kongo followed that up with some ground and pound to Barry, and referee Dan Miragliotta waved off the contest, something many thought he would have done during Barry's enslaught of Kongo, it turned out to be the right decision to let the bout continue.

The unexpected turn around from Kongo was a remarkable one, and one that is up there with previous UFC bouts such as Scott Smith VS Pete Sell as one of the best comebacks in MMA history. It was such a turn around, that it led to Barry stating the following after the bout. "Honestly, when I was laying on my back and (coach) Marty Morgan was standing over me, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, hey man, I killed him!" Barry can not be blamed for believing that he had won when he regained consciousness, as many believed this was to be the case before the shocking turn around. However, it wasn't the only shocking result on the card, as that was also the case in the quickly thrown together co-main event.

Flying high Rick Story was sent crashing back down to Earth, after his high profile victory over top contender Thiago Alves at UFC 130, Story was being praised as a potential future title challenger. While that still may be the case, it doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon, this is due to his shock defeat to relatively unknown Charlie Brenneman. Both men entered the week leading up to the fight expecting to face different opponents. Story was drafted in as a late replacement for the injured Anthony Johnson who was set to face Nate Marquardt in the main event, whereas Brenneman was set to face TJ Grant on the preliminary card. However, Grant pulled out of their bout with an illness in midweek, and as previously mentioned, Marquardt was released from the bout after he tested positive for hormone replacement therapy, and this left both men without an opponent, therefore this bout was thrown together with just over 24 hours to go until the event.

Story was the overwhelming favourite in the fight, and the fight was seen as a lose-lose fight for Story, a win would put him no closer to a title shot, and a loss would sent him right back down the ladder. Unlike the main event, this contest was staged primarily on the ground, which is expected with both fighter boasting great wrestling credentials. However, it was Brenneman who was deemed the more effective following 3 close rounds, and was given the decision after all three judges scored the fight 29-28 in Brenneman's favour. The fight is a huge set back for Story, who went from potentially earning a title shot with a win over Marquardt, to a loss against lowly ranked Brenneman, you cannot take anything away from Brenneman though, as he put in a great performance to potentially prove that the lowly ranked fighters can compete with the best when given an opportunity.

 

Also on the main card, Matt Brown ended his three fight losing streak with a unanimous decision win over John Howard, who now has three back to back losses to his name. Whether or not Howard will still remain with the company following this is up for debate. The final bout on the main card saw a heavyweight encounter take place between Matt Mitrione and Christian Morecraft. Both men were trash talking in the build up to the fight, but it was Mitrione who made the trash talk count, as he earned the stoppage victory over Morecraft in the second round. Some notable bouts on the preliminary card saw Tyson Griffin earn a majority decision victory over Manny Gamburyan, Javier Vazquez defeat Joe Stevenson by unanimous decision, and Charles Oliveira and Nik Lentz fight to a no contest, after the original verdict of Oliveira winning by submission being over turned due to an accidental illegal knee by Oliveira.

Follow Sheldan on Twitter: @SheldanKeay