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WWE STARS, ZACK SABRE JR., SHAYNA BASZLER & MORE: 4/17 JOSH BARNETT'S BLOODSPORT 15 REPORT FROM LAS VEGAS

Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 15

4/17/26 Las Vegas

I wasn’t supposed to cover this but then when I saw that Ray Jaz was gonna get beat up by Zack Sabre Jr…..well, if you know my history with Ray Jaz, you know I couldn’t resist. Bring it on. 

All the fighters lineup in the ring, as it tradition. Charlie Dempsey tries to hype the crowd but his microphone betrays him and I think someone in the crowd was talking a bunch of smack so Barnett took over before the show started early.

Fight 1: Mako Mako beats Angel Verduczo by TKO. I’ve been generally indifferent about Matt Makowski over the years but I like him as “The Sharkshooter” now. Good opening scrap, Verduczo overplays his advantage and Mako ends up dropping bombs from the top when the ref puts an end to it. 

Fight 2: Ulka Sasaki KO’s Joe Dashou. Dashou’s greco Roman wrestling dominates early, surprising Sasaki several times, keeping him grounded. Sasaki’s real danger is when he’s on his feet and a well placed knee to the chin as Daschou shoots in puts the lights out.

Fight 3: Zack Sabre Jr beats Ray Jaz by submission. This is the match that caught MY attention. Jaz is a very good wrestler…but this is ZSJ. Jaz acquits himself very well, going toe to toe and hold for hold. Jaz gets addicted to slamming Zach…and it looks like he’s going for an air raid crash…and then ZSJ gets a head scissors, pulls Ray to the ground and bends him backwards until he quits. Good technical chess match. 

Fight 4: Miyu Yamashita KO’s Janai Kai. This is a stand up fight. Janai almost puts the lights out with a palm strike early. Both ladies throwing hands and kicks….both are able to get a takedown but it’s right back up into the pocket. Kai is getting the better of these exchanges until she kicks up on the post, Miyu kicks out the leg and just lays into her back. Kai tries to get a dragon sleeper going but Miyu hits a series of knees! Kai with a headkick and side kick that sends Miyu flying to the floor. She barely makes it back in. Both trying for head kicks….Miyu lands a spinning back kick and the light go out on kai. This was an excellent Bloodsport fight. 

In between every fight, we’re getting multi/minute commercials for Spring Break matches. This is a LITTLE much and feels like it artificially stretches out the show time. I also figure I’m gonna see all of these again in a few hours before every match. 

Fight 5: Royce Isaacs taps out Shane Mercer. neither one of these guys wants to get tossed around by the other so this turns into a ground war. We get a reset after Isaacs takes a walk on the floor. Isaacs lands huge German and goes right into a knee bar. Mercer fights free and hits a man overhead toss. Mercer lands a standing moonsault and battery?!? Isaacs is back up, big slam into an armbar…Mercer fighting it off again…he stacks him…big slam into a rear naked choke! Isaac’s pops up with a DVD and gets the tap with a dragon sleeper. Slow start but this delivered by the end. 

Fight 6: Pete Dunne submits Masashi Takeda. Dunne is happy to tie Takeda up….but Takeda realllllly just wants to feel pain. Dunne stomps out the arm, twists him up…Takeda works a head scissor until Dunne can slip out. They try standing up, exchanging strikes but Takeda almost KO’s Pete….Dunne jumps up for a guillotine but Takeda hits an exploder! Dunne hits a series of palm strikes. Takeda knocks his mouthpiece out with a single shot. Back to the brawl, Dunne almost KO’d again. But he catches Takeda coming in with a triangle choke. He wrenches the fingers, he sinks in the choke, he drops elbows to the top of the head until Takeda HAS TO quit. 

Fight 7: Fuminori Abe beats Erick Stevens by TKO. Stevens is playing this cautious but Abe slipping shots through his guard seeming at will. A body triangle keeps Abe in place as Stevens works towards a rear naked choke. With their legs locked up, Abe throwing hands. Stevens lands a headbutt that opens himself up! Stevens throwing crossface punches until Abe start spitting up blood. Abe with a scrape across the eyes to escape doom. Abe tossed down into a head and arm choke but he fights free and lands a headbutt…and then some 

More in the mount! The ref stops this before Stevens takes any more damage. 

Fight 8: Charlie Dempsey submits Timothy Thatcher. These are two guys who like to twist up their opponents and apply lots of pain. Commentary calls this a mirror match and I have to agree. All the twists and shots they are taking to their various limbs are going to hurt both of them in the AM. Dempsey might be burning through his gas tank tossing Thatcher around. A hard slap to Dempsey and he sinks in a crab….Dempsey back out and they slap slaps…Thatcher stumbles off the edge of the ring! Dempsey hits a German! He drops elbows to the back of the head and wraps up a crossface chicken wing and forces Thatcher to tap out!

Fight 9: Nattie Neidhart defeats Shayna Baszler by count out. This is a VERY pro-Nattie crowd. Both are undefeated at Bloodsport. They feel each other out early, Baszler seems able to shrug Nattie off at will. Shayna invites Neidhart into her guard. Nattie gets an ankle lock in before they start brawling in the hold. Shayna feigns a sharpshooter and that gets both ladies on their feet, shouting explicatives at each other. This match feels like it has HEAT. Shayna fighting to keep her feet attached and she turns into a sharpshooter! Nattie sinks in but Shayna gets the leg….she gets the rear choke…Nattie reverses it! Shayna’s face is going red! Nattie throwing crossface shots and Baszler is busted WIDE OPEN. Full crimson mask!  Shayna stands up with Nattie on her back and dives out into a pile of Nattie’s Dungeon supporters from the back. Shayna tries to put Nattie to sleep on the floor…Nattie kicks off Shayna’s Snakepit cornerman and the Queen of Spades cracks the back of her head into the ring steps. Nattie and Shayna dive back into the ring as the count hits ten….Nattie makes the count…Shayna barely misses it. The crowd wants more. Nattie dives back into the fight and they have to be pulled apart by their crews. This is VERY MUCH not over. 

Main Event: Josh Barnett defeats Yuji Nagata by TKO. Barnett’s main event fights usually have Final Boss vs Final Boss energy. They aren’t MAD at each other (certainly nowhere near as heated as that last fight my god) but there is definitely a desire to prove who is BEST. 23 years ago, Barnett lost to Nagata. Now he looks to even the scales. Barnett and Nagata work through hold after hold, Barnett gets some blood out Nagata mouth with a crossface shot (a move that seems 3 for 3 in drawing crimson tonight). Nagata doing a good job keeping Barnett under control. Josh is VERY red through all this grappling. Barnett twists up Nagata’s legs and wrenches back. “I got him!” He didn’t. Nagata rolls to the floor and takes a moment with the count. He’s walking hesitantly…Barnett shoots for the heel hook. Nagata stomps free but he can’t stand after that. Barnett throwing forearms and Nagata tosses him! Spinning head kick!  Pumphandle suplex! Nagata slaps on a crossface….Barnett struggling hard! He slips out the back door but he’s turning Lesnar purple. Barnett tries for a German but Nagata sits into an armbar! Nagata yells as he wrenches back….Barnett flips free…lariatooooooooo! Nagata yells and stands up to trade blows! Barnett with a spinning head kick and drops elbows until the ref pulls him off!

After the main event, Barnett says he loves this but after 15+ events…he wants to shut the Bloodsport shop. He has his reasons but for the foreseeable future, this is ended. He thanks Brett Lauderdale for all the help he does for these events and thanks everyone for the support…”Thank you Josh” rings through the crowd as we fade to black.

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