Tag: Aaron Phillips

UFC parts ways with 7 more fighters in second recent wave of roster transactions

For the second time in the past two weeks, a batch of UFC fighters were removed from the roster list.

The number of UFC departures in recent weeks is now up to 15, as more fighters have officially separated from the promotion.

Days after eight fighters including seasoned veterans Ilir Latifi and Makwan Amirkhani were announced as no longer on the roster, MMA Junkie has confirmed seven more names that first surfaced on algorithm-based Twitter account UFC Roster Watch.

Check out the seven names below. Please note: It’s unclear whether the fighters were released mid-contract or departed the promotion following the conclusion of their promotional agreements, unless denoted otherwise.

UFC on ESPN 44 medical suspensions: Three fighters get 60 days after KO losses

The Missouri commission issued medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN 44, the longest of which went to fighters who were knocked out.

Three fighters face 60-day medical suspensions as a result of stoppage losses by strikes at UFC on ESPN 44.

The event took place this past Saturday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The event was overseen by the Missouri Division of Professional Regulation, which suspended 13 of 28 fighters from the card for medical reasons after their bouts, according to a list published Wednesday by the commission.

It’s important to note fighters can return sooner than the expiration date of their medical suspension should they receive proper medical clearance from a doctor. In addition, the commission does not list reasons for medical suspensions – just durations.

Scroll below to see the full list of UFC on ESPN 44 medical suspensions.

UFC on ESPN 44 post-event facts: Max Holloway joins 20-win club, sets other records

Check out the numbers from UFC on ESPN 44, where Max Holloway hit more milestones – including being the first to land 3,000 octagon strikes.

The UFC returned to Missouri after six years Saturday at UFC on ESPN 44, and the card delivered with half the fights ending by stoppage.

One of the bouts to go the distance was the main event, where former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 20-7 UFC) once again displayed his greatness in ending the winning streak of [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC) with a unanimous decision. In the process, “Blessed” made more history to add to his one-of-a-kind octagon resume.

For more on the numbers to come out of the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 44.

UFC on ESPN 44 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Four fighters get max non-title payout

UFC on ESPN 44 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 44 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $254,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 44 took place at T-Mobile Center. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 44 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]T.J. Brown[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Zak Cummings[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Piera Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Denise Gomes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bruna Brasil[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gaston Bolanos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Aaron Phillips[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $44,000 while title challengers get $44,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-44 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,230,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,819,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 23-29)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Jan. 23-29.

Kris Moutinho injured; Jonathan Martinez steps in vs. Aaron Phillips at UFC Fight Night in October

A fan-favorite bantamweight just one fight into his promotional tenure, Kris Moutinho will have to wait a little longer to make his second UFC walk.

[autotag]Kris Moutinho[/autotag] will have to wait a little bit longer to make his second walk to the UFC cage.

A fan-favorite bantamweight just one fight into his promotional tenure, Moutinho (9-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has withdrawn from his scheduled Oct. 23 bout vs. [autotag]Aaron Phillips[/autotag] due to injury. Stepping into his place will be Factory X fighter [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag].

Two people with knowledge of the booking informed MMA Junkie of the matchup Friday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Martinez (13-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) looks to bounce back from a knockout loss to Davey Grant in March. The defeat snapped a two-fight winning streak for the 27-year-old fighter and marked the first time in his pro career he was finished.

Phillips (12-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC) re-signed with the UFC in 2020 after nearly six years outside of the promotion. He took a short-notice fight against Jack Shore, which he lost by second-round submission. The defeat snapped a five-fight winning streak for the Louisianan.

With the change, the Oct. 23 lineup includes:

  • Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Randa Markos vs. Livinha Souza
  • Daniel Lacerda vs. Jeff Molina
  • Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Joselyne Edwards
  • Jun Yong Park vs. Gregory Rodrigues
  • Mason Jones vs. Alan Patrick
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Aaron Phillips
  • Nick Negumereanu vs. Ike Villanueva
  • Alex Caceres vs. Seung Woo Choi
  • Dwight Grant vs. Gabe Green
  • Maria Oliveira vs. Tabatha Ricci

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Kris Moutinho books first UFC fight after Sean O’Malley loss, faces Aaron Phillips this October

After a loss to Sean O’Malley, Kris Moutinho is still seeking his first UFC victory.

[autotag]Kris Moutinho[/autotag] has his second UFC fight booked.

A Massachusetts-based bantamweight, Moutinho (9-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is set to return Oct. 23 against [autotag]Aaron Phillips[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 0-4 UFC) at a location and venue to be announced.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

In July, Moutinho made his promotional debut at UFC 264 when he lost a hard-fought battle against Sean O’Malley. Although he was finished with strikes in Round 3, Moutinho gained a cult-like following for his sudden, short-notice appearance in the international spotlight – and his zombie-like ability to take O’Malley’s shots.

Phillips, 32, seeks his first UFC victory in his second stint. After a five-year rebuild on the regional scene, Phillips returned to the UFC in July 2020. He lost via second-round submission to Jack Shore. Phillips was booked for October against Adrian Yanez but withdrew due to injury. He was then rescheduled for July 2021 against Cameron Else, but his opponent withdrew and the fight was canceled.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Oct. 23 includes:

  • Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Randa Markos vs. Livinha Souza
  • Daniel Lacerda vs. Jeff Molina
  • Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Joselyne Edwards
  • Jun Yong Park vs. Gregory Rodrigues
  • Mason Jones vs. Alan Patrick
  • Kris Moutinho vs. Aaron Phillips

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With opponents out, Trevin Jones and Ronnie Lawrence meet at UFC on ESPN 28

At UFC on ESPN 28, Trevin Jones and Ronnie Lawrence will square off after John Castaneda and Aaron Phillips withdrew from planned bouts.

Fighter injuries and mix-and-match bookings continue during a busy UFC schedule.

Days after [autotag]Trevin Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Aaron Phillips[/autotag] were lined up to fight at UFC on ESPN 27, the former has a new opponent on a different date. With Phillips out on the bout, Jones (13-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) now is expected to take on [autotag]Ronnie Lawrence[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 28 with verbal agreements in place.

Prior to the lineup change, Lawrence (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was expected to fight [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] on the July 31 event, but Castaneda has also withdrawn from the card.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Jones was originally scheduled to fight Tony Kelley on July 24. When Kelly withdrew, Phillips, who lost his opponent, Cameron Else, was matched up with Jones before the fight was pushed back a week and Lawrence stepped in. Regardless of opponent, Jones now seeks his second UFC victory after a win over Mario Bautista in March.

As for Lawrence, the Dana White’s Contender Series signee made his successful promotional debut in February, when he defeated Vince Cachero via third-round ground-and-pound stoppage. The win was his fourth in a row, overall.

With the changes, the UFC on ESPN 28 lineup includes:

  • Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland
  • Bryan Barberena vs. Jason Witt
  • Jinh Yu Frey vs. Ashley Yoder
  • Rafa Garcia vs. Chris Gruetzemacher
  • Collin Anglin vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan
  • Orion Cosce vs. Phillip Rowe
  • Cheyanne Buys vs. Gloria de Paula
  • Mounir Lazzez vs. Niklas Stolze
  • Kyung Ho Kang vs. Rani Yahya
  • Danny Chavez vs. TBA
  • Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell
  • Nicco Montano vs. Wu Yanan
  • Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ryan Benoit
  • Sam Alvey vs. Roman Kopylov
  • Trevin Jones vs. Ronnie Lawrence

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With Cameron Else out, Aaron Phillips targeted to meet Trevin Jones at UFC on ESPN 27

With both men losing their respective opponents, Aaron Phillips and Trevin Jones will now square off with each other.

With both men losing their opponents, [autotag]Aaron Phillips[/autotag] and [autotag]Trevin Jones[/autotag] now will square off with each other.

Phillips (12-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC) meets Jones (13-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 27, which takes place July 24 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the targeted booking to MMA Junkie, but asked to remain anonymous since the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.

Phillips, who was originally scheduled to face Cameron Else, fell short in his return to the octagon when he was submitted by Jack Shore at UFC on ESPN 13 in July 2020. Prior to that, Phillips had won five in a row, including four by stoppage.

Unbeaten in his past four fights, Jones was scheduled to face Tony Kelley, who withdrew due to an undisclosed injury. After his comeback knockout win over Timur Valiev was overturned to a no contest due to a positive marijuana test, Jones picked up his first official UFC win when he stopped Mario Bautista in the second round at UFC 259 in March.

With the change, the UFC on ESPN 27 lineup includes:

  • Cory Sandhagen vs. T.J. Dillashaw
  • Brendan Allen vs. Puna Soriano
  • Maycee Barber vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson
  • Kyler Phillips vs. Raulian Paiva
  • Mickey Gall vs. Jordan Williams
  • Randy Costa vs. Adrian Yanez
  • Ian Heinisch vs. Nassourdine Imavov
  • Julio Arce vs. Andre Ewell
  • Darren Elkins vs. Darrick Minner
  • Sijara Eubanks vs. Elise Reed
  • Trevin Jones vs. Aaron Phillips

‘The Ultimate Fighter 29’ rosters announced, season premiere date revealed

Meet the 16 contestants chosen for the relaunch of the UFC reality series.

“The Ultimate Fighter” is officially back.

After years of UFC president Dana White repeatedly stating the reality series would eventually relaunch, the wheels are fully in motion. The 16 selected bantamweights and middleweights have made their way to Las Vegas for pre-season medicals.

With taping set to begin soon, the promotion announced the season’s full roster during the UFC on ESPN 22 broadcast Saturday. The first episode is set to stream June 1 on ESPN+.

TUF 29 will be coached by UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and his next title challenger, [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC). The two will square off following the conclusion of the season, in a rebooking of their canceled UFC 260 matchup.

Scroll below for the full TUF 29 bantamweight and middleweight rosters:

Bantamweights