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Check out what the UFC Fight Night 216 winners had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 216 takes place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex.
You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 216 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 216 card din Las Vegas, which features Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland.
| Cannonier vs. Strickland |
Ismagulov vs. Tsarukyan |
Albazi vs. Costa |
Caceres vs. Erosa |
Dober vs. Green |
Brundage vs. Oleksiejczuk |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 192-116 |
 Cannonier (62%) |
 Tsarukyan (66%) |
 Albazi (85%) |
 Erosa (55%) |
 Dober (66%) |
 Oleksiejczuk (71%) |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 204-109  2018 Champion |
Cannonier |
Tsarukyan |
Albazi |
Erosa |
Dober |
Oleksiejczuk |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 195-118 |
Cannonier |
Tsarukyan |
Albazi |
 Caceres |
Dober |
Oleksiejczuk |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 193-120 |
Cannonier |
Tsarukyan |
Albazi |
Erosa |
 Green |
Oleksiejczuk |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 191-122 |
Cannonier |
Tsarukyan |
Albazi |
Erosa |
Dober |
Oleksiejczuk |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 191-122 2014 Champion |
 Strickland |
Tsarukyan |
Albazi |
Erosa |
Dober |
 Brundage |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 189-124 |
Cannonier |
 Ismagulov |
Albazi |
Caceres |
Dober |
Oleksiejczuk |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 188-125 |
Strickland |
Tsarukyan |
Albazi |
Erosa |
Dober |
Oleksiejczuk |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 182-131 2017 Champion |
Strickland |
Tsarukyan |
Albazi |
Erosa |
Green |
Brundage |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 180-133 |
Cannonier |
Tsarukyan |
Albazi |
Caceres |
Green |
Oleksiejczuk |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 172-141 |
Strickland |
Tsarukyan |
Albazi |
Erosa |
Green |
Brundage |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 154-159 |
 N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
The UFC stays in its home base this week, and middleweights are atop the promotion’s final card of the year.
UFC Fight Night 216 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, recent title challenger [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC). The fight nearly is a pick’em at Tipico Sportsbook. Cannonier is the slight favorite at -115; the comeback on Strickland is -105. Our 10 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Cannonier with a narrow 6-4 picks lead.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag] (24-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at lightweight. Tsarukyan is a -190 betting favorite and a near-unanimous pick at 9-1.
Also on the main card, our lone unanimous pick is [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in his flyweight bout against [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC). Albazi is the biggest favorite on the entire card at -450.
[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag] (19-13 MMA, 14-11 UFC) takes on [autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag] (28-9 MMA, 6-5 UFC) in a featherweight fight. Erosa is a mild favorite at -170 and has a 7-3 lead in the picks.
[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] (25-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC) and [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (29-13-1 MMA, 10-8-1 UFC) clash in a fight between longtime UFC lightweights. Dober is a -150 favorite, but he has just a slim 6-4 lead in the picks.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at middleweight. Oleksiejczuk is a big -280 favorite, but three of our pickers are taking Brundage in an upset.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Cannonier (62 percent), Tsarukyan (66 percent), Albazi (85 percent), Erosa (55 percent), Dober (66 percent) and Oleksiejczuk (71 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.
Amir Albazi ended up with promotional newcomer Alessandro Costa as his UFC Fight Night 216 opponent.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] is skeptical of [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] withdrawing from their originally scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night 216.
Albazi (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) was booked to face Perez in Saturday’s event at the UFC Apex, but Perez pulled out for undisclosed reasons. Perez was replaced by Brandon Royval, who also withdrew because of a broken wrist.
What bothers Albazi is that Perez has already been scheduled for another fight. He takes on Kai Kara-France at UFC 284 on Feb. 11 in Perth.
“Alex Perez, there I don’t know,” Albazi told MMA Junkie and other reporters at UFC Fight Night 216 media day on Wednesday. “I don’t know if it’s a valid excuse. Personally I didn’t like to see him booked up again, so I’m thinking what’s going on? Brandon Royval, I get it. I know he’s a tough guy. He probably injured his hand, and I don’t want to fight against someone that’s compromised. I’d rather fight with Brandon Royval when he’s fresh and I’m fresh, and we get that fight going.”
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Albazi ended up drawing Contender Series alum Alessandro Costa (12-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on the main card. Although he’s going from a ranked opponent to a newcomer, Albazi knows not to take him lightly.
“I expect still a hard fight,” Albazi said. “The guy has nothing to lose, all the pressure is on me. I’m there to showcase my skills. I know the pressure is on me, so I’m just going out there to perform. I’m going out there to outclass a guy that has nothing to lose.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.
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Alessandro Costa will get a big opportunity in his debut at UFC Fight Night 216.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag] will get a big opportunity in his debut at UFC Fight Night 216.
Costa (12-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was victorious in his Dana White’s Contender Series appearance in July, but it wasn’t enough to earn him a UFC contract. One knockout later, which came in 12 seconds, and Costa got the call.
He will step in on short notice to face ranked flyweight [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 216 main card. It’s a big spot for the 26-year-old Brazilian, but he’s stoked for the chance to make waves right off the bat.
“I am so happy that I cannot feel the pressure,” Costa told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at UFC Fight Night 216 media day on Wednesday. “I’m going to debut in the UFC on the main card against a top-eight (fighter). It’s so much happiness that it doesn’t even give weight to pressure.”
He continued, “First when I saw his name then went to Sherdog to look at his record, I was like, ‘Damn!’ But that’s kind of the end of the year gift I could get, right?”
UFC Fight Night 216 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex. The card streams on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.
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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 Nov. 21-27.
A key flyweight fight is off the UFC’s year-end event.
The bad luck continues for “Raw Dawg.”
Tuesday, [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC) announced he’s out of UFC Fight Night 216 and his scheduled bout vs. [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), previously expected to take place Dec. 17 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Royval, 30, revealed he recently broke his wrist during training and thus won’t be able to compete as planned. He added it was the first time in his career he’s withdrawn from a bout.
“Heartbroken to say that I will not be competing on Dec 17th,” Royval wrote on Instagram. “Training mma is always intense and I’ve competed many times with injuries, actually most of my ufc career. Last week after a practice I was feeling a pain in my wrist. After a few days of the deformity, bruising and the pain not going away, I went to the doctors where they determined I broke my wrist. Thankfully I won’t need surgery, but I will not be recovered in enough time to compete. This is the first time despite many injuries, I’ve ever had to pull out of a mma fight and couldn’t navigate my camp around it. I’m super sad but this won’t change that I’ll have the belt by the end of 2023.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/ClSKBwMskbS/
The cancellation marks his second, following an October fight week cancellation when then-opponent Askar Askarov had an awry weight cut and withdrew.
Albazi also has struggled to have fights follow through. In his most recent eight bookings, only two have actually occurred. It is unclear at this time whether or not he’ll remain on the Dec. 17 card.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 216 lineup includes:
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After losing out on their initial opponents, Brandon Royval and Amir Albazi have been matched up.
After losing out on their initial opponents, [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] and [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] have been matched up.
Royval (14-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) steps in to take on Albazi (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event on Dec. 17, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous, because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Eurosport NL was first to report the news.
Royval was booked to face Askar Askarov at UFC Fight Night 212 on Oct. 16, but the bout was scrapped due to weight-cutting issues from Askarov’s side. The 30-year-old is coming off back-to-back wins over Rogerio Bontorin and a first-round submission of Matt Schnell at UFC 274, which earned Fight of the Night.
Winner of his past four in a row, Albazi was scheduled against former title challenger Alex Perez on Dec. 17, but Perez withdrew for undisclosed reasons. The Iraq-born fighter remained unbeaten in the octagon when he choked out Francisco Figueiredo at UFC 278 in August.
With the addition, UFC Fight Night on Dec. 17 includes:
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 Oct. 17-23.
Former champions Kamaru Usman and Jose Aldo lead the way with six-figure paydays in Utah.
UFC 278 payouts have been released by the overseeing commissioning body.
Wednesday, MMA Junkie received a list of disclosed earnings from Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission head Scott Bowler, which oversaw the Aug. 20 pay-per-view event in Salt Lake City.
Atop the list of payouts is former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag], who pocketed $500,000 for his head kick knockout loss to [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]. Edwards earned $350,000 with his upset victory.
Co-headliner winner [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] earned $130,000 for his win over [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag], who earned $200,000. Rockhold openly criticized fighter pay in the lead-up to the bout.
Former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] took home $400,000 for a loss to [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag], who earned $198,000.
Heavyweight [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] also pocketed $240,000 for his win over [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag] ($36,000) on the prelims.
Scroll below to see a full list of payouts. It’s important to note the figures only represent the disclosed pursues. Performance bonuses, locker room bonuses, and additional compliance bonuses are not included.
After an impressive showing in his most recent outing, Amir Albazi will get an opportunity to jump up the flyweight rankings.
After an impressive showing in his most recent outing, [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] will get an opportunity to jump up the flyweight rankings.
Albazi (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) meets former title challenger [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event on Dec. 17. The card doesn’t yet have an announced venue or location.
Both fighters confirmed the news on social media after an initial report from MMA Fighting.
Albazi, 28, is off to a 3-0 octagon start and is on a four-fight winning streak overall. The Iraqi fighter notched his ninth career submission win when he choked out Francisco Figueiredo in the first round at UFC 278.
Perez will look to snap a two-fight skid. After winning three straight, Perez earned a title shot, but was submitted by flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in Round 1 at UFC 255. He returned at UFC 277 against Alexandre Pantoja in July, but suffered another quick submission loss.
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