Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 262, which saw Charles Oliveira make history with his title-winning TKO of Michael Chandler.
The UFC’s seventh pay-per-view of the year delivered in a big way on Saturday with UFC 262 at Toyota Center in Houston.
Charles Oliveira (31-8 MMA, 19-8 UFC) became the new lightweight champion in the main event when he scored a thrilling second-round TKO win over Michael Chandler (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC), setting all types of UFC records in the process.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 55 post-event facts to come out of UFC 262.
Andrea Lee puts an end to her three-fight skid at UFC 262.
[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] needed a win, and she got it.
Lee snapped a three-fight streak when she put away [autotag]Antonina Shevchenko[/autotag] with a triangle choke/armbar combination in the second round at UFC 262. The official stoppage came at the 4:52 mark of the round.
The women’s flyweight bout was part of the UFC 262 preliminary card at Toyota Center in Houston. It aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.
Lee (12-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) dominated Shevchenko (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) from start to finish. “KGB” excelled on the feet and ground, putting on a complete performance.
In the first round, Lee immediately took the center of the cage and began dictating the pace of the fight, constantly pressing Shevchenko. Shevchenko had a good moment in a muay Thai clinch, but Lee had the better of the striking for the majority of the round and even took down and controlled Shevchenko in the last 40 seconds of the frame.
Right off the bat in the second, Lee took down Shevchenko. She quickly got the mount, sank in a triangle choke and rolled to her back. Lee spent more than three minutes on her back, squeezing the triangle for the tap and landing elbows to Shevchenko’s head. Shevchenko did a good job at surviving, but close to the end of the round, Lee attacked the arm and turned into a straight armbar, forcing Shevchenko to tap out.
[lawrence-related id=610699,610573]
Lee hadn’t experienced victory since June 2019. The 32-year-old had three straight defeats to Joanne Calderwood, Lauren Murphy, and Roxanne Modafferi. Lee’s submission marks her fourth win in the promotion and her first finish.
Meanwhile, Shevchenko’s hopes to pick up her first consecutive wins in the promotion were shut down. “La Pantera” has alternated wins and losses since joining the UFC after a successful bout at Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018. Shevchenko was coming off a TKO win over Ariane Lipski in November 2020.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 262 results include:
[vertical-gallery id=610744]
[vertical-gallery id=610739]
One of MMA’s famous mantras is to “never leave a fight in the hands of the judges,” and Andrea Lee is learning that lesson first-hand.
HOUSTON – One of MMA’s famous mantras is to “never leave a fight in the hands of the judges,” and [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] is learning that lesson first-hand.
Following three consecutive decision losses, including two of the split variety, the UFC women’s flyweight contender admits she’s found the results to be a bit maddening.
“The last couple of fights have gone to a decision, and some of them have been questionable, and in my mind, I felt like, ‘Yeah, I deserve that win,’ so it’s been frustrating because it looks bad to have three losses in a row,” Lee told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC 262 media day. “I’ve got to go out there and do everything I can to get this win.”
Lee (11-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) gets that opportunity when she takes on Antonina Shevchenko (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC 262 event at the Toyota Center. The preliminary matchup airs on ESPN ahead of a pay-per-view main card.
Lee said she was pleased with the booking not just because of the name value her opponent brings to the table, but also the style she presents.
“I thought it was a great matchup,” Lee said. “I’m thinking this is going to be an exciting fight. She’s a striker. She likes to stand and bang, but lately I’ve been seeing her take it to the ground, and she’s started to taking a liking to grappling. We’re both well-rounded fighters, so this fight can go anywhere. I think it’s going to be exciting no matter where it’s at.”
[lawrence-related id=610049,609995,609979]
But Lee isn’t just looking to turn in a “Fight of the Night” war. Sure, she wants to provide excitement to the Houston crowd, especially as a native Texan, but the recent setbacks have forced “KGB” to analyze every aspect of her preparation.
“I’m like, ‘Man, am I not training hard enough?'” Lee said. “‘Do I need to train harder? Do I need to do something different? Like, what is it?’ I think, for me, it’s just I haven’t been focusing on, like, who I am and my skillsets and what I’m great at. I think I’ve kind of gotten away from the best parts of me, and so for this camp, I’ve been focusing on that and trying to get back to that.”
Lee credits time spent in Colorado alongside fellow UFC contenders Tecia Torres and Montana De La Rose for re-sharpening her striking skills but said wrestling and grappling were all in focus, as well. Sure Shevchenko may be known primarily as a striker, but Lee said she wanted to be ready for all options.
“Going into a fight, you want to expose someone’s weakness, but I’m excited to take this fight everywhere,” Lee said. “I want to fight her everywhere. I want to stand and bang with her, and I want to take her down, too, and get a finish wherever it’s at.”
And ultimately, the finish is the key. Lee knows she’s capable of competing with anyone in the division, but she’s intent on getting back into the win column. One surefire way to do that – keep the judges out of it.
“It’s important for me to go out there and get my hand raised,” Lee said.
To see the full interview with Lee, check out the video above.
[vertical-gallery id=531299]
Women’s flyweight notables will fight May 15 at an event expected to be UFC 262.
The UFC has added an intriguing women’s flyweight matchup to its May slate of fights.
[autotag]Antonina Shevchenko[/autotag], sister of women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, will take on [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] on May 15 at an event expected to be UFC 262 at a location and venue to be determined.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Thursday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Shevchenko (15-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) has won two of her past three fights. At UFC 255 in November, Shevchenko punched her ticket back into the win column when she defeated Ariane Lipski by second-round TKO. Two of Shevchenko’s three UFC victories have ended inside the distance.
[lawrence-related id=590890,575207]
Lee (11-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) will look to snap a three-fight losing skid on May 15. After she won her first three UFC appearances, Lee dropped consecutive fights to Joanne Calderwood, Lauren Murphy, and Roxanne Modafferi. All three defeats came by decision, with the first two being splits.
With the addition, the May 15 UFC lineup now includes:
[listicle id=590416]
Yealimi Noh, Haley Moore and Andrea Lee among those who are rookies all over again in 2021 after coronavirus impacted the 2020 season.
There’s a back-up of appointments at the DMV, which means 19-year-old Yealimi Noh faces an even longer wait now to get her driver’s license. Noh still lives at home with her parents in Concord, California, and has no plans to move out anytime soon. They travel the LPGA as a family of three, and she’s quite happy to have help navigating these early years of professional life.
Noh won $415,307 in official earnings last year on the LPGA, contending several times and climbing to 46th in the world. It was a terrific rookie season, given that it was shortened to only 16 events due to a global pandemic.
Here’s the strange part: She gets to have her rookie season all over again.
The LPGA decided not to hold the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race in 2020 due the pandemic. Unless a player won in 2020, her place on the priority list remained unchanged heading into 2021. It amounts to an unheard of mulligan season for 19 young pros.
“For us to have half of a year last year,” said Noh, “is like a preview for what it’s going to be like for the rest of our career.”
Five new rookies have been added to the mix for 2021, highlighted by 2020 U.S. Women’s Open winner A Lim Kim. Four Symetra grads have also joined the 2021 class.
Andrea Lee isn’t quite sure at this point what her first event will be this season. She starts 2021 at 160th on the LPGA priority list despite finishing 48th on the money list last year with $242,944. It’s likely that a number of international players will skip the first few events in Florida, which would help her cause. The Gainbridge LPGA event at Lake Nona Feb. 25-28 will have a field of 120 players.
While a rookie couldn’t move up the priority list without winning, she could move up the Rolex Rankings and money list, which helps at the majors and Solheim Cup. And for those who, like Noh and Lee, made a nice living last year, it’s clutch for a rookie to have a financial cushion to start the year (that wasn’t a loan!).
On the course, a string of missed cuts points to a disappointing rookie season for Haley Moore. But the year was about so much more than that. Moore started her new foundation to fight bullying. She also appeared on Good Morning America with Robin Roberts and was part of the LPGA’s Drive On ad campaign.
On Christmas Day, Moore and her mother drove to Arizona for the winner-take-all Longbow Cactus Cup Championship, a celebration of the top money earners on the developmental Cactus Tour. Moore birdied the first playoff hole to win the $10,000 prize, which equaled nearly half her earnings on the LPGA.
Moore said her swing coach, who is based in Arizona, came out and watched her compete, which was hugely beneficial as they mapped out an offseason plan.
Moore noted that her biggest lesson from 2020 was learning to stay patient and steady.
“If you have a bad week and happen to not make the cut,” said Moore, “you just have to let it go and move on to the next event, as the next event could be the best you’ve ever had.”
Noh, like many rookies before her, had underestimated the role a caddie plays in her success. David Stone picked up her back for the last few events of the LPGA season and she saw an immediate change.
“The first event that I was with him I played really well,” she said of her tie for second at the Volunteers of America Classic. “The week before I was playing the same exact golf, it was just that he was next to me giving me a lot of confidence, hyping me up. Now I know exactly what I want to hear, what I want in a game plan.”
While Stone heads back to the PGA Tour, he helped Noh connect with Kyle Morrison for the 2021 season.
Noh said everything about her success comes down to putting. She has big goals set for her second rookie year, starting with winning an event “as soon as possible.” She’d also like to be a rookie on this year’s U.S. Solheim Cup team and compete in the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Noh, who has contended several times already on the LPGA, said Sei Young Kim has taken on a sisterly role, first reaching out after she finished runner-up at the 2019 Cambia Portland Classic as a non-member.
The focus in 2021 has shifted from trying to experience everything for the first time, she said, to playing to win. The talented teen is comfortable with whatever pressure follows.
“A little pressure never kills anyone,” said Noh. “I think pressure is great.”
While the 15 events Lee competed in last year were more than she anticipated getting in, she did miss out on a big one after she tested positive for COVID-19 the week of the U.S. Women’s Open.
“The first few days in my hotel room I was pretty miserable,” said Lee. “I was depressed.”
She devoured Phil Knight’s memoir, Shoe Dog, in two days and binged on The Queen’s Gambit. It wasn’t long before she was one of four rookies teeing it up in the CME Group Tour Championship.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJEr8_lF9xW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The former Stanford standout thought she might go skiing over offseason but decided she couldn’t take that much time off. she wants to add length off the tee, a higher ball trajectory for her longer irons and sharpen the edges from 100 yards and in.
“This year is kind of like you said, a do-over,” said Lee, “and I’m going to try to put myself in the best position to try and win Rookie of the Year.”
To do it, she’ll have to beat the most experienced rookie class in tour history.
[lawrence-related id=778083402,778083235,778082662]
Cristie Kerr shot a 68 just weeks after an injury in a golf cart accident and all the news from Thursday at the CME Group Tour Championship.
Cristie Kerr, winner of the 2015 CME Group Tour Championship, shot a 4-under-par 68 in the first round on Thursday.
That part isn’t a surprise.
Considering she’s still recovering from three dislocated ribs she suffered in a golf cart accident two weeks ago, though, it’s quite something.
“I actually feel a little bit better today, but I just thought it was really important to get through last week,” said Kerr, who played in the frigid conditions in the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open on Monday in Houston. “There were points where I didn’t think that I was going to be able to, but I guess when they say there is a will there is a way.”
Kerr decided not to will her way through the entire pro-am Wednesday, stopping with five holes to play. She said the pain level for her was improved Thursday.
“It was like a two to three today, so it was a little bit better,” Kerr said. “Honestly, Sunday last week when we played the one hole it was like nine. I got very lucky to not play that day and to go get treatment and come back out the next day and finish the round, to be able to finish.
“It was pretty bad. Of there were points last week where I didn’t think I was going to be able to finish. Since coming here and getting therapy and doing more cryotherapy, I definitely felt — in the pro-am as the day went on it got a little bit worse and I saved myself a few holes there, but today of the best I’ve felt in two weeks.”
CME Group Tour Championship: Leaderboard | Lexi leads early
Playing partner and rookie Andrea Lee was impressed with Kerr’s play Thursday. That included some up-and-downs for par, including chipping in for par on one hole.
“We just call her the Short Game Queen because she gets up and down from everywhere,” Lee said.
Andrea Lee had to miss the U.S. Women’s Open last week after testing positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 8, and withdrawing.
“It was definitely the worst week to get it,” Lee said Thursday. “I was really looking forward to playing Champions (in Houston). I’ve played there before a long time ago and was really looking forward to it. it happens. There’s nothing you can do about it. You’ve just got to hope that your health is good, and that you’re ready to go for the next one.”
Lee could not be cleared to play either day of the pro-am at the CME Group Tour Championship, and flew in Wednesday night, then played the first round Thursday. She shot a 1-under 71.
“I’m pretty satisfied with that honestly because I haven’t hit a ball in like 10 or 11 days,” said Lee, who had said she had mild symptoms. “I’ve just been stuck in my room trying to putt. I kind of went out there and trusted my caddie (Andrew Dearden) because he’s seen the course many times, so that was helpful.
“… I’m honestly glad that I’m just even here playing, even though I didn’t have any prep.”
Knowing she would have to go through the coronavirus testing protocol turned out to be a good thing for Robynn Ree. She saw she was first alternate, so decided to make the trip to Naples, because if she’d have to be tested and cleared in case she got in the field. So Ree flew in on the red eye, got tested, and went to play a practice round.
Wednesday afternoon she found out that Mi Hyang Lee had withdrawn, putting her into the tournament.
“I’m just really grateful to be play one more tournament before the season’s over,” said Ree, who shot a 2-over 74.
Caroline Masson was playing steadily, sitting at 1 under through 12 holes. But the 13th ended up being lucky for her. She hit a 9-iron on the short par-4, and it went in for an eagle.
BOOM! 💥 @CaroMasson with the hole out for eagle. 👏
Watch the @CMEGroupLPGA now on @GolfChannel! pic.twitter.com/sXmCjU6mnN
— LPGA (@LPGA) December 17, 2020
“It was pretty cool,” she said. “I had a pretty good number for a 9-iron, a little downwind, and kind of hit the shot I wanted and it pitched on top and just released a little bit. I kind of wasn’t really looking anymore because I thought it was good, but I didn’t realize it would go in.
“There were a couple people up by the green, which was nice. Started cheering and, yeah, definitely obviously a great bonus. It was a good shot, so nice to see something like that go in. You can never expect it.”
Masson also holed out during the pro-am Tuesday.
“So I’m hoping that they come in three this week,” she said.
Brooke Henderson, who has a condo at Miromar Lakes, had an inauspicious start at home. She made a triple bogey on No. 2, but Henderson was able to come back enough to get to 1 over.
After the double, Henderson played the next 14 holes at 2 under, and bogeyed No. 17, but came back with a birdie on No. 18.
Danielle Kang was moved during her media session Wednesday by an interaction with childhood cancer survivor Mary Browder, 17, who was at this tournament a year ago and beat Hodgkins lymphoma.
Kang pledged to donate $1,000 per birdie this week in Browder’s honor. She made four in Thursday’s first round.
CME Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy said a flat $500,000 donation for its season-long hole-in-one program will be made to St. Jude this year due to the abbreviated LPGA Tour schedule.
Terry Gannon is back for his second straight week at Tiburón. He did play-by-play for the PGA Tour’s QBE Shootout that ended Sunday, and he’ll do play-by-play for the CME Group Tour Championship through Sunday. Judy Rankin will be the analyst, with Tom Abbott in the tower, and Jerry Foltz and Karen Stupples as on-course analysts, and Damon Hack doing interviews. Foltz also was here for QBE coverage.
[lawrence-related id=778080933,778080909,778080834,778080769,778080748,778080673]
Andrea Lee withdrew from the U.S. Women’s Open on Wednesday after a positive COVID-19 test.
Andrea Lee tested positive for COVID-19 and has withdrawn from the 75th U.S. Women’s Open, the USGA announced. The LPGA rookie tested negative in a pre-tournament test last week in Dallas. After traveling to Houston, she tested again and received a positive result.
She is experiencing mild symptoms and currently quarantined. Japan’s Ayaka Watanabe has replaced her in the field.
“Andrea is part of the USGA family, having represented the USA in several team competitions, and we are disappointed to lose a player of her caliber from the field,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “We look forward to watching her play in future U.S. Women’s Open Championships for years to come.”
U.S. Women’s Open: Tee times | How to watch
Lee, 22, has competed in 14 USGA championships, including four U.S. Women’s Opens. At last year’s Women’s Open in Charleston, where she competed as an amateur, Lee made headlines when she was penalized for slow play.
The 2019 McCormack Medal winner won eight times at Stanford and has four top-20 finishes on the LPGA this season.
[vertical-gallery id=778079668]
A women’s flyweight bout pitting Andrea Lee vs. Gillian Robertson is headed for UFC 256 in December.
[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] will look to end her worst career skid next month.
A fight between Lee and [autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag] is in the works for on Dec. 12 at UFC 256 in Las Vegas, with verbal agreements in place. A person with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the impending booking but asked to remain anonymous since the UFC has yet to make an announcement.
Lee (11-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC), who’s currently on a three-fight losing streak, will attempt to get back in the win column in her seventh UFC bout. The 31-year-old is coming off a decision loss to veteran Roxanne Modafferi back in September at UFC Fight Night 177. Lee sits at No. 10 in the official UFC women’s flyweight rankings.
[lawrence-related id=565543,562193,562107]
On the other hand, Robertson (9-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who’s ranked 12th, enters with a good amount of momentum. The Canadian is on a two-fight winning streak and 4-1 in her last five bouts. Robertson most recently was in action last month when she defeated Poliana Botelho at UFC Fight Night 180.
With the addition, the UFC 256 lineup now includes:
Stacy Lewis highlights a group of 10 players added to the field for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, the USGA announced.
Houston resident and two-time major winner Stacy Lewis highlights a group of 10 players added to the field for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, the USGA announced. The contest’s 75th edition is set for Dec. 10-13 at Champions Golf Club in Houston. With qualifying rounds canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire 156-player field is made of up exempt players.
The 10 spots were filled using the 2020 LPGA money list (top 10 players, not otherwise exempt). Those players are: No. 7 Jasmine Suwannapura, No. 10 Stacy Lewis, No. 25 Jodi Ewart Shadoff, No. 33 Cydney Clanton, No. 37 Andrea Lee, No. 40 Mina Harigae, No. 42 Kelly Tan, No. 46 Perrine Delacour, No. 48 Xiyu Lin and No. 54 Lindsey Weaver.
WOO-HOO! I’M IN! So proud to share the news that I have officially EARNED an exemption into the field for the 75th @uswomensopen ! My first US Open since 2015! @tkreiter12 & I are so thankful to everyone who’s helped get us to here & we’re ready to take on another major!! 🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/3cz0zhsEA1
— Mina Harigae (@minaharigae) October 28, 2020
Lewis, 35, won the Ladies Scottish Open in a playoff earlier this year for her 13th career LPGA title and first since giving birth to daughter Chesnee. This marks her 14th U.S. Women’s Open appearance. She tied for third as a newly-minted pro in 2008 and finished runner-up to Michelle Wie in 2014.
Lee, a rookie on the LPGA, will make her fourth USWO appearance and first as a pro. The 2019 Mark H. McCormack Medal winner made the cut as an amateur at the 2019 Women’s Open at Charleston Country Club. The 22-year-old Stanford standout has two top-10 finishes in 2020’s abbreviated LPGA season.
Delacour will make her USWO debut this December. The Frenchwoman has posted three top 10s in 2020, including a third place at the 2020 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.
Weaver has made headlines since July for playing most of the season without a caddie. She was on the leaderboard well into the weekend at the AIG Women’s British Open, using a push cart in trying conditions at Royal Troon. The Dallas resident ultimately tied for 19th. This will be Weaver’s third USWO appearance, with her first coming in 2015 as an amateur.
In Houston, Weaver will have two tracks to learn in short order with both the Cypress Creek Course and Jackrabbit Course being used for the championship due to reduced daylight.
Last month, the USGA announced that the Women’s Open would not have fans on site due to the ongoing pandemic.
[jwplayer 82mu3zML-vgFm21H3]
[lawrence-related id=778071034,778071151]
UFC on ESPN+ 35 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 35 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $137,000.
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+ 35 took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card streamed ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 35 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Ottman Azaitar[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Khama Worthy[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag]: $20,000
[autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Alan Patrick[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Kevin Croom[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Roque Martinez[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Brok Weaver[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Anthony Ivy[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag]: $5,000
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $4,429,500
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $35,434,000
