Deiveson Figueiredo’s performance at UFC on ESPN+ 30 netted a championship belt — and some extra cash.
[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]’s performance at UFC on ESPN+ 30 was a tour de force, as he dominated his main event fight against [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] from wire to wire to claim the vacant UFC flyweight title.
So it should come as little surprise Figueiredo (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) also takes home one of the four post-fight performance bonuses Saturday night. Figueiredo’s technical submission of Benavidez at 4:48 of the opening round earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus, which means he earns an extra $50,000 for his efforts. It was the second postfight bonus of his UFC career.
Also earning “Performance of the Night” honors was [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag], who scored a memorable kneebar submission victory over Luna Carolina on the undercard. The 88-second win for Lipski (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was her second in a row, and the “POTN” was her first postfight award.
“Fight of the Night” honors went to a lightweight main card bout between [autotag]Rafael Fiziev [/autotag]and [autotag]Marc Diakese[/autotag]. Fiziev took the unanimous decision after an entertaining 15 minutes of action, but both go home $50K richer. Diakese (14-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) had his second career postfight bonus, while Fiziev (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) takes home his first.
Ariane Lipski’s kneebar was tough to watch, so we can only imagine how it felt to be on the receiving end of the winning hold.
Human knees are not meant to bend in the direction [autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] found her left knee going into on Saturday night, and that made for a quick victory for [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag].
Lipski (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC), an impressive competitor out of Brazil, saw an opening in a grappling exchange, straightened the leg out, and leaned all the way back, causing Carolina (6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) to tap at the 1:38 mark of the opening round in their UFC on ESPN+ 30 main card bout at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
That marked both the seventh first-round finish in Lipski’s career, and the second-fastest submission victory in UFC flyweight history.
“She was trying to take my neck,” Lipski said in her post-fight interview. “I have trained this sub before then I pushed her leg and I was pretty sure it was working.”
That’s two straight wins for Lipski, who has left an 0-2 UFC start in her dust.
You can check out her wince-inducing handiwork below (via Twitter):
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The UFC’s third of four straight events on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi goes down Saturday with a vacant flyweight title fight getting a redo in the main event.
UFC on ESPN+ 30 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The card streams on ESPN+.
In the main event, [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) in a rematch for the vacant 125-pound title. Figueiredo knocked out Benavidez in February, but was not eligible to win the title because he missed weight. But Friday, he hit the title-fight limit on the scale. He’s more than a 2-1 favorite, but it’s the underdog, Benavidez, with a big 11-3 lead in the picks from our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.
In the co-main event, [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) meets [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in a middleweight bout. The fight is a pick’em with the oddsmakers, but Gastelum has a sizable 9-5 lead from our pickers.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is a -160 favorite in his lightweight fight against [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), and he’s the closest thing we have to a unanimous pick with 13 of 14 of our staff members taking him to win.
[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in a women’s flyweight fight that has Lipski as just a slight favorite. But she’s a heavy favorite in the picks at 11-3.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is more than a 2-1 favorite against [autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] (11-0-1 MMA, 1-0-1 UFC) at flyweight. He’s hoping to get the next title shot with a win, but he’s got just an 8-6 picks lead.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Figueiredo (58 percent), Gastelum (57 percent), Diakiese (78 percent), Lipski (51 percent) and Pantoja (71 percent) are the choices.
Ariane Lipski wants to go back to her violent ways at UFC on ESPN+ 30.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] wants to go back to her violent ways on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 30.
After starting her UFC career with back-to-back losses, Lipski (12-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) finally got her first octagon triumph in November. That helped restore some of her confidence, and now she wants to show what she’s really all about.
Lipski got some hype for her pre-UFC run with KSW and became known as “The Violence Queen.” She has yet to live up to that reputation in the UFC but intends for that to happen this weekend when she takes on Luana Carolina (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a women’s flyweight matchup.
“What I really, really want for this fight is to win by KO,” Lipski told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC on ESPN+ 30 media day. “I’ve been missing this, and I will try for this since the start of the fight I will try to finish the fight, because this is my style. I will be prepared for three rounds, for a war, but after that I’m looking for the rankings and I have to talk with my coach, my manager and I’m looking toward the rankings.”
Lipski, who meets Carolina on the UFC on ESPN+ 30 main card, which streams on ESPN+ from Flash Forum at Yas Island, said the pressure relieved from her first UFC win changed a lot of things.
Despite the limiting conditions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Lipski said she’s been able to work a lot on her game over the past seven months and expects to show her best product yet in the UFC.
“For sure I’m prepared,” Lipski said. “I feel very prepared. I want to go to the cage and enjoy and show a lot of techniques I’m improving. This is my style. Just push hard. She’s a striker, and I hope this will be a great fight.
“I like to knock out my opponent, and I’m trying it. I think everything has a right time, and I learned a lot with my last year, and I think I’ve grown as a fighter, and I think now is the right moment to show it.”
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 30 event in Abu Dhabi.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 30 event in Abu Dhabi.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN+ 30 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 30 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The card streams on ESPN+.
Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:
“Fight Island” is real, and now the four cards that will take place there are real, as well.
“Fight Island” is real, and now the four cards that will take place there are real, as well.
UFC president Dana White today announced the complete lineup for the four cards that will take place next month in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The unique setup has been necessitated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has made it difficult to get international fighters into the U.S. to compete.
“I think this is going to be a really unique experience, not just for the fighters, but for us,” UFC president Dana White said during the announcement. “It’s going to be cool. It’s going to be something different. It’s never been done before, and however long this thing goes on, and however long it’s hard to get people in from other countries, we will have these fights at ‘Fight Island’ – Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.”
First up, it’s UFC 251 on July 11, which features a trio of title fights.
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Champ [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] – for welterweight title
Champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] – for featherweight title
[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] – for vacant bantamweight title
[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]
[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]
[autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]
[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Danny Henry[/autotag]
[autotag]Roman Bogatov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Alexander Romanov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]
[autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag]
[autotag]Vanessa Melo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]
[autotag]Martin Day[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]
Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige
The promotion then returns on July 15 with an event headlined by featherweight contenders [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC).
The complete lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (10 p.m. ET)
Calvin Kattar vs. Dan Ige
[autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]
[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag]
[autotag]Chris Fishgold[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY (7 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vinicius Moreira[/autotag]
[autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Taila Santos[/autotag]
[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]
[autotag]John Phillips[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag]
[autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]
[autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag]
Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo
Three days later, on July 18, the promotion hosts its third card in eight days, when top flyweight contenders [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) meet for a second time with the vacant UFC flyweight title on the line.
The full card includes:
MAIN CARD (9 p.m. ET)
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez – for vacant flyweight title
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]
[autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]
[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]
[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (6 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khadis Ibragimov[/autotag]
[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nad Narimani[/autotag]
[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Joe Duffy[/autotag]
[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag]
[autotag]Aleksander Doskalchuk[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]
[autotag]Davi Ramos[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]
[autotag]Carlos Felipe[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]
Darren Till and Robert Whittaker
Finally, the UFC’s run in Abu Dhabi ends on July 25 with a much-anticipated middleweight contest between former champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) and former welterweight title challenger [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC).
That night’s full lineup includes:
MAIN CARD
Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till
[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag]
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD
[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]
[autotag]Raphael Pessoa[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]
[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag]
[autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]
[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]
[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag]
The UFC has rebooked Luana Carolina vs. Ariane Lipski and added the matchup to its June 13 card.
[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] is back on.
Originally booked for May 16 on the canceled UFC card in San Diego, the matchup will now be a part of the upcoming June 13 lineup expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. That’s pending Nevada Athletic Commission approval to resume combat sports in the state after the coronavirus pandemic forced a pause.
Both fighters recently confirmed the news on social media after an initial report by Combate.
Carolina (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) looks to break the curse of three-straight canceled bouts. Her lone UFC outing took place at UFC 237 in May 2019, when she defeated Priscila Cachoeira by unanimous decision. Thrice Carolina has been scheduled since – with all three fights being scrapped after booking.
Lipski (12-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) rides high off of her first UFC victory in her third attempt. After dropping back-to-back fights against Joanne Calderwood and Molly McCann to start her UFC tenure, Lipski defeated Isabela de Padua by unanimous decision in November.
With the addition, the UFC’s June 13 lineup includes:
The UFC has booked a fight between Ariane Lipski and Luana Carolina for a yet-to-be-announced event on May 16.
A flyweight matchup is on tap for May 16.
The UFC has booked a fight between [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] and [autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] for a yet-to-be-announced event on May 16. While unofficial, San Diego is currently the frontrunner city to host the event. No broadcast information has surfaced at this time.
Both fighters confirmed the booking on their respective Instagram pages after an initial report from AG Fight.
In addition to providing confirmation of her fight booking, Lipski (12-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) announced she’s signed a six-fight extension deal with the UFC. A former KSW champion, Lipski signed with the UFC shortly after winning the Polish promotion’s title. After dropping her first two promotional appearances to Joanne Calderwood and Molly McCann, Lipski picked up her first UFC win over Isabella de Padua in November.
As for Carolina (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), she has won six straight fights since losing her professional debut in 2015. Carolina punched her ticket to the UFC after an impressive performance on Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil in 2018. At UFC 237 in May, Carolina made a successful UFC debut when she defeated Priscila Cachoeira by unanimous decision.
Result: Ariane Lipski def. Isabella de Padua via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27) Updated records: Lipski (12-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC), de Padua (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) Key stat: Although de Padua landed a pair of takedowns, Lipski nearly doubled up on her in the striking department at 175-90 overall.
[lawrence-related id=463785,463761,463127]
Lipski on the fight’s key moment
“That was not even a submission (that she had on me). I train jiu-jitsu and participate in jiu-jitsu tournaments. That was an inverted triangle, and I was just trying to get out. She was not locking me in. There is no submission in that position.”
Lipski on the challenges of a short-notice opponent
“They booed me, but no one knows what’s going on behind the scenes. I made weight – I did my part. I trained for four months. My opponent changed four times during my camp. I accepted this fight with one day’s notice. I could have not accepted, but I agreed because I prepared so much for that day. I did my best. I know I won every round, but I also know that I can’t please everyone.”
Lipski on getting her first UFC win
“I’m so thrilled that I got the win at home – it’s a dream I’ve had since I started in the UFC. Last year was not my best moment as an athlete, but today I knew I would come out with the win anyway.”
