Video: UFC on ESPN 43 media day live stream, interviews

Watch Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 43 media day live from San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO – The UFC is making its return to the great state of Texas, and they’re doing it with a pivotal bantamweight matchup leading the event.

Marlon Vera (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) vs. Cory Sandhagen (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) headlines UFC on ESPN 43. On the co-main event of the card, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yana Santos[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC).

UFC on ESPN 43 takes place Saturday night at AT&T Center. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+. Below is the expected schedule for Wednesday’s media day (ET times):

  • 11:30 a.m. Cory Sandhagen
  • 12 p.m. [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag]
  • 12:15 p.m. [autotag]Albert Duraev[/autotag]
  • 12:30 p.m. [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]
  • 1 p.m. Yana Santos
  • 1:15 p.m. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]
  • 1:45 p.m. Marlon Vera
  • 1 p.m. [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]
  • 2:15 p.m. Holly Holm
  • 2:30 p.m. [autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]
  • 2:45 p.m. [autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]
  • 3:15 p.m. [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]
  • 3:30 p.m. [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (March 13-19)

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 March 13-19.

UFC Fight Night 221 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $16 million

UFC Fight Night 221 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 221 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $194,000.

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 Fight Night 221 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 221 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Lukasz Brzeski[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]JJ Aldrich [/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag]: $4,500

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 2217 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2211 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 $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,634,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,153,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC Fight Night 221 with Tupac, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Elvis

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 221 event.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

See what the fighters from UFC Fight Night 221 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

UFC Fight Night 221 predictions: Petr Yan or Merab Dvalishvili in heated rivalry?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 221 main card, which features Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili at bantamweight.

Yan
vs.
Dvalishvili
Romanov
vs.
Volkov
Krylov
vs.
Spann
Lingo
vs.
Ramos
Martinez
vs.
Nurmagomedov
Petrino
vs.
Turkalj
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
23-14
yan2023
Yan
(56%)
romanov2023
Romanov
(53%)
spann2023
Spann
(59%)
ramos2023
Ramos
(75%)
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
(84%)
petrino2023
Petrino
(71%)
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
27-13
yan2023
Yan
romanov2023
Romanov
krylov2023
Krylov
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Nolan King
@mma_kings
26-14/em>
yan2023
Yan
volkov2023
Volkov
spann2023
Spann
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Matt Erickson
@MattE
26-14
dvalishvili2023
Dvalishvili
romanov2023
Romanov
spann2023
Spann
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
26-14
dvalishvili2023
Dvalishvili
romanov2023
Romanov
spann2023
Spann
lingo2023
Lingo
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
25-15
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion
yan2023
Yan
romanov2023
Romanov
spann2023
Spann
lingo2023
Lingo
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
24-16
yan2023
Yan
romanov2023
Romanov
spann2023
Spann
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
24-16
yan2023
Yan
volkov2023
Volkov
krylov2023
Krylov
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
24-16
dvalishvili2023
Dvalishvili
volkov2023
Volkov
krylov2023
Krylov
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
23-17
trophy copy 2014 Champion
dvalishvili2023
Dvalishvili
romanov2023
Romanov
spann2023
Spann
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
22-18
trophy copy 2017 Champion
yan2023
Yan
romanov2023
Romanov
krylov2023
Krylov
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
22-18
dvalishvili2023
Dvalishvili
romanov2023
Romanov
spann2023
Spann
lingo2023
Lingo
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino

The UFC stays in Las Vegas this week with a heated bantamweight rivalry atop the card.

UFC Fight Night 221 takes place Saturday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels 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, former bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC). Yan is a -260 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Dvalishvili is +210. But it’s not a blowout. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Yan ahead by the smallest possible margin at 6-5.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) meets [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (35-10 MMA, 9-4 UFC) at heavyweight. Romanov is a slight favorite at -150, but he has a big 8-3 lead in the picks.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] (29-9 MMA, 10-7 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in a fight rescheduled from two weeks ago when Krylov fell ill on fight day at UFC Fight Night 220. Krylov and Spann were set to headline that card. Krylov is a -170 favorite in the light heavyweight rebooted bout, but it’s Spann with a 7-4 picks lead.

[autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) are set to tangle at featherweight. Ramos is the biggest favorite on the main card at -370 and he has a big 8-3 lead from our staff members.

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is a -270 favorite against [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at bantamweight and is one of our two 11-0 unanimous picks on the main card.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and [autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) have pick’em odds in their light heavyweight matchup. Despite that, Petrino is our second unanimous pick.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Yan (56 percent), Romanov (53 percent), Spann (59 percent), Ramos (75 percent), Nurmagomedov (84 percent) and Petrino 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 221.

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UFC Fight Night 221’s Austin Lingo eyes ‘in-and-out’ win over ‘dangerous’ Ricardo Ramos after long layoff

After almost two years away from the octagon, Austin Lingo is hoping for a quick night at UFC Fight Night 221.

LAS VEGAS – After almost two years away from the octagon, [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] is hoping for a quick night at UFC Fight Night 221.

Lingo (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) returns against [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on Saturday’s main card at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

Lingo was forced to withdraw from two fights due to injury but doesn’t expect ring rust to play a factor against Ramos.

“He’s a really good fighter,” Lingo told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 221 media day. “He’s well rounded. He’s got a lot of good knockouts that I’ve seen. He’s dangerous, so I’m ready.”

[lawrence-related id=2622816,2622833,2622617]

With Ramos’ ability to finish fights both on the feet and the ground, Lingo can see the fight finishing before the final bell sounds.

“We’re both heavy hitters,” Lingo said. “So we’ll see how it goes.”

He continued, “In and out, that’s the best way.”

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Ramos said he sees his path to victory on the ground. Although he owns two of only five spinning back elbow knockouts, the jiu-jitsu blackbelt likes his chances on the ground against “Lights Out” Lingo.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.

Video: UFC Fight Night 221 media day live stream

Before UFC Fight Night 221 on Saturday, the main card fighters are scheduled to speak to reporters at media day.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC’s busy schedule continues Saturday with UFC Fight Night 221, which takes place at the The Theater at Virgin Hotels and streams on ESPN+.

A critical bantamweight main event serves as the final act on the card, with former champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) slated to clash with streaking contender Merab Dvalishvili (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in a contest scheduled for five rounds.

Before fight night arrives, though, the 12 athletes from the main card are scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday at media day, and MMA Junkie will have a live stream beginning at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.

Ricardo Ramos: Takedowns and jiu-jitsu my ‘No. 1 strategy’ against Austin Lingo at UFC Fight Night 221

Ricardo Ramos sees his path to victory against Austin Lingo on the ground at UFC Fight Night 221 in Las Vegas next week.

[autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag] sees his path to victory against [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] on the ground.

Featherweights Ramos (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Lingo (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) square off on the UFC Fight Night 221 main card March 11 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.

The Brazilian fighter is coming off a brutal spinning back elbow knockout of Danny Chavez in June 2022. But with most of his career-wins coming by submission, he aims to capitalize on Lingo’s forward pressure by taking him to the ground.

“I see I can go to the ground, I can strike,” Ramos told MMA Junkie. “You always feel in the fight, but of course I’ve been training my jiu-jitsu, training a lot of takedowns, and also the striking. But takedowns and jiu-jitsu are really my strategy going into this fight for sure. He’s a good striker. He’s an aggressive guy and he likes to come forward, always throwing combos, so it’s good to cut this off and go to the ground and don’t make him comfortable in his game. So it’s probably the No. 1 strategy.”

[lawrence-related id=2555350,2555299,2554787]

Ramos’ bonus-winning finish of Chavez was a spectacular one, but it’s not the first time he’s landed that same move. Ramos was also able to put Aiemann Zahabi out cold with his elbow, and now is the owner of two of five spinning back elbow knockouts in UFC history.

But with Lingo going by the moniker “Lights Out” and currently on a two-fight winning streak, Ramos is taking him seriously.

“He’s pretty good,” Ramos said. “He’s a great fighter, very aggressive, he likes to strike, and it’s a tough fight. In the UFC, there are no easy fights. Every fight is really good. You’ve got to respect your opponent. He’s training to beat my ass, so I’ve got to train to beat his ass.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.

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.

David Onama awaits new UFC on ESPN 39 opponent after Austin Lingo withdraws

UFC on ESPN 39 is down a man as David Onama awaits a potential short-notice replacement to step in for Austin Lingo.

UFC on ESPN 39 is down a man.

[autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] has withdrawn from his bout against [autotag]David Onama[/autotag], which was scheduled for Saturday’s card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the lineup change informed MMA Junkie of the withdrawal but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an announcement.

The promotion currently is seeking a short-notice replacement to fight Onama (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC). It is unclear why Lingo (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) withdrew from the bout.

Onama, 28, has gathered a lot of attention despite his split two-fight stint in the UFC thus far. After he lost a thrilling, short-notice battle against Mason Jones, he violently knocked out Gabriel Benitez to notch his first UFC win.

The withdrawal marks the second straight booking Lingo has pulled out of.

The current UFC on ESPN 39 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev
  • Caio Borralho vs. Armen Petrosyan
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
  • Jamie Pickett vs. Denis Tiuliulin
  • Chase Sherman vs. Jared Vanderaa
  • Michael Johnson vs. Jamie Mullarkey

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Nina Nunes
  • Ricky Turcios vs. Aiemann Zahabi
  • Cortney Casey vs. Antonina Shevchenko
  • Cody Brundage vs. Tresean Gore
  • Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Karl Roberson
  • Saidyokub Kakhramonov vs. Ronnie Lawrence

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