Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The UFC’s 2024 campaign will soon kick off – and the first card of the year has experienced a makeover.
The first UFC event of 2024 has been hit with multiple lineup changes.
UFC Fight Night 234 takes place Jan. 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+. The lineup currently sits at 13 fights.
Over the past three days, however, that number has fluctuated with three withdrawals and two additions, as follows:
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 or officially announced by the promotions from Oct. 2-8.
Find out who joined the UFC in July and learn more about them here.
The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.
Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, “Dana White’s Contender Series” signees, or the increasingly rare straight-up additions. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.
“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.
Check out the July 2023 list below.
An unexpected medical issue caused Bassil Hafez to spend the night in the ER after his Fight of the Night debut vs. Jack Della Maddalena.
On less than a week’s notice, [autotag]Bassil Hafez[/autotag] made a splash with fans in his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 49, despite walking away with a loss on his record and an unexpected hospital visit that followed.
Monday evening of fight week, a short-notice call came that represented a massive opportunity for the 31-year-old fighter’s career. There was no chance he was passing on the chance to be a part of the UFC roster. However, the scramble to make weight for the co-main event bout against Jack Della Maddalena created unexpected medical issues.
While Hafez (8-4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) gave and took some big shots throughout the Fight of the Night battle at the UFC Apex, he says the issue that landed him in the hospital did not stem from trading with the hard-hitting Della Maddalena (15-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC).
“I did actually spend the night in the ER after the fight that same night, because I had some complications with the weight cut that were aftereffects that I didn’t even realize were as serious as they were,” Hafez told MMA Junkie. “So, I went to get a CAT scan to make sure my brain was good, that I didn’t have a concussion, which I ended up not having at all, which was good. And then they found out I had air in my esophagus. Then they did deeper tests and found I had air around my heart and lungs. … Basically, I guess the air could get worse and compress and push around my heart, and then I’d just basically die of a heart attack or a stroke.
“So, I had to spend the night in the ER, and then they fasted me. So, I went from the fight to a liquid diet right away and stayed overnight. They released me the next day, but after all that, I’m all good. I’m all healed up.”
According to Hafez, the ER doctor thought the problem came from the fight itself. Hafez disagrees with his assessment, stating that the “drastic” weight cut was the culprit. Regardless of what caused air to be trapped around his heart and lungs, the physician relayed good news, telling Hafez it will go away on its own and shouldn’t be a recurring issue going forward – but that doesn’t resolve his other lingering problems.
“I had several injuries going into the fight that I didn’t mention, that I think kind of limited my attack plan, in terms of striking and things I could do,” Hafez said. “So, I still have those bothering me because they got a little worse in the fight. But honestly, I feel pretty dang good, man. Confidence is good. I took that fight in stride. I think I won, but I understand how he won. And so next time, I’ll make sure not to leave it up to the judges.”
Given Hafez performed incredibly well under less-than-ideal circumstances, his place on the UFC roster is secure. That means he will have an opportunity to log a full fight camp ahead of his next fight, which he believes will make all the difference in the world the next time he steps inside the octagon.
“You’re going to see someone who’s in shape, someone who’s going to be a lot more technically sound, you’re going to see a lot better transitions and better technique changes to different things,” Hafez said. “It will be a lot less flying by the seat of my pants. Everything’s going to be calculated, controlled, and I’m going to be in better shape.”
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Bassil Hafez thinks the judges dropped the ball in his promotional debut loss to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC on ESPN 49 in Las Vegas.
[autotag]Bassil Hafez[/autotag] thinks the judges dropped the ball in his promotional debut loss to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC on ESPN 49.
Hafez (8-4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) stepped up to fight highly touted surging welterweight prospect Della Maddalena (15-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) on just five days’ notice at Saturday’s event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He was a massive betting underdog for the fight. He nearly pulled off the upset, but came out on the wrong end of a split decision.
After the decision, a number of fighters expressed on social media that Hafez was done wrong on the scorecards. Strong first and second rounds from him before Della Maddalena stormed back in the third should’ve been enough to get his hand raised, they thought, but two of the three judges didn’t agree.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for Hafez, but he’s handled the result with grace. He said he knows the circumstances weren’t ideal, but still thinks he should’ve got the nod.
“I want to say thank you to everyone reaching out, congratulating me,” Hafez said on his Instagram stories. “I thought I won the fight. I definitely still could’ve done more. One of the toughest weight cuts of my life, but I still showed up, made weight and fought my heart out. I love all my fans, all my people. Thank you. This is just the beginning. Can’t wait to get a camp and a proper weight cut, and congratulations to Jack. He’s a beast and his striking is on point. I showed that I can take his punches and maybe we’ll meet again in the future.”
Bassil Hafez’s response to his split decision loss at #UFCVegas77 pic.twitter.com/cHGd2NTjTW
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) July 16, 2023
Hafez, 31, trains at Elevation Fight Team in Denver. Training partners such as Justin Gaethje and Anthony Smith have chimed in on his debut performance, and said they weren’t at all surprised about the tenacity of the newcomer.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 49.
Check out all the post-fight facts from UFC on ESPN 49, where Mayra Bueno Silva put herself in the same category as Ronda Rousey.
UFC on ESPN 49, which took place Saturday at the UFC Ape in Las Vegas, had a slow start to the event, but ultimately ended with a bang.
[autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag] (11-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) continued her rise up the women’s bantamweight contender list when she scored a second-round submission of former champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) to become a true title contender.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 49.
UFC on ESPN 49 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 on ESPN 49 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $126,500.
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 49 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 49 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Bassil Hafez[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Fransisco Prado[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ottman Azaitar[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Junyong Park[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Albert Duraev[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Chelsea Chandler[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Nazim Sadykhov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Melsik Baghdasaryan[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tucker Lutz[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Viktoriia Dudakova[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Istela Nunes[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Melquizael Costa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Evan Elder[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Genaro Valdez[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Azat Maksum[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Alexander Munoz[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Carl Deaton[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ashlee Evans-Smith[/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 $49,000 while title challengers get $49,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-49 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $4,555,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $19,144,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 49.
Bassil Hafez nearly pulled off one of the upsets of the year so far but fell short vs. Jack Della Maddalena at UFC on ESPN 49.
[autotag]Bassil Hafez[/autotag] performed way beyond expectations in his short-notice promotional debut against [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 49, but ultimately didn’t have enough in the tank to secure the upset.
After Hafez (8-4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had a strong start to the welterweight fight after stepping up on five days’ notice, Della Maddalena (15-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) closed the fight with some heavy damage and convinced the judges at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas to avoid him with a split decision win. The scores were 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.
“I thought it could go either way,” Della Maddalena said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “When I heard it was a split, the judges don’t always make good decisions, so, I thought I had a good shot.”
After a crazy back and forth match…
JDM takes the split decision at #UFCVegas77! pic.twitter.com/wZxuqFpo1F
— UFC (@ufc) July 16, 2023
Hafez started super aggressive and took Della Maddalena down in the opening 10 seconds of the fight. He spent nearly two minutes pressuring Della Maddalena before the fight got back to its feet, where they exchanged and each landed hard shots. Hafez kept pursuing the takedowns throughout the round and and found moments of success on the feet, as well, to close a surprising first round for the promotional newcomer.
Della Maddalena entered a second round for the first time in his UFC career, and he responded well. Hafez tagged him on the feet multiple times and kept chasing the takedown, but Della Maddalena stayed composed and landed some hard shots that had Hafez wilting. He made a crucial error with a mistimed takedown attempt, however, which allowed Hafez to spend nearly the entirety of the final two minutes on top.
Your co-main came to fight 😳 #UFCVegas77 pic.twitter.com/dFSmaz2l2o
— UFC (@ufc) July 16, 2023
In a desperate situation to start the final round, Della Maddalena forced Hafez to exchange with him and started to land some huge blows. Hafez’s conditioning fell off a cliff after taking the fight on short notice, and he struggled to take the shots while exhausted. Della Maddalena poured it on and took the back off a failed takedown. He threatened with a submission as well as ground-and-pound, but then Hafez reversed the position with one minute remaining. Della Maddalena managed to get back on top to close out a tension-filled close to the fight.
“I did expect (him to be so tough),” Della Maddalena said. “The guy with such a big opportunity o come out here and bring the fight. That’s what I wanted. I wanted a three-round fight, so cheers, Bassil.”
The fight was the first time in Della Maddalena’s UFC tenure thus far that he hasn’t finished a fight in the first round. He’s won five straight at 170 pounds, though, which is tied for the longest active UFC streak in the weight class.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 49 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 49.
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Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 224 odds and lines between Jack Della Maddalena vs. Bassil Hafez with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a welterweight bout on the main card, Jack Della Maddalena and Bassil Hafez meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 224 — also known as UFC on ESPN 49 and UFC Vegas 77 — at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 224: Maddalena vs. Hafez odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The prelims are on ESPN/ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET and the main card is on ESPN/ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET.
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
Records: Della Maddalena (14-2-0) | Hafez (8-3-1)
Della Maddalena heads to the octagon with 4 victories in 4 tries since making his UFC debut in January 2022, all of which have been via 1st round stoppages. That includes a submission victory over Randy Brown at 2:13 of the opening round at UFC 284 in February.
The 26-year-old has posted an impressive 8.27 significant strikes landed per minute while posting a 51.55% significant strike accuracy percentage. He also has a 0.57 submission average.
Hafez makes his UFC debut at 31 years old. He previously fought at Fury FC, posting a 3rd-round knockout of Evan Cutts last time out at Fury FC 75 in February. The welterweight has gone the distance in 4 of his past 6 outings.
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Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:40 a.m. ET.
The veteran Della Maddalena (-550) will cost you 5 1/2 times your potential return, and that’s just too expensive, even as part of a multi-fighter parlay.
The Aussie has won 3 of his 4 fights via KO/TKO in the 1st round since making his UFC debut. However, taking Della Maddalena by KO/TKO or DQ (-275) is still just too steep of a price. Instead, consider DELLA MADDALENA BY KO/TKO/DQ IN ROUND 1 (-120) for a much better value.
Will the fight go the distance? No (-750) will cost you 7 1/2 times your potential return, and that’s obviously too expensive too. Under 1.5 Rounds (-210) will also cost you more than 2 times your return. It’s probably best to just AVOID, and focus on the method of victory.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.
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Bassil Hafez thinks he’s going to surprise a lot of people in his short-notice debut against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC on ESPN 49.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Bassil Hafez[/autotag] thinks he’s going to surprise a lot of people in his short-notice debut against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC on ESPN 49.
Hafez (8-3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) accepted a fight with surging welterweight contender Della Maddalena (14-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) on just five days’ notice after the Australian had multiple fights fall through last week at UFC 290.
He’s a heavy betting favorite, but he warns the world to count him out at its own peril.
“I know that a lot of people might doubt me, but doubt all you want,” Hafez told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 49 media day. “I’m showing up on. short notice, I’m putting on a fight and I’m going to stake my claim in the UFC.”
Hafez faces Della Maddalena in a three-round welterweight bout at the UFC Apex. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
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The 31-year-old who has been fighting professionally since January 2016 admits he would’ve preferred a full training camp for this moment, but knows opportunities like this can’t be declined. He has studied Della Maddalena’s game during the time available, and is confident he can overcome expectations.
“I’m a hard-working fighter, a gritty fighter,” Hafez said. “I always try to put on a show for the fans and I always try to get the finish, and not get finished. I take pride in that, that I’ve never been finished. My goal is to fight Jack and beat Jake this Saturday, and prove that I deserve to be here. And to not get finished. I know he’s finished his last four opponents in the first round – I believe I’m going to be the toughest opponent he’s fought yet.”
No matter the circumstances, it’s a big moment and a big stage for Hafez, and he’s doing his best to embrace it.
“I texted my manger right away saying I would take that fight in a heartbeat (at UFC 290),” Hafez said. “Then they tried to get it, but his team ended up picking Josiah Harrell. Then the issue happened with the MRI and I got the call Monday through my manager Jason House at Iridium, and (it was) tears of joy. It was a shock, but also super excited.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 49.
