Tag: Ben Rothwell

MMA Junkie Radio #3022: Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal at Super Bowl, Ben Rothwell (guest), more

“Gorgeous” George and “Goze” discuss the latest MMA news and notes, including what went down at the Super Bowl, plus Ben Rothwell joins the show.

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Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On Episode No. 3,022 of the podcast, the fellas react to the latest MMA news and notes, including what happened between UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] at the Super Bowl.

THE RUNDOWN

  • The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs play in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday in Miami. We talk a little bit about the big game.
  • Speaking of Super Bowl, did you see the altercation between Usman and Masvidal on Radio Row in Miami? Does this make you want to see this fight more, or do you think Masvidal vs. Conor McGregor makes more sense still? We break it down.
  • Bellator middleweight champion [autotag]Rafael Lovato Jr.[/autotag] has revealed he has a brain condition that will require him to put his career on hold. He wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s retiring. What does this all mean?
  • Now we’ve got [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] chiming in on Stephen A. Smith’s UFC 246 take and – plot twist! – Diaz insists that Joe Rogan and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] should be the ones apologizing to Stephen A. Do we agree?
  • Speaking of Diaz, [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] still wants that fight – be it in MMA or boxing. Does that intrigue you?
  • [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] took to social media with an insensitive post about the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that included a picture of UFC strawweight champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag], who didn’t appreciate this. Did Jedrzejczyk go too far?
  • We close out the show with UFC heavyweight [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] joining the show. He talks about his expectations for 2020 and much more.

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Gian Villante moves to heavyweight, takes on Ben Rothwell at UFC 249

Meet the newest member of the UFC heavyweight division: Gian Villante.

[autotag]Gian Villante[/autotag] is moving up.

The Long Island native will fight in his home state of New York when he takes on [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] at UFC 249.

MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with a person with knowledge of the situation following an initial report by Newsday on Monday.

Villante (17-11 MMA, 7-8 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over the span of his past four outings. After he defeated Francimar Barroso in January 2018, Villante dropped a split decision to Sam Alvey in June of the same year.

In October 2018, Villante earned a split-decision nod against Ed Herman. His most recent fight came in February, when Villante was finished by strikes in 94 seconds by Michal Oleksiejczuk.

As for Rothwell (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC), the Wisconsin-based big man is riding momentum from a controversial TKO victory at UFC on ESPN 7 in early December 2019. After striking Struve in the groin multiple times, Rothwell rallied to pick up a late second-round stoppage. The win snapped a three-fight losing streak.

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UFC 249 takes place April 18 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The main card streams on pay-per-view following prelims likely on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

With the addition, the UFC 249 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson – for lightweight title
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas
  • Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Souza
  • Ben Rothwell vs. Gian Villante

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MMA rankings report: UFC on ESPN 7 fallout

MMA Junkie’s John Morgan and George Garcia walk you through everything you need to know about the new rankings.

UFC on ESPN 7 is in the books, and with it came ramifications to the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings:

  • [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]’s late knockout of Alistair Overeem had implications on the heavyweight rankings.
  • [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] had a controversial win over Stefan Struve in the same division.
  • [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] and [autotag]Marina Rodriguez [/autotag]fought to a draw at strawweight.
  • [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] bounced back from her first career loss with an impressive victory over Yana Kunitskaya.

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How did these results and more play out in this week’s USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings? Let “Gorgeous” George Garcia and John Morgan walk you through all the changes of note in the video above.

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Spinning Back Clique: UFC 245 preview, UFC DC reaction

MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” unpack the latest MMA news and notes in Episode 6 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, John Morgan, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” react to what transpired at UFC on ESPN 7 and preview what’s to come this Saturday at UFC 245.

Show rundown:

  • [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] at UFC DC. He was getting mostly dominated and on his way to a guaranteed decision loss before a huge right hand knocked out Overeem (and shattered his lip) with four seconds remaining in the fifth round. Rozenstruik remains undefeated at 10-0 overall and 4-0 in the UFC. But after that performance, are we buying or selling him as a legit contender at heavyweight?
  • [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] delivered a pair of painful groin’ kicks to [autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag] at UFC DC, then went on to score a TKO victory – but not before referee Dan Miragliotta advised Struve to continue fighting. Since when should a referee be offering fighters advice during a fight?
  • [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] made history as the first woman to step inside the octagon back in 2013. More recently, she competed for a UFC title again earlier this year but lost to flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Carmouche, 4-2 in her last six fights, was released last Friday by the UFC – get this – while she was in Washington D.C. doing a promotional tour with troops for the promotion. What do we make of her unceremonious exit, and what’s next for her?
  • It’s UFC 245 fight week, which means we’re on the verge of finally seeing [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] clash with [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], who’s been promoting the heck out of this showdown, but has he gone too far?
  • Speaking of UFC 245, there are two other big title fights on the card: [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] 2. Which challenger is more likely to win? And which “old dog” on the main card is more likely to turn back the clock: [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] or [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag]?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 6 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

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MMA Junkie Radio #3008: UFC on ESPN 7 reaction, Justin Gaethje’s title hopes, more

Hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” react to the latest MMA news and notes, and unpack UFC on ESPN 7.

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On Episode No. 3,008 of the podcast, the guys take a look back at UFC on ESPN 7 and react to the latest news and notes in MMA.

THE RUNDOWN:

  • [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] was on his way to a guaranteed loss to [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] in the UFC DC main event until he landed a miraculous knockout with four seconds left to steal a victory. But should the fight have been stopped when it was?
  • Even though [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] and [autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag] only walked away with draws in their respective fights, did they really win in the eyes of the matchmakers?
  • Between Dan Miragliotta’s aforementioned stoppage in the headline and him advising [autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag] to keep fighting [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] despite some low blows, what gives? Is the veteran referee going through a slump or something?
  • [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] has decided he won’t be the odd man out and is content with being patient until he gets a title shot. What do we think of this?
  • [autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag] is back? Well, the UFC Hall of Famer did submit [autotag]Alberto El Patron[/autotag] over the weekend in Combate Americas. Does that qualify as him being back, though? Are we really saying that?

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at AudioBoom, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

UFC on ESPN 7 post-event facts: Jairzinho Rozenstruik joins record books with late TKO

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 7, which saw Jairzinho Rozenstruik beat Alistair Overeem in Washington, D.C.

The UFC returned to Washington, D.C., on Saturday for the first time since 2011 with UFC on ESPN 7, which took place at Capital One Arena. The 12-fight lineup aired on ESPN following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+.

A new heavyweight contender emerged in the main event when [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) got his fourth consecutive victory since joining the promotion earlier this year with a come-from-behind TKO of [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (45-18 MMA, 10-7 UFC) in the fifth round of their matchup.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 40 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 7.

* * * *

General

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UFC on ESPN 7 marked the third event in UFC history to feature two draws. UFC 22 and UFC 216 were the others.

The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $177,000.

Debuting fighters went 2-2 at the event.

[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag], [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] and [autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 7 fight-night bonuses.

UFC on ESPN 7 drew an announced attendance of 10,816 for a live gate of $932,593.20.
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Betting favorites went 9-1 on the card. Two fights ended in a draw.

Betting favorites improved to 21-17 (one fight had even odds, one ended in a no contest) in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:21:07.

Main card

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Rozenstruik earned his second UFC victory in a 35-day stretch.

Rozenstruik’s four-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Rozenstruik has earned nine of his 10 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished all of those wins by knockout.

Rozenstruik’s knockout at the 4:56 mark of Round 5 marked the third latest stoppage in UFC history behind Demetrious Johnson’s win (4:59 of Round 5) at UFC 186 and Yair Rodriguez’s victory (4:59 of Round 5) at UFC Fight Night 139.

Overeem’s 14 knockout losses in MMA competition are the most of any active member on the UFC roster.

Overeem’s 12 knockout losses in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are the most in combined organizational history.

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[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-0-2 MMA, 2-0-2 UFC) is the only female fighter in UFC history to fight to multiple draws.

[autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (8-1-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) has completed at least one takedown in six of her seven UFC appearances.

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[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC) improved to 1-2 since he returned to competition from a nearly three-year layoff in March 2019. He earned his first victory since January 2016.

Rothwell has earned 34 of his 37 career victories by stoppage. That includes four of his seven UFC wins.

[autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag] (29-12 MMA, 13-10 UFC) fell to 1-4 in his past five UFC appearances dating back to September 2017.

Struve has suffered all seven of his UFC stoppage losses by knockout.

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[autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned seven of her nine career victories by stoppage. That includes three of her four UFC wins.

Ladd’s three knockout victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are tied with Ronda Rousey and Germaine de Randamie for second most in divisional history behind Amanda Nunes (six).

[autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) fell to 2-1 since she returned to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in October 2018.

Kunitskaya has suffered four of her five career losses by stoppage. Both of her UFC defeats have come by knockout.

Simon (15-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

Preliminary card

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[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag] (29-11-1 MMA, 11-8 UFC) improved to 9-6 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.

Means has earned 24 of his 29 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his 11 UFC wins.

[autotag]Thiago Alves[/autotag] (23-15 MMA, 15-12 UFC) fell to 2-6 in his past eight fights dating back to May 2015.

[autotag]Jacob Kilburn[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered all three of his career losses by submission.

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Mitchell (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) earned the second Twister submission victory in UFC history. Chan Sung Jung also accomplished the feat.

Mitchell has earned all of his career stoppage victories by submission.

[autotag]Matt Sayles[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of his career.

[autotag]Matt Wiman[/autotag] (16-9 MMA, 10-7 UFC) fell to 0-2 since he returned from a 4.5-year layoff in June.

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[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned all 12 of her career stoppage victories by submission.

[autotag]Mallory Martin[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of her career.

Muradov (24-6 MMA, 2-0 UFC) improved to 18-1 in his past 19 fights dating back to March 2015. He’s won his past 13 bouts.

[autotag]Trevor Smith[/autotag] (15-10 MMA, 5-7 UFC) fell to 5-8 in his past 13 career fights dating back to January 2012.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

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Did referee Dan Miragliotta coach Stefan Struve into staying in his TKO loss to Ben Rothwell after two low blows?

Referee Dan Miragliotta appeared to give Stefan Struve advice on whether or not to continue in his TKO loss to Ben Rothwell, but was he right to do so?

The clash of heavyweight veterans on the main card of UFC on ESPN 7 ended in controversy after [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] finished [autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag] with a second-round TKO.

The actual finishing sequence itself was clear enough, and Rothwell (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC) picked up a crucial stoppage victory to snap a three-fight losing skid. But the scenes that preceded “Big Ben’s” finishing flurry have led to some debate about the role referee Dan Miragliotta played in the trajectory of the matchup.

Rothwell already had landed a solid shot to Struve’s cup in Round 1, forcing the 7-foot-tall Dutchman to use almost all of the five-minute injury timeout allocation before Miragliotta issued a warning to Rothwell and the fight resumed.

But when Rothwell caught Struve (29-12 MMA, 13-10 UFC) low again in Round 2, Struve was left sitting against the cage fence contemplating whether to continue in the fight.

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Miragliotta went to Struve and appeared to offer him some advice regarding his situation within the bout.

“It was unintentional … but I’m taking a point away no matter what because of the first one,” Miragliotta told Struve, who was sitting on the canvas with his back against the fence. “I’m taking a point away. It’s not two (completed) rounds yet. You’re probably winning both rounds. If you don’t continue, it’s going to be a no contest. Last (through) this second round and see how you do. … You have two and a half minutes left for recovery time.”

When Miragliotta took the point away from Rothwell moments later, he told Rothwell if he landed another low kick, he would be disqualified.

Play-by-play voice Jon Anik said on the broadcast that Miragliotta was covering up his microphone when he was talking to Struve, though that could not be seen from ESPN’s main camera angle. Miragliotta did attempt to cover his microphone seconds later when he asked the timekeeper how much longer Struve had in his second low-blow recovery timeout.

The sight of a referee advising a fighter over whether or not to stay in a fight or pull out hurt certainly seemed an unusual one to broadcast analysts and UFC fighters Daniel Cormier and Paul Felder, who showed their surprise in their on-air comments.

Unfortunately for Struve, his decision to continue in the fight ended with things going from bad to worse when Rothwell stopped the still compromised “Skyscraper” with three seconds to go in the round.

“That’s unfortunate to hear the ref had said that, because he’s basically repeating what (Struve’s) cornermen are telling him,” Rothwell told reporters backstage after the fight.

Was Miragliotta simply doing his job and advising Struve of his situation, or did he overstep the mark by offering his scoring of the fight and some advice? Let us know in the poll below.

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Ben Rothwell apologetic, but happy, after controversial win at UFC DC: ‘I was on the chopping block’

Ben Rothwell reflects on his much-needed, but controversial victory at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON – [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] snapped his three-fight losing skid, but admitted he had to temper his celebrations after his victory over Stefan Struve came in somewhat controversial fashion.

Rothwell (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC) already had been warned for a low blow after he connected with a kick to Struve’s groin in the first round that forced the towering Dutchman to use all of his allotted five-minute injury timeout in order to recover. When Rothwell misplaced a second kick in the second round, Struve (29-12 MMA, 13-10 UFC) went down again in clear agony. After advice from his corner – and, controversially, from referee Dan Miragliotta – Struve opted to continue the fight and Rothwell finished his man with three seconds remaining in the round.

It was a much-needed win for the native of Kenosha, Wis., but he said he knew he had to pull back on his planned celebrations after the nature of his victory.

“I had a cool speech and everything ready, but not with an asterisk,” he said backstage at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. “I knew that was going to be the biggest discussion point. I just tried to handle it the best I could – give respect and just address the crowd. You can’t be too happy because the crowd will turn on you if they feel like you got one over on them or something.”

Looking back at the incident, Rothwell said he had little issue with the point deduction he received from Miragliotta after the second errant kick. But he did admit learning of the official’s mid-fight advice to Struve was “unfortunate.”

“He was repeating what his cornermen were telling him,” he said. “I was down because I knew they were taking a point, and I’m like, ‘They might stop the fight.’ But I looked at his cornermen and his cornermen were like, ‘You’ve got the fight. Coast to a win. You’ve got this.’ So I was pretty sure he was going to keep fighting.

“Everything was against me. I had to get a finish, because I was going to lose another decision. (But) I was pretty confident that he was going to fight (on). That’s unfortunate to hear the ref had said that, because he’s basically repeating what his cornermen are telling him.”

The victory, Rothwell’s first since January 2016, wasn’t just welcome for the veteran heavyweight. It was absolutely necessary. After a trio of unanimous decision losses to Junior Dos Santos, Blagoy Ivanov and Andrei Arlovski in his past three outings, the Wisconsin man admitted his UFC future was at stake when he stepped into the octagon in D.C.

“I think I was on the chopping block – let’s be honest,” he said. “I’ve lost three decisions prior to this, which I think helps – I don’t get finished. I fight to the end. But four losses is four losses. It can’t happen. So this was crucial.”

But with his skid now in the rearview mirror, Rothwell says he would love an early 2020 return as he looks to rediscover the form that made him one of the most dangerous contenders in the heavyweight division.

“February, March would be cool, (but) I’d really like to fight on that April card (in Brooklyn, N.Y.) – Tony Ferguson and Khabib (Nurmagomedov),” he said. “That would be a great card to fight on. I like fighting on the East Coast … I’m not exactly positive, but I think I’m 19-1 fighting on the East Coast. So I’m pretty tough out here.”

And while he said he is apologetic toward Struve for the circumstances surrounding his victory, Rothwell said he just wants to move on and focus on a successful year in 2020.

“I tried to be as apologetic as I could – apologized to Stefan Struve for being a man. You know?” Rothwell said. “You’ve gotta move on. I got myself in a really good position to have a really big 2020 with all my coaching staff and the conditioning I’m in, and I just want to look better in my next fight. I want to be noticeably better in my next time around. Then I know I did a good job.”

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UFC on ESPN 7 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $30.5 million

UFC on ESPN 7 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.

WASHINGTON – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $177,000.

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 7 took place at Capital One Arena in Washington. The card aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 7 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yana Kunitskaya[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag]: $5,000
vs. [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Thiago Alves[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Jacob Kilburn[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Matt Sayles[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Joseph Solecki[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Matt Wiman[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Mallory Martin[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Trevor Smith[/autotag]: $15,000

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 2019 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,880,000
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $30,514,000

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Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC on ESPN 7 with plenty of soundtracks and Kanye West

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 7 event in Washington, D.C.

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.

Inside, see what the fighters from UFC on ESPN 7 went with as their backing tracks in Washington, D.C.

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