Tag: Brad Tavares

UFC 292 press conference faceoffs: Neil Magny vs. Ian Machado Garry gets personal

Check out the UFC 292 news conference faceoffs including the two title fights and Ian Garry vs. Neil Magny.

BOSTON – The UFC 292 pre-fight news conference took place Thursday at TD Garden, the same venue that hosts Saturday’s event.

Before the faceoffs of the co-main event strawweight title fight of champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] vs. challenger [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag], and the main event bantamweight title fight of [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], the fighters from the other main card fights and the featured prelim came face-to-face.

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Among them, was brash Irish prospect [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag], who remained intense with seasoned UFC veteran [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]. Bantamweight fighters [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] and [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag] squared off after contenders [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] and [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag].

The featured prelim, a middleweight bout between [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] and [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] provided a respectful and laid-back faceoff.

Check out the UFC 292 news conference faceoffs in the video and photo gallery above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292 pre-event facts: Do Aljamain Sterling’s stats confirm bantamweight GOAT status?

The best facts about UFC 292, which sees Aljamain Sterling bring a potentially GOAT-worthy resume into his title defense vs. Sean O’Malley.

The UFC returns to Boston for the seventh time in company history and the first time in nearly four years on Saturday with UFC 292, which takes place at TD Garden and has a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

A championship doubleheader takes center stage on the card. In the main event, [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) will seek his fourth consecutive bantamweight title defense when he takes on [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC), while the co-main event sees strawweight champ [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) look for the first defense of her second title reign against dangerous Brazilian challenger [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (13-2-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC).

For the numbers behind both title bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 292.

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Video: UFC 292 ‘Countdown’ for Brad Tavares vs. Chris Weidman

Did you miss the debut of UFC 292 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the featured bout preview now.

Did you miss the debut of UFC 292 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the featured bout preview now.

The segment takes a special look at the middleweight fight between [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] (19-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) and former champion [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC), who will make his return after an April 2021 broken leg.

UFC 292 takes place Saturday at TD Garden in Boston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

“Countdown” goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don’t miss the entire episode in the video below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 5-11)

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 a promotion from June 5-11.

Former UFC champion Chris Weidman booked to return against Brad Tavares at UFC 292

Former UFC champ Chris Weidman is set to step back in the cage for the first time since his nasty leg break.

Finally, [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] will make his long-awaited return to the UFC.

The former UFC middleweight champion has been booked to take on veteran [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] at UFC 292 on Aug. 19 at the TD Garden in Boston. The news was confirmed by MMA Junkie through sources, following an initial report by Newsday on Monday.

This pay-per-view event is headlined by two title fights: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley for the UFC bantamweight title in the main event, and Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos for the UFC women’s strawweight title in the co-main.

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Weidman (15-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) hasn’t competed since a nasty leg break back in April 2021 in a TKO loss to Uriah Hall. The 38-year-old has been recovering since, and he recently competed in a grappling match at Polaris 23 in March, losing by unanimous decision. Weidman is 2-5 since losing the UFC 185-pound title to Luke Rockhold in 2015.

Tavares (19-8 MMA, 14-8 UFC) is coming off a TKO loss to Brazil’s Bruno Silva this past April at UFC Fight Night 222. He’s currently on a two-fight losing streak and 2-4 in his past six trips to the octagon.

With the addition, the current UFC 292 lineup includes:

  • Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley – for bantamweight title
  • Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos – for women’s strawweight title
  • Brad Tavares vs. Chris Weidman
  • Mario Bautista vs. Cody Garbrandt
  • Gerald Meerschaert vs. Andre Petroski

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

UFC Fight Night 222 post-event facts: Sergei Pavlovich makes history with first-round KO streak

Sergei Pavlovich is firmly in the UFC record books after extending his first-round KO streak against Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 222.

The octagon was back in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday for UFC Fight Night 222, and a new heavyweight contender emerged from the main event.

[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) made history when he recorded a modern company record sixth consecutive first-round knockout, this time against his most decorated opponent to date in fellow contender [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC).

Pavlovich has put his mark on the record books of the promotion, and for more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 222.

UFC Fight Night 222 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $17 million

UFC Fight Night 222 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 222 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $181,500.

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 Fight Night 222 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 222 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000
vs. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brogan Walker[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jeremiah Wells[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Glenn[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Junior Tafa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]William Gomis[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Danaa Batgerel[/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 2221 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: $2,411,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $17,000,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 222.

Brad Tavares: UFC event in Hawaii ‘would mean everything,’ but lost all hope of it happening

Brad Tavares won’t hold his breath for a UFC event in Hawaii.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] isn’t holding his breath for a UFC event in Hawaii.

Despite Hawaii having a number of high-level fighters across the UFC roster, Tavares (19-7 MMA, 14-7 UFC) doesn’t like the chances of the promotion hosting an event on his home island. The UFC middleweight veteran was once hopeful of fighting on home soil, but those days are far gone.

“It would mean everything,” Tavares said regarding what it would mean for him to fight in Hawaii speaking with reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 222 media day. “When I first got to the UFC, I was very, very optimistic about it. There we all these rumors swarming, and I got to the point like, ‘Ah, it ain’t happening. It ain’t gonna happen.’

“Most recently, when Max (Holloway) was getting together with the HTA, tourism people, and all of that came out, and it was like, ‘OK. Let’s not get our hopes up again, but let’s get our hopes up. That was the final straw for me. UFC Hawaii is not going to happen in my career. In my lifetime, maybe, but not in my UFC career. I highly doubt it.”

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Tavares returns this Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 222 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He takes on Brazil’s Bruno Silva (13-5-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in a three-round contest.

“One hundred percent, I’m getting the W,” Tavares said. “I don’t have a prediction for you, but I know I’m going to beat this guy.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 222.

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Video: UFC Fight Night 222 media day interviews

Before UFC Fight Night 222 on Saturday, main card fighters are scheduled to speak to reporters at media day.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC schedule for April rolls on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 222, which takes place at the UFC Apex and streams on ESPN+.

A marquee heavyweight main event serves as the final act on the card. Sergei Pavlovich (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will take on Curtis Blaydes (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) in a key matchup with legitimate title stakes.

Before fight night arrives, though, six athletes from the main card spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day, and MMA Junkie was on-site.

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

Iron men: The 12 longest-tenured UFC fighters on the current roster

It’s tough to stay in the UFC, never mind for nearly a decade or longer, but these dozen fighters have defied the tests of time.

Two of the longest-tenured fighters, Ed Herman and Clay Guida, step into the cage Saturday at UFC on ESPN 44 after nearly two decades with the promotion.

The majority of UFC fighters don’t last a decade under the promotion’s banner. It’s a difficult feat, but a handful of athletes on the roster have done that. In fact, some are even nearing the 17-year mark.

Some fighters have defied the odds and Father Time in their journey through the world’s top MMA organization. While some of these decade-plus fighters have earned or fought for titles, others have never reached that peak but have figured out how to evolve enough to stay put on the promotion’s roster.

Scroll below to see the 12 longest-tenured fighters on the promotion’s roster.

It’s important to note: This list is based on continuous tenure with the promotion. Fighters who left the promotion, competed elsewhere, and came back are only eligible from the point in which they kicked off their current UFC stint.

Additionally, the fighters need to be on the promotion’s active roster. Fighters who have retired, but the UFC still have the rights to, are ineligible.

The “tenure” is considered to start the date of the first fight of the stint, not at the point of contract signing.