Tag: Brady Hiestand

Brady Hiestand has warning for UFC bantamweights once he hits his stride: ‘Everyone’s screwed’

Brady Hiestand returned at UFC on ESPN 58 after 14 months away and picked up his first post-fight bonus award.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag] beat Garrett Armfield with a third-round submission Saturday on the main card at UFC on ESPN 58 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Hiestand, who returned after 14 months away and picked up his first UFC post-fight bonus award.

Result: Brady Hiestand def. Garrett Armfield via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 1:52
Updated records: Hiestand (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), Armfield (10-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC)
Key stats: Hiestand landed six takedowns.

Hiestand on the fight’s key moment

“The fact that he got out of that choke in the first round – I’ve been subbing people with that. I got my fingers caught in the glove, unfortunately, and so I wasn’t able to get the angle that I usually get. So good on him for defending that, but I’m going to get someone with that one day.”

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 15: (L-R) Brady Hiestand punches Garrett Armfield in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Hiestand on becoming dominant

“I want to go out there and have dominant performances and, having a back-and-forth battle is fun. It’s good for the fans – not good for my wellbeing. I just want to have dominant performances. I want to showcase that I am the top of the top, which I know I am. That was, me and my coach will say, probably like a B- of my skills. As soon as I figure out how to do an A+ in the cage, everyone’s screwed.”

Hiestand on what he wants next

“I’m all gas. No brakes. I want to fight two more times this year. I called for Abu Dhabi (on) Aug. 3. That’s what I want. I want to fight then, and then that leaves room for one more fight. So three fights, 2024. I’ve had a 14-month layoff and I was telling them I was so pissed because ever since I was 16, I fought two times a year, and since I’ve been in the UFC, I’ve had two year(long) layoffs.

“I’m done wasting time being out on the sidelines. I’m ready to fight. I’m ready to go. I’m ready to make money. And I’m ready to make a legacy. … I see my career taking off. I want to be in the top 15 by the end of 2024 and then climbing for that title in 2025. Let’s go, baby.”

To hear more from Hiestand, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.

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UFC on ESPN 58 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Lowest total payout of 2024

UFC on ESPN 58 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 58 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $116,000.

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 58 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 58 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Douglas Silva de Andrade[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Lucas Almeida[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Timmy Cuamba[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Garrett Armfield[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Asu Almabayev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jose Johnson[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Adam Fugitt[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Josh Quinlan[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jimmy Flick[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Carli Judice[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Gabriella Fernandes[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Westin Wilson[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jeka Saragih[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melquizael Costa[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Shayilan Nuerdanbieke[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Julia Polastri[/autotag]: $4,000

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 $4,580; 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 $58,000 while title challengers get $58,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-58 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,451,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,188,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.

UFC on ESPN 58 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC on ESPN 58 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 58 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC on ESPN 58 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.

UFC on ESPN 58 video: Brady Hiestand slaps on tight choke for comeback third-round finish

Brady Hiestand returned to action for the first time in 14 months and pulled off a late choke to avoid the scorecards at UFC on ESPN 58.

“I’m the comeback king.”

After pulling off a late submission in his return to action, [autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag] says that’s the moniker he’ll stick with for the time being.

On the main card of UFC on ESPN 58, Hiestand (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) overcame a few rough moments against Garrett Armfield. After getting dropped and avoiding a finish, Hiestand was able to flip the script and catch Armfield (10-4 MMA ,2-2 UFC) in a rear-naked choke to force the tap at 1:52 of Round 3.

Check out video of the finish below (via X):

“I wanted a dominant performance, but I’ll take a third round finish,” Hiestand told Michael Bisping during his post-fight interview. “It is what it is. … Like I said, I’m the comeback king. It’ll be my name for now.”

The fight was Hiestand’s first in 14 months as he was sidelined with medical issues. His return was triumphant, recording a second-consecutive third-round finish following his win over Batgerel Danaa at UFC Fight Night 222.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 58 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.

Garrett Armfield vs. Brady Hiestand prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC on ESPN 58

Winners of two straight, bantamweights Garrett Armfield and Brady Hiestand clash on the UFC on ESPN 58 main card. Who will keep it going?

[autotag]Garrett Armfield[/autotag] and [autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC on ESPN 58 from UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.  

Garrett Armfield vs. Brady Hiestand UFC on ESPN 58 preview

In this battle between bantamweights with identical UFC records, Armfield (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) enters as a winner of back-to-back fights; last August, he knocked out Toshiomi Kazma and followed up with a unanimous decision win over Brad Katona in January. … Hiestand (7-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) also enters as a winner of two straight, but has not competed since last April. On his current run he won a decision over Fernie Garcia followed by a TKO of Batgerel Danaa.

Garrett Armfield vs. Brady Hiestand UFC on ESPN 58 expert pick, prediction

Getting an impromptu bump up from the prelims is a bantamweight fight between Armfield and Hiestand.

Armfield appears to be coming into his own since moving shop to train with Trey Ogden and company at Marathon MMA.

A well-rounded fighter by nature, Armfield now fights with more focus and process than before (likely a byproduct of a camp with solid game planning). That said, Armfield will have a tough challenge to figure out this weekend in the form of Hiestand.

It’s been over a year since we’ve seen Hiestand in action due to his struggles to stay healthy, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt is still young and looks to improve each time out.

I expect this fight to play out closer than the odds indicate, but I’ll side with Armfield to notch the scorecards as the more damaging combatant.

Garrett Armfield vs. Brady Hiestand UFC on ESPN 58 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the more active fighter, listing Armfield as a -194 favorite and Hiestand an underdog at +150, via FanDuel.

Garrett Armfield vs. Brady Hiestand UFC on ESPN 58 start time, how to watch

As the third main card bout, Armfield and Hiestand are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 11:05 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 15-21)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 15-21.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Dec. 18-24)

All the UFC 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.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Dec. 18-24.

Rising Japanese star Rinya Nakamura added to UFC 298, fights Brady Hiestand

Rinya Nakamura returns at UFC 298 against ‘TUF 29’ runner-up Brady Hiestand.

[autotag]Rinya Nakamura[/autotag] has his third UFC assignment.

A former Japanese wrestling standout and undefeated MMA fighter, Nakamura (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) returns vs. [autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC 298, which takes place Feb. 17 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Both fighters recently confirmed the booking on social media after Hiestand’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, first posted the news.

Nakamura, 28, is the son of early combat sports orchestrator Kozo Nakamura. The COVID-19 pandemic limited his wrestling opportunities, so Nakamura turned to mixed martial arts and debuted in 2021. He won the Road to UFC tournament in 2022 with three knockouts in as many tournament outings. In August, he defeated Fernie Garcia by unanimous decision.

Hiestand, 24, has won back-to-back fights after an unsuccessful UFC debut vs. Ricky Turcios in the “TUF 29” bantamweight final in 2021. Hiestand lost to Turcios by split decision, then defeated Fernie Garcia and Danaa Batgerel in consecutive outings.

With the addition, the current UFC 298 lineup includes:

  • Champion Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria
  • Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili
  • Ian Garry vs. Geoff Neal
  • Amanda Lemos vs. Tatiana Suarez
  • Tai Tuivasa vs. Marcin Tybura
  • Ikram Aliskerov vs. Anthony Hernandez
  • Andrea Lee vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Justin Tafa
  • Brady Hiestand vs. Rinya Nakamura
  • Oban Elliott vs. Val Woodburn
  • Danny Barlow vs. Yusaku Kinoshita
  • Brendson Ribeiro vs. Mingyang Zhang

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 19-25)

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 19-25.

Brady Hiestand calls out Christian Rodriguez, wants to steal hype he took from Raul Rosas

Brady Hiestand wants a fight with Christian Rodriguez, the man who defeated Raul Rosas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag] knows exactly what he wants next.

The UFC bantamweight is targeting a fight with [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag] following his latest win in the octagon, as he wants to steal the hype that Rodriguez took from then-unbeaten sensation Raul Rosas earlier this month at UFC 287.

Hiestand (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) called out Rodriguez after his TKO win over Danaa Batgerel (12-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 222 in Las Vegas.

“I saw his fight against Raul Rosas, and I wasn’t super impressed with anything he did,” Hiestand told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 222 post-fight press conference. “I thought he was good, well-rounded, but I like that matchup. We’re both young. He’s what, 25, 26? We both have a lot of growing to do, and I want to take some of his hype that he took from Rosas. So, I want to fight that dude.”

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Hiestand likes Rosas and believes he’ll bounce back from the decision loss to Rodriguez. He just found Rosas’ inexperience to be the determining factor in the fight.

“I got a lot of respect from that kid,” Hiestand said. “We’re very similar in the fact that we’re heavy into grappling. I think he’s got great skills, he was just inexperienced. He’s just young. He blew his load in the first round and got too excited, spammed the double leg. But yeah, I got nothing but respect for that kid.”

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

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