Tag: Brandon Royval

UFC on ESPN 9 post-event facts: Mackenzie Dern makes history

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 9, which saw Gilbert Burns beat Tyron Wooley in Las Vegas.

The UFC returns to Las Vegas for the first time in more than two months on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 9, which took place at the UFC Apex with an 11-fight card that aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

In the main event, [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) had his breakthrough moment as a welterweight contender when he overwhelmed and dominated former longtime champion [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] (19-5-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) to a unanimous decision.

The performance from the Brazilian capped off a notable event. For more on the numbers, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 9.

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General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $114,500.

Debuting fighters went 1-1 at the event.

Burns, [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] and [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 9 fight-night bonuses.

UFC on ESPN 9 drew an announced attendance of 0 for a live gate of $0.

Betting favorites went 8-3 on the card.

Betting favorites improved to 6-6 in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 1:58:41.

Main card

Burns improved to 4-0 since he returned to the welterweight division in August 2019. He’s 5-0 when fighting at the weight class.

Burns’ five-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Kamaru Usman (11), Leon Edwards (eight) and Santiago Ponzinibbio (seven).

Woodley suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2018.

Woodley has suffered all four of his UFC losses by decision.

[autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag]’s (15-1-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied with Francis Ngannou for the longest active streak in the division.

[autotag]Blagoy Ivanov[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has suffered all three of his UFC losses by decision.

[autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by decision.

[autotag]Brok Weaver[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) suffered his first submission loss since Dec. 5, 2014 – a span of 2,003 days (more than five years) and 13 fights.

Dern (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) became the first female in UFC history to earn a submission victory with a leg technique.

[autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has suffered all four of her UFC losses by stoppage.

Preliminary card

[autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) improved to 5-2 since she dropped to the UFC flyweight division in January 2018.

Chookagian’s five victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are tied with Valentina Shevchenko for most in divisional history.

Chookagian has earned 11 of her 14 career victories by decision. That includes all seven of her UFC wins.

[autotag]Antonina Shevchenko[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered both of her career losses by decision.

[autotag]Gabe Green[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned all of his career stoppage victories by knockout.

[autotag]Klidson Abreu[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) has suffered all three of his career stoppage losses by knockout.

Elliott’s (15-11-1 MMA, 4-9 UFC) three-fight losing skid is tied for the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since December 2017.

Elliott fell to 2-5 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in December 2016.

Elliott has suffered all four of his UFC stoppage losses by submission.

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has earned 10 of his 11 career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Louis Smolka[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) fell to 2-2 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in November 2018.

Smolka fell to 2-2 since he moved up to the UFC bantamweight division in November 2018.

Smolka has suffered all three of his career stoppage losses by submission.

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (15-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) earned the 11th finish in UFC history stemming from leg kicks.

[autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) fell to 2-4 in his past six fights dating back to July 2018.

Morales suffered the first knockout loss of his career..

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

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UFC on ESPN 9 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $33 million

UFC on ESPN 9 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 9 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $114,500.

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

The full UFC on ESPN 9 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Blagoy Ivanov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brok Weaver[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Antonina Shevchenko[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $3,500
df. [autotag]Gabriel Green[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Klidson Abreu[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Louis Smolka[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag]: $4,000

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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,063,500
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $33,068,000
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Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC on ESPN 9 with Kanye, Nipsey and DMX

See what the fighters from UFC on ESPN 9 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

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 9 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12

UFC on ESPN 9 bonuses: Gilbert Burns, Mackenzie Dern pick up extra $50,000

Gilbert Burns, Mackenzie Dern, Brandon Royval and Tim Elliott each earned $50,000 bonuses for their performances at UFC on ESPN 9.

[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag], [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] and [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] each earned $50,000 bonuses for their performances at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 9 event.

Royval and Elliott earned the “Fight of the Night,” while Burns and Dern each won “Performance of the Night” honors. UFC president Dana White announced the winners following the event.

Burns (19-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) dominated former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley (19-5-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) in the main event. He cut Woodley open in the first 30 seconds and rolled the rest of the way with a pair of 50-44 scores and a 50-45. Afterward, he called for a 170-pound title shot – against his teammate and friend, champ Kamaru Usman. Usman dominated Woodley in March 2019 to win the title, and Woodley had been on the sidelines till Saturday night.

Dern (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) opened the main card with a submission win over Hannah Cifers (10-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC). Cifers came out strong, but when the fight spilled to the canvas, it was right into Dern’s world and she picked up the first leg submission win in UFC women’s history.

Royval (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Elliott (15-11-1 MMA, 4-9 UFC) fought on the prelims and Elliott appeared to be working his way to success with four takedowns. But the last one proved problematic when Royval locked up an arm triangle choke for the win in his promotional debut. Afterward, Royval said he wanted a bonus so he could potentially quit his day job. He was expecting to work 40 hours next week. Now he’s got options.

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Brandon Royval not happy with performance, but his UFC debut submission win might say otherwise

Brandon Royval knows what it’s like to win an MMA title – he won the flyweight title for LFA before he came to the UFC.

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] knows what it’s like to win an MMA title – he won the flyweight title for LFA before he came to the UFC.

If he keeps finishing people the way he did in his UFC debut Saturday, he might have taken the first step toward getting to title contention at the highest level.

Royval (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) submitted longtime UFC fighter Tim Elliott (15-11-1 MMA, 4-9 UFC) with an arm-triangle choke in their flyweight fight on the prelims at UFC on ESPN 9 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Royval was a slight underdog in the fight and got the stoppage at the 3:18 mark of the middle round.

Afterward, Royval told UFC commentator Daniel Cormier that he wasn’t happy with his performance, particularly because Elliott landed four takedowns on him in a little more than eight minutes of fight time. Elliott also outstruck him.

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But as you can see in the video below, the stats don’t matter all that much when Royval can pull off that kind of finish.

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UFC on ESPN 9’s Brandon Royval promises all-action debut: ‘It’s gonna be a very fan-friendly fight’

At UFC on ESPN 9, Brandon Royval expects an action-packed fight against former title challenger Tim Elliott.

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] is expecting an action-packed scrap when he makes his octagon debut on Saturday night.

Former LFA flyweight champion Royval (10-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will step ito the UFC octagon for the first time when he takes on former 125-pound title challenger [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] (15-10-1 MMA, 4-8 UFC), at UFC on ESPN 9 in Las Vegas.

“I’ve watched pretty much all of his fights especially in the UFC but yeah, I’ve done a lot of just watching him,” Royval told MMA Junkie. “Honestly, I’m a huge fan of him, too. As far as flyweights go, he’s a fan-friendly fighter too. He does good for our division. …  Everyone wants to see Tim Elliott fight, I feel like, so I just think all around I have a little bit the advantage because I watched way more video than he probably could have watched of me.”

The fights will be contested at the UFC Apex using the promotion’s slightly smaller 25-foot cage, which usually results in more action, especially with the constant movement of the flyweights.

And considering the fighting styles of both men, Royval says the fight looks sure to deliver plenty of action for the fans.

“I feel like Tim Elliott’s just a guy that moves forward and puts a lot of pressure on,” he said. “He’s exciting, he’s just gonna bring the action, so I can’t see a boring fight happening between us two at all. So I think it’s gonna be a very fan-friendly fight.”

UFC on ESPN 9 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

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UFC adds Tim Elliott vs. Brandon Royval to May 30 lineup

Tim Elliott will welcome newcomer Brandon Royval to the UFC on May 30.

[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] will welcome newcomer [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] to the UFC.

Elliott (15-10-1 MMA, 4-8 UFC) will face Royval (10-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a flyweight matchup on May 30, on the UFC’s first event in Las Vegas since the coronavirus pandemic caused mass shutdown of sporting events in the United States. Both Elliott and Royval confirmed the matchup on their social media after an initial report from MMA Fighting.

The May 30 event will take place at the Apex Center in Las Vegas. No broadcast or streaming information has been released at this time.

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Elliott is coming off back-to-back losses to Deiveson Figueiredo and Askar Askarov. In his second UFC stint, the former Titan FC flyweight champion has picked up wins over Louis Smolka and Mark De La Rosa.

LFA flyweight champion Royval was scheduled to compete on “Dana White’s Contender Series” before getting the call to the octagon. Royval has won his last two in a row, submitting Joby Sanchez, and Nate Williams in just 23 seconds to capture the LFA 125-pound title.

With the addition, the current May 30 lineup includes:

  • Gilbert Burns vs. Tyron Woodley
  • Hannah Cifers vs. Mackenzie Dern
  • Klidson Abreu vs. Jamahal Hill
  • Roosevelt Roberts vs. Brok Weaver
  • Tim Elliott vs. Brandon Royval

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10 flyweights you can expect to see on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

The return of Dana White’s Contender Series isn’t far off, and here are 10 flyweights who are candidates to appear on the show.

Dana White’s Contender Series has become a focal point for fighters on the regional scene. Since its inception in 2017, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.

With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cageside, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting win on the show, and you’re in.

Rumored for a late-June start date, DWCS Season 4 is almost here. The lineups haven’t been announced quite yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll be narrowing each divisional pool to 10 fighters you should expect to see on the show this summer.

Up next, the flyweights…

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Image via LFA

Jeffrey Molina

Record: 7-2
Age: 22
Height: 5’6″
Birthplace: Lakewood, N.J.

When it comes to in-cage appearances, [autotag]Jeffrey Molina[/autotag] is one of the most experienced 22-year-old fighters in all of MMA. The Glory MMA and Fitness product is one of the gym’s secret weapons, having won six straight fights. With a 100 percent finishing rate, Molina brings a kill-or-be-killed savvy to the flyweight division. In his most recent fight in February, Molina choked out 16-fight veteran Kenny Porter. There aren’t a ton of top flyweights on the regional scene, so true tests will be few and far between. Worst-case scenario, Molina gets on DWCS and loses. There’s no harm in that. It’ll be win or learn. One thing is for sure, though: Someday Molina will be in the UFC. The sky is the limit.

Image via LFA

Richard Palencia

Record: 7-0
Age: 30
Height: 5’7″
Birthplace: Phoenix

It’s been a slow burn for [autotag]Richard Palencia[/autotag], but he’s starting to finally turn some heads. Since his professional debut in 2015, Palencia has competed for LFA, Combate Americas, and RITC, among other promotions. Training under John Crouch and Co. at The MMA Lab in Phoenix, Palencia is consistently getting reps against top-tier training partners. To date, Palencia has passed all tests put in front of him. Now it’s time for a step up in competition on Season 4 of DWCS.

More fighters on the next page:

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LFA flyweight champ Brandon Royval gets Jerome Rivera rematch at DWCS 27

After their first fight ended in a nasty arm injury, Brandon Royval and Jerome Rivera will rematch with heightened stakes.

Season 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series 4 has its first fight – and it’s a rematch of a nasty incident from 2018.

LFA flyweight champion [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] will take on [autotag]Jerome Rivera[/autotag] at DWCS 27 – the season’s premiere. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report by Cageside Press.

The event takes place Tuesday, June 23, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event is expected to stream on ESPN+.

The first meeting between Royval (10-4 MMA) and Rivera (9-2 MMA) took place at LFA 39 in May 2018. It ended in an all-time gruesome highlight.

After Royval caught a kick, he pressured Rivera backward. Rivera pogo-sticked to the cage and extended his arm against the fence. As a result of Royval’s body weight and momentum, Rivera’s arm snapped.

Upon impact, Royval let go of the clinch and left a disabled Rivera to stumble across the cage. Bent at a horrendous angle, Rivera’s arm flopped backward. When Rivera reached the other side of the cage on the back pedal, he crumpled to the ground and the referee stepped in.

The two fighters were expected to rematch at LFA 78 in October 2019, but the event was canceled when AXS TV suddenly parted ways with the promotion.

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Since their first meeting, Royval has gone 3-1 and won the LFA title in 23 seconds in a November outing. As for Rivera, he’s won back-to-back fights since getting over the arm injury. After he submitted Gene Perez in February 2019, Rivera returned to LFA and submitted Kendrick Latchman in January 2020.

While Royval vs. Rivera 2 is the first confirmed fight for the upcoming season, MMA Junkie has confirmed a handful of other participants.

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