Tag: Bryan Battle

UFC Fight Night 243 video: Bryan Battle stops Kevin Jousset, riles up French fans during interview

The UFC Paris fans were not happy with the result – nor Bryan Battle’s taunts.

The loudest boos of UFC Fight Night 243 came thanks to [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag].

On Saturday’s main card at Accor Arena in Paris, Battle (11-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) defeated [autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) by TKO at the 3:47 mark of Round 2 in their welterweight matchup.

Both fighters found success in Round 1 and early in Round 2, but a swarming flurry of punches by Battle past the scheduled midway point became too much for Jousset.

An initial punch hurt Jousset, who retreated backward toward the cage. Battle continued to sling punches and while Jousset didn’t hit the canvas, he couldn’t avoid the onslaught. Referee Herb Dean deemed Jousset unable to intelligently defend himself and stopped the fight.

Check out the replay of the stoppage below (via X):

That’s when the boos began. There were lots of them and they were loud.

But Battle embraced them, and even egged them on. He cut a WWE-esque promo on the microphone taunting the French faithful during his in-cage interview (via X):

Battle moves to 3-0 with one no contest in his most recent four outings.

Jousset has a five fight winning streak come to an end as he loses for the first time under the UFC banner.

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Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 243 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

Kevin Jousset vs. Bryan Battle prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 243

Kevin Jousset vs. Bryan Battle is an interesting welterweight attraction at UFC Paris.

[autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 243 at Accor Arena in Paris. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-2
UFC main cards, 2024: 79-68-3

Kevin Jousset vs. Bryan Battle UFC Paris preview

Jousset (10-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) enters UFC Paris looking for his third consecutive win to open his UFC tenure after beating Kiefer Crosbie and Kenan Song in 2023. This fight marks his first of the year. … Battle (10-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) was none too pleased after his last fight that ended in a no contest, accusing Ange Loosa of milking an accidental eye poke. Prior to that, “The Ultimate Fighter 29” winner had won back-to-back bouts and hopes to regain momentum.

Kevin Jousset vs. Bryan Battle UFC Paris expert pick, prediction

Although you could argue that Battle is due for some bigger names, Jousset is a well-trained fighter who brings a solid game to the table.

Not only does Jousset have the grappling ability that you would assume with his judo roots, but the City Kickboxing representative also demonstrates the savvy jabs, feints and leg kicks that you would associate with his more well-known stablemates.

However, aside from the fact that Battle also has some judo roots of his own, “The Ultimate Fighter” winner also looks like he can keep pace with the Frenchman’s output.

This isn’t a fight I’m super confident forecasting, but I’ll side with Battle to get the nod from the judges for the more impactful offense.

Kevin Jousset vs. Bryan Battle UFC Paris odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the American fighter, listing Battle -172 and Jousset +140 via FanDuel.

Kevin Jousset vs. Bryan Battle UFC Paris start time, how to watch

Jousset and Battle are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 4:15 p.m. ET (10:15 p.m. locally in Paris). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

Kevin Jousset vs. ‘TUF’ winner Bryan Battle set for UFC Paris in September

A New Zealand-based French fighter will return home in September to try to make it 3-0 in the UFC.

A New Zealand-based French fighter will return home in September to try to make it 3-0 in the UFC.

[autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has been booked for a welterweight fight against “Ultimate Fighter” winner [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) on the UFC’s card in Paris, which is set for Sept. 28 at Accor Arena.

Multiple people with knowledge of the booking confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie, but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has not yet made a formal announcement.

Jousset was born in France, but trains with the elite City Kickboxing team in New Zealand that includes former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, Kai Kara-France, Dan Hooker and other UFC standouts. He signed with the UFC in 2023 and picked up two quick wins over Kiefer Crosbie and Song Kenan. He was set to return against Drew Gooden in May until Gooden pulled out. Jousset will be chasing his sixth straight win.

Battle won Season 29 of “The Ultimate Fighter” nearly three years ago when he choked out Gilbert Urbina to win the welterweight season. He’s had a bit of an up-and-down run so far in the UFC. He has four finishes in his five wins, including a 14-second knockout that left him ineligible for a bonus because he missed weight. He also had to deal with a no contest against Ange Loosa when Loosa couldn’t continue due to an eye poke in March.

With the addition, the UFC Paris lineup now includes:

  • Renato Moicano vs. Benoit Saint Denis
  • Brendan Allen vs. Nassourdine Imavov
  • Joanderson Brito vs. William Gomis
  • Nora Cornolle vs. Germaine de Randamie
  • Ailin Perez vs. Darya Zheleznyakova
  • Matt Frevola vs. Fares Ziam
  • Victor Altamirano vs. Daniel Barez
  • Da Woon Jung vs. Oumar Sy
  • Bryan Battle vs. Kevin Jousset

Ange Loosa asserts vision was impaired at UFC Fight Night 239, hopes for closure with Bryan Battle rematch

After an unfortunate ending at UFC Fight Night 239, Ange Loosa admits he’s “down today” but vows to come back stronger.

[autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag] admits he woke up Sunday feeling “down,” but he isn’t second-guessing how he maneuvered through an unfortunate situation.

His UFC Fight Night 239 co-main event Saturday ended in a no contest due to an eye poke – a disappointing result, Loosa (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) acknowledges. However, Loosa also asserts he couldn’t see properly.

The circumstances of the fight’s ending led to a heated exchange with opponent [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag], who accused Loosa of looking for a way out of their fight in Las Vegas. The two fighters were separated by security before anything physical occurred.

Despite the emotional aftermath, Loosa is confident in his decision hours later. He told MMA Junkie on Sunday the eye issues have persisted, and he will visit a specialist once he gets back home.

“That’s hard to take,” Loosa said. “I’m very disappointed. My eye is still hurting. This is not the way I wanted this fight to end up. That’s it. I don’t have much to say. I’m very disappointed. Yeah, that’s the way it ended up.”

“… (The UFC) wants to send me to an ophthalmologist. I have to see another one back in Florida. We will check and see what’s going on, but I feel like there’s something inside (my eye). It’s itchy and hurting a little bit. We’ll check the eye and see how it goes from there.”

Loosa did not have the chance to speak with reporters backstage at the UFC Apex following the event, as he was being medically tended to. Battle (11-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), however, got much off his chest at a post-fight news conference.

Loosa doesn’t deny Battle was winning the fight up until the end. But to call Loosa a quitter? Loosa says he’s anything but.

“To be honest, he started to fight well,” Loosa said. “I cannot take that from him. He fought well in the first round. He definitely won the first round. But I’m not afraid of him. I started slow. In the second round, I was ready to go. I would never, ever, ever stop the fight if I’m able to continue. I wasn’t able to see. The only thing I’m disappointed about me is to lose my cool. For all the people who know me, I’m always respectful and I never curse like that. But calling me the way he called me after the fight was just so disrespectful and I had to react. I just think that’s not the way things should go in mixed martial arts.”

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Battle wasn’t the only one to hurl insults at Loosa. The unfriendly messages have flocked in on social media. Loosa said the negativity doesn’t bother him, but he wishes people understood what it feels like to fight with one properly working eye.

“The thing I see is that there’s a lot of people online coming after me, saying like, ‘Oh, you quit, you quit, you quit.’ But those people, most of them, 99 percent of them never fought,” Loosa said. “They don’t know how I felt. That’s what makes me feel like I’m fine. I’m OK. I’ll be back from that. I don’t take all this negativity. I have good people around me and I know what I’m worth. It’s OK. I’m down today, but I’ll be back stronger.”

While Battle indicated a rematch isn’t at the top of his list, Loosa wants to put closure on the situation and hopes the UFC circles back.

“The only way to fix that is to run it back,” Loosa said. “… He didn’t win the fight. He didn’t lose the fight. Like I said, this is unfortunate. This is not the way I wanted this fight to end up. Yeah, if I was able to fight back, I’d fight back for sure. I wasn’t expecting to have the fight stop like that. I thought I’d maybe have more time, to be honest. But my eye was really damaged. If they give me the opportunity to fight him again, for sure I’m going to take it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

UFC Fight Night 239 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Ovince Saint Preux leads with $21,000

UFC Fight Night 239 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 239 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $189,500.

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 239 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 239 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Isaac Dulgarian[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Macy Chiasson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Natan Levy[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Chelsea Chandler[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Josiane Nunes[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jafel Filho[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Danny Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Josh Culibao[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jaqueline Amorim[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mitch Ramirez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chad Anheliger[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Charalampos Grigoriou[/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 2391 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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,551,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,258,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

Bryan Battle says Ange Loosa milked UFC Fight Night 239 eye poke: ‘A no contest is better than a loss’

UFC Fight Night 239 co-headliner Bryan Battle doubles down on Ange Loosa criticism, which almost sparked a brawl post-fight in the cage.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] exits UFC Fight Night 239 with a mix of emotions, but none make him feel anything less than a winner despite a no contest ruling.

In Saturday’s co-main event, Battle (10-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) thumbed opponent [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in the eye at the UFC Apex. After a timeout, Loosa said he could not see and the fight was waved off.

Bruce Buffer read the no contest ruling, and then the two fighters were separated after Battle called out Loosa – an energy he carried into his post-fight news conference.

Battle thinks Loosa exaggerated the eye poke’s damage to avoid a loss.

“What triggered the argument is that I looked at him and called him a p*ssy,” Battle told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I knew it wasn’t that bad. I knew it wasn’t that bad. I’ve been poked in the eye before. I’ve accidentally poked people in the eye before. I’m sitting there looking at him and he’s fine.

“It was really just one of those things where he was getting his ass whooped. He knew there was no way he was going to win that fight. He knew without a shadow of a doubt there was no way he was going to win that fight. So when he had an opportunity to act like he couldn’t see, that they would call it a no contest (he did).

“I mean, a no contest is better than a loss, which is clearly what he was headed for. He didn’t have the speed. He didn’t have the power. He didn’t have the size. He didn’t have the grappling technique. He didn’t have the striking technique. None of that. He didn’t have any of those areas to compete with me. It’s unfortunate but whatever. We move on. That’s life. That’s the fight game. I’ve got bigger and better things on the horizon anyway. We just keep on moving.”

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It’s not uncommon practice the UFC runs back fights that end in controversial fouls, though the promotion has not indicated that will be the case with Battle vs. Loosa.

While Battle would happily accept a second crack at Loosa, he indicated he’s otherwise moved passed the matchup.

“I don’t see how he agrees to a rematch,” Battle said. “That’s an easy paycheck for me. I would prefer to keep on moving up in the rankings. I’d prefer to fight someone with more of a name. We’re the co-main event but we’re not the co-main event if he’s the A-side. I was the A-side of this match. I’m ready to move onto something bigger and better. If the UFC hits me up and they’re like, ‘Ange Loosa (on) such-and-such date,’ I’m like, ‘All right, fine.’ I’ll whoop his ass again.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

‘I’ll f*cking kill you’: UFC Fight Night 239 co-main event ends in near brawl after no contest

Watch as pandemonium breaks out at the UFC Apex: Bryan Battle and Ange Loosa were restrained after a foul lead to a no contest.

The UFC Fight Night 239 co-main event was declared a no contest – and moments later pandemonium broke out.

While no punches were thrown, both [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] and [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag] were restrained by a crowd of promotion and commission officials after they exchanged choice words over the circumstances surrounding the fight’s ending.

The welterweight bout, which took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, ended after Battle’s right thumb poked Loosa in the left eye. Loosa said he couldn’t see and the fight was waved off. The stoppage came at 1:00 of Round 2.

The sequence peeved Battle (10-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who called Loosa (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) a “p*ssy” and added, “I was whooping your ass,” as the two fighters turned to face each other after Bruce Buffer’s announcement. Loosa hurled insults back and repeated, “I’ll f*cking kill you,” toward Battle.

Battle, 29, is the “TUF 29” middleweight winner. He rode back-to-back wins into the matchup Saturday. Loosa, 29, also entered on a two-fight winning streak.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 239 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

UFC Fight Night 239: Bryan Battle vs. Ange Loosa odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 239 odds between Bryan Battle vs. Ange Loosa, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round welterweight bout on the main card, Bryan Battle and Ange Loosa meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 239 — also known as UFC on ESPN+ 97 and UFC Vegas 88 — at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 239: Battle vs. Loosa odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 7 p.m. ET, also on ESPN+.

Records: Battle (11-2-0) | Loosa (10-3-0)

Battle heads into this fight with 2 consecutive victories inside the distance, posting a 2nd-round submission win against AJ Fletcher last time out in late September. Prior to that, Battle made quick work of Gabe Green with a KO/TKO win in a mere 14 seconds. Since arriving at the UFC level, Battle has won 5 of his 6 fights, with 2 bouts going the distance.

Loosa has appeared in 3 fights at the UFC level, and he has won 2 in a row via unanimous-decision after losing his debut to Mounir Lazzez in April 2022, also via UD. In fact, the fighter from the Democratic Republic of Congo has ended up going the distance in each of his past 7 pro bouts. That streak includes a unanimous-decision loss to Jack Della Maddalena in Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 5, Week 3.

Battle enters the octagon with a 3-inch reach advantage, and while Loosa has landed 6.32 significant strikes per minute, Battle is more accurate with 58.28%. Battle is a little better on the ground, too, posting a 0.63-to-0.25 submission average.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC Fight Night 239: Battle vs. Loosa odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:45 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Battle -190 (bet $190 to win $100) | Loosa +160 (bet $100 to win $160)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over -200 | Under +150)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -165 | No +120)

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UFC Fight Night 239: Battle vs. Loosa picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Battle (-190) is just a little too expensive to bet straight up, costing nearly 2 times your potential return. Instead, let’s get a little more specific.

Loosa (+160) has ended up going the distance in all 3 fights since arriving at the UFC level and each of his previous 7 pro bouts. As such, backing BATTLE BY DECISION/TECHNICAL DECISION (+150) at plus-money is a much more attractive option than the more costly 2-way line.

Over/Under (O/U)

While Over 2.5 Rounds (-200) is a little on the pricey side, costing 2 times your potential return, backing YES (-165): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE? is not priced out of line.

Again, the last time we saw Loosa fight inside the distance was at the lower levels against Rustam Khasanov at Tech-Krep FC: International Caucasian Fight Championship way back in Oct. 2016.

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/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Jan. 8-14)

There were 35 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 Jan. 8-14.

Why Bryan Battle thinks he underperformed at UFC Fight Night 228 despite submission win over AJ Fletcher

Bryan Battle is not fully happy with his submission win at UFC Fight Night 228.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] is not fully happy with his performance, despite getting his hand raised in the end.

The Season 29 “Ultimate Fighter” winner picked up a second-round submission win over AJ Fletcher this past Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 228. Yet, despite leaving unscathed and with a stoppage victory, Battle (10-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) thinks he didn’t fight up to his true potential against Fletcher (10-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC).

“Honestly, with the type of work me and my coaches were doing, I kind of underperformed a little bit,” Battle said at a post-fight news conference. “I was really gunshy in that first round. I was really tentative. But after he sent that big shot out, I was like, ‘OK, it’s time to fight now. It’s time to wake up. Let’s go.’ Honestly, there wasn’t a lot of surprising once I was in there.”

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Battle thinks he got too into reading Fletcher and not trying to make a mistake in that first round. However, in the second, that was all gone, and he went in for the kill.

“For a multitude of reasons,” Battle said when asked why he underperformed. “One, you always want to get your range and timing and all that. I guess I just felt so prepared for this fight, I didn’t want to do anything silly and make any goofy mistakes. I didn’t want to give up a takedown because I was too aggressive. He’s shown explosive takedowns and really good top control, and I didn’t want to give that to him.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.