Tag: Carlos Candelario

2023 MMA retirement tracker: A list of former UFC champions, legends and more who hung up the gloves

The MMA world already has said goodbye to many retiring fighters in 2023, from former UFC champions to icons of the sport.

MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently, fighters from the era who helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves in order to move on to the next chapter in life.

If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete, and perhaps more importantly get a payday, will continue to drive fighters back even well beyond their expiration dates.

2023 has seen an uptick in notable fighters announcing they are done with the sport, and we have a list of those who have opted to walk away this year (the list will update as new retirements are announced).

UFC flyweight Carlos Candelario announces retirement

After two UFC appearances, Carlos Candelario hangs up the gloves.

UFC flyweight [autotag]Carlos Candelario[/autotag] says he’s done fighting.

In a recent social media post, Candelario (8-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) revealed his decision to retire in a story posted recently on Facebook.

“I get asked almost every day when my next fight is,” Candelario wrote. “After months of reflecting, the team & I made the decision to retire. It (has) been a great long journey but I’ve been feeling like this for years. Now it time to put my attention onto other things that I’m passionate about. Appreciate the (love) so much. The train is not stopping, I’m just on different tracks now. God bless ya.”

Candelario, 32, departs MMA on a three-fight skid. He first burst into the international spotlight in the inaugural season of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017. Though he defeated Ronaldo Candido by unanimous decision, Candelario tore his ACL in the fight. Four years later, Candelario won a fight for CES MMA that earned him another DWCS shot. Even though Candelario lost a close split decision to Vitor Altamirano, UFC president Dana White didn’t agree with the decision and signed Candelario anyway.

In May 2022, Candelario debuted and lost a unanimous decision to Tatsuro Taira by unanimous decision. Six months later, Candelario returned and lost by submission to Jake Hadley. He was booked to compete in April vs. Rafael Estevam but withdrew due to injury.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (April 10-16)

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 from April 10-16

UFC Fight Night 214 post-event facts: Neil Magny passes Georges St-Pierre on wins list

Neil Magny passing Georges St-Pierre for most welterweight wins was one of many notable feats to come out of UFC Fight Night 214.

UFC Fight Night 214 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and it was an action-filled card with nine of 11 fights ending inside the distance.

The main event saw [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (13-2-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC) break through as the next strawweight contender. She scored a standing TKO over fellow Brazilian standout [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (17-2-2 MMA, 6-2-2 UFC) in the third round of their clash.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 214.

UFC Fight Night 214 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Main event combines for $12,000

UFC Fight Night 214 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 214 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $126,500.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 214 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Shayilan Nuerdanbieke[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Shanna Young[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Benito Lopez[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jinh Yu Frey[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Johnny Munoz[/autotag]: $4,50
def. [autotag]Liudvik Sholinian[/autotag]: $4,0000

[autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Candelario[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tamires Vidal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ramona Pascual[/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 2147 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2141 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 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,222,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $13,399,500

Photos: UFC on ESPN 36 weigh-ins and faceoffs

Check out these photos of the UFC on ESPN 36 official weigh-ins and faceoffs in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos of the UFC on ESPN 36 official weigh-ins and faceoffs at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Photos by Ken Hathaway, MMA Junkie)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past two weeks (April 18-May 1)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past two weeks.

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 from April 18-May 1.

Japanese standout Tatsuro Taira set to make UFC debut April 30 vs. Carlos Candelario

Undefeated 22-year-old Tatsuro Taira has his first UFC assignment in front of him.

Rising undefeated Japanese star [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] has his first UFC assignment.

At UFC Fight Night on April 30, Taira (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his promotional debut against fellow newcomer and former CES MMA standout [autotag]Carlos Candelario[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a three-round flyweight bout.

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

Two people with knowledge of the booking recently confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The fight first appeared on UFCStats.com.

Taira, 22, is the Shooto flyweight champion. Out of his 10 professional wins, Taira has finished eight opponents, including five submissions and three knockouts. Notable wins include Ryuya Fukuda, Kiyotaka, Shimizu, and Yamato Takagi.

As for Candelario, the Connecticut-based fighter became the first athlete to receive a UFC contract after a loss on Dana White’s Contender Series. Against Victor Altamirano, Candelario lost a decision. However, UFC president Dana White disagreed with the judges and awarded both fighters UFC contracts instead.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for April 30 includes:

  • Cortney Casey vs. Antonina Shevchenko
  • Gina Mazany vs. Shanna Young
  • Francisco Figueiredo vs. Daniel da Silva
  • Mike Breeden vs. Natan Levy
  • Gabe Green vs. Yohan Lainesse
  • Jessica Penne vs. Luana Pinheiro
  • Rafael Alves vs. Jared Gordon
  • Carlos Candelario vs. Tatsuro Taira

Victor Altamirano: ‘It’s really amazing’ that Carlos Candelario earned UFC contract, too

Victor Altamirano has zero issues with Carlos Candelario getting a UFC contract after beating him.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag] has no bitter feelings that [autotag]Carlos Candelario[/autotag] was awarded a UFC contract off a loss.

Altamirano defeated Candelario by split decision at Dana White’s Contender Series 37 on Tuesday, but for the first time in the show’s history, White ended up giving both men a deal, which Altamirano (10-1) had no issues with.

“That’s really cool; that’s really amazing,” Altamirano said at the post-fight news conference. “He’s been here before. He came back and he fought on two weeks’ notice. If there’s anything to say about that, it’s admirable, and Dana White’s looking for fighters, and whenever you come back after fighting once and you get another fight on two weeks’ notice after being here before when you could have stopped, that’s fighting. So, yes, he should be here.”

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Though he first plans on visiting his family in Mexico that he hasn’t seen since he was a kid, Altamirano is eyeing a bout with UFC flyweight Jeff Molina next.

“I would like to take a little break,” Altamirano said. “I had some stitches in my leg, I know I got a 20-day suspension for that. But I plan on going to Mexico and see my family that I haven’t seen in over 20 years this December. So if I can get a fight any time in January and then after that I’m ready to go. So, ‘El Jefe,’ I owe you a fight, brother. You asked me to fight you once, and I had just gotten out of a fight, and I was very injured. I’m sorry I said no to you. I couldn’t do it, but I owe you a fight. ‘El Jefe,’ if you’re listening, let’s do it, brother.”

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Dana White says awarding Carlos Candelario UFC contract after loss ‘was the right thing to do’

UFC president Dana White explains why, for the first time in Contender Series history, a losing fighter was awarded a contract.

LAS VEGAS – For the first time in Dana White’s Contender Series history, a losing fighter was awarded a contract.

[autotag]Carlos Candelario[/autotag] was edged out by Victor Altamirano at Dana White’s Contender Series 37 on Tuesday and due to the controversial nature of the split decision result, White decided to give both men a UFC deal.

With most people scoring in favor of Candelario, White decided to make an exception.

“It was the right thing to do,” White said at the post-fight news conference. “I felt like that kid (Candelario) won. I thought he won the fight 2-1, but the judges gave it to the other kid (Altamirano) and listen, he took the fight on two weeks’ notice. I respect that, but the other kid fought his ass off and did what you do when you know a kid took a fight on two weeks’ notice. He kept the pressure on him, did everything he could to try and win the fight, so (I) gave them both a shot.”

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While White said awarding contracts to losers isn’t something he’ll look to do often, he plans on taking some sort of action any time he thinks a fighter is on the wrong end of a decision.

“I think it was rare,” White said. “Listen, there’s probably gonna be other situations during the season where I think the judges are wrong, and I would probably go the other way. Or at least give the kid another shot to come back and do it again. We know we’ve all walked out some nights saying that was a horrible decision. I’m not gonna say there won’t be another one of those. If they do, I’ll do everything I can to make it right.”

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