Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out what the UFC Fight Night 230 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 230 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 Fight Night 230 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 230.
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 the promotions from Aug. 21-27.
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.
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 May 1-7.
The card scheduled for UFC International Fight Week adds Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman.
Two rising prospects in the UFC bantamweight division are set to collide during International Fight Week.
[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag] and [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag] are expected to fight July 8 at UFC 290, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the targeted matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Eurosport NL first reported the news Thursday.
Rodriguez (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) picked up his second promotional victory at UFC 287 in April when he upset teenage sensation Raul Rosas Jr. in a fairly dominant unanimous decision showing. The victory extended his winning streak to two, paired with a quick submission of Joshua Weems in October.
Saaiman (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is 22, making him one of the youngest fighters on the UFC roster. So far, Saaiman has defeated Steven Koslow by TKO and Mana Martinez by majority decision.
With the addition, the UFC 290 lineup includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
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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While Raul Rosas Jr. got all the attention and may be the more talented fighter, Christian Rodriguez said his experience won out at UFC 287.
MIAMI – To most observers, [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag] was an afterthought heading into UFC 287 as it felt more like he was an invited guest to 18-year-old [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]’s coming out party.
And Rodriguez was OK with that.
“I’ve been underdog my whole entire life,” Rodriguez told MMA Junkie and other reporters Saturday night after his win at Kaseya Center. “… I’m used to it. I’m used to always being overlooked, being the underdog in certain situations. For myself, I always have something to prove. Tonight was one of those days I knew I had something to prove.”
Rosas, who’s been heavily hyped since he signed a UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series while he was still 17, was the reason for the fight getting placed as the pay-per-view opener. Rosas (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had a strong showing in Round 1 as he immediately shot for a takedown and worked hard to secure it, leading to a near-finish of Rodriguez (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) with a submission attempt.
That’s where Rosas’ momentum ended as he seemingly gassed out after the first 5 minutes and was largely dominated in the grappling department in Rounds 2 and 3. In the end, the judges awarded Rodriguez a unanimous decision.
While Rosas may have been stronger and may have even possessed more talent, Rodriguez, 25, said it was his experience that won out.
“Me and him have a similar amount of fights, but I’ve been training with world champions my whole entire life,” Rodriguez said. “My coach is a world champion. Mark Choinski, he’s an All-American wrestler. So I’m used to world champion material. I know how to pace myself for the whole entire fight. I know I can’t just expect to get in a fight and steamboat over them. That’s not how it works.”
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Now with a big win that derailed the hype train of a young prospect, Rodriguez is content to just enjoy the ride and not make any callouts.
“I’ll ride with the hype right now,” Rodriguez said. “I’m not gonna call out any names right now. I’ll just live day by day.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 287 took home the second-highest UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout of the year thus far.
MIAMI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 287 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $274,500.
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 287 took place at Kaseya Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
The full UFC 287 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $42,000
[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Luana Pinheiro[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Shayilan Nuerdanbieke[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Sam Hughes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jaqueline Amorim[/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 $4,500; 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: $2,045,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,564,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
“He looks like a kid getting beat up by a man right now,” UFC 287 commentator Daniel Cormier said as he watched Christian Rodriguez defeat Raul Rosas Jr.
[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag] didn’t receive as much attention as his opponent Raul Rosas Jr. prior to UFC 287, but in the end, he captured what was most important.
In the UFC 287 main card opener Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami, Rodriguez (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) defeated [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
The first round was not easy for Rodriguez as it was nearly the last. At multiple points in the opening minutes, Rosas Jr. (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) smothered and nearly submitted Rodriguez with submission attempts, particularly a standing rear-naked choke.
Rodriguez survived the round, however, and that’s when things turned in his direction. Rosas Jr. was noticeably slowed, mouth open as he breathed heavily. The tides slowly turned as Rodriguez began to win more of the exchanges, particularly in the grappling.
In the final 10 minutes, Rodriguez used his heavy wrestling and grappling to attempt submissions of his own. Hard ground-and-pound from mount in Round 3 was perhaps the most damaging offense for either fighter in the bout. The fight ended with Rodriguez on top, the victor by the three judges and even Rosas Jr. who acknowledged a likely defeat prior to the official scorecard reading.
Christian Rodriguez gets it done! 👊@ceerod97 hands Raul Rosas Jr. his first career loss at #UFC287! pic.twitter.com/cmV9CkbirH
— UFC (@ufc) April 9, 2023
Rodriguez, 25, apologized after the bout for his weight miss Friday when he tipped the scales one pound over the bantamweight limit. Rodriguez wins for the second time in his three-fight UFC tenure. The win comes on the heels of his first UFC victory, a submission win over Joshua Weems at UFC Fight Night 213 in October.
Rosas Jr., 18, loses for the first time as an MMA fighter. In 2022, Rosas Jr. became the youngest fighter in the promotion’s history when he signed after a win on “Dana White’s Contender Series” at age 17. In order to compete on the series, Rosas Jr.’s parents were required to fill out and sign a special waiver. Rosas Jr. made his promotional debut at UFC 282 in December when he made quick work of Jay Perrin with a sub-three-minute submission.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 287 results include:
Check out the best photos from Christian Rodriguez’s unanimous decision win over Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC 287 in Miami.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] at UFC 287 at Kaseya Center in Miami. (Photos by Rich Storry, USA TODAY Sports)
