Tag: Cortney Casey

UFC on ESPN 8 post-event facts: Angela Hill sets dubious record in close loss

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 8, which saw Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris in Jacksonville, Fla.

The UFC’s third event in an eight-day stretch went down on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 8, which took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and aired on ESPN.

In the main event, [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (46-18 MMA, 11-7 UFC) rallied from an early deficit to stop [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 6-7 UFC) by second-round TKO to advance his position in the heavyweight division.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 40 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 8.

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General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $184,500.

Debuting fighters went 1-1 at the event.

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag], [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag], [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] and [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 8 fight-night bonuses.

UFC on ESPN 8 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.

Betting favorites went 7-3 on the card. One fight had even odds.

Betting favorites fell to 5-6 in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 1:54:38.

Main card

Alistair Overeem def. Walt Harris

Overeem became the 11th heavyweight in UFC history to earn 11 heavyweight victories.

Overeem has earned 41 of his 46 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his 11 UFC wins.

Harris fell to 6-5 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in April 2016.

[autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag]’s (18-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10).

Gadelha has earned six of her seven UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (12-8 MMA, 6-8 UFC) fell to 6-6 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.

Hill’s three knockout victories in UFC strawweight competition are with Rose Namajunas for most in divisional history.

Hill has suffered six of her eight career losses by decision.

Hill’s eight losses in UFC competition are most for any female in company history.

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]’s (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is tied with Alexander Volkanovski and Zabit Magomedsharipov for the second longest active streak behind Arnold Allen (seven).

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 14-9 UFC) was unsuccessful in his featherweight debut.

Barboza fell to 1-5 in his past six fights dating back to December 2017.

[autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has earned eight of his nine UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) fell to 3-5 in his past eight fights after starting his career on a 10-fight winning streak.

Anders has suffered four of his five career losses by decision.

Vera (15-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) has suffered all six of his career losses by decision.

Preliminary card

Miguel Baeza def. Matt Brown

Baeza (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned seven of his nine career victories by stoppage. He’s finished all of those wins by knockout.

[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] (22-17 MMA, 15-11 UFC) fell to 3-6 in his past nine bouts after going on a seven-fight UFC winning streak from 2012-2014.

Brown’s eight stoppage losses in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Tim Boetsch (nine).

[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]’ (24-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2018.

Elkins fell to 13-7 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in June 2011.

Elkins’ total fight time of 4:24:04 in UFC featherweight competition is second most in divisional history behind Max Holloway (4:32:00).

Elkins’ 41 takedowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Dennis Bermudez (46).

Cortney Casey

Casey (9-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) was successful in her women’s flyweight debut.

Casey has earned seven of her nine career victories by stoppage. That includes three of her five UFC wins.

[autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag]’s (12-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) three-fight losing skid is tied for the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since February 2019.

Borella fell to 1-4 in his past five UFC appearances dating back to January 2018.

Borella suffered her first submission loss since Apr. 12, 2014 – a span of 2,226 days (more than six years) and 20 fights.

Borella has completed at least one takedown against all six of her UFC opponents.

[autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag] (6-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by stoppage.

Mayes has suffered both of his UFC losses by submission.

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

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Cortney Casey hopes first finish since 2016 gets her another ranked opponent next

Take a look inside Cortney Casey’s submission over Mara Romero Borella at UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Fla.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] beat Mara Romero BorellaMara Romero Borella with a first-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Fla.

Take a look inside the fight with Casey, who picked up her first submission since August 2016.

Result: Cortney Casey def. Mara Romero Borella via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:36
Updated records: Casey (9-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC), Borella (12-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC)
Key stat: Borella landed the fight’s lone takedown, but it worked against her when Casey latched onto her arm.

Casey on the fight’s key moment

“I saw that she was leaving her arms a little bit heavy in the front, so I knew I’d be able to attack the arm. She was trying to go for a few head and arm triangles and things like that, which I like out of girls because it makes it easier for me to look for submissions as well. If someone is doing jiu-jitsu, it’s easy to do jiu-jitsu. If they’re just sitting and holding you, it’s kind of hard. So I was happy to know that she was going to use her jiu-jitsu and I could counter it.”

Casey on fighting during the pandemic

“I’m just happy – happy to have my job, happy to have my team behind me, all of my family, all my supporters who have been through the ups and downs of the fight world and my career in the UFC. So I’m just happy to be where I’m at. Whether it was during a pandemic or just a normal fight week, I’m just happy to get the finish.”

Casey on what she wants next

“They told me I should call someone out, but I really don’t know anyone in (the flyweight) division off the top of my head. The people I know, I’m friends with, so I really don’t want to call them out. I think Mara was ranked No. 14 when she fought Lauren Murphy, so she’s up there. Whoever they give me – if they give me a top-15 girl, I’m happy. If they give me someone a little bit lower, I’m happy with that. If I can get back in that cage before the end of the year, I’m going to be extremely happy.”

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

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UFC on ESPN 8 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Veterans take home $20k each

UFC on ESPN 8 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $184,500.

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 8 took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The card aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 8 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Irwin Rivera[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag]: $3,500

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: $1,949,000
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: $32,953,500

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC on ESPN 8 with House of Pain, Biggie

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event.

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 8 went with as their backing tracks in Jacksonville, Fla.

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 8 bonuses: Yadong-Vera war takes ‘Fight of Night’ honors

Song Yadong, Marlon Vera, Cortney Casey and Miguel Baeza each earned $50,000 bonuses at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event.

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag], [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag], [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] and [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] each earned $50,000 bonuses for their performances at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event.

Yadong and Vera earned the “Fight of the Night,” while Casey and Baeza each won “Performance of the Night” honors. UFC officials announced the winners following the event, which MMA Junkie attended.

Yadong (16-4-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) took a unanimous decision from Vera (17-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in their bantamweight bout to open the main card. The fight was close, and Vera was upset enough at the decision that he snubbed Yadong for a post-fight handshake.

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Casey (9-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) submitted Mara Romero Borella (12-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) with a first-round armbar in her move to the women’s flyweight division. It was Casey’s first submission win since November 2016.

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Baeza (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) stayed undefeated with a second-round knockout of veteran Matt Brown (22-17 MMA, 15-11 UFC) to close out the prelims. Brown had big moments in the first round, but Baeza rallied late, then carried that over into the second for a quick KO.

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UFC on ESPN 8 took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+. It was the UFC’s third fight in an eight-day stretch in Jacksonville.

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Video: Cortney Casey elicits screaming submission from Mara Romero Borella at UFC on ESPN 8

Cortney Casey picked up arguably the best win of her UFC career at UFC on ESPN 8.

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[autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] picked up arguably the best win of her UFC career on Saturday when she finished [autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag] in resounding fashion at UFC on ESPN 8.

Casey (9-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) not only finished Borella (12-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in the first round, but she did it with an armbar that caused the Brazilian to scream out loud while tapping out.

With no crowd in attendance at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., the sound of Borella’s scream was clear and agonizing even for the viewer.

Watch it below (via Twitter):

The victory marked a successful move up to the women’s flyweight division fro Casey after spending her previous 10 octagon appearances at strawweight. She said she intends to stick around the division “for a bit,” especially because of how much easier it is to make weight on short notice.

That showed in her performance, because she became the first to submit Borella since 2014.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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UFC on ESPN 8 pre-event facts: Matt Brown on cusp of all-time UFC knockout record

The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 8, which features an Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris main event.

The final event in the UFC’s three-card stretch upon resuming operations from the coronavirus pandemic goes down Saturday with UFC on ESPN 8, which takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and airs on ESPN.

The 11-fight lineup is topped by a heavyweight matchup. After several failed bookings, [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (45-18 MMA, 10-7 UFC) will finally fight [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 6-6 UFC) in a matchup of contenders looking to take a step toward a championship fight.

The card has plenty more to offer too, though. For more on the numbers, check below for 55 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 8.

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Main event

Alistair Overeem

Overeem, 39, is the oldest of the 22 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.

Overeem is one of 11 fighters in UFC history to earn 10 or more heavyweight wins.

Overeem has earned 40 of his 45 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his 10 UFC wins.

Overeem lands 73.4 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC competition, the highest rate in company history.

Overeem has been on the losing end of the fifth and sixth largest statistical comeback finishes in UFC heavyweight history. He out-landed Antonio Silva by 30 significant strikes before being knocked out at UFC 156, and he out-landed Travis Browne by 27 significant strikes before his demise at UFC Fight Night 26

Overeem’s 14 knockout losses in MMA competition are the most of any active member on the UFC roster.

Overeem’s 12 knockout losses in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are the most in combined organizational history.

Walt Harris

Harris is 6-4 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in April 2016.

Harris has earned all 13 of his career victories by knockout.

Harris’ 12-second knockout of Aleksei Oleinik at UFC on ESPN 4 is the third fastest in UFC heavyweight history. Todd Duffee holds the record with a seven-second finish at UFC 102.

Harris defends 61.6 percent of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the highest rate among active fighters in the weight class.

Co-main event

Claudia Gadelha

[autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) six victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for fifth most in divisional history. Joanna Jedrzejczyk holds the record with 10.

Gadelha has alternated wins and losses over her past five fights. She won her most recent bout at UFC 239 in July.

Gadelha’s 33 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Carla Esparza (34).

Gadelha has been awarded three fight-night bonuses for UFC strawweight bouts, tied for the third most in divisional history behind Jessica Andrade (six), Rose Namajunas (four) and Jedrzejczyk (four).

Angela Hill

[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) competes in her 15th UFC strawweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.

Hill is the only female fighter to earn two UFC victories in 2020.

Hill is 6-5 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.

Hill’s seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Andrade and Esparza for second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).

Hill’s two knockout victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Namajunas (three).

Remaining main card

Edson Barboza

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 14-8 UFC) drops to the featherweight division for the first time after making his previous 22 UFC appearances at lightweight.

Barboza is 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to December 2017.

Barboza’s seven knockout victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied with Melvin Guillard for most in divisional history.

Barboza’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC lightweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Guillard (13) and Donald Cerrone (11).

Barboza is the only fighter in UFC history with knockout finishes stemming from a head kick, body punch, body kick, leg kicks and flying knee.

Barboza’s five knockout victories stemming from kicks and knees in UFC competition are the second most in company history behind Cerrone (seven).

Barboza is the only fighter in UFC history to earn two knockout victories stemming from leg kicks. He used them to stop Rafaello Oliveira at UFC 162 and Mike Lullo at UFC 123.

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]’s (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is the fourth longest active streak behind Arnold Allen (seven), Zabit Magomedsharipov (six) and Alexander Volkanovski (six).

[autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) has earned seven of his eight UFC victories by decision.

Jotko defends 86 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC middleweight competition, the second highest rate in divisional history behind Israel Adesanya (86.5 percent).

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC), 22, is the youngest of the 22 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.

Marlon Vera

[autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]’s (15-5-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is the second longest active streak in the division behind Petr Yan (six).

Vera’s five-fight UFC stoppage streak is the second longest active streak in the company behind Charles Oliveira (seven).

Vera has earned eight of his nine UFC victories by stoppage.

Vera’s seven stoppage victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied with Urijah Faber for second most in divisional history behind T.J. Dillashaw (eight).

Preliminary card

Matt Brown

[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] (22-16 MMA, 15-10 UFC) competes in his 26th UFC welterweight bout, tied with Thiago Alves for the most appearances in divisional history.

Brown’s 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (16).

Brown’s 13 stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Brown’s 11 knockout victories in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Vitor Belfort (12).

Brown’s 11 knockout victories in welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Brown lands 54.3 of his significant strike attempts in UFC welterweight competition, the second best rate in divisional history behind Gunnar Nelson (56.8 percent).

Brown’s 24 submission attempts in UFC welterweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Chris Lytle (31).

[autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is one of nine fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from leg kicks. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN+ 19.

[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is the only fighter in UFC history to earn a victory and suffer a loss by anaconda choke submission.

Darren Elkins

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag] (24-8 MMA, 14-7 UFC) competes in his 20th UFC featherweight bout, tied with Max Holloway for the appearances in divisional history.

Elkins’ three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2018.

Elkins’ total fight time of 4:09:04 in UFC featherweight competition is second most in divisional history behind Holloway (4:32:00).

Elkins has landed 1,770 total strikes in UFC featherweight competition, the second most in divisional history behind Holloway (1,902).

Elkins’ 13 UFC featherweight victories are second most in divisional history behind Holloway (16).

Elkins’ 40 takedowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Dennis Bermudez (46).

Elkins’ 21 submission attempts in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.

[autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] (8-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Feb. 17, 2019. The 454-day layoff is the longest of her neatly seven-year career.

Casey moves up to the women’s flyweight division after spending her previous 10 UFC appearances at strawweight.

Casey is 1-3 in her past four fights since January 2017.

Casey’s six losses in UFC competition are tied for most among female fighters in company history.

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

Cortney Casey welcomes Lara Procopio to flyweight at UFC San Diego

Cortney Casey has her first fight of 2020 booked as she’ll fight on the May 16 card.

[autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] will have her first 2020 fight in the spring.

The UFC veteran welcomes Brazil’s [autotag]Lara Procopio[/autotag] to the flyweight division at UFC San Diego on May 16. The news was first reported by Combate on Saturday.

Casey (8-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC) last fought in February 2019 where she suffered a decision loss to Cynthia Calvillo. She was scheduled to make a return in December, but she was forced to withdraw from her scheduled bout due to undisclosed reasons. The 32-year-old fighter is 1-3 in her last four trips to the octagon, with two of those losses coming by split decision.

Meanwhile, Procopio (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) looks to get her first win in the UFC. The 24-year-old Brazilian made her UFC debut at bantamweight back in August, dropping a split decision to Karol Rosa.

The main event for UFC San Diego has yet to be announced. With the addition, here’s the latest May 16 lineup:

  • Anthony Hernandez vs. Puna Soriano
  • Luana Carolina vs. Ariane Lipski
  • Cortney Casey vs. Lara Procopio