Tag: Cory Mckenna

Young Blood: The 17 youngest fighters on the current UFC roster

The UFC recently signed the youngest fighter in company history. Here are the 17 fighters 23 years and under in the UFC.

When Dana White offered [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, he made history.

Rosas’ signing is impending, which will make him the youngest fighter in UFC history at just 17. He is also the only teenager on the roster and one of only 17 fighters 23 years old or younger.

Thirteen of said fighters have already made their promotional debuts, while Rosas and three other recent signees eagerly await their first UFC walks.

Scroll through the list below to see the 17 youngest fighters in the UFC.

Cory McKenna reacts to becoming first woman in UFC history to land Von Flue choke

Cory McKenna explains how she landed a historic submission finish at UFC on ESPN 40.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] made history at UFC on ESPN 40.

McKenna (7-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) became the first woman in UFC history to earn a Von Flue choke submission when she tapped out Miranda Granger (7-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) in Round 2 this past Saturday at the UFC Apex.

The Team Alpha MMA fighter talked reporters through the finish at the post-fight news conference.

“At first I was like, ‘Oh, OK, I’m here, I’ll give it a try. Worst case I get out of her clinging onto my neck,'” McKenna told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “Then I heard her corner freaking out and I heard her breathing heavier and then she shouted at her corner, ‘I’m trying to get out,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, this is deep.’ Yeah, I’ve never finished a Von Flue before, so I was like this would be pretty cool.”

At just 23, McKenna, who is a graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series, isn’t necessarily in a rush for a quick turnaround.

“It was only a round and a bit, but I’m sure there’s plenty to work on,” McKenna said. “There always is. So take at least a few weeks to work on the improvements that need to be made. I’ll sit down with the coaches and see what they offer us and have a look from there. But nothing really in mind as of yet, just gonna take things as they come.

“I’m very lucky to be where I’m at and that’s kind of why I want to take the time to enjoy it and really appreciate where I’m at right now.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.

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UFC on ESPN 40 post-event facts: Sam Alvey’s winless skid sets all-time record

UFC on ESPN 40 was a historic card with all finishes, but Sam Alvey left with a dubious record attached to his name.

UFC opened its August schedule in historic fashion on Saturday. UFC on ESPN 40 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas featured a finish in all 10 fights.

The main event needed the additional rounds, however, because [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) battled with [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (22-11 MMA, 14-10 UFC) in the fourth frame before securing a TKO stoppage that continued to his rise in the light heavyweight division.

For more on the numbers behind the record-setting event, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 40.

UFC on ESPN 40 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jamahal Hill nets $6k for main event

UFC on ESPN 40 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 on ESPN 40 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $140,000.

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 40 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 40 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zac Pauga[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Juliana Miller[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brogan Walker[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Erick Gonzalez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Takashi Sato[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Miranda Granger[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Stephanie Egger[/autotag]: $4,500

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 $40,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-40 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,393,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $11,560,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.

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UFC on ESPN 40 video: Cory McKenna makes history, taps Miranda Granger with Von Flue choke

Cory McKenna became the first female in UFC history to earn a submission victory by Von Flue choke at UFC on ESPN 40.

[autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] earned the eighth Von Flue choke finish in UFC history on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 40.

McKenna (7-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who at 23 years old is the youngest female fighter on the UFC roster, got a finish with a rarely-utilized grappling technique against Miranda Granger (7-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) in their strawweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The Welsh fighter overcame a 10-inch reach advantage by taking her opponent down all through the first round and into the second. Granger made a technical error defensively and allowed McKenna to lock in the submission and become the first female in UFC history to win by Von Flue choke.

Check out the replay of the finish below (via Twitter):

After the fight, McKenna was thrilled to put her name in the record books, and said she got tips on how to finish the Von Flue training with Team Alpha Male teammate Darren Elkins.

“I’ve never finished a Von Flue before in my life,” McKenna said in her post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I trapped her arm in my shoulder. I knew it was stuck. I got it bloody done, didn’t I?”

With the win, McKenna joins Jason Von Flue, Ovince Saint Preux, Jordan Rinaldi and Alonzo Menifield as the only fighters to win by Von Flue choke.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 40 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.

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UFC Fight Night 204 post-event facts: Molly McCann’s elbow, other finishes enter record books

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 204, which saw a record-setting nine bonuses issued on a historic card.

The UFC put on one of the most memorable events in its storied history on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 204, which went down at The 02 in London and featured a remarkable nine finishes out of 12 bouts.

The show closed with a swift and decisive performance from [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who submitted fellow heavyweight contender [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (34-10 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in the first round of their fight to stay unbeaten inside the octagon.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 53 post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 204.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 26-Aug. 1)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken 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 July 26-Aug. 1:

Cory McKenna vs. Emily Whitmire added to UFC Fight Night on Sept. 18

A strawweight bout between Cory McKenna and Emily Whitmire is the latest addition to UFC Fight Night on Sept. 18.

A strawweight bout between [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] and [autotag]Emily Whitmire[/autotag] is the latest addition to UFC Fight Night on Sept. 18.

McKenna (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) takes on Whitmire (4-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at a location and venue to be announced.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

McKenna, who inked a UFC deal on Dana White’s Contender Series, edged out Kay Hansen in her promotional debut in November 2020. The 21-year-old Team Alpha Male fighter suffered a torn ligament and broken right ankle in the win, which has forced her on the sidelines ever since.

Whitmire will also return after a significant time away from the octagon where she’ll look to snap a two-fight losing skid. After scoring two straight wins over Jamie Moyle and Aleksandra Albu, the Season 26 “The Ultimate Fighter” alum dropped back-to-back submission losses to Amanda Ribas and most recently Polyana Viana in August 2020. She was scheduled to face Sam Hughes at UFC Fight Night 186 in February but withdrew due to undisclosed reasons.

With the addition, the Sept. 18 lineup includes:

  • Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann
  • Tafon Nchukwi vs. Mike Rodriguez
  • Devin Clark vs. Ion Cutelaba
  • Jim Miller vs. Nikolas Motta
  • Dakota Bush vs. Zhu Rong
  • Danaa Batgerel vs. Montel Jackson
  • Sarah Alpar vs. Erin Blanchfield
  • Carlston Harris vs. Impa Kasanganay
  • Pannie Kianzad vs. Raquel Pennington
  • Heili Alateng vs. Gustavo Lopez
  • Antonio Arroyo vs. Joaquin Buckley
  • Cory McKenna vs. Emily Whitmire

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UFC Fight Night 182 medical suspensions: Paul Felder, four more face potential 180-day terms

Paul Felder and three others could be out 180 days unless they’re cleared by a doctor.

[autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] is among four UFC Fight Night 182 combatants facing six-month suspensions from injuries sustained during Saturday’s event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Felder, who took the main event fight vs. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] on days’ notice, suffered an elbow injury that could knock him out of MMA competition until May.

On Tuesday, MMA Junkie obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.

Joining Felder at the top of the suspension-length list is Team Alpha Male’s [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag], who won a unanimous decision over fellow up-and-comer [autotag]Kay Hansen[/autotag] on the main card. McKenna faces a six-month suspension due to a left ankle sprain.

Welterweight [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag] and heavyweight [autotag]Roque Martinez[/autotag], who competed on the prelims also are facing 180-day terms for knee injuries.

Check out the full list of UFC Fight Night 182 medical suspensions below:

  • Rafael dos Anjos: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to a “hard fight.”
  • Paul Felder: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray/MRI of right elbow is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days due to a laceration.
  • [autotag]Khaos Williams[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days.
  • [autotag]Ashley Yoder[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
  • [autotag]Miranda Granger[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
  • Cory McKenna: Suspended 180 days or until left ankle sprain is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 30 days.
  • Kay Hansen: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
  • [autotag]Kanako Murata[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days due to a “hard fight.”
  • [autotag]Randa Markos[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days.
  • [autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag]: Suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to a “hard fight.”
  • [autotag]Geraldo de Freitas[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • Alex Morono: Suspended 180 days or until right knee MRI is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to a “hard fight.”
  • [autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • Roque Martinez: Suspended 180 days or until left knee MRI is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 60 days with no contact for 21 days.

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