UFC on ESPN+ 25: Daniel Rodriguez full post-fight interview
UFC on ESPN+ 25: Daniel Rodriguez full post-fight interview
UFC on ESPN+ 25: Daniel Rodriguez full post-fight interview
Tag: Daniel Rodriguez
UFC on ESPN+ 25 bonuses: Jan Blachowicz wins no-brainer ‘Performance of the Night’
It almost goes without saying that Jan Blachowicz’s vicious knockout of Corey Anderson earned him a “Performance of the Night” award.
Saturday night was just about a perfect evening for [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag], the kind that ends with a little extra money.
With UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones watching in the front row, Blachowicz knocked Corey Anderson cold in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 25, using a nasty right hand to finish him at 3:08 of the opening round.
Not only did Blachowicz (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) make a statement in front of Jones, but it earned the Polish contender a “Performance of the Night” bonus of $50,000. That was the fifth career post-fight bonus for Blachowicz, all of which have come over his past eight bouts.
[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag], meanwhile, cashed in on his UFC debut. The 33-year-old out of Alhambra, Calif., took on a tall task when he accepted a short-notice replacement fight against Tim Means at altitude near Means’ hometown. But it paid off for Rodriguez (11-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) with a second-round submission victory and the evening’s other “Performance of the Night” bonus.
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“Fight of the Night” went to a matchup between a fighter who’s no stranger to post-fight awards against a competitor getting his first taste of extra dough. [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] and [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag] put on a compelling battle in which Miller (31-14 MMA, 20-13 UFC) started strong and Holtzman 14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) turned the tide and went on to a unanimous decision.
The veteran Miller can take some consolation in taking home his 11th career post-fight bonus, while Holtzman earned the first bonus of his five-year UFC career.
UFC on ESPN+ 25 drew an announced crowd of 6,449 paying a gate of $596,820 at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. It was Zuffa’s third trip to New Mexico, as WEC 32 was held in the same building in 2008 and the UFC debuted in nearby Albuquerque in 2014.
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Daniel Rodriguez replaces Ramazan Emeev, fights Tim Means at UFC on ESPN+ 25
Tim Means has a new opponent for UFC Rio Rancho.
[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag] has a new opponent for UFC on ESPN+ 25.
The seasoned welterweight will take on “Dana White’s Contender Series” product [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] after Means’ original opponent, [autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag], withdrew from the event for undisclosed reasons. MMA Junkie confirmed the welterweight booking following an initial report from ESPN on Monday.
UFC on ESPN+ 25 takes place Feb. 15 at Star Ana Center in Rio Rancho, N.M. The card streams on ESPN+.
Means (29-11 MMA, 11-8 UFC) recently signed a new contract with the UFC after submitting former title challenger Thiago Alves in December. The 35-year-old is 2-3 in his past five bouts.
Rodriguez (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) came close to signing with the UFC after he picked up a decision win on DWCS in 2019. But despite the victory, Rodriguez didn’t get one of the UFC contracts awarded that night. The 33-year-old currently is on a six-fight winning streak.
With the change, the UFC on ESPN+ 25 lineup includes:
- Corey Anderson vs. Jan Blachowicz
- Michel Pereira vs. Diego Sanchez
- John Dodson vs. Nathaniel Wood
- Yancy Medeiros vs. Lando Vannata
- Mark De La Rosa vs. Raulian Paiva
- Rogerio Bontorin vs. Ray Borg
- Montana De La Rosa vs. Mara Romero Borella
- Macy Chiasson vs. Nicco Montano
- Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Devin Clark
- Merab Dvalishvili vs. Casey Kenney
- Scott Holtzman vs. Jim Miller
- Kazula Vargas vs. Brok Weaver
- Tim Means vs. Daniel Rodriguez
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On the Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make MMA big leagues with December wins
For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC or Bellator gloves.
Every champion in MMA history started out somewhere.
For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC or Bellator gloves. Modern-era fighters progress through the regional ranks with hopes of accomplishing the highest accolades. Many will try, but few will succeed.
This November, five fighters on the verge of achieving major-promotion notoriety return to the cage for what could be their stepping stone fights. There are dozens of fighters inches away from making the jump in the coming weeks, but these five are particularly exemplary.
This month:
- A 22-year-old Canadian featherweight phenom will look to once again show he’s wise beyond his years.
- With MMA soon to be legalized in his home country, a French bantamweight will look to get back to the UFC – where he went 3-1 from 2015 to 2016.
- A hard-hitting Brazilian will look to piggyback off the momentum of a violent knockout win in his LFA headliner debut last time around.
- After he was passed over on “Dana White’s Contender Series,” a Donald Cerrone training partner hopes another tally in the win column will be the tipping point.
- The older brother of a UFC champion looks to continue his ascent up the ladder to join his brother in the big leagues.