Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 237, which saw Yair Rodriguez hit the first losing skid of his career.
The UFC’s final event of February took place Saturday with UFC Fight Night 237 at Mexico City Arena in Mexico.
A flyweight contender re-emerged in the main event, when replacement headliner [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) exacted revenge on former UFC champ [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (21-8-2 MMA, 9-4-2 UFC) with a split decision victory in their rematch from November 2020.
For more on the numbers to come out of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 237.
UFC Fight Night 237 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.
MEXICO CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 237 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $135,500.
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 237 took place at Mexico City Arena. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 237 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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 2371 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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
“UFC Fight Night 237: Moreno vs. Royval 2” – $135,500
He’s not alone this week, but the last time the UFC was in Mexico, Daniel Zellhuber was watching from the stands.
MEXICO CITY – He’s not alone this week, but the last time the UFC was in Mexico, [autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag] was watching from the stands.
Like Edgar Chairez on the prelims, Zellhuber (14-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) on Wednesday at the media day for UFC Fight Night 237 said his fight against Francisco Prado (12-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will be a full-circle moment for him after buying a ticket as a paying fan in 2019 only to find himself on the main card in 2024.
“I’m excited for having the opportunity to fight in front of my home country,” Zellhuber told MMA Junkie. “Five years ago was the last time the UFC was in Mexico and I was in the crowd. Now, not only being part of this (event), but being part of the main (card) is something exciting for me. I’m happy for the opportunity.”
Zellhuber said there’s no stress or nerves fighting in front of his home fans and family. Instead, he said he’s looking at it as a motivation.
“Right now, my mother is probably crying. She gets pretty nervous (when I fight), but she’ll be finee,” Zellhuber said.
UFC Fight Night 237 (ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Mexico City Arena.
Check out Zellhuber’s full media day interview in the video above.
There were 35 UFC 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.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 8-14.
Xtreme Couture is MMA Junkie’s 2023 Gym of the Year for its success molding Francis Ngannou, Sean Strickland, Patchy Mix and others.
What a year it was for the Las Vegas-based Xtreme Couture’s coaching staff and fight team.
Head coach Eric Nicksick was at the helm, flanked by a staff that includes Dewey Cooper, Dennis Davis, Nathan Pettit, Eddie Barraco, Jimmy Gifford, Danny Davis Jr., Maki Pitolo, Jake Shields, Ray Sefo, Roman Isbell, Matheus Naccache, Gil Guardado, and Justin Jaynes among others.
Among the gym’s accomplishments in 2023, [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] crossed over into the world of boxing, where he knocked down (and nearly defeated) heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – in his professional debut.
Xtreme Couture middleweight staple [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] defied the odds when he dethroned Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September to become champion.
[autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] solidified his status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters outside the UFC when he finished Raufeon Stots and Sergio Pettis to win the Bellator bantamweight grand prix and divisional title.
Other Xtreme Couture standouts in 2023 included [autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag], [autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag], [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag], [autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag], [autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag], and others who also had strong years. The training room’s population continues to grow with many other fighters on the verge of greatness.
That’s why Xtreme Couture is MMA Junkie’s 2023 Gym of the Year.
Dana White wants to make Noche UFC an annual tradition, and it’s easy to see why after the success of the inaugural Mexican showcase event.
Noche UFC is here to say. The fight card celebrating Mexican Independence will now be an annual event, according to UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag].
In the main event of this past Saturday’s card, Mexico’s [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] retained her UFC women’s flyweight title after fighting former champion [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] to a split draw in a rematch that was one of the best female title fights in UFC history.
Many other Mexican and Mexican-American talents shinned that night, as [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] bounced back from his first defeat, [autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag] made a successful return after a year-plus layoff, and highly touted prospects [autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag] impressed many with their submission wins.
I was present all week long to cover the historical event. And with the inaugural Noche UFC event now in the books, I’m taking some time to reflect on the execution of celebrating Mexican Independence Day with a themed card.
Below is the good and the bad from fight week, along with an overall grade of Noche UFC:
The Good
Sep 16, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alexa Grasso (red gloves) and Valentina Shevchenko (blue gloves) react after the fight during UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
UFC gold: Noche UFC might’ve felt like a pay-per-view in the end, but it was a Fight Night. Part of that was mainly due to the championship rematch between Grasso and Shevchenko in the main event, which turned out to be excellent from start to finish.
Usually, at least in this latest era of the promotion, championship fights are reserved for pay-per-view events given their importance and pull from the fan base. However, Noche UFC was given a championship fight, and more importantly, the championship fight.
Sep 16, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Daniel Zellhuber (red gloves) prepares to fight Christos Giagos (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Mexican presence: Grasso vs. Shevchenko was definitely the biggest piece of the puzzle. However, there needed to be more. Along with Grasso, fans got to see Mexico’s Zellhuber, Godinez, Edgar Chairez, Fernando Padilla, and Mexican-Americans Rosas, Godinez, Cortez, and Alex Reyes.
Eight out of the 11 fights involved Mexico-born fighters or fighters of Mexican descent. On a card built around Mexican Independence Day, it’s obviously crucial to showcase Mexican talent beyond the main event. UFC made sure of that.
The feel: The UFC is always the UFC – for better or worse. The promotion has done a perfect job at being consistent with their branding regardless of who is fighting, and where and when is the event. Although this has created a strong brand for the promotion, it’s also sometimes left fans wanting some fun and creativity.
Noche UFC stood out more than any event in recent memory from a product standpoint. The promotion went above and beyond to make it different, while also keeping their branding. The UFC had an entire new design on its broadcast, reflecting Mexican culture. The graphics and the music, it was all there. They would also show highlights of the Spanish-language broadcast, and they had Mexican star Brandon Moreno come in as a guest color commentator.
And in person there was also work done. The UFC debuted exclusive jerseys to celebrate Mexican Independence, which were seen plenty in the arena. The DJ at the venue played mainly Mexican music with Hispanic hits. And throughout the fight week, there were other things, as well. The UFC had a Q&A panel with Moreno, Marlon Vera and Tatiana Suarez, which was moderated by Spanish-language UFC play-by-play commentator Victor Davila in both English and Spanish. They also had a mariachi band open up the ceremonial weigh-ins.
[lawrence-related id=2681043,2679692]
The Bad
Some big names missing: This one is tough to judge because it’s mainly outside the UFC’s control, sort of. Yes, there were a good amount of Mexican and Mexican-American fighters on the card, but several important names were not present.
Moreno, Rodriguez and Aldana are the biggest names to come out of Mexico, along with Grasso. Moreno and Rodriguez had tough title losses in July, making a September return unlikely, and Aldana is recovering from a foot surgery.
Also, top prospect Yazmin Jauregui recently had surgery. Kelvin Gastelum, who was originally scheduled to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov on the card, suffered an injury and had to pull out. Mexican-American Brian Ortega has also been on the sidelines recovering from injury.
But even though some names weren’t available, others were, at least not booked, that haven’t recently fought and that are uninjured, at least that we know of. Those names include Gabriel Benitez, Jesus Aguilar, Manuel Torres, Cristian Quiñonez, and Melissa Martinez among others.
The UFC had plenty of names to bolster the Mexican power of Noche UFC. A lot of it was out of their control, and some of it was. Either way, the card could have been stronger with the addition of a few Mexican names.
Location: This event was celebrating Mexican Independence, yet it was done on U.S. soil. Well, technically Las Vegas was part of Mexico for a couple of decades after its independence, but that’s a different story.
Either way, this event would’ve best been served in Mexico. After all, it’s celebrating a Mexican holiday. Now, Las Vegas is not a bad Plan B, and that’s where UFC gets a bit of a pass. It’s tradition to see Mexicans, and especially Mexican-Americans, travel to Las Vegas to celebrate Sept. 16. There are many Mexican entertainment shows for those dates. In fact, Noche UFC was sandwiched by Mexican superstar musician Antonio Silis and legendary Mexican band Maná the day before and after at the T-Mobile Arena.
Again, Las Vegas is not a bad home for Noche UFC, but Mexico is the ideal landing spot.
Joe Martinez
The ‘Official Voice of the Octagon’: I want to be very clear that this is NOT a Bruce Buffer hate section. Buffer is great, and there’s no announcer more synonymous with the UFC than him. Whenever you see Buffer and his flamboyant suits, you know it’s an important night for the promotion.
However, the man built for this job is [autotag]Joe Martinez[/autotag], who was the announcer for WEC and has been announcing UFC events since 2007. He also does a lot of boxing, most famously he announced Canelo vs. GGG in 2018 – one of the biggest fights in recent years.
Martinez is terrific at his job. He’s one of the best announcers out there, and certainly among those of Hispanic heritage. As a Mexican-American, Martinez does a great job pronouncing Hispanic names and adding that extra flavor to the cards. Martinez was a no-brainer for this one and was terribly missed.
Overall grade
Noche UFC gets a 9 out of 10. You can definitely nitpick, but overall it was a success, and the numbers are there to back it.
It was a great gesture for the UFC to finally recognize and further cater to its Mexican audience by celebrating the biggest holiday in the country. Mexico has grown its presence tremendously in the UFC, especially in 2023, and Noche UFC was a landmark event for the growth of Mexican MMA.
What was once exclusive to boxing is now being seen in MMA. The Mexican fighting culture is here to stay in the UFC.
Daniel Zellhuber relishes fighting in front of a crowd like he did at Noche UFC rather than at the UFC Apex.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag] relishes fighting in front of a crowd.
Zellhuber (14-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) submitted Christos Giagos (20-11 MMA, 6-7 UFC) with an anaconda choke in Round 2 of their lightweight bout at Noche UFC at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Zellhuber got a nice pop from the pro-Mexico crowd, and hopes he never has to go back to fighting at the UFC Apex like he did for Dana White’s Contender Series, then his UFC debut.
“I love fighting for the crowd. I love fighting for people,” Zellhuber told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at Noche UFC. “I feel weird when I fight at the Apex. I remember when I fought on the Contender Series – those types of fights are weird because you lack something, and in these last two fights that I had with big crowds, it’s something unbelievable. That’s the best – fighting for a crowd.”
Prior to cinching the bonus-winning anaconda choke, Zellhuber was rocked early by veteran Giagos before he was able to turn the tide. Although it wasn’t a flawless performance, Zellhuber is overall happy with the win.
“It was a great win against a tough opponent,” Zellhuber said. “A guy that has losses against tough guys, Gilbert Burns, Charles Oliveira, Thiago Moises, Arman Tsarukyan – I just beat that guy, so I’m excited. I’m happy.”
Check out all the facts from Noche UFC, which saw Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko join the shortlist of title bouts to end in a draw.
The inaugural Noche UFC event proved to be a massive success for the company, with the Mexican Independence Day celebration going down Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Although she didn’t get the victory, Mexico’s [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) still left as women’s flyweight champion after she battled [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) to a split draw in their main event rematch.
It was a rare result for a title bout, and for more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Noche UFC.
Noche UFC 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 Noche UFC event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $185,500.
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.
Noche UFC took place at T-Mobile Arena. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full Noche UFC UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]: $42,000
vs. [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $16,000
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 2261 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:
