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With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from December 2022.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from December 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for December.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
Check out these highly anticipated matchups in 2022 that fell through due to various issues outside of the cage.
Fight bookings throughout 2022 were not ravaged by COVID-19 like the year before, but a number of key matchups still never made it to the cage.
Unfortunate injuries occurred in training camp, and in two instances, after weigh-ins, leading to last-minute scheduling changes and late bout scratches.
From entertaining veteran matchups to top contender bouts and title fight rematches, MMA lost some incredible fights this year due to various reasons.
Take a look below at some of the biggest pairings and why they did not go ahead as planned (in order of scheduled date).
Darren Till probably won’t like what Anthony Smith has to say about the direction he should take to get his UFC career on track.
[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] should face ranked opposition in his next bout.
Till was submitted by Dricus Du Plessis in Round 3 this past Saturday at UFC 282 and is now 1-5 in his past six fights. Although Du Plessis can be viewed as a step down from the likes of former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and top contender Derek Brunson, the South African finisher is unbeaten in the octagon.
Smith didn’t specify whom he’d like to see Till (18-5-1 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC) fight next, but he doesn’t think it should come against elite-level competition.
“He’s got to, and he’s not gonna want to, but he’s gonna have to back way up, and he’s gonna have to give someone way down in the rankings an opportunity,” Smith said on Michael Bisping’s “Believe You Me” podcast. “Which he doesn’t want to do. He doesn’t want to do that because he wants to continue to climb, he wants to swing for the fences and get his spot back and look ahead.
“But I think the best case scenario for him is to drop way down and give one of these up-and-comers, these young guys, these unknowns, give them an opportunity to face a big-name guy that holds a decent spot in the rankings and hope that you can use that step down in competition as an opportunity to get your mojo back. The flip side of that is you drop one to one of those guys, you’ve got a big f*cking problem.”
Till did appear discouraged when he released a statement post fight but vowed he was not done with the sport. UFC president Dana White doesn’t think Till’s stock dropped after his Fight of the Night effort against Du Plessis, but the 29-year-old plans on taking some time off to recalibrate.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 282.
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Dana White was impressed by Darren Till despite another setback at UFC 282.
LAS VEGAS – UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] was impressed by [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] despite another setback.
Till (18-5-1 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC) was submitted in Round 3 by Dricus Du Plessis (18-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in their middleweight bout this past Saturday at UFC 282. Their entertaining back-and-forth battle earned Fight of Night.
Du Plessis stormed Till right off the bat and was close to getting the stoppage in Round 1. But Till weathered the early storm and turned things around in Round 2 before Du Plessis caught second wind and submitted him in Round 3. Till, a former welterweight title challenger, is now 1-5 in his past six fights, but White doesn’t think the loss impacts him that much.
“I mean, that’s Fight of the Night, I don’t think his stock drops at all,” White said at the UFC 282 post-fight news conference. “If he would have went out there and got destroyed in the first round like it looked like it was gonna happen, but he did the exact opposite. He weathered that storm, stayed out of submissions, then he comes back, and you think he’s gonna win the fight.
“I thought it was an awesome fight. That’s why it was Fight of the Night, and I don’t think his stock dropped at all. And for Du Plessis, what an incredible win for him. I think that that slam at the end, I think that took the life out of Till. I mean, did you hear that when they hit the ground? That was brutal. I think that’s what ended the fight more than the choke.
Till released a statement after the fight saying that he’d like to take some time off. The 29-year-old did clarify that he had no intentions of retiring but is discouraged with his current losing skid.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 282.
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Join us for this week’s live stream of “Spinning Back Clique” looking at the biggest news and topics in MMA.
Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Farah Hannoun will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:
“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.
Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines from UFC 282, including Paddy Pimblett’s suspect win and the disaster at 205 pounds.
What mattered most at UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
Darren Till needs some time to “rethink stuff” after falling to a three-fight losing skid with his defeat at UFC 282.
[autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] is aware adjustments need to be made after suffering a third consecutive loss on Saturday at UFC 282.
Till (18-5-1 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC) has now gone more than three years without getting his hand raised after a third-round submission loss to Dricus Du Plessis at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It’s been a rough run for the Brit, and although it’s clearly discouraging, Till’s spirit is not broken and he vows to return.
“You don’t always get what you want in this life,” Till said in an Instagram reaction video after UFC 282. “It’s tough. F*cking 29 now. I’ve been at this top of this sport since 2017. I entered in the UFC in 2015. I’m not retiring. This is not a retirement speech. I’m 29. That would be stupid to retire. But I’m on a bit of losing skid at the moment, I really am. I’m not finding my right ways and stuff like that. It’s crazy because when I’m in the gym sparring with all these best guys in the world, truly I’m in the element. But when I step there in the octagon, I just can’t seem to put things together. I have moments like in the second round where I’m untouchable then certain things happen.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmA7ef_qPdN/
When Till shows up healthy and in form, he can be a handful to deal with. It’s been a long time since that happened, however, and the negative results have come along with it.
Still on the right side of 30, though, Till knows there’s still time for him to turn things around. Once he figured out how to do that, he said he’ll be back.
“I just want to say to everyone there, whether you love me or hate me, I’m sorry,” Till said. “I tried to come and put a show on. I cut no corners. I train. Maybe I train too much. I train like a man demented. The past 13 week I gave my all. I give my all to this sport. I don’t know what to do now. I think I’m going to have a little bit of time off from the UFC and just rethink stuff. I’m not retiring. I want to fight soon. I want to fight next year, but I just want to spend Christmas with my family and spent time with everyone who supports me properly. My team back home and that’s it. Hope you enjoyed the fight, it was a bit of a war. Well done to Dricus.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 282.
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The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 282, including a rare title-fight draw, an 18-year-old winner and a historically quick knockout.
The UFC’s final pay-per-view of the year went down Saturday with UFC 282 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
After an incredible run of 10 consecutive finishes to start the card, the night ended in bizarre fashion with [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (29-9-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) and [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] (18-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) failing to determine a new UFC light heavyweight champion. The pair fought to a split draw in the vacant title headliner, which is a rarity in UFC history.
For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 282.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 282 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $215,500.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 282 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $215,000.
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 282 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
The full UFC 282 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jay Perrin[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dalcha Lungiambula[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]T.J. Brown[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Erik Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Steven Koslow[/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 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $8,147,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,324,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 282.
Dricus Du Plessis used a second wind to finish Darren Till late at UFC 282.
[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] used a second wind to finish [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] at UFC 282.
Du Plessis (18-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) relied on his wrestling throughout the fight to submit Till (18-5 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC) at the 2:43 mark of Round 3 on the main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
After a dominant first round for Du Plessis, Till was able to rally in Round 2, but Du Plessis dug deep to get the finish in the third.
DU PLESSIS GETS THE TAP ON TILL 🔥 #UFC282 pic.twitter.com/znIzPgbJLk
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 11, 2022
In the first, Du Plessis landed an early takedown and proceeded to unload a barrage of punches. Till ate an alarming amount of strikes but kept giving the thumbs up to referee Mark Smith, who was close to stopping the fight multiple times. Du Plessis got Till’s back and worked for a rear-naked choke. Till escaped, went for a guillotine choke, but lost it. Du Plessis landed a takedown late but had visibly slowed down.
Till put the pressure on Du Plessis to start Round 2 as he sensed him slowing down. Till backed him up with a one-two combination followed by a big knee, but Du Plessis used the momentum to land a takedown. Till made his way back up and started finding a home for his left hand. Du Plessis shot and got the takedown in the final minute. He attempted a leg lock, but Till spun his way out of danger.
Both men looked tired in Round 3, but midway through the final frame, Du Plessis landed a takedown and ended up immediately in full mount. He quickly took Till’s back and sunk in the rear-naked choke for the quick tapout.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 282 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 282.
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