Tag: Demian Maia

UFC on ESPN+ 28 poster: Kevin Lee set for dangerous road trip to face Charles Oliveira

See the official poster for UFC Brasilia, which features Kevin Lee heading into enemy territory to face in-form Charles Oliveira.

[autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] will look to play spoiler once again when he heads into enemy territory to take on another in-form lightweight next month.

Lee (18-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) headlines UFC on ESPN+ 28 in Brazil against [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (28-8 MMA, 16-8 UFC) in a pivotal matchup in the 155-pound division.

UFC on ESPN+ 28 takes place March 14 at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia. The card streams on ESPN+.

After a submission loss to Rafael dos Anjos at 170 pounds, Lee moved back to lightweight and bounced back in emphatic fashion by knocking out Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244 in New York. Now he will look to replicate his performance against another dangerous opponent in Oliveira, who will finally get another crack at top-ranked opposition.

Oliveira has finished each of his past six wins to earn a spot in a headlining bout on home soil. But despite a plethora of notable wins, the Brazilian submission ace is still searching for the one big win that will push him toward a shot at the 155-pound title.

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Also featured on the poster is a grappling fan’s dream matchup: Brazilians [autotag]Demian Maia[/autotag] (28-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) and [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) set to meet in the co-main event.

After dropping three straight, including a failed attempt at capturing the UFC welterweight title, Maia rebounded with three straight wins over Lyman Good, Anthony Rocco Martin and Ben Askren to prove he’s still one of the most dangerous welterweights in the UFC.

Since moving up to welterweight, Burns has been on a roll. He scored big wins over Alexey Kunchenko and Gunnar Nelson and called his shot by asking for a fight with Maia. “Durinho” got his wish and will put his grappling credentials to the test against his fellow jiu-jitsu ace in the biggest fight of his career.

Check out the official poster for UFC on ESPN+ 28 below:

The UFC on ESPN+ 28 lineup includes:

  • Kevin Lee vs. Charles Oliveira
  • Nikita Krylov vs. Johnny Walker
  • Jussier Formiga vs. Brandon Moreno
  • Randa Markos vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Aleksei Kunchenko vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
  • Enrique Barzola vs. Rani Yahya
  • Veronica Macedo vs. Bea Malecki
  • Maryna Moroz vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Demian Maia
  • Francisco Trinaldo vs. John Makdessi
  • Su Mudaerji vs. Bruno Silva
  • Damir Hadzovic vs. Renato Moicano

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Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Curtis Blaydes, UFC on ESPN+ 24’s other key winners?

See who Curtis Blaydes should fight next after his victory over Junior Dos Santos at UFC Raleigh.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Junior Dos Santos after UFC on ESPN+ 24 loss?)

After every event, fans wonder who the winners will be matched up with next.

And with another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC on ESPN+ 24’s most noteworthy winning fighters.

Those winners include [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who defeated Junior Dos Santos (21-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) by second-round TKO in the main event at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., as well as [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and [autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC).

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Sara McMann

Should fight: [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]

Why they should fight: Former title challenger and Olympic silver medalist McMann returned from a two-year hiatus and ended her 35-month winless skid in a dominant effort against Lina Lansberg.

As is the case with many who meet McMann, the wrestling was no match and led to a lopsided result. Given McMann’s name value and achievements, that’s all she needs to move on an upward trajectory in the thin UFC women’s bantamweight division.

Inconsistency has been an issue for McMann, but perhaps this is her time to gain momentum and possibly get a rematch with champion Amanda Nunes, who beat her in 2015. McMann will need to take out at least one more top contender before that happens, though, and Pennington (10-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC), who is coming off a loss to Holly Holm at UFC 246, is someone always willing to take on a challenge.

Arnold Allen

Should fight: [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag]

Why they should fight: The strong start to Allen’s UFC tenure continued when he joined the shortlist of featherweights to start 7-0 in the octagon with a solid decision win over a veteran opponent in Nik Lentz.

Allen’s past two wins against Lentz and Gilbert Melendez shows he knows how to handle experienced opponents who have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. It’s what he should be doing as a highly regarded 25-year-old prospect, but now he needs a different type of challenge.

He was originally scheduled to fight Emmett (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) on the card, but it fell apart when Emmett withdrew due to injury. That was the top 10 opponent Allen deserved given his streak, and considering how he handled Lentz, it’s more than clear he deserves that type of opportunity.

Michael Chiesa

Should fight: Winner of [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] vs [autotag]Demian Maia[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 28

Why they should fight: Chiesa earned the most significant win of his welterweight run, and perhaps his UFC career overall, when he outworked former UFC champ Rafael dos Anjos to a unanimous decision. It wasn’t the prettiest of fights, but Chiesa is now 3-0 since bumping up from lightweight 13 months ago.

Chiesa made a solid callout of Colby Covington after his win, but for some reason that fight feels unlikely for him. He deservingly wants someone in the top five, but it remains to be seen how the top of the division will be booked in the coming months. Chiesa isn’t far off from being in that mix, though.

The matchup that would best suit him would be the winner of the March 14 contest in Brazil between Burns (17-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and Maia (28-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC). If Maia wins, he would be on a four-fight streak and the type of highly ranked, established name Chiesa is looking for. Should Burns turn it in his favor, he would be much in the same position of Chiesa as someone who shot up the rankings by beating someone much higher. A pairing between them would see one of them take the next step.

Curtis Blaydes

Should fight:[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]

Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Blaydes should fight Volkov (31-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC) next after his main event victory.

UFC in 2019: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

A full recap of 2019’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2019’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

* * * *

EVENTS

Octagon girls at UFC 238

The UFC held 42 events in 39 different cities across 15 countries and five continents.

Within those events, there were 516 fights across 13 different weight classes (including catchweight bouts).

Those 516 fights combined for a total cage time of 94:59:04.

The longest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN+ 19: Joanna vs. Waterson” in Tampa, Fla., at 2:57:27. It was the second longest in company history behind “UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura” (3:04:18).

The shortest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” in Minneapolis at 1:38:12.

“UFC on ESPN+ 13: de Randamie vs. Ladd” featured 62 seconds of total fight time in the main and co-main event, the single-event record in company history.

At those events, the UFC drew an announced total attendance of 548,023 for a live gate total of $61,050,133.74 (Note: Live gate was not announced for 11 events; no attendance was revealed for one event).

The highest reported attended event of the year was “UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya” in Melbourne (57,127), which was the all-time company record, while the lowest attended event was “UFC on ESPN+ 20: Maia vs. Askren” in Singapore (7,155).

The highest reported income gate of the year was “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” in New York ($6,575,996.19) while the lowest reported income gate of the year went to “UFC on ESPN+ 4: Lewis vs. Dos Santos” in Wichita, Kan. ($636,417.26).

In 2019, 168 fight-night bonuses were given out for a sum of $8.4 million.

In 2019, athletes were paid $7,370,500 in Promotional Guidelines Compliance money.

The most knockouts at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos,” “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” and “UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington” with seven each.

Henry Cejudo vs. Marlon Moraes

“UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes” featured a total of 1,818 significant strikes landed, a new single-event record. UFC 231 held the previous high with 1,647.

The most submissions at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 5: Covington vs. Lawler” with five.

The most fights to go to a decision at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” with 10.

“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” featured nine consecutive decision results, tied for the single-event UFC record.

“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” started with nine consecutive decision results, the single-event record.

“UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik” marked the third event in company history to feature two draws. UFC 22 and UFC 216 were the others.

Betting favorites went 319-182. Fifteen fights ended in a draw, no contest or had even odds.

Betting favorites went 22-18 in event headliners. Two fights ended in a no contest or had even odds.

“UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” and “UFC on ESPN+ 22: Blachowicz vs. Jacare” had the most favorites come through victorious, with 10 each. On the flip side, seven underdogs won at three separate events.

Aspen Ladd

A total of 30 fighters officially missed weight for their respective contests. The 28 fighters in that group to compete went 10-17-1 in their respective bouts.

A total of 135 fighters made their UFC debut in 2019. Those fighters went 57-74-2 with two no contests. Debuting fighters who faced an opponent with at least one bout of UFC experience went 43-58-2 with two no contests.

A variety of circumstances caused a total of 19 UFC main event or co-main event fights to be adjusted, postponed or canceled entirely.

One entire event was canceled (UFC 233 in January in Anaheim, Calif.)

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Gilbert Burns vs. Demian Maia in the works for UFC on ESPN+ 28 in Brasilia

A welterweight bout between Gilbert Burns and Demian Maia is the latest addition to March’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 in Brazil.

A welterweight bout between [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] and [autotag]Demian Maia[/autotag] is the latest addition to March’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 in Brazil.

MMA Junkie verified verbal agreements are in place for the matchup between Burns (17-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and Maia (28-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) with multiple people close to the situation following an initial report from Combate.

UFC on ESPN+ 28 takes place March 14 at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia. The entire card is expected to stream on ESPN+.

Burns, 33, has been pleading for a big-name fight in the welterweight division since going unbeaten in four fights since moving up from lightweight. “Durinho” has won six of his past seven fights overall, and is coming off a decision win over Gunnar Nelson at UFC on ESPN+ 18 in September.

Maia, 42, will attempt to push his winning streak to four when he competes in what will be his 32nd octagon appearance. The Brazilian, whose 22 UFC wins rank second all-time behind Donald Cerrone (23), is coming off a third-round submission of Ben Askren at UFC on ESPN+ 20 in October.

With the addition, the latest UFC on ESPN+ 28 lineup now includes:

  • Nikita Krylov vs. Johnny Walker
  • Jussier Formiga vs. Brandon Moreno
  • Amanda Ribas vs. Paige VanZant
  • Aleksei Kunchenko vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
  • Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Makhmud Muradov
  • Enrique Barzola vs. Rani Yahya
  • Veronica Macedo vs. Bea Malecki
  • Maryna Moroz vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Demian Maia

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