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With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from May 2023.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from May 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for May.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
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Diego Ferreira got to show he’s more than just a threat on the ground at UFC Fight Night 224.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] got to show he’s more than just a threat on the ground at UFC Fight Night 224.
Ferreira (18-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) knocked out Michael Johnson (21-19 MMA, 13-15 UFC) in the third round this past Saturday at the UFC Apex.
Most of Ferreira’s career finishes have come by submission, but he was able to show off another wrinkle to his game with a perfect overhand right that shut Johnson’s lights out.
“Let me come back a new fighter,” Ferreira told reporters at the post-fight news conference. “Let me come back as a new MMA fighter, not just a jiu-jitsu fighter with how everybody thinks I am. I proved today that’s what I came for. I came with the mission we planned, and I really did the plan we came for.”
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Ferreira snapped a three-fight losing skid after returning from a 17-month layoff, which made the victory that much sweeter for The Fortis MMA fighter.
“I never fought with so much pressure in my life, especially with the last three losses I had,” Ferreira said. “To come back and TKO perfect with someone that level. We fought so many guys better than – like champions. So, for me it was great, and I’m proud of myself. For me right now, I really want to get to the rankings. I want to fight some guys before I go to the rankings, but my goal is getting closer to the belt again.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 224, which saw Mackenzie Dern rack up another $50,000 bonus in the main event.
The UFC closed out its May schedule on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 224, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
In the main event, [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) defeated [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (15-13 MMA, 10-13 UFC) by unanimous decision in the Fight of the Night, with the grappling specialist landing a career-best 126 significant strikes over the course of five rounds.
For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts about UFC Fight Night 224.
UFC Fight Night 224 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 Fight Night 224 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $179,500.
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 224 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 224 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Andre Fialho[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Hayisaer Maheshate[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Vanessa Demopoulos[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Gilbert Urbina[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Orion Cosce[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Nick Fiore[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Victoria Leonardo[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Takashi Sato[/autotag]: $6,000
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 2241 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:
Year-to-date total: $3,214,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $17,803,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC Fight Night 224 in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 224 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
In the main event, Mackenzie Dern (13-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) takes on Angela Hill (15-13 MMA, 10-13 UFC) in a women’s strawweight bout. In the co-feature, Anthony Hernandez (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) meets Edmen Shahbazyan (12-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) at middleweight.
To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC Fight Night 224 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway ) on Twitter.
Diego Ferreira showed off serious power in a devastating knockout of Michael Johnson at UFC Fight Night 224 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
[autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] showed off serious power against Michael Johnson.
Ferreira (18-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) knocked out Johnson (21-19 MMA, 13-15 UFC) with a massive overhand right in their lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 224 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Johnson looked fast and sharp on the feet in Round 1, where Ferreira wasn’t able to get him down. Following the instructions of his head coach Sayif Saud, Ferreira let his hands go in Round 2 until he landed a home run which shut the lights off Johnson at the 1:50 mark (via Twitter):
DIEGO FERREIRA PUT MICHAEL JOHNSON TO SLEEP 😱 #UFCVegas73 pic.twitter.com/JyrHgkGo8N
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 20, 2023
Ferreira returned from a 17-month layoff to snap a three-fight losing skid. The Fortis MMA fighter notched his first win since January 2020.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 224 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
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Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 224 main card, featuring Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill.
| Dern vs. Hill |
Hernandez vs. Shahbazyan |
Ducote vs. Godinez |
Buckley vs. Fialho |
Ferreira vs. Johnson |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 73-51 |
 Dern (79%) |
 Hernandez (54%) |
 Godinez (74%) |
 Buckley (69%) |
 Johnson (52%) |
| Matt Erickson @MattE 81-43 |
Dern |
Hernandez |
Godinez |
Buckley |
 Ferreira |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 78-46 |
Dern |
 Shahbazyan |
 Ducote |
Buckley |
Ferreira |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 77-47 |
Dern |
Shahbazyan |
Godinez |
Buckley |
Ferreira |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 74-50 |
Dern |
Hernandez |
Godinez |
Buckley |
Johnson |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 74-50 |
Dern |
Hernandez |
Ducote |
Buckley |
Ferreira |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 72-52  2014 Champion |
Dern |
Shahbazyan |
Godinez |
Buckley |
Ferreira |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway -70-54 2018, 2022 Champion |
Dern |
Shahbazyan |
Godinez |
Buckley |
Ferreira |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 68-56 |
Dern |
Shahbazyan |
Godinez |
Buckley |
Ferreira |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 68-56 |
 Hill |
Shahbazyan |
Godinez |
Buckley |
Johnson |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 68-56 |
Dern |
Shahbazyan |
Ducote |
Buckley |
Johnson |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 65-59 2017 Champion |
Dern |
Shahbazyan |
Ducote |
Buckley |
Ferreira |
The UFC is back in its “Sin City” home base with a slightly delayed women’s strawweight bout at the top of the card.
UFC Fight Night 224 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (15-12 MMA, 10-12 UFC) in a women’s 115-pound matchup that was supposed to take place this past week at UFC on ABC 4 until it was pulled to headline this card. Jiu-jitsu ace Dern nearly is a 2-1 favorite at most sportsbooks, and she’s got a big lead in the picks from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, who have it as a blowout for her at 10-1.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) in a middleweight matchup. Hernandez is a big favorite at nearly 3-1, but only three of our staff members are picking him and have Shahbazyan in an upset at 8-3.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and [autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) fight at a 120-pound contract weight, granted due to the short notice for Godinez, who stepped in for Polyana Viana. Godinez is a mild favorite, and she’s got a 7-4 lead in the picks.
[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) is a 2-1 favorite at middleweight against [autotag]Andre Fialho[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC), and he’s also our only unanimous pick on the main card at 11-0.
And to open the main card at lightweight, [autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] (21-18 MMA, 13-14 UFC) will try to get back to .500 in the UFC when he takes on [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC). Ferreira is a -150 favorite and has a big 8-3 lead from our pickers.
In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Dern (79 percent), Hernandez (54 percent), Godinez (74 percent), Buckley (69 percent) and Johnson (52 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
It’s been a long time away for Diego Ferriera, but he’s ready to resume swimming with the sharks in the UFC’s lightweight division.
LAS VEGAS – UFC lightweight [autotag]Diego Ferriera[/autotag] has been out of action for a lot longer than he anticipated, but is now just days away from a chance to get his career back on track.
At Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 224 at the UFC Apex, Ferreira (17-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) makes his long-awaited return to the cage after over 17 months on the sidelines to face fellow veteran Michael Johnson. The lightweight bout streams on ESPN+ and opens the main card.
Ferreira was on one of the hottest streaks in the always-stacked UFC’s lightweight division from 2016-2020. During that stretch, Ferreira won six in a row, with stoppages of Jared Gordon, Kyle Nelson, and former champion Anthony Pettis. Then the calendar flipped to 2021, where things took a sharp turn for the worse as Ferreira lost three straight and suffered an injury keeping him out of action longer than expected.
“It was under my collarbone, my rib. Like a light fracture,” Ferreira told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “It took me a real good time to recover, but now I’m back and better than ever. It took me that time to focus on myself. … I was not in a rush to get back after an injury.”
Ferreira said he slowly ramped up his training while not pressing things too hard, despite the itch of wanting to compete in the octagon. He returned to the BJJ mats to keep his skills sharp, but didn’t press it too much in the hope of avoiding a further setback.
“It was more of a focus on myself, especially after the few losses I had,” Ferreira said. “I kind of took my time to see what was going to be my focus. I took that time to talk to my family, with my coaches to see what I need to change. After the Anthony Pettis fight, I kind of thought I wasn’t supposed to be training as much. Especially being in the rankings, in there between the sharks. I was not putting that much effort no more. I was just like, ‘OK. I need to maintain.'”
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As for his main card opponent Johnson (21-18 MMA, 13-14 UFC), Ferriera knows exactly what he’s about to get into, but is ready to get back into the swing of things for another run in the stacked lightweight division.
“I know Johnson’s going to bring the best out of me, and I’m expecting that,” Ferreira said. “I’m expecting that he comes like fireballs on his hands and I’ll be there to accept and take it to the deep ocean and see what the fight’s going to bring to myself.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
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Before UFC Fight Night 224 arrives, 12 athletes from the main card are scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday at media day.
LAS VEGAS – The UFC schedule for May closes out Saturday with UFC Fight Night 224, which takes place at the UFC Apex with a full card that streams on ESPN+.
A strawweight main event serves as the final act on the card. [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] will take on [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] in a matchup of fighters looking to take the next step forward in the division.
Before fight night arrives, though, 11 athletes spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day, and MMA Junkie was in attendance.
If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.
Check out the numbers behind UFC Fight Night 223, where Mackenzie Dern will make her third attempt at a UFC main event victory.
After two weeks on the road, the UFC returns to its home base on Saturday for UFC Fight Night 224 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card streams on ESPN+.
The makeshift main event for the card will feature a pair of strawweight contender hopefuls. [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will meet [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (15-12 MMA, 10-12 UFC) in a five-round matchup.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC Fight Night 223.
