Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out these photos from the BKFC 33 weigh-ins in Nebraska.
Check out these photos from the BKFC 33 weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs ahead of the event at Liberty First Arena in Omaha, Neb. (Photos courtesy of BKFC)
Check out which veterans of the UFC are in action this week.
This week, the UFC is heading back to home base at the UFC Apex for a top 15 heavyweight clash following the epic UFC 281 pay-per-view in New York.
In addition to UFC Fight Night 215, there are a number of MMA, boxing, and bareknuckle events taking place that feature familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
These 20 veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA and boxing this week from Nov. 16-20.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
Upcoming event information from Tapology.
The UFC roster is six fighters smaller with Roosevelt Roberts and five others departing the promotion in recent days.
Six more fighters have parted ways with the UFC.
Multiple people with knowledge of the situation recently informed MMA Junkie of the roster moves but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion hasn’t made an official announcement. The roster changes were first confirmed by MMA Fighting after the fighters were moved to the “former fighters” section of the UFC’s website.
Check out the recent UFC departures below. The roster moves, unless explicitly noted, are not necessarily a “cut.” The UFC may have elected not to re-sign certain fighters who were at the end of their contracts.
The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 265, which saw Ciryl Gane make history with his interim title win over Derrick Lewis.
[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] produced the most statistically lopsided heavyweight title fight win in octagon history on Saturday in the UFC 265 main event.
Gane (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) punished [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (25-8 MMA, 16-6 UFC) for nearly three full rounds en route to a third-round TKO that gave him interim belt and set up a title unification clash with Francis Ngannou.
For more on the numbers behind Gane’s win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC 265.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 265 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $278,000.
HOUSTON – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 265 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $278,000.
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 265 took place at the Toyota Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
The full UFC 265 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Drako Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Anderson dos Santos[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Melissa Gatto[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Victoria Leonardo[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Johnny Munhoz[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jamey Simmons[/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 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $2,985,000
Program-to-date total: $2,985,000
A bantamweight matchup between Vince Morales and Drako Rodriguez is the latest addition to UFC 265.
A bantamweight matchup is the second addition to UFC 265.
[autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) and [autotag]Drako Rodriguez[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will square off on Aug. 7 at the pay-per-view event that doesn’t have an official location or venue at this time.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking on Saturday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an announcement.
Morales will look to snap his first-career losing skid. After defeating Aiemann Zahabi by unanimous decision in May 2019, Morales dropped two straight to Benito Lopez and most recently Chris Gutierrez last May.
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Meanwhile, Rodriguez will be in search of his first octagon win. After inking a UFC deal on Dana White’s Contender Series, Rodriguez was stopped by Zahabi in his promotional debut this past February.
With the addition, UFC 265 now includes:
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Headliner Derrick Lewis is among 10 fighters who could be facing lengthy time off after UFC Fight Night 185.
Despite notching a huge victory at UFC Fight Night 185, [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] may be forced to sit out for a long period of time.
Lewis (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC), who scored a big knockout win of [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) in the second round of their main event clash in Las Vegas, will need doctor clearance for his right hand and wrist or he could face up to six months on the sidelines.
Also facing potential 180-day terms is [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag], who suffered a unanimous decision loss to [autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag]. Rosa (13-5 MMA, 4-5 UFC) must have an X-ray on his right hand.
Surging heavyweight [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) also needs an X-ray on his right hand after stopping [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] in the first round.
MMA Junkie obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.
The full list of UFC Fight Night 185 medical suspensions includes:
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Derrick Lewis now has the second most wins of any heavyweight in UFC history after his knockout at UFC Fight Night 185.
UFC Fight Night 185 went down Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and the event, which streamed on ESPN+, produced a candidate for “Knockout of the Year.”
[autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) added another incredible highlight to an already remarkable reel when he flattened Curtis Blaydes (14-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) with a picture-perfect uppercut in the second round of the heavyweight headliner, tying the record for most knockouts in UFC history.
“The Black Beast” already had a solid resume coming in, but it’s even greater now. For more, check below for 40 post-event facts to come out of UFC Fight Night 185.
Another fight is off Saturday’s card due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Another fight has fallen off Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 183 card due to a fighter testing positive for COVID-19.
This time, Canadian bantamweight [autotag]Aiemann Zahabi[/autotag] tested positive for the virus in a pre-flight test before leaving for Las Vegas and is symptomatic. Zahabi announced the news in an Instagram video issued Thursday.
According to a person close to the situation, Zahabi’s scheduled opponent [autotag]Drako Rodriguez[/autotag] will no longer compete on the card due to the lack of time to find a new opponent.
“It’s heartbreaking for me not to be there fight week in Vegas but thankfully my covid 19 symptoms haven’t been too bad so far,” Zahabi wrote in a caption along with the video. “Wishing you all love and safety during this pandemic.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CI6jE3nJQn8/
There are two other publicly known cases of COVID-19 that have canceled UFC Fight Night 183 fights. The original headliner, Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev, was canceled after Edwards lost 12 pounds battling the virus. A welterweight fight between Belal Muhammad and Dhiego Lima was also called off after Muhammad tested positive.
UFC Fight Night 183 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
With the change, the UFC Fight Night 183 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
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The UFC’s December 19 lineup is filling out.
A bantamweight fight is in the works for the UFC’s final event of 2020.
On Dec. 19 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, bantamweights [autotag]Drako Rodriguez[/autotag] and [autotag]Aiemann Zahabi[/autotag] will square off, pending bout finalization.
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the targeted matchup Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Rodriguez (7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his promotional debut after earning his UFC deal on Dana White’s Contender Series in September. In his contract-earning performance, Rodriguez submitted fellow rising prospect Mana Martinez by first-round triangle choke.
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Zahabi (7-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) hasn’t competed since May 2019 and will look to snap back-to-back losses. After a successful promotional debut against Reginaldo Vieira in 2017, Zahabi was knocked out by Ricardo Ramos and lost a unanimous decision to Vince Morales. Zahabi trains under his brother, Firas Zahabi, the longtime coach of former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
With the addition, the UFC’s Dec. 19 lineup includes:
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