Tag: Germaine de Randamie

UFC Fight Night 240 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2024 total passes $2 million

UFC Fight Night 240 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 240 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $162,500.

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 240 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 240 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Chepe Mariscal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Morgan Charriere[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Charlie Campbell[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevor Peek[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Court McGee[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Lukasz Brzeski[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Valter Walker[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Victor Hugo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Falcao[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jean Matsumoto[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dylan Budka[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Melissa Mullins[/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 2401 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:

Year-to-date total: $2,005,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,742,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

Germaine de Randamie returns at UFC Fight Night 240 with new mindset, goal to revive ‘dead’ division

Former UFC champion Germaine de Randamie returns after 3.5 years at UFC Fight Night 240 and only has one goal of winning another title.

Former UFC champion [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] is ready to re-enter the fold after at UFC Fight Night 240 following 42 months away from the octagon. And she does so with renewed motivation.

De Randamie (10-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) hasn’t competed since October 2020, when she choked Julianna Peña unconscious. It was one of many notable wins on her resume, which also includes current women’s bantamweight champion Raquel Pennington, Holly Holm and two-time PFL champ Larissa Pacheco.

The third-round submission of Peña in her most recent trip to the octagon was significant at the time. It propelled de Randamie, who won the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight title in February 2017, into the title picture at women’s bantamweight. But then she vanished for 3.5 years.

“I fought Peña and then the (COVID-19) pandemic came,” de Randamie told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I didn’t get vaccinated because I wanted to become a mom one day. It was my wish since I was a little girl. So, I wasn’t allowed to travel to the United States. And at the same time after the Peña fight I was a little bit burned out.

“I was a little bit burned out, so I thought I would take some time off and I’m like, ‘I’m not getting any younger.’ It was the right time for me to see if I could get a baby in. I got a baby, and I’m the happiest woman alive right now.”

And that’s the big change for de Randamie. She’s now a mother to a nearly one-year-old boy, and it has altered her outlook on the world.

De Randamie said she probably wouldn’t have returned to the UFC if she didn’t give birth to a child. She could’ve continued her full-time job as a police officer at home in the Netherlands and led a fulfilling life as she did during the long hiatus from MMA. She found a new reason to fight, though, and that’s why she back on Saturday against Norma Dumont (10-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+).

“Five weeks after I gave birth to my son, I was back in training,” de Randamie said. “If I didn’t have my son, honestly, I don’t know if I would have come back to fighting. Having a son, I’m not just raising a son: I’m raising somebody’s husband one day, I’m raising a father probably some day, and I want to set an example for him. I want to show him through hard work, dedication that anything is possible.

“I want to be his role model. One time, when he’s ready and understands, I want to show him and explain to him and show him what I’ve done, and I hope he’ll be proud of me. I hope he realizes and takes strength out of it.”

Set to turn 40 on April 24, and on the heels of such a long layoff, only the performance will show if de Randamie is still top tier. However, she hasn’t taken much damage throughout a more than 20-year combat sports career.

De Randamie went 46-0 during her decorated kickboxing run, and has never been knocked down in MMA competition. She’s only been finished once in more than a decade under the UFC banner, and that was by ground-and-pound from Amanda Nunes back in November 2013.

Those are advantages on the side of an aging fighter, and de Randamie said she’s ticked all the boxes to come back at her best. But she admits some cage rust is expected.

“Seventy-five percent of fighting is mental,” de Randamie said. “(Mentally) I’m the strongest I’ve ever been. I can say that. Do I expect to be the very best version of myself this Saturday after 3.5 years? No. But, I do know I gave it my all in this camp, and I will give it my all Saturday night. No matter what happens Saturday night, I will walk out of that octagon with my head held high. Because Sunday the sun will go up and I’ll jump on a plane and go back home and cuddle with my son. That’s all that matters.”

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If de Randamie is able to get past Dumont, she said she will be shooting for the top of the women’s bantamweight division, which has changed vastly in the past few years. Nunes is retired. Pennington now has the belt, and Peña is chasing the gold she won and lost during de Randamie’s absence.

There’s also next week’s UFC 300 fight between Holm and the debuting Kayla Harrison, who has tons of hype and could be thrust into a title bout with a strong first impression.

With a unanimous decision victory over Pennington from November 2018 already on her record, de Randamie thinks defeating Dumont gives her the best case.

“I’m going to fight Raquel next,” de Randamie said. “Julianna Peña is out of the rankings because she’s been inactive. The division is quite dead since Amanda left. You’ve got a great fight next week with Kayla vs. Holly. But I defeated Holly. I defeated Peña. I defeated Raquel. Raquel asked everyone she lost to (for a) rematch, except me. My only loss in the UFC comes by the hands of Amanda Nunes. I defeated Larissa Pacheco. I defeated Aspen Ladd. If I defeat Norma on Saturday, I’m going to ask the UFC, very friendly, to give me my title shot.

“I should be the one fighting next for the title. I absolutely respect Raquel. But a true champion knows – if you ask anybody you lost to a rematch, then you should also rematch me. Peña is out. Why should we wait? The division since Amanda left is a little bit quiet. Not a lot of things happening. Let’s make it exciting again.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

Photos: All-time UFC women’s champions

Take a look at the history of females who have claimed UFC gold.

From the first-ever UFC women’s champion, Ronda Rousey, to the current crop of titleholders, here’s a look at the females who have captured UFC gold since women first step foot in the octagon in 2013.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Jan. 8-14)

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.

Former UFC champion Germaine de Randamie set to return in April vs. Norma Dumont

After a 42-month absence, former UFC women’s featherweight champ Germaine de Randamie is set to return in April vs. Norma Dumont.

[autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag], the UFC’s inaugural women’s featherweight champion, is set to make her return to action after 42 months away.

On April 6, De Randamie will take on [autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag] at a UFC Fight Night event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with a person with knowledge of the booking following a social media post by Dumont. The news first was reported by Laerte Viana on Instagram.

While both women have competed in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions during their UFC careers, De Randamie (10-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Dumont (10-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will meet at 135 pounds.

After she gave birth to her son in March 2023, De Randamie targeted a return in the fourth quarter of the year. While that timeline didn’t come to fruition, she now is set to enter the octagon the first time since UFC on ESPN 16 in October 2020.

The Dutch striker submitted Julianna Peña in the third round of their bantamweight bout. It was a Performance of the Night-winning finish, which marked a return to the win column after a bantamweight title challenge loss to then-champion Amanda Nunes. De Randamie was booked to fight Irene Aldana more than a year later, but had to withdraw due to injury.

Dumont, currently No. 7 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s featherweight rankings, has been active. She made two appearances in 2023, and currently is on a three-fight winning streak with wins over Danyelle Wolf, Karol Rosa and Chelsea Chandler. Dumont, 33, will face a former UFC champion for the first time in her tenure with the promotion.

With the addition, the current lineup on April 6 includes:

  • Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen
  • Norma Dumont vs. Germaine de Randamie
  • Lukasz Brzeski vs. Valter Walker

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Former UFC champion Germaine de Randamie targeting Q4 2023 return after giving birth

Former UFC champ Germaine de Randamie is gearing up for a late 2023 return after a three-year layoff and giving birth to her son.

A former UFC women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] is targeting a return to MMA later this year after giving birth.

Last September, De Randamie (10-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC), along with her partner Samantha, announced she was pregnant and would naturally take time away from fighting. De Randamie gave birth to their son Isaiah on March 20. After enjoying the beginning of motherhood, the former champion is training for a comeback to the cage.

“We are full in training and I don’t have a date yet, but we are going for November or October, end of October or November,” De Randamie told UFC Eurosport (translated by YouTube). “I’m feeling good, I’m waiting for the call right now. My manager is negotiating, so we’ll see, but 2023 it will be anyway.”

De Randamie, 39, was last in action at UFC on ESPN 16 in October 2020, when she submitted Julianna Pena in the third round of their bantamweight bout. She earned the second Performance of the Night bonus of her career for the finish, which marked a return to the win column after a bantamweight title challenge loss to then-champion Amanda Nunes. She was booked to fight Irene Aldana over a year later, but had to withdraw due to injury.

The Dutch fighter says her newborn son has lit a new fire inside her, and she wants to make him proud in her return. De Randamie has no preference for an opponent, nor did she specify which weight class she will compete in. However, she admits getting back into the groove of training after her lengthy layoff has been hard.

“I have to say very honestly after three years it is tough because I am also getting older by the day,” De Randamie said. “My body feels that, but there is a fire burning in me. You can no longer take that figure away, and especially now that I have become a mother, I fight with a different goal: my little man. I want to make him proud. … So in the end, whoever is in front of me, it will be them or me, that’s one thing for sure.”

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Former UFC champ Germaine de Randamie announces pregnancy

Don’t expect to see Germaine de Randamie in the UFC anytime soon as she and her girlfriend are expecting their first baby together.

Don’t expect to see [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] inside the octagon anytime soon. She’s got something big on the horizon.

De Randamie, a former UFC women’s featherweight champion, announced Wednesday on Instagram that she is pregnant. De Randamie, 38, and her girlfriend, Samantha, are expecting their first baby together in March 2023.

“We can finally scream it from the top of our lungs,” De Randamie wrote. “We are PREGNANT. We are blessed with our little miracle.”

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De Randamie (10-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) hasn’t competed since UFC on ESPN 16 in October 2020, when she choked out Julianna Peña in the third round of their 135-pound bout and picked up a Performance of the Night bonus for her effort.

De Randamie won the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight title in February 2017 when she beat Holly Holm by unanimous decision at UFC 208. De Randamie’s only two losses in the UFC came against former UFC double champion Amanda Nunes, both at bantamweight.

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Best fight bookings of 2021 that got away due to injuries, COVID-19, and more

Check out these incredible matchups in 2021 that fell through due to various issues outside of the cage.

2021 was a year filled with fight cancellations and rescheduling due to various factors.

On top of unfortunate injuries that occurred in training camp that caused fights to fall apart, health and safety protocols due to COVID-19 led to a number of scheduling issues throughout the year.

From title fight rematches, top contender bouts, highly-anticipated returns, to numerous undercard bouts, the full story of 2021’s year in MMA cannot be told without looking back on some of the biggest matchups that did not make it to the cage.

Take a look below at some of the biggest pairings and why they did not go ahead as planned (in order of scheduled date).

Germaine de Randamie injured, out of UFC 268 bout against Irene Aldana

Former title challenger Germaine de Randamie has been forced out of UFC 268.

Former featherweight champion [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] has been forced out of UFC 268.

De Randamie (10-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has withdrawn from her pivotal bantamweight clash with [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] on Nov. 6 due to an undisclosed injury. It is unknown whether or not Aldana (13-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC) will remain on the card.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the news to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The news of de Randamie’s withdrawal was first reported by ESPN Deportes.

After falling short in her title quest against reigning UFC bantamweight champion and current dual-champ Amanda Nunes, de Randamie rebounded with a third-round “Performance of the Night” submission of current title challenger Julianna Pena in October. The Dutch-born fighter has won six of her past seven, including capturing the inaugural featherweight title against Holly Holm in 2017, which she was later stripped of.

Mexico’s Aldana was looking to earn her first-career title shot. The 33-year-old has won six of her past eight and is coming off a first-round TKO of Yana Kunitskaya at UFC 264 in July, a bout which she came in three-and-a-half pounds over.

The UFC 268 lineup currently includes:

  • Champion Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington – for welterweight title
  • Champion Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili – for women’s strawweight title
  • Michael Chandler vs. Justin Gaethje
  • Luke Rockhold vs. Sean Strickland
  • Frankie Edgar vs. Marlon Vera
  • Bobby Green vs. Al Iaquinta
  • Irene Aldana vs. TBA
  • Nassourdine Imavov vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
  • John Allan vs. Aleksa Camur
  • Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. TJ Laramie
  • Andreas Michailidis vs. Alex Pereira
  •  Shane Burgos vs. Billy Quarantillo
  • Ian Garry vs. Jordan Williams

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Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili 2 among latest additions to official UFC 268 card

UFC 268 is officially on tap for New York City – and the card is already stacked.

UFC 268 is officially on tap for Nov. 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City – and the card is filling up with notable names.

On the UFC on ESPN 30 broadcast Saturday, the promotion made the previously reported welterweight title fight rematch between champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 14-0 UFC) and [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) official.

It won’t be the only title fight rematch, however, as a second meeting between women’s strawweight champion [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and the woman she took the title from, [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC). The two most recently competed against one another at UFC 261 in April when Namajunas dropped Weili with a head kick and finished the fight with strikes.

Two other fights that were not previously announced were announced Saturday by the promotion as well. A women’s bantamweight contender fight between [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC) as well as a lightweight fight between [autotag]Al Iaquinta[/autotag] (14-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (27-12-1 MMA, 12-8-1 UFC) are on tap, too.

With the additions, the UFC 268 lineup now includes:

  • Champion Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington – for welterweight title
  • Champion Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili – for women’s strawweight title
  • Michael Chandler vs. Justin Gaethje
  • Luke Rockhold vs. Sean Strickland
  • Frankie Edgar vs. Marlon Vera
  • Nassourdine Imavov vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
  • Irene Aldana vs. Germaine de Randamie
  • Al Iaquinta vs. Bobby Green

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