Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out the best photos from a heated UFC 292 pre-fight press conference Thursday at TD Garden in Boston.
Check out the UFC 292 news conference faceoffs including the two title fights and Ian Garry vs. Neil Magny.
BOSTON – The UFC 292 pre-fight news conference took place Thursday at TD Garden, the same venue that hosts Saturday’s event.
Before the faceoffs of the co-main event strawweight title fight of champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] vs. challenger [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag], and the main event bantamweight title fight of [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], the fighters from the other main card fights and the featured prelim came face-to-face.
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Among them, was brash Irish prospect [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag], who remained intense with seasoned UFC veteran [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]. Bantamweight fighters [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] and [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag] squared off after contenders [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] and [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag].
The featured prelim, a middleweight bout between [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] and [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] provided a respectful and laid-back faceoff.
Check out the UFC 292 news conference faceoffs in the video and photo gallery above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
All the UFC and Bellator 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 or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from Aug. 7-13.
With their performances at UFC on ABC 4, Jailton Almeida and Ian Garry enter the rankings and Johnny Walker bumps up.
UFC on ABC 4 took place Saturday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. where a pair of rising stars continued their ascents up the ladder.
Heavyweight [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] and middleweight [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] both picked up first-round finish victories that elevated them into the top 15 of the USA Today Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.
Additionally, [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag], who defeated Anthony Smith by unanimous decision in the co-main event, bumped up three spots from No. 13 to No. 10.
Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.
UFC on ABC 4 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ABC 4 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $211,500.
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 on ABC 4 takes place Saturday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. The main card airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
The full UFC on ABC 4 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Court McGee[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Douglas Silva de Andrade[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Mandy Bohm[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ji Yeon Kim[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Gabe Green[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Tainara Lisboa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/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 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 $40,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-40 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $3,035,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $17,624,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 4.
Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ABC 4 odds between Daniel Rodriguez vs. Ian Garry, with MMA picks and predictions.
In a welterweight bout on the main card, Daniel Rodriguez and Ian Garry meet Saturday at UFC on ABC 4 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ABC 4: Rodriguez vs. Garry odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The prelims are on ESPN/ESPN+ at noon ET, with the main card on ABC/ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET.
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
Rodriguez is looking to rebound after a 3rd-round submission setback against Neil Magny last time out in November. That loss halted a 4-bout win streak, which included a split-decision win over Li Jingliang at UFC 279 in September.
“D-Rod” had gone the distance in 2 straight fights, and 4 of his previous 5, before the submission setback to Magny.
Garry has won each of his first 4 fights at the UFC level since making his debut in Nov. 2021. That includes a 3rd-round KO/TKO against Song Kenan last time out at UFC 285 on March 4. He has a pair of knockout wins in his UFC career, while also winning via unanimous decision on 2 occasions.
Garry is 11 years younger than his counterpart, while the southpaw Rodriguez holds a 7.42-to-6.79 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. Garry is slightly more accurate with his strikes, landing 57.74% to just 52.04% for D-Rod.
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:58 a.m. ET.
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Records: Rodriguez (17-3-0) | Garry (11-0-0)
Garry (-300) will cost you 3 times your potential return, which is too expensive for a standalone wager or as part of a multi-fighter parlay. Including the heavy favorite sucks all the value out of your ticket.
Instead, look to method of victory for a much better value. I like GARRY BY DECISION/TECHNICAL DECISION (+125) at plus money.
YES (-135): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is the play, as I am expecting Garry to win by decision/technical decision.
Rodriguez has gone the distance in 4 of his past 6 fights, and 5 of his past 8 fights at the UFC level. Garry has gone the distance in 2 of the past 3 outings too, while going into Round 3 in each of the previous 3 fights.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.
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Check out the numbers behind UFC on ABC 4, where Matt Brown can tie one of the most prestigious records possible under the UFC banner.
The UFC returns to Charlotte, N.C., for the first time in more than five years Saturday with UFC on ABC 4, which takes place at Spectrum Center with a main card that airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
A matchup of ranked heavyweights is featured in the main event. [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) will look to add another spectacular knockout to his highlight reel when he takes on the surging [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who has never had a decision victory during his career.
The card is also littered with a number of other octagon notables, and for more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC on ABC 4.
Daniel Rodriguez thinks Ian Garry is way overconfident in advance of their UFC on ABC 4 clash.
[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] can hang on the feet with him.
Rodriguez (17-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) meets unbeaten rising star Garry (11-0 MMA, 4-0) at UFC on ABC 4 on May 13, which takes place at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. Rodriguez marks Garry’s sternest test to date, but it was Garry who asked for the fight.
Garry is coming off his most impressive showing yet, putting on a striking clinic on veteran Song Kenan before getting the stoppage at UFC 285 in March. But Garry was dropped in Round 1 before getting in his flow state, and Rodriguez wasn’t impressed with his performance.
“Ian Garry said he’s gonna put hands on me,” Rodriguez told Inside Fighting. “He said he’s gonna outstrike me and there’s no better striker than him. How much you want to bet he goes for a takedown? I know he’s undefeated, but in the UFC – he got dropped by a scrub his last fight. He was supposed to win that fight.”
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Rodriguez has fought the likes of Neil Magny, Li Jingliang, and Kevin Lee. Meanwhile, Garry’s biggest win came over Kenan, who was returning from a two-year long layoff when they fought. “D-Rod” expects to present Garry problems that he hasn’t experienced before.
“He ain’t fought nobody yet,” Rodriguez said. “He ain’t fought nobody like me. I’m going to be in his grill the whole time… I’m going to break him. I’m going to break his will. I see myself finishing the fight. He ain’t been hit by nobody like me. I’m different. Everybody knows it. Even my last fight, I took an L, but I was backing homeboy up the whole time. Ian Garry’s saying he’s gonna oustrike me. We’ll see.”
Undefeated welterweight Ian Machado Garry gets a step up in competition this May when he takes on Daniel Rodriguez.
Undefeated welterweight [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] is set for his next test, and it’s arguably his toughest to date.
On May 13, Garry (11-0 MMA, 4-0) will return to the cage just over two months after his previous appearance at UFC 285, to take on [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] in a welterweight clash. MMA Junkie confirmed the booking following an initial report from ESPN Deportes.
The event does not yet have a confirmed venue or location.
Garry, 25, has yet to experience defeat in his pro career. The former Cage Warriors welterweight champion has passed his first four challenges in the UFC, having defeated Jordan Williams, Darian Weeks, Gabe Green, and most recently, Kenan Song.
The 36-year-old Rodriguez (17-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will be a different challenge, though. Depsite coming off a submission loss to Neil Magny in November, Rodriguez has proven to be one of the toughest fights in the division. Prior to his recent setback, he won four straight, with wins over Mike Perry, Preston Parsons, Kevin Lee, and Li Jingliang.
With the addition, the lineup for the UFC Fight Night event on May 13 includes:
Ian Garry had to work through a knockdown from Song Kenan in the first round, but the 9-1 favorite rallied for a late stoppage win.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] beat Song Kenan with a third-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Garry, who found himself in trouble in the first round, but rallied for the late win as a favorite of 9-1.
