Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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 the promotions from Sept. 4-10.
The Noche UFC lineup has faced nine withdrawals thus far, with two newcomers plugging the latest openings.
The UFC’s Mexican Independence Day card has faced many edits since it was announced and the changes keep on coming.
In recent days, two fighters have withdrawn from Noche UFC, scheduled for Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That’s the bad news. The good news is that replacements have been sought. Rising prospects [autotag]Charlie Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Marnic Mann[/autotag] have signed with the promotion and filled the short-notice openings.
Campbell (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will face Alex Reyes (13-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in a lightweight bout, replacing [autotag]Natan Levy[/autotag]. As for Mann (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), she replaces an injured [autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag] and faces fellow newcomer [autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a strawweight fight. The two bouts will kick off the preliminary portion of the card.
The Campbell vs. Reyes booking was first reported by Eurosport NL.
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As he enters his promotional debut, Campbell has a resume that includes fights for Bellator, CFFC, and Dana White’s Contender Series among other banners. His fight on DWCS in 2022 was a knockout loss, but one of the most improbable in the series’ history. After he rocked Chris Duncan all over the cage, Campbell was knocked out in an all-time comeback. Since the defeat, he’s 1-0 with one TKO.
Like Campbell, Mann too lost on DWCS by knockout in 2022. While she was head kicked into defeat by Bruna Brasil in that fight, Mann reentered the win column with a unanimous decision win over Amber Brown for LFA 157 in April.
With the changes, the Noche UFC lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.
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 the promotions from Aug. 28-Sept. 3.
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. 14-20.
21-year-old UFC prospect Iasmin Lucindo calls out former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag] thinks it’s time she faces same of the more known names in her division.
The 21-year-old strawweight prospect is looking to test herself against former UFC title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz following her latest win in the octagon. Lucindo (15-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is coming off a win over fellow Brazilian Polyana Viana (13-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) on the main card of UFC on ESPN 51, which took place Saturday at the UFC Apex.
“Karolina the Polish fighter – I don’t know how to pronounce her last name – (is whom I want next),” Lucindo told reporters. “I’ve been watching ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ the veterans against the new generation, and I want to propose that: the new generation vs. the veteran. I’m also a fan of hers, too, and I think that’s a great fight.”
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Lucindo, who’s now on a two-fight winning streak since losing her UFC debut on short notice in August 2022, thinks she’s physically ready to take on Kowalkiewicz, but sees it as a tough test mentally.
“I think it would be a great fight, and with my style I see a lot of striking, a lot of standup,” Lucindo said. “And also, I think it’s an opportunity to challenge myself because it’s someone that it’s not just for the style, but the experience. I wouldn’t be challenging myself physically, I would be challenging myself mentally and psychologically to see how ready I am.”
As far as where could that fight land, Lucindo likes the idea of fighting in home soil in the upcoming UFC Fight Night event in Sao Paulo on Nov. 4.
“If it were in Brazil it would be wonderful,” Lucindo said. “Who doesn’t want to fight in Brazil? It will be amazing, and it would be wonderful, and I came out of this fight 100 percent. If Dana (White) wants to give me that fight, I will be ready for it.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 51, which saw a record-tying number of first-round stoppage results.
The UFC returns to its home base of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday following three weeks on the road with UFC on ESPN 51, which saw nine of 13 fights end inside the distance.
The main event was one of few that needed the judges. [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) managed to outwork former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (33-15 MMA, 21-13 UFC) to a unanimous decision in the welterweight bout and used a lot of grappling to get it done.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 51.
UFC on ESPN 51 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 on ESPN 51 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $173,000.
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 on ESPN 51 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 51 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Hakeem Dawodu[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]AJ Dobson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]JP Buys[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Mike Breeden[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Isaac Dulgarian[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Martin Buday[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Josh Parisian[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jaqueline Amorim[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Montserrat Conejo[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jose Johnson[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Luana Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Juliana Miller[/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 $4,510; 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 $51,000 while title challengers get $51,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-51 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $5,395,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $19,984,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.
Iasmin Lucindo, 21, built more hype about her prospect status with a submission of Polyana Viana at UFC on ESPN 51.
[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag] showed again why she’s one of the most intriguing prospects in the strawweight division on Saturday when she submitted [autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 51.
The 21-year-old Lucindo (15-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) made it back-to-back octagon victories when she forced her fellow Brazilian Viana (13-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) to tap out at the 3:42 mark of Round 2 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The fight was something of a grind until Lucindo got on top and locked in the choke, which you can watch a replay of below (via Twitter):
A prospect to WATCH, ladies and gents! 👀@Iasmin_Lucindo | #UFCVegas78 is LIVE on @ESPN pic.twitter.com/ojVWgn1Gev
— UFC (@ufc) August 13, 2023
After dropping her octagon debut, Lucindo has now pieced together a pair of wins and looks more and more like she has a very bright future at 115 pounds.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 51 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.
Check out what the UFC on ESPN 51 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 51 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
You can hear from all the UFC on ESPN 51 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.
Iasmin Lucindo says no matter what Polyana Viana brings to the table at UFC on ESPN 51, she’s got an answer.
LAS VEGAS – There aren’t many bigger celebrity UFC fans than Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis.
A dozen years ago, Kiedis put out a song called “Dance, Dance, Dance,” and while the odds are good [autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag] isn’t walking out to the Chili Peppers on Saturday, given what she’s expecting from her opponent, she might want to consider a music change.
Lucindo (14-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) takes on Polyana Viana (13-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) on Saturday in a women’s strawweight bout on the UFC on ESPN 51 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
She said no matter what Viana brings to the table, she’s got an answer.
“Everyone knows Iasmin Lucindo as someone that’s always striking, but I’m from a jiu-jitsu gym, and I’ve been training with one of the best jiu-jitsu artists in this game, which is Virna Jandiroba,” Lucindo told MMA Junkie at Thursdaay’s media day for UFC on ESPN 51. “I’m very confident in my jiu jitsu. But at the end of the day, it’s also MMA and you have to be prepared. You can’t be a striker all the time. I’m very confident about it, but whatever song Polyana plays, I’m willing to dance.”
“… We have a Plan A, we have a Plan B and we have a Plan C. I do believe that a knockout or a finish is actually a consequence of the fight, but I’m prepared for three rounds and no matter what happens, I feel that when I come out with a victory and my arm raised.”
Check out Lucindo’s full interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.
