Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Irene Aldana’s bloodbath win over Karol Rosa was a striker’s delight and Fight of the Night winner at UFC 296 in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] beat Karol Rosa with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Aldana, a former title challenger who has won three of her past four, including this most recent Fight of the Night winner.
The best facts to come out of UFC 296, which saw Colby Covington and Tony Ferguson join exclusive and unfortunate clubs in defeat.
The UFC’s final event of the 2023 started with a bang, but ended somewhat slow as UFC 296 unfolded at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The two championship fights to close out the calendar year saw both belts stay put. [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defeated [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) by unanimous decision to defend welterweight gold in the headliner, while [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) also got the nod on the scorecards over [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) to retain flyweight gold.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 296.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 296 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $339,500.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 296 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $339,500.
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 296 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
The full UFC 296 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Lucas Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Shamil Gaziev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Martin Buday[/autotag]: $4,500
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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,707,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
Check out what the UFC 296 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – UFC 296 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
You can hear from all the UFC 296 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
Check out the best photos from Irene Aldana’s unanimous decision win over Karol Rosa at UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag] at UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA Today Sports)
Check out the results from the official UFC 296 fighter weigh-ins from Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie reported from Friday’s official UFC 296 fighter weigh-ins, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and precede the ceremonial weigh-ins for the fans, which take place at 8 p.m. ET at The Theater at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The nearby T-Mobile Arena hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on ESPN+.
Among those who weighed in were welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) and challenger [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) and flyweight champ [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and challenger [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 5-2 UFC).
All 24 athletes made weight – with a little drama to conclude the session, as former UFC title challenger [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] needed to box to hit the bantamweight limit.
The final UFC main event of 2023 is OFFICIAL! ⚖️
Leon Edwards and Colby Covington have made weight for their #UFC296 title fight. pic.twitter.com/vcTFEYaqqo
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 15, 2023
The rematch is official! Flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja and challenger Brandon Royval make weight for the #UFC296 co-main event. pic.twitter.com/fkfBpA5HYu
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 15, 2023
The full UFC 296 weigh-in results include:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
[lawrence-related id=2703441]
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.
The best facts and figures about UFC 296, which features a loaded card of title fights, contender matchups and notable names with records.
The UFC goes out with a bang for its final event of 2023 on Saturday as a loaded UFC 296 is scheduled to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the main card set to air on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on ESPN+.
The 43rd and final card of the year features two championship fights at the top of the bill. In the main event, [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) puts his welterweight title on the line against [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC), while in the co-headliner, [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) looks to defend flyweight gold for the first time in a rematch with [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 5-2 UFC).
The rest of the card features a mix of contenders, familiar names and more with history inside the octagon. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 296.
* * * *
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. 25-Oct. 1.
Arman Tsarukyan and Larissa Pacheco picked up big wins over the weekend, resulting in upward movement in this week’s update.
Two impressive fighters in their respective divisions picked up big wins last weekend and made moves up the ladder.
First, at 2023 PFL 5 on Friday, 2022 season winner [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] picked up another first-round finish by making quick work of Amber Leibrock. The quick finish earned her six points and a guaranteed spot in the playoffs as she looks to win back-to-back championships. As a result, she climbs to the No. 2 spot in the women’s featherweight division.
Saturday at UFC on ESPN 46, [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] continued his winning ways by finishing Joaquim Silva in the third round. The result marked two in a row, resulting in a bump from the honorable mention to claiming No. 13 in the lightweight rankings.
Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.
[pickup_prop id=”33997″]
Brandon Moreno believes the pressure Irene Aldana faced at UFC 289 might’ve got to her.
Mexico fell short in its quest for a fourth UFC title.
In the biggest fight of her career, [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] had arguably her worst showing, losing a lopsided decision against two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes in the main event of UFC 289 this past Saturday.
Immediately after the bout, Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) announced her retirement, while Aldana (14-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) had no option but to endure the criticism of fans and pundits.
[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag], who’s the first Mexico-born fighter to hold a UFC belt, thinks the world didn’t get to see the real version of Aldana that night at UFC 289.
“I don’t know if the best Irene that day would’ve beat Amanda Nunes, but what I do know is that Irene has looked way better in other fights,” Moreno told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “She’s done a lot more. This time around she looked off, she looked hesitant, and she didn’t want to let her hands go. But damn, you also need to remember that we’re human beings at the end of the day.”
[lawrence-related id=1987969,660183]
In a short statement the day after the fight, Aldana hinted at the mental aspect hindering her performance, while saying she “already identified this blockage” and promising it won’t happen again.
Moreno doesn’t want to make any excuses for Aldana but knows the pressure was at an all-time high given who she was fighting, what she was fighting for, and the moment in which she was attempting to capture a UFC title.
“Imagine you’re the main event of a pay-per-view, you’re fighting for a title, you have thousands of people in the arena, all the media on fight week, and the pressure,” Moreno said. “I imagine the pressure of, ‘Look, Brandon Moreno is champion. Alexa won the title. Yair won the title, too. We want the fourth. You can do it, Irene.’ And all that. I also think this is extra pressure.
“You do have to take responsibility as an athlete, the pressure is always going to be there, and you need to do your job regardless of the circumstances, but yeah, I do think it was the mental aspect.
“At the end of the day, you have nothing left but to do what she said: Get yourself together, stand back up, and do whatever is necessary to move forward. I think she can achieve it. It was a bad night. Unfortunately, a bad night for us means catastrophe. Us having a bad night is terrible. It’s losing a fight after months of preparation.”
But what’s done is done, and Moreno thinks it’s crucial for Aldana to turn the page and start looking at how she can get back to the belt. If “The Assasin Baby” could give Aldana any advice, he would tell her to just brush herself off and keep going.
“I think the easiest thing and the best thing that I could tell her is to do everything possible to turn the page,” Moreno explained. “That happened. Take with you the things that you need to improve on, obviously, and study and look at the mistakes you made, but turn the page.
“Don’t stay with, ‘Oh, man, I failed. Oh, man, I disappointed the people.’ At the end of the day, it’s just you. At the end of the day, win or lose, it’s just you and the people who really love you and appreciate you. Get rid of worrying about what people say and judgements, and turn the page and move forward. Rest up a little bit and go back to the gym.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=2 category=420036286]
