Tag: Jared Gooden

Ex-UFC welterweight, new dad Jared Gooden announces MMA retirement

After more than 30 pro fights, including seven in the UFC, Jared Gooden said it’s time for him to hang up the gloves.

After more than 30 professional fights, including seven in the UFC, welterweight [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag] said it’s time for him to hang up the gloves.

Gooden (23-11) announced his retirement in a social media video in the wake of a reported loss to Mahamed Aly (4-0) this past Saturday at a Shogun Fights event in Maryland. That bout was Gooden’s first after his second release from the UFC, which came after a decision loss this past fall.

“My time has come. I’m walking away from the sport,” Gooden said in the video. “… I just don’t have the love or the passion I had for it anymore, like I did when I was younger. I keep everything pretty private, but me and this amazing woman brought a beautiful baby girl into this world, and my focus is on her now. I’m going to hang up my gloves for now, and I can’t wait to let you guys know what I’m going to do next in life.”

Gooden, 31, worked his way up through the Southeast regional scene starting in 2015 and after an LFA win, he got a shot at Titan FC’s welterweight title against former UFC fighter Michael Graves, but fell short.

In late 2020, though, on a three-fight winning streak, he got the call from the UFC. His first stint in the promotion was a mixed bag. He went 1-3, but the losses were decisions against tough outs Alan Jouban, Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Randy Brown – and the win was a highlight-reel 68-second KO of Niklas Stolze.

Still, he found himself outside the promotion after the loss to Brown, but worked his way back after a 4-1 run.

In early 2023, he took a UFC return fight on three days’ notice. Understandably, he couldn’t hit the welterweight limit against Carlston Harris and lost a decision, plus 30 percent of his purse.

His bounce-back was the only bonus of his UFC career. He picked up an extra $50,000 check for a second-round submission of Wellington Turman in Texas. But 10 months later, after a decision loss to Chidi Njokuani, he once again was outside the UFC. Now he says he’ll step away altogether.

In a little less than 10 years as a pro, Gooden only was stopped twice. But on the flip side, nearly 80 percent of his wins were finishes.

UFC Fight Night 244 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Brad Tavares gets $21,000 in record bout

UFC Fight Night 244 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 244 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $186,000.

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 Fight Night 244 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 244 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]JunYong Park[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Ramazan Temirov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Junior Tafa[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Sean Sharaf[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Julia Polastri[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cody Haddon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Clayton Carpenter[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Lucas Rocha[/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 $4,630; 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 $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-63 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,488,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,225,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

Jared Gooden vs. Chidi Njokuani prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 244

Jared Gooden and Chidi Njokuani both battle the scale to hit the welterweight limit, but who will win in the octagon at UFC Fight Night 244?

[autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag] and [autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 244 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-2
UFC main cards, 2024: 84-74-3

Jared Gooden vs. Chidi Njokuani UFC Fight Night 244 preview

Gooden (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) continues his second stint in the UFC with his first fight of 2024, and hopes to keep on the winning track. In December, Gooden submitted Wellington Turman to pick up his first victory since retuning to the promotion in March 2023. … Njokuani (23-10 MMA, 3-3 UFC) enters his second fight of the year, following a split decision victory over Rhys McKee in March. The close result provided Njokuani relief as it snapped a three-fight skid.

Jared Gooden vs. Chidi Njokuani UFC Fight Night 244 expert pick, prediction

Serving as a solid offering at 170 pounds is an action fight between Njokuani and Gooden.

Win or lose, both men tend to find themselves in high-action affairs (whenever they’re not paired with strong wrestlers, that is).

Even though I believe Njokuani is the more skilled fighter of the two, I have a hard time relying on the 35-year-old to sustain his offense or overall pacing at this point in his career.

Gooden may have a propensity to get hurt early on in contests, but he’s proven that he can come back and win if his opponent isn’t able to finish the job.

Add in the fact that Njokuani is once again subjecting his body to another hellacious welterweight cut, and I’ll semi-reluctantly side with Gooden to survive an early storm in order to find a finish in Round 2.

Jared Gooden vs. Chidi Njokuani UFC Fight Night 244 odds

The oddsmakers and the public favor the more experienced fighter, listing Gooden +148 and Njokuani -184 via FanDuel.

Jared Gooden vs. Chidi Njokuani UFC Fight Night 244 start time, how to watch

Gooden and Njokuani are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:35 p.m. ET (5:35 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

UFC Fight Night 244: Chidi Njokuani vs. Jared Gooden odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 244 odds between Chidi Njokuani vs. Jared Gooden, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round welterweight bout on the main card, Chidi Njokuani and Jared Gooden meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 244 — also known as UFC Vegas 98 and UFC on ESPN+ 102 — at the UFC Apex. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s UFC odds around the UFC Night Night 244: Njokuani vs. Gooden odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+, and the main card begins at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Records: Njokuani (23-10-0) | Gooden (23-9-0)

The 35-year-old Njokuani halted a 3-bout losing skid, all at the middleweight division, with a split-decision win over Rhys McKee last time out in late March in his return to welterweight. It was just his 2nd fight to go the distance in 6 bouts at the UFC, with the other 4 resulting in KO/TKOs. He is 2-2 in those 4 fights which ended in knockout.

For Gooden, he is making his 2nd tour in the UFC. He was 1-3 with the promotion back from Nov. 21, 2020 to Oct. 9, 2021 before being dismissed. He returned with a unanimous-decision loss to Carlston Harris on March 11, 2023, before choking out Wellington Turman in the 2nd round on Dec. 2.

Njokuani has a 3-inch reach advantage, while Gooden holds a 5.08-to-4.09 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. Both fighters aren’t terrible gifted in the ground game, and the difference in negligible in submission average.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC Fight Night 244: Njokuani vs. Gooden odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of UFC odds. Lines last updated at 11:15 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Njokuani -165 (bet $165 to win $100) | Gooden +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
  • Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over -165 | Under +135)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +150 | No -210)

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UFC Fight Night 244: Njokuani vs. Gooden picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

NJOKUANI (-165) is worth a look as a moderate favorite, as he will use his 3-inch reach advantage to pull Gooden (+135) in and out at his discretion.

The favorite won’t want to play around with the challenger too much in close quarters, but he will be able to push and pull him out, choosing the right time to strike and go for the kill. He is much better at welterweight than middleweight, when he was in over his head.

If you’re looking for a method of victory, NJOKUANI BY KO/TKO OR DQ (+150) at plus-money is worth a look, too.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (-165) is worth playing, although it’s a bit on the expensive side.

Njokuani has ended up going the distance in 2 of his past 3 fights, while Gooden has gone the distance in 4 of his 6 bouts at the UFC level.

However, No (-210): Will the fight go the distance? is just a little too expensive. Stick with the Over/Under or the method, for much better results.

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/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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UFC on ESPN 56 loses welterweight bout for ‘medical reasons’

Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 56 in St. Louis has a shorter lineup as one fight was canceled during Friday’s weigh-in window.

UFC on ESPN 56 has one less fight on its lineup than it did at the start of official weigh-ins.

The welterweight prelim between [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag] was canceled during the official weigh-in window Friday at the athlete host hotel. The event takes place Saturday at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

Jousset made weight less than 10 minutes into the window, but Gooden never showed up. The promotion announced prior to the window’s close that due to “medical reasons,” Gooden was unable to compete.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6y4R3lrTaf/?igsh=ZnkwZmR4aGdhYXZz

Gooden is a repeat offender when it comes to weight misses. In six UFC bouts over two separate stints with the promotion, Gooden has missed the welterweight limit twice: once by three pounds and once by six.

Neither party has publicly commented on the cancellation at the time of publication and it’s unclear whether Jousset will be quickly rebooked.

With the cancellation, the UFC on ESPN 56 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
  • Alonzo Menifield vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Diego Ferreira vs. Mateusz Rebecki
  • Alex Caceres vs. Sean Woodson
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Robelis Despaigne

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

  • Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Chase Hooper
  • Terrance McKinney vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Tecia Pennington vs. Tabatha Ricci
  • Billy Goff vs. Trey Waters
  • Jake Hadley vs. Charles Johnson
  • JJ Aldrich vs. Veronica Hardy

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for December: A bloody women’s bantamweight war

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from December 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from December 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for December.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Nominees

MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month for December: Sean Brady mauls Kelvin Gastelum

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from December 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from December 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for December.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

Nominees

UFC on ESPN 52 medical suspensions: Headliners, Bobby Green among 12 fighters facing 180 days off

A dozen UFC Austin competitors including Arman Tsarukyan, Beneil Dariush, and Bobby Green have been given lengthy suspensions by Texas.

UFC on ESPN 52 took place Saturday at Moody Center in Austin, Texas and featured a dozen fights.

Of the 24 competitors on the card, 12 fighters were suspended 180 days due to injuries sustained in their bouts, according to documentation from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), the commissioning body that oversaw the event.

Among those who received the lengthiest suspensions are both sides of the main event, Arman Tsarukyan and Beneil Dariush, as well as co-main eventer Bobby Green.

The TDLR does not reveal injury specifics, just the duration of the suspensions. Fighters are permitted to return to competition prior to the conclusion of their suspension durations should they be cleared by a doctor beforehand.

Check out the 24 medical suspension durations below:

Jared Gooden’s UFC Austin comeback submission puts wheels in motion for mom’s retirement

Jared Gooden hopes a lot of good for his mother can come from his comeback win over Wellington Turman.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag] beat Wellington Turman with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Take a look inside the fight with Gooden, who rallied from a rough first round to stun and submit Turman in the second.

UFC on ESPN 52 post-event facts: Clay Guida sets dubious record with 18th octagon loss

Check out all the facts from UFC on ESPN 52, which saw a record two slam KOs and Clay Guida tying the UFC record for most losses.

The UFC’s third-to-last event of 2023 went down as one of the best of the year. UFC on ESPN 52 delivered with nine stoppages in 12 fights.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) capped off the night with the quickest finish of the bunch. He dropped and stopped [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) just 64 seconds into their high-stakes lightweight headliner, solidifying himself as a top contender.

For more on the numbers behind the card, which featured a number of historic feats, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 52.