Tag: Jared Gordon

UFC free fight: Did Paddy Pimblett get away with a robbery against Jared Gordon?

Watch the full UFC 282 battle between Paddy Pimblett and Jared Gordon that sparked controversy.

One of the most controversial fights in recent memory featured one of the sport’s rising stars.

[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] stepped into the biggest spotlight of his career at UFC 282 in December 2022, and exited it with a very controversial victory over [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag].

Many viewers thought Gordon definitively did enough to hand Pimblett his first UFC loss. However, the three opinions that mattered were the judge scoring the fight: Douglas Crosby, Chris Lee, and Ron McCarthy. They scored the fight unanimously 29-28 for Pimblett.

Now that the dust has settled and emotions aren’t as high, did Pimblett get away with a robbery decision? Or were the judges right after all?

Check out the full fight video above before Pimblett returns Saturday vs. Tony Ferguson at UFC 296.

UFC 295 medical suspensions: Jiri Prochazka, Sergei Pavlovich among 19 suspended indefinitely

Nineteen indefinite suspensions were handed out after UFC 295, per the New York State Athletic Commission.

UFC 295 took place Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York and featured 13 fights.

On Monday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of athlete medical suspensions from the New York State Athletic Commission, the sanctioning body that oversaw the event. Most injury specifics were not disclosed.

Nineteen of the 26 combatants were given indefinite suspensions and will need to be cleared by a doctor before they return. That’s a high number of indefinite suspensions compared to the average UFC event, although the NYSAC may have different safety protocols compared to other regulatory bodies. All 26 fighters were also given mandatory suspensions, which vary from seven days to 90 days.

Check out the full list of medical suspensions from UFC 295 below.

‘Breaking a family curse’: Jared Gordon details powerful MSG connection after UFC 295 win

Jared Gordon competed at MSG for the first time at UFC 295, but his previous connections to the arena are quite powerful.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag] never competed at Madison Square Garden until UFC 295, but he was quite acquainted with the venue.

Like many of his fellow New Yorkers, Gordon (20-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC) feels an attachment to the place the Knicks and Rangers play, one of the most prolific sporting arenas in the world.

The ties are stronger than that, however. Gordon is a former heroin addict. He used to shoot up in Penn Station, which is attached to Madison Square Garden.

“I used to shoot dope in that bathroom and the bathroom in Penn Station,” Gordon told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “When I see these places, it’s like nostalgic for me. Heroin is like a nostalgic thing for me. It might sound weird, but I can really remember and feel it. It’s awesome to be like, now instead of getting high here, I’m fighting in the UFC here. It’s pretty cool.”

After he knocked out Mark Madsen (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) on Saturday, Gordon couldn’t help but reflect on the symbolic full-circle journey – particularly because he wasn’t the first of his bloodline to win a professional fight at MSG.

“It’s crazy. My grandfather was a pro boxer,” Gordon said. “He grew up in Harlem. He was 38-3 as a pro. He was a really good boxer. It’s really funny because I walk in his footsteps. He got arrested in Detroit. I can actually pull the article up on Google. It was the largest heroin bust in Detroit history. He did eight years in Michigan. I have pictures of him in prison boxing. He boxed the whole eight years he was there. He died an alcoholic. He came out of prison and he came back to being a criminal. He ended up dying an alcoholic.”

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Gordon has been sober for eight years. The pivot toward a straightedged lifestyle came after his third overdose in 2015. Having the historic combat sports lineage is cool, but he’s perhaps even happier about the differences between him and his grandfather.

“My mom always says to me, it was her father, that I turned it around,” Gordon said. “He ended his life as an addict alcoholic and I’ve gotten sober. I don’t know. I’m kind of breaking a family curse. It’s pretty crazy.”

For those still struggling, Gordon continues his attempts to be an example that even in the depths of addiction, a road to success is possible and plausible.

“There’s always a way out, no matter how far down the hall you are,” Gordon said, of advice he’d give addicts. “You can turn it around. You just need to have faith in a higher power and take some suggestions from people. If you’re sick, get some professional help. That’s how it goes.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 post-event facts: Alex Pereira joins exclusive two-title club in record time

The best facts from UFC 295, which saw Alex Pereira join the two-division title club in less fights than the eight names before him.

The UFC’s penultimate numbered event of the year, UFC 295 from Madison Square Garden in New York, proved to be arguably the best of the bunch.

Two new champions were crowned to close out a lineup that saw eight stoppages in 13 fights. In the main event, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) picked up the vacant light heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), while [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) claimed the interim heavyweight strap in the co-main event with a 69-second knockout of [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 295.

UFC 295 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Title fight athletes net $32,000 each

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 295 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $272,500.

NEW YORK – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 295 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $272,500.

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 295 took place at Madison Square Garden. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 295 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nazim Sadykhov[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dennis Buzukja[/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 $4,500; 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: $7,305,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,824,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC 295 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event at Madison Square Garden in New York.

NEW YORK – UFC 295 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from Madison Square Garden in New York.

You can hear from all the UFC 295 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 video: New Yorker Jared Gordon brutally blasts Mark Madsen for TKO

Mark Madsen hadn’t been finished by TKO until he fought Jared Gordon on Saturday night at UFC 295.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag] has special connections with Madison Square Garden, and now his name will be associated with it in the history books.

In the same building his grandfather competed as a boxer and the same building attached to Penn Station, where Gordon (20-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC) used to shoot heroin, “Flash” lived up to his nickname Saturday with a knockout of [autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at UFC 295. The stoppage came at 4:42 of Round 1.

The finish began against the cage as Gordon landed a big right hand and followed it up with more punches on the ground. Madsen covered up, prompting referee Marc Goddard to dive in.

With the victory, Gordon reenters the win column after a two-fight winless streak (one loss and one no contest). Madsen enters a two-fight skid for the first time in his career.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 295 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Jared Gordon def. Mark Madsen at UFC 295: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Jared Gordon’s first-round TKO win over Mark Madsen at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]’s first-round TKO win over [autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag] at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photos by Sarah Stier, Getty Images)

UFC 295 pre-event facts: Alex Pereira’s two-division title bid comes with historic twist

Check out the facts behind UFC 295, where Alex Pereira can join the two-division titleholder club in a way that differs from everyone else.

The UFC makes its annual stop in New York on Saturday with UFC 295, which takes place at Madison Square Garden with a pair of title fights that top the pay-per-view main card following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

In the main event, [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will return to competition from a significant injury to face [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant light heavyweight belt. The co-headliner will see [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) clash with [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in an interim heavyweight championship contest.

For more on the numbers behind the title-fight doubleheader, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 295.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 4-10)

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.