Tag: Jennifer Maia

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 17: Joaquin Buckley, Manel Kape soar

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC on ESPN 63 including movement from Joaquin Buckley and Manel Kape.

UFC on ESPN 63 took place Saturday in Tampa, Fla. and resulted in all sorts of movement in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

Most notably, main event victor [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) traded places in the welterweight rankings with the man he stopped on a cut, multitime UFC title challenger Colby Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC). Buckley slides to Nov. 5 while Covington falls to No. 10.

Additionally, a big win for [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) results in him bumping up into the No. 6 position in the flyweight rankings. That’s for a TKO win over Bruno Silva (14-6-2 MMA, 4-3 UFC).

Wins from [autotag]Daniel Marcos[/autotag], [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag], and Invicta FC’s [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] also had impact in the rankings.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

Invicta FC 59 results: Jennifer Maia makes promotional history as first two-division champion

Check out the results of Invicta FC 59, where former UFC title challenger Jennifer Maia made promotional history in Atlanta.

Former UFC title challenger [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] made Invicta FC history Friday evening.

At Invicta FC 59, which took place at The Eastern in Atlanta, Maia (23-10-1) faced incoming Invicta bantamweight champion Talita Bernardo in the main event. Bernardo (11-5) sought a second defense of her title, but Maia won a unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) to become the first two-division champion in Invicta FC history.

The fight was competitive early on the feet and on the mat. Both fighters threatened deep submission attempts in the fight: Maia with an armbar and Bernardo with a kneebar.

As the fight continued on, Maia pulled away on the scorecards behind effective striking and grappling. Bernardo fought hard throughout and created a few interesting scramble moments late, but Maia consistently found herself in advantageous positions.

With the result, Maia becomes the first two-division champion in Invicta FC history. Maia won the Invicta flyweight title in 2016 by defeating Vanessa Porto at Invicta FC 16, a title she defended twice before moving to the UFC in 2018.

Maia returned to Invicta in August after a 12-fight run under the UFC banner which included a shot at Valentina Shevchenko’s flyweight title at UFC 255.

Full Invicta FC 59 results include:

  • Jennifer Maia def. Talita Bernardo via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
  • Paula Bittencourt def. Alejandra Lara via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Valesca Machado def. Yasmin Castanho via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Ana Palacios def. Monique Adriane via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Fernanda Orellana def. Ashley Barrett via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:24

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Invicta FC 59: Best photos from Atlanta

Check out these photos from the fights at Invicta FC 59, which took place Friday in Atlanta.

Check out these photos from the fights at Invicta FC 59, which took place Friday at The Eastern in Atlanta, and featured a bantamweight title fight between [autotag]Talita Bernardo[/autotag] and [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]. (Photos by Dave Mandell, Invicta FC)

UFC parts ways with 11 fighters, including former title challenger

The UFC has parted ways with 11 fighters including a former title challenger after a two-month stretch that saw 55 signings.

The UFC roster has been officially trimmed by 11 fighters.

With a whopping 55 fighters signed in the months of September and October combined, the UFC has parted ways with nearly a dozen fighters in recent days including a former women’s flyweight title challenger.

Algorithm-based Twitter account UFC Roster Tracker first published the transactions when the promotion removed the fighters from official rankings eligibility.

Check out the recent batch of UFC departures below. The means of each fighter’s departure (release, end of contract, etc.) is not known, unless denoted otherwise.

UFC Fight Night 230 post-event facts: Edson Barboza sets record for Fight of the Night bonuses

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 230, where Edson Barboza set a new record for most Fight of the Night bonuses.

The UFC’s second event of October got off to a slow start, but UFC Fight Night 230 closed with one of the best fights of the year.

The main event saw [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC) rally from a vicious first-round beatdown to secure a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a thrilling Fight of the Night matchup of ranked featherweights.

Check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from that fight and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 230 card from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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UFC Fight Night 230 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $21 million

UFC Fight Night 230 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 230 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $167,500.

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 Fight Night 230 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 230 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]TJ Brown[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tainara Lisboa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. autotag]Ravena Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brendon Marotte[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melissa Dixon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Irina Alekseeva[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ashley Yoder[/autotag]: $11,000

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 2301 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: $6,651,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,170,00

UFC Fight Night 230: Jennifer Maia vs. Viviane Araujo odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 230 odds between Jennifer Maia vs. Viviane Araujo, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round women’s flyweight bout on the main card, Jennifer Maia and Viviane Araujo meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 230 — also known as UFC Vegas 81 — at UFC Apex. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s around the UFC Fight Night 230: Maia vs. Araujo odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims can be viewed on ESPN+ starting at 4 p.m. ET with the main card following on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.

Records: Maia (21-9-1) | Araujo (11-5-0)

Maia takes the walk with a pair of unanimous-decision victories in her previous 2 outings. That includes a win over Casey O’Neill last time out at UFC 286. In fact, the Team Chute Boxe fighter has ended up going the distance in 6 consecutive fights, winning 3 and losing 3, including a unanimous-decision setback to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 255 for the women’s flyweight strap.

Araujo has lost the past 2 fights against Alexa Grasso and Amanda Ribas, although those are 2 of the better fighters in the division, so not a lot of shame in that. Since arriving at the UFC with a KO/TKO over Talita Bernardo at UFC 237, Araujo has had 8 consecutive unanimous-decision fights, with 4 wins and 4 losses dating back to July 27, 2019.

Watch  this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC Fight Night 230: Jennifer Maia vs. Viviane Araujo odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:11 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Maia -158 (bet $158 to win $100) | Araujo +134 (bet $100 to win $134)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over -450 | Under +300)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -380 | No +270)

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UFC Fight Night 230: Jennifer Maia vs. Viviane Araujo picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

MAIA (-158) is a decent play as a moderate favorite on the 2-way line. She has been far more consistent, and has fought against a better class of fighters, too.

There is concern, as Maia gives up 4 inches in reach to Araujo (+134), but her experience and stamina is a huge plus. We should see a bout that is upright, with the fighters exchanging blows, trying to wow the judges. I also like MAIA BY POINTS (-110) for a little bit better of a value.

Over/Under (O/U)

Over 2.5 Rounds (-450) and Yes: Will the fight go the distance? (-380) are both way overpriced. There is just no value laying that kind of money for such a small reward.

AVOID, and focus on the 2-way line and/or the method of victory instead.

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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Jennifer Maia: Viviane Araujo ‘a hard opponent, but I think I’m better’

Jennifer Maia expects to have the advantage over Viviane Araujo.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] expects to have the advantage over [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag].

Maia (21-9-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC) takes on Araujo (11-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) in a flyweight bout in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 230 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.

“I’m happy with this fight,” Maia told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “She is a hard opponent, but I think I’m better.”

If Maia can make it three straight wins vs. Araujo, that would mark her longest winning streak in the UFC. The former title challenger hopes she can return to fighting the upper echelon of the division.

“I’m excited for this fight because if I win, I want to fight against the top five,” Maia said.

Maia gave former champion Valentina Shevchenko a tough outing when she challenged her for the title in November 2020. She looks forward to competing for the title again in the near future.

“I’m prepared to fight with the champion soon,” Maia said.

Watch Maia’s full pre-fight interview in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 230.