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.

Video: ‘UFC Fight Night 230: Yusuff vs. Barboza’ media day interviews

Before UFC Fight Night 230 on Saturday, watch as the main card athletes fighters speak to reporters at media day.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 230, which takes place at the UFC Apex with a card that streams entirely on ESPN+, goes down Saturday.

Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the main card spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

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

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 7-13)

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. 7-13.

With Casey O’Neill out of UFC 293, Viviane Araujo will now face Jennifer Maia on Oct. 14

Viviane Araujo will have a change in opponent and venue after Casey O’Neill withdrew from UFC 293.

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] will have a change in opponent and venue after [autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag] withdrew from UFC 293.

Araujo (11-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) was scheduled to meet O’Neill (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) on Sept. 9 in Sydney, but the bout was scrapped after O’Neill was forced out due to an injury. Araujo now meets [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] (21-9-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 14 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people of knowledge of the situation told MMA Junkie of change on Tuesday after an initial report by Sherdog.

O’Neill released a statement saying she’s already underdone surgery for the injury, but did not reveal exactly what happened (via Twitter):

Hurts to say this but unfortunately I am out of my fight in Sydney. Just had surgery on Friday and have already started recovering, looking to get rebooked in December ! Next year I’ll make sure I’m on an Australia card 🇦🇺 ❤️

Araujo will look to rebound after coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in her career. The 36-year-old dropped two straight unanimous decisions to current flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, and most recently Amanda Ribas at UFC 285.

Maia has split her past four octagon appearances. She is coming off two straight wins over Maryna Moroz and O’Neill, where she handed the Aussie fighter her first-career loss at UFC 286 in March.

The latest lineup for UFC Fight Night on Oct. 14 now includes:

  • Irina Alekseeva vs. Melissa Dixon
  • Emily Ducote vs. Ashley Yoder
  • Edson Barboza vs. Sodiq Yusuff
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Adrian Yanez
  • David Dvorak vs. Tatsuro Taira
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Jennifer Maia

Jennifer Maia claims Casey O’Neill was ‘very greased up, very oily’ at UFC 286

Despite her win, Jennifer Maia claims Casey O’Neill was ‘very greased up, very oily’ at UFC 286 in London.

LONDON – [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] left UFC 286 with her hand raised, but there’s still something that’s not sitting right with her.

The former UFC women’s flyweight title challenger claimed her opponent, [autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag], was greased up entering their main card about at The O2 in London on Saturday. In the end, Maia (21-9-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC) won a unanimous decision using her striking, but she thinks the fight would’ve looked much different if not for what she alleged was greasing by O’Neill (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC).

“I’m happy with my performance, but I have so much more to show,” Maia told reporters in her UFC 286 post-fight news conference. “I really wanted to show you guys my ground game, but Casey was very greased up, very oily, very slippery, and that really threw me off.”

When asked to clarify her comments, Maia said she thinks it was more than sweat that made O’Neill hard to grapple.

“Listen, I don’t want to take shots like this – it can be skin moisturizer – but definitely I know it was not just sweat.”

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The Brazilian said she noticed something was up in the first grappling exchange of the fight, and that’s why the grappling specialist resorted to a striking approach for the remainder of the fight.

“The first time we locked bodies (I noticed) – as soon as we locked bodies against the cage,” Maia said. “I have a very strong game against the cage, and I felt it extremely difficult to get a hold of her and keep a hold of her because she was so slippery. So I had to abandon that and go to boxing.”

Regardless, Maia left London victorious and now finds herself on a two-fight winning streak. She thinks a third victory could set her up for a championship bout.

“My goal is to eventually fight for the title again – maybe one more fight and then I’ll be ready to fight for the title,” Maia said.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

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UFC 286 post-event facts: Justin Gaethje’s insane bonus streak continues

Check out the numbers to come out of UFC 286, where Justin Gaethje made more history with another Fight of the Night effort.

The UFC hosted its fourth numbered event of the year on Saturday with UFC 286, which took place at The O2 in London and saw home country hero [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] compete in the main event.

Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) registered his first welterweight title defense when he edged rival [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) by majority decision in their trilogy bout, giving him a 2-1 lead in their series.

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 286.