Tag: Jennifer Maia

UFC on ESPN+ 31 post-event facts: Vicente Luque’s finishing ability stands out

All the notable stats to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 31, which took place in Las Vegas, and saw Derek Brunson beat Edmen Shahbazyan.

The UFC hosted another event on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 31, which took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streamed on ESPN+.

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC) pulled off an upset a 3-1 underdog in the main event when he derailed the hype around [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) with a third-round TKO win in the middleweight headliner.

Brunson’s victory concluded a rather unusual eight-fight card that featured a stunning amount of fight scratches in the days and hours leading up. For more on the numbers, check below for 25 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 31.

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General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $103,500.

Debuting fighters went 1-1-2 at the event.

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag], [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag], [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 31 fight-night bonuses.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.

Betting favorites went 4-3 on the card. On fight ended in a raw.

Betting favorites fell to 14-7 in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the eight-bout card was 1:35:48.

Main card

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Brunson’s 12 victories since 2012 in UFC middleweight competition are the most in the division.

Brunson’s eight stoppage victories in UFC middleweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Anderson Silva (11), Nate Marquardt (nine) and Chris Leben (nine).

Brunson’s seven knockout victories in UFC middleweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Silva (eight) and Thiago Santos (eight).

Shahbazyan had his 11-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

Maia (18-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) earned her first submission victory since May 10, 2014 – a span of 2,275 days (more than six years) and 13 fights.

[autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) fell to 4-2 in UFC women’s flyweight competition. She’s 4-2 in her career at 125 pounds.

Calderwood has suffered all three of her career stoppage losses by first-round submission.

Calderwood became the ninth fighter in history to suffer multiple armbar submission losses in UFC competition.

Luque (19-7-1 MMA, 12-3 UFC) has earned 17 of his 19 career victories by stoppage. That includes 11 of his 12 UFC wins.

Luque’s 11 stoppage victories since 2015 in UFC welterweight competition are most in the division during that span.

Luque’s 11 stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Matt Brown (13) and Matt Hughes (12).

Luque’s eight knockout victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied with Thiago Alves for second most in divisional history behind Brown (11).

Vannata (11-5-2 MMA, 3-5-2 UFC) fell to 2-4-2 in his past eight UFC appearances dating back to March 2017.

Preliminary card

[autotag]Frankie Saenz[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) fell to 2-5 in his past seven fights dating back to December 2015.

Saenz has suffered all four of his UFC stoppage losses by knockout.

[autotag]Johnny Munhoz[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his 10-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (15-4-2 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) vs. Cody Durden (11-2-1 MMA, 0-0-1 UFC) marked the first unanimous draw in UFC history without point deductions.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

Jennifer Maia gets wish as Dana White says Valentina Shevchenko next after UFC on ESPN+ 31

Valentina Shevchenko has her next contender.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]’s hope has become a reality.

At UFC on ESPN+ 31 on Saturday, Maia (18-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) defeated [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] by first-round armbar submission. Calderwood was expected to challenge women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko – had she won.

When Maia took to the podium at a post-fight news conference, she didn’t have an answer to the question of whether or not she’d be next in line for the champion. However, minutes later, UFC president Dana White cleared the air.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” White said. “That’s the fight. Listen, I have a lot of respect for JoJo. She’s been working hard, taking her career very seriously. She’s been back on track since she moved to Vegas. Jennifer looked damn good tonight. Yeah, it makes sense for her and Valentina to fight.”

Since shortly after her most recent fight in February, Shevchenko has been dealing with injuries. While White did not give a timeline for the fight, he said he hopes to book it as soon as possible.

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Shevchenko (19-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) has looked largely unbeatable in her UFC career to date. With the exceptions of 2016 and 2017 losses to current UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes, Shevchenko has not lost in the promotion.

Maia said she understands the challenge in front of her. When asked about her gameplan for a potential title fight, Maia voiced confidence without revealing any specifics.

“Yeah, that’s a hard question,” Maia said. “(Shevchenko) is very good everywhere. We’re going to find out when we fight. I’m very good. I’m feeling ready. I want to fight now.”

While she admitted she thought Calderwood slightly underestimated her, Maia said she doesn’t expect Shevchenko to make the same mistake.

“I think JoJo maybe underestimated me a little bit,” Maia said. “She had the fight for the title and then she got a short-notice (fight against me) in two weeks. I think she did underestimate me a little bit, but I think Valentina is a smarter fighter. I know she’s the champion. I think she understands me very well. I don’t think she wants to underestimate me.”

UFC on ESPN+ 31 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.

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UFC on ESPN+ 31 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $34.5 million

UFC on ESPN+ 31 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $103,500.

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 on ESPN+ 31 took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card streamed ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN+ 31 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Frankie Saenz[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Johnny Munhoz[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Vincent Cachero[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $3,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.

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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,601,000
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $34,605,500

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC on ESPN+ 31, where Motley Crue met AC/DC

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 event.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

See what the fighters from UFC on ESPN+ 31 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

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Derek Brunson def. Edmen Shahbazyan via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:26

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]: “Victory Lap” by Nipsey Hussle feat. Stacy Barthe

[autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag]: “Use This Gospel” by Kanye West

Jennifer Maia def. Joanne Calderwood via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:29

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: “TNT” by AC/DC

[autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag]: “Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue

Vicente Luque def. Randy Brown via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:56

[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: “Baby Baby” by Troopkillaz

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: “Dela Move” by Chronixx

Bobby Green def. Lando Vannata via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: “White Friday” by Yo Gotti

[autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag]: “On The Road” by Post Malone feat. Meek Mill & Lil Baby

Jonathan Martinez def. Frankie Saenz via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 0:57

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: “El Papa De Los Pollitos” by Los Tucanes De Tijuana

[autotag]Frankie Saenz[/autotag]: “Calm Like A Bomb” by Rage Against The Machine

Nate Maness def. Johnny Munoz via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)

[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: “Real” by NF

[autotag]Johnny Munoz[/autotag]: “El Rey” by Vincente Fernandez

Jamall Emmers def. Vincent Cachero via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: “Florida Boy” by Rick Ross

[autotag]Vincent Cachero[/autotag]: “Ooh LA LA” by Run The Jewels

Chris Gutierrez vs. Cody Durden ends in a unanimous draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28)

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: “Bandolero” by Don Omar feat. Tego Calderon

[autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: “Hail Mary” by Tupac

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 bonuses: Bobby Green’s brawl with Lando Vannata takes ‘Fight of the Night’

The Bobby Green-Lando Vannata rematch was just as good as the first time.

The first time [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] threw down back at UFC 216, the duo went to a split draw in an exciting matchup that took home “Fight of the Night” honors.

On Saturday, Green (26-10-1 MMA, 7-5-1 UFC) and Vannata (11-5-2 MMA, 3-5-2 UFC) went at it again. This time, there was a winner, as Green took a unanimous decision in their lightweight bout on the main card of UFC on ESPN+ 31.

But there was a similarity to their first fight: It was another exciting affair, and it once again earned best of show honors. Green and Vannata took home “Fight of the Night” after the event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, with each competitor netting an extra $50,000.

The awards marked Vannata’s fifth career post-fight bonus and Green’s third.

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The evening also featured a pair of noteworthy finishes, which earned two competitors “Performance of the Night” awards.

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] made her case for a shot at flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko with her biggest career victory. In the evening’s co-main event, Maia (18-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) submitted Joanne Calderwood with a first round armbar. That marked the former Invicta champion’s third win in her past four fights and her first career post-fight bonus.

The final award went to someone who is no stranger to post-fight bonuses. [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] earned a second-round knockout of upstart Randy Brown in a welterweight fight for his second straight win. Luque (18-7-1 MMA, 11-3 UFC) , too, took home “Performance of the Night,” which is his sixth career bonus.

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UFC on ESPN+ 31 results: Jennifer Maia grabs Valentina Shevchenko’s attention with victory

Jennifer Maia wants the flyweight champ after a big win Saturday night, and Valentina Shevchenko looks ready to grant her wish.

Most of the attention going into the UFC on ESPN+ 31 co-main event between [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] and [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] centered on the notion that this was Calderwood’s chance to put an exclamation mark on her status as a title challenger.

Instead, it was Maia (18-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) who made her statement as a force to be reckoned with in the women’s flyweight division Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Maia submitted Calderwood (14-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) with a textbook armbar at the 4:29 mark of the opening round as the Brazilian won for the third time in her past four fight.

“I’m very happy, and I’m getting better every time out,” Maia said through an interpreter. “I think that I’m getting ready for the title.”

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Maia quite simply had her way with her boxing, flinging punches in bunches, which found the mark early and often. Calderwood, who took the fight on short notice she’d secured a title shot before, managed to slow down the attack with successful kicks.

That caused Maia to attempt a kick of her own, which Calderwood caught and then turned into a takedown. But while Calderwood had top control, Maia expertly turned the position into an armbar, isolated the arm, and left Calderwood no choice but to tap.

After the fight, Maia expressed interest in fighting champion Valentina Shevchenko, who seems ready to oblige.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 31 results:

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Twitter reacts to Jennifer Maia’s submission of Joanne Calderwood at UFC on ESPN+ 31

See the top Twitter reactions to Jennifer Maia’s win over Joanne Calderwood at UFC on ESPN+ 31.

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] proved [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag]’s wasn’t wise to take a short-notice fight with her when she emerged victorious from the UFC on ESPN+ 31 co-main event.

Calderwood (14-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) rolled the dice to compete instead of waiting for champ Valentina Shevchenko to recover from injury, which was an admirable move. It proved costly, though, because Maia (18-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) picked up the first-round submission win in Saturday’s co-headliner, which took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Maia’s victory over Calderwood at UFC on ESPN+ 31.

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https://twitter.com/MMAjunkie/status/1289749181284917248

UFC on ESPN+ 31 play-by-play and live results (7 p.m. ET)

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN+ 31 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 event, and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results beginning at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT).

The event takes place at the UFC Apex and streams entirely on ESPN+.

In the main event, rising middleweight prospect [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] looks to make a name for himself with a signature win against [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]. And in the co-headliner, [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag], who is forgoing a title shot, takes on [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] in a women’s flyweight bout.

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 7 p.m. ET for the prelims and 9 p.m. ET for the main card.

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC on ESPN+ 31 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site video editor Ken Hathaway on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

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Results

Cody Durden vs. Chris Gutierrez

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Vince Cachero vs. Jamall Emmers

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Nate Maness vs. Johnny Munoz

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Ed Herman vs. Gerald Meerschaert

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Jonathan Martinez vs. Frankie Saenz

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Trevin Giles vs. Kevin Holland

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Bobby Green vs. Lando Vannata

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Randy Brown vs. Vicente Luque

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Joanne Calderwood vs. Jennifer Maia

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Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan

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UFC on ESPN+ 31 faceoffs video highlights, photo gallery

Check out all the fighter faceoffs ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 31.

ABU DHABI – After the UFC on ESPN+ 31 weigh-ins took place Friday, so too did fighter faceoffs, and MMA Junkie was on the scene.

In the main event, rising middleweight prospect [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] looks to make a name for himself with a signature win against [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]. And in the co-headliner, [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag], who is forgoing a title shot, takes on [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] in a women’s flyweight bout.

Those four fighters made weight, but there was one miss, as well as one fight canceled from the card.

Afterward, everyone came face to face. You can watch the faceoffs in the video above, as well as check out our photo gallery below.

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UFC on ESPN+ 31 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams entirely on ESPN+.

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