Tag: Jennifer Maia

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.

****

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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UFC on ESPN+ 31 predictions: Who’s picking Derek Brunson to halt Edmen Shahbazyan’s charge?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN+ 31 main card in Las Vegas.

Brunson
vs.
Shahbazyan		 Calderwood
vs.
Maia		 Brown
vs.
Luque		 Green
vs.
Vannata		 Giles
vs.
Holland
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2020: 71-46		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan (76%)		 calderwood2020
Calderwood (72%)		 luque2020
Luque (90%)		 vannata2020
Vannata (53%)		 holland2020
Holland (86%)
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2020: 84-33		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 holland2020
Holland
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2020: 83-34		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 bgreen2020
Green		 holland2020
Holland
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2020: 82-35		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 holland2020
Holland
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2020: 80-37
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 giles2020
Giles
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2020: 79-38		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 holland2020
Holland
Simon Head
@simonhead
2020: 78-39
trophy copy 2019 Champion*		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 bgreen2020
Green		 holland2020
Holland
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2020: 78-39
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 bgreen2020
Green		 holland2020
Holland
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2020: 77-40
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 bgreen2020
Green		 holland2020
Holland
Dave Doyle
@davedoylemma
2020: 76-41		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 jennifermaia2020
Maia		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 holland2020
Holland
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2020: 75-42		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 bgreen2020
Green		 holland2020
Holland
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2020: 73-44		 brunson2020
Brunson		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 bgreen2020
Green		 holland2020
Holland
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2020: 72-45		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 holland2020
Holland
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2020: 72-45		 shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan		 calderwood2020
Calderwood		 luque2020
Luque		 vannata2020
Vannata		 holland2020
Holland
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2020: 49-68		 brunson2020
Brunson		 maia2020
Maia		 rbrown2020
Brown		 bgreen2020
Green		 giles2020
Giles

The UFC returns home to Las Vegas with a pair of ranked middleweight contenders at the top of the bill, looking to catapult themselves toward the top of the division with a statement victory.

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

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is the clear favorite to defeat [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC), with 12 of our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts selecting the undefeated prospect to continue his surge up the middleweight division. He’s also the favorite with our readers, too, with 76 percent backing him to get the win.

In the co-main event, Scotland’s [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) received similar backing from our panel, with 12 of the MMA Junkie team picking “JoJo” to get the victory over [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC).

Brazilian welterweight [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (18-7-1 MMA, 11-3 UFC) is the most popular fighter on the card with our voting readers, with a whopping 90 percent picking him to prevail in his main card clash against [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC). Thirteen of our 14 panelists also sided with Luque in their staff picks.

A fascinating striking battle is in prospect as lightweights [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (25-10-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC) and [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] (10-4-2 MMA, 3-4-2 UFC) face off, and the vote is suitably split, with Vannata edging the fan poll with 53 percent of the vote. The pair also split our staff picks panel, too, with each man receiving seven votes each.

The middleweight main card opener offers an interesting clash, too, but the panel and the fans seem much more unified in their assessment, with 86 percent of readers, and 12 of our panelists, picking [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) to take the victory over [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC).

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Shahbazyan (76 percent), Calderwood (72 percent), Luque (90 percent), Vannata (53 percent), and Holland (86 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

UFC on ESPN+ 31: Make your predictions for Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 event in Las Vegas.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN+ 31 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 31 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams live on ESPN+.

Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7

Joanne Calderwood to fill in as late replacement vs. Jennifer Maia at UFC on ESPN+ 31

So much for Joanne Calderwood’s shot at a UFC title.

So much for [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag]’s shot at a UFC title.

Calderwood, who was next in line to challenge women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, has agreed to fight [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] on late notice after Viviane Araujo tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw from the Aug. 1 UFC on ESPN+ 31 event.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed Calderwood’s signing Monday night but requested anonymity since the UFC has yet to make an announcement. Earlier Monday, Maia told MMA Junkie that she’d been offered Calderwood and accepted following an initial report from Combate.

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It’s a surprise turn of events for Calderwood, who was booked to fight Shevchenko for the title at the original UFC 251 scheduled for June 6 in Perth, Australia. That fight, however, was called off in late March after it was revealed that Shevchenko suffered a leg injury. Eventually the June 6 event in Perth was canceled because of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Calderwood (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) earned her title shot on the heels of winning three out of four, including her most recent fight by split decision against Andrea Lee last September at UFC 242.

Instead, Calderwood will meet Maia (17-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who has missed weight in her previous two fights. She’s 2-2 in her last four fights, which includes a loss to Katlyn Chookagian, who also owns a win over Calderwood.

With the change, the latest UFC on ESPN+ 31 lineup now includes:

  • Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana
  • Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
  • Markus Perez vs. Eric Spicely
  • Trevin Giles vs. Jun Yong Park
  • Ed Herman vs. Da Un Jung
  • Joanne Calderwood vs. Jennifer Maia
  • Randy Brown vs. Vicente Luque
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Frankie Saenz
  • Ray Borg vs. Nathan Maness
  • Chris Gutierrez vs. Luke Sanders

Viviane Araujo stunned by positive COVID-19 test: ‘Despite all precautions, I caught it’

Viviane Araujo is out of her upcoming UFC on ESPN+ 31 fight with Jennifer Maia after contracting the coronavirus in Brazil.

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] is the latest UFC fighter to catch COVID-19.

Araujo is out of her women’s flyweight bout against [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag], which was set for UFC on ESPN+ 31, after testing positive for coronavirus in the pre-fight screenings leading up to the Aug. 1 event in Las Vegas. The news was first reported by MMA Fighting and subsequently confirmed by MMA Junkie, who received an update from Araujo on her condition.

“Unfortunately this week I tested positive for COVID-19. I don’t know how I caught it,” Araujo told MMA Junkie on Monday. “I was taking all precautions and training with only two fighters. They tested negative. Only I tested positive. That’s it. I was very sad that the fight was canceled and also worried for my health. Here in Brazil, the contamination rate is very high. Despite all precautions, I caught it. I am feeling mostly OK with only mild cold symptoms. My doctors are keeping an eye on me. The goal is to recover so I can book my next fight.”

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Araujo (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is coming off a decision loss to former UFC title challenger Jessica Eye in December at UFC 245. Prior to that, the Brazilian had picked up wins over veterans Talita Bernardo and Alexis Davis to kick off her UFC tenure.

Meanwhile, Maia (17-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) also looked to bounce back from defeat after dropping a decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian in November. Combate reports that Joanne Calderwood is expected to fill in for Araujo. Maia told MMA Junkie on Monday that she was offered Calderwood and accepted, but she couldn’t say the same for Calderwood, who previously had been tabbed to challenge Valentina Shevchenko until injury forced the 125-pound champion out of their matchup.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 is headlined by a women’s bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Irene Aldana.

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Jennifer Maia vows weight-cutting ‘errors have been corrected’ ahead of Viviane Araujo fight

Ahead of her fight with Viviane Araujo, Jennifer Maia is certain that her weight-cutting issues are a thing of the past.

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] is sure that her weight-cutting issues are behind her.

Maia (17-6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) faces [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] on Aug. 1, where she will look to climb back up to flyweight contention. Maia missed weight in her last two outings, and the former Invicta FC champion chalks up her mishaps to being ill-prepared.

“I’ve been fighting for a long time,” Maia told MMA Junkie. “I had always made weight. But, for my last two bouts, there were strategic errors during my preparation. They caused me problems at the weigh-ins. Those errors have been corrected. It won’t happen again. The problem was in trying to maximize my physical strength before the final stages of the weight cut.”

After notching wins over Alexis Davis and Roxanne Modafferi in her first two UFC fights, Maia suffered a unanimous decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian last November, who went on to challenge champion Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title.

While Maia is focused on Araujo, she has her sights set on one day getting a shot at the title.

“I look at things one fight at a time,” Maia said. “Of course, I very much want the UFC belt. I’m looking to get there, but my focus now is completely on the bout against Viviane. Hopefully a victory will push me even closer to the top of the division so I can eventually face the champion.”

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Similarly to Maia, Araujo impressed in her first two UFC fights but suffered a unanimous decision loss to former flyweight title challenger Jessica Eye in her last outing at UFC 245.

So Maia is expecting a very game Araujo when the meet on the Aug. 1 event, which was rescheduled from an original June 27 date.

“‘Vivi’ is truly tough,” Maia said. “She’s had excellent performances inside the UFC. I think it’s going to be a great fight. It’s going to be a challenge. We’ll both be constantly looking for a finish. I’ve been training hard for this specific fight. I’m confident I’ll be bringing this win home. I don’t know exactly how the fight will end, but I plan to make sure it happens before it goes to the judges.

“In this fight, and going forward, I want to show things that I haven’t yet been able to show in the UFC. I want to show how much sharper my game is. I want people to see that I’m a different fighter now.”