Tag: Jessica-Rose Clark

Lion Fights president Scott Kent high on Jessica-Rose Clark’s muay Thai signing: ‘It’s exciting for our sport’

Lion Fights president Scott Kent is eager to see Jessica-Rose Clark under muay Thai rules.

[autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag] will step out of the MMA world and into muay Thai this Saturday, and Lion Fights president [autotag]Scott Kent[/autotag] is excited to have her on board.

The former UFC women’s bantamweight makes her muay Thai debut at Lion Fights 75, as she takes on Mexico’s Karen Cedillo in a 135-pound matchup. The event goes down at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.

Clark is a recognized name in MMA, given her long tenure in the sport. She’s fought for Invicta FC and most notably the UFC, where she competed nine times over the span of six years. For Kent, it was a no-brainer to bring her on Lion Fights 75.

“It’s one of the things that’s great about this job, you get to meet so many nice folks,” Kent told MMA Junkie Radio. “Kirian Fitzgibbons, who is training her now, we’ve worked with a lot of his fighters over the years: Kevin Ross, Gaston Bolanos, all those guys. He called me, and he said, ‘Well, would you be interested? We got a star here who was with the UFC for years, and she really wants to try some muay Thai.’ We did that with Chip Pollard, he was an MMA guy, so when he threw out her name, I was like, ‘Absolutely, let’s put it together.’ As you guys know, when we had Cris Cyborg, it was probably the highest-rated show we ever had, so it’s exciting for our sport. It’s exciting for a lot of the MMA folks, they get to see a different side from Jessy-Jess.”

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Kent hopes more MMA names follow and wants to have an open door policy for any big names looking to fight in muay Thai. Given the numerous switches of MMA fighters to boxing, Kent believes Lion Fights can be a landing spot, too.

“I think it’s the business itself that’s evolving,” Kent explained. “You look at what’s happening with boxing and MMA. People may have a particular skill set that they may want to try, and they’ll go to Thailand and train at a gym in muay Thai.

“I know Valentina was there for the last month, and you know, it’s a great opportunity if you’re a striker to test yourself in traditional muay Thai. It’s a big part of all the MMA fighter’s arsenal, and we got the biggest brand out there as far as just promoting muay Thai. We’ll be here in Vegas, and it just makes sense. We’re open for a lot of folks who want to come in here and give this a try. We’d love to showcase muay Thai like we did Jorina Baars vs. Cris Cyborg. It’s great for the sport.”

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UFC veterans in MMA, kickboxing, muay Thai and bareknuckle boxing action Sept. 22-23

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC remains in Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night 228.

The event takes place at the UFC Apex and features a lightweight bout between [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] and [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA, kickboxing, muay Thai and bareknuckle boxing this week from Sept. 22-23.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Jessica-Rose Clark enjoying freedom as a free agent, plans to focus on striking, not MMA

Jessica-Rose Clark is shifting her focus from MMA to striking sports.

It appears former UFC women’s bantamweight [autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag] is done with MMA.

Now out of the leading MMA promotion, Clark wants to divert her focus on the striking arts. Clark didn’t say she’s retired from MMA, but at this point in her fighting career, it’s not something she wants to do.

“Now that I’m not wrestling and doing Muay Thai, I feel like I’m able to train at a much higher level and intensity now that I’m just doing striking sports than when I was doing just MMA,” Clark told MMA Junkie Radio. “MMA was just beating up my body so much, and I was just struggling every day. I think if I stick to striking, I have a couple of years left in me, but that’s also why I didn’t want to sign and commit to a promotion long-term. I don’t know how long I want to fight for.”

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Clark said she’s been losing interest in MMA for some time. That’s why the 35-year-old booked a fight with Lion Fight, a Muay Thai promotion, for Sept. 23 against an opponent yet to be determined.

“Honestly, for the last probably three years, I’ve been kind of wanting to exit out of MMA and transitioning to Muay Thai and boxing. So when my (UFC) contract ended after that fight in May, I came back to CSA and I talked to my coach like two weeks after, and he was like, ‘Well, there’s a Lion Fight event.’

“Originally it was supposed to be Aug. 12 was the event date. He was like, ‘There was a Lion Fight event in August, do you want to fight in it? And I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ He called Scott (Kent) straight away, and he said, ‘I got Jessy ‘Jess.’ She’s a free agent now. Do you want her?’ and he was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ So that was always the initial plan. We were talking about, you know, do I want to go into pro boxing? Or want to try to go to ONE FC? I also felt like the last few years, because I haven’t been particularly enjoying MMA that much, I’m a little older and my body is just not holding up to the wrestling as well as it used to, it just took a lot of the love out of it.

“I really didn’t want to get stuck in that situation again where I was committed to a sport without trying a bunch of other ones. The plan was always to do a Muay Thai fight first and then do a boxing fight and then test the waters in both and see what I enjoy more. I highly doubt it, but I might hate fighting Muay Thai, I don’t know. I doubt it because that’s already what I do every single day and I love it, but I just didn’t want to get stuck in the same situation.”

Clark is unsure if she’ll stick to Muay Thai or transition to boxing after her fight with Lion Fight. She does know that she wants to stick to striking sports, with the exception of bareknuckle boxing.

What she does know, is that she’s enjoying the freedom that’s come with free agency.

“I was with the UFC for six years or whatever and so committed to that, it kind of feels nice to not have to do anything right now,” Clark said. “We talked about maybe trying to go to Bellator, but I didn’t want to be locked into something.

“I’ve been locked in for the last few years, and I just want to have a little bit of freedom and just do the things that I want to do and don’t be so committed.”

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MMA Junkie Radio #3392: Guest Jessica-Rose Clark, UFC Fight Night 226 preview, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,392, the guys welcome guest [autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag]. They also discuss the latest results and signings from Dana White’s Contender Series, [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]’ return to action and preview UFC Fight Night 226 taking place in Paris. They also recap the biggest news and notes in the sport. Tune in!

Three UFC on ABC 4 fighters no longer on roster days after losses in Charlotte

Three UFC fighters who competed on Saturday’s card in Charlotte, N.C. are no longer on the roster.

Three fighters who competed at UFC on ABC 4 are no longer on the promotion’s roster.

UFC on ABC 4 took place Saturday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. and featured 11 fights including a headliner between Jailton Almeida and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

On Tuesday, algorithm-based Twitter account UFC Roster Watch shared three fighters, all from the prelims, were removed from the fan rankings pool.

UFC on ABC 4 medical suspensions: Four fighters out indefinitely

Thirteen of the 22 competitors at UFC on ABC 4 were suspended due to injuries sustained in their bouts Saturday in Charlotte, N.C.

Four fighters are out indefinitely due to injuries sustained at UFC on ABC 4, which took place Saturday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

A document MMA Junkie obtained Tuesday from North Carolina Boxing and Combat Sports interim executive director Alvin Coley showed medical suspensions were handed out to 13 of the 22 competitors on the card.

[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag], [autotag]Mandy Bohm[/autotag], [autotag]Ji Yeon Kim[/autotag], and [autotag]Gabe Green[/autotag] are out indefinitely until their injuries are cleared by a physician.

The list of fighters who exited UFC on ABC 4 without a medical suspension include both headliners, [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] and [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag].

Scroll below to see the full list of UFC on ABC 4 medical suspensions. All suspended fighters are eligible to return prior to the conclusion of the durations handed out should they get cleared beforehand.

UFC on ABC 4 post-event facts: Matt Brown ties Derrick Lewis’ all-time KO record

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ABC 4, including some notable feats from Matt Brown and Jailton Almeida.

The UFC retuned to North Carolina on Saturday with UFC on ABC 4 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

In the main event, [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) continued his emergence as a heavyweight contender when he flawlessly ran through [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) en route to a first-round submission and staying unbeaten inside the octagon.

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 on ABC 4.

UFC on ABC 4 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2023 total passes $3 million

UFC on ABC 4 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ABC 4 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $211,500.

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 ABC 4 takes place Saturday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. The main card airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ABC 4 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Court McGee[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Douglas Silva de Andrade[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mandy Bohm[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ji Yeon Kim[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Gabe Green[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tainara Lisboa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag]: $6,000

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 $40,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-40 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,035,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $17,624,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 4.

Tainara Lisboa def. Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC on ABC 4: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Tainara Lisboa’s third-round submission win over Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC on ABC 4 in Charlotte.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Tainara Lisboa[/autotag]’s third-round submission win over [autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag] at UFC on ABC 4 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. (Photos by Jim Dedmon, USA TODAY Sports)

Jessica-Rose Clark says surgery likely after UFC 276: ‘She did a really good job of continuing to armbar me after I tapped’

At UFC 276, Jessica-Rose Clark indicated damage was done in between her tap and the referee’s official intervention.

UFC 276 was a quick night of work for [autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag], but the 42-second submission loss took its toll.

Clark (10-8 MMA, 1-4 UFC) revealed Sunday surgery is likely to repair a left arm injury suffered in a visually gruesome submission loss to [autotag]Julija Stoliarenko[/autotag](10-6-2 MMA, 1-4 UFC) in the preliminary card opener Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The finish came nearly immediately after the fight hit the canvas. Stoliarenko snatched an arm and torqued. While Stoliarenko appeared to let go upon the referees command, it was a second or two after the tap itself. By the time Chris Tognoni intervened and Stoliarenko let go, the damage was already done, indicated Clark.

With the loss behind her, Clark vowed to improve and come back better.

“Well, that sucked,” Clark said, as she sported an arm wrap and sling in an Instagram video. “I just got back from the hospital. I am probably going to need surgery on my elbow. She did a really good job of continuing to armbar me after I tapped, but that’s fine. It is what it is. I felt great. I cried the entire time I was at the hospital, but I’m feeling all right. I’m understandably heartbroken, but I did everything right this camp. I’m going to have this surgery and heal up and then come back and be better – and that’s all I can do.”

Check out Clark’s full statement in the video below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfiG2OgAfyA/

The loss is the second in a row by armbar for Clark. Meanwhile, Stoliarenko picked up her first UFC win in her fifth attempt.

“If I get a submission, I’m going to snap it until people stop it,” Stoliarenko said in a post-fight news conference. “Of course I don’t want to injure my opponents, but it’s up to them when to tap. If she’s not tapping, I’m going to do my work.”