Newly mindful JJ Aldrich hones in on mental approach after UFC Fight Night 253 win over Andrea Lee

JJ Aldrich handed Andrea Lee her sixth straight loss, which extended her UFC women’s record at UFC Fight Night 253.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]JJ Aldrich[/autotag] beat Andrea Lee with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 253 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Aldrich, who handed Lee her sixth straight loss, which extended her UFC women’s record.

JJ Aldrich def. Andrea Lee

Result: JJ Aldrich def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Updated records: Aldrich (14-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC), Lee (13-11 MMA, 5-9 UFC)
Key stats: Aldrich’s striking accuracy beat Lee’s 54 percent to 34 percent.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 01: (R-L) JJ Aldrich punches Andrea Lee in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Aldrich on the fight’s key moment

“As long as I fight the way I know I can, that’s pretty much how I saw the fight going in my head. Throughout fight camp, I had a dream I lost a close decision. … (I wanted) to be fast. She hits hard, but she’s a little bit stocky. … (I wanted to) just keep the pressure on her.”

Aldrich on upgrading her approach

“I’ve been here a long time, and every time I think I’ve got the winning recipe down, it doesn’t happen that way. Just keeping things new, being mindful is a big thing for me … trying to listen to my coaches and get out of my own head – and enjoy it. I’ve been here. Fighting’s hard – not the actual fight, but the training camp is hard. I think (I just have to start) enjoying it for myself.”

JJ Aldrich, UFC Fight Night 253 (via UFC)

Aldrich on what she wants next

“(I don’t have) a particular name. There are a lot of good options for me right now. It’s hard because I’ve been here for so long – I’ve fought a lot of people. It was fun fighting a veteran like myself (in Lee), but I’m ready for whoever.”

To hear more from Aldrich, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.

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UFC on ESPN 56 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2024 total passes $3 million

UFC on ESPN 56 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

ST. LOUIS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 56 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $186,000.

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 56 took place at Enterprise Arena. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 56 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Nursulton Ruziboev[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Waldo Cortes-Acosta[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tecia Pennington[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Trey Waters[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Billy Ray Goff[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]JJ Aldrich[/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 $4,560; 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 $56,000 while title challengers get $56,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-56 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,106,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $25,843,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.

Veronica Hardy def. JJ Aldrich at UFC on ESPN 56: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Veronica Hardy’s win over JJ Aldrich at UFC on ESPN 56.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]JJ Aldrich[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 56 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. (Fight and venue photos by Jeff Le, USA Today Sports)

JJ Aldrich: Beating ex-training partner Montana De La Rosa was just business at UFC Fight Night 229

JJ Aldrich handed former training partner Montana De La Rosa her third straight loss at UFC Fight Night 229 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]JJ Aldrich[/autotag] beat Montana De La Rosa with a unanimous decision Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 229 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Aldrich, who won for the second straight time and handed De La Rosa her third straight loss.

UFC Fight Night 229 post-event facts: Drew Dober passes Dustin Poirier, sets KO record

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 229, which saw Drew Dober pass Dustin Poirier on the all-time lightweight KO list.

The UFC returned from a one-week hiatus on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 229, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw four of 10 fights end in a stoppage.

The quickest of those finishes came in the lightweight headliner, where Bobby Green (31-15-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) pulled off a stunning upset of Grant Dawson (20-2-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) courtesy of a 33-second knockout.

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 Fight Night 229.

UFC Fight Night 229 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Bobby Green, Drew Dober top card

UFC Fight Night 229 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 229 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $189,000.

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 229 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 229 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Glenn[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Mateus Mendonca[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Vanessa Demopoulos[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kanako Murata[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Aori Qileng[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Johnny Munoz[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]JJ Aldrich[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/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 2291 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: $6,483,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,072,500

UFC Fight Night 229 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 229 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 229 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 229 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 229.

UFC Fight Night 229 pre-event facts: Grant Dawson’s streak ranks among elite company

The best facts about UFC Fight Night 229, where Grant Dawson brings an 8-0-1 octagon record into his main event vs. Bobby Green.

After a one-week hiatus, the UFC returns Saturday to kick off a loaded October schedule with UFC Fight Night 229, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.

A lightweight bout serves as the main event of the card. [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] (20-1-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) gets his first headlining opportunity when he takes on [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (30-15-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC), who looks to build momentum off his submission win over Tony Ferguson.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 229.

* * * *

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 18-24)

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 the promotions from Sept. 18-24.

JJ Aldrich steps into UFC Fight Night 229 vs. Montana De La Rosa

Montana De La Rosa gets a new UFC opponent – and a former training partner – for her replacement assignment.

[autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag] has a new opponent.

[autotag]JJ Aldrich[/autotag] has stepped into the UFC Fight Night 229 bout Oct. 7 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, replacing the withdrawn [autotag]Stephanie Egger[/autotag], who pulled out for undisclosed reasons.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Aldrich (12-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC) competed Aug. 26 in Singapore when she defeated Na Liang by TKO at UFC Fight Night 225. The win snapped a two-fight skid, though it moved her to 4-2 in her most recent six.

De La Rosa (12-8-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) looks to snap a two-fight losing skid after defeats against Maycee Barber and Tatiana Suarez. She is 1-3-1 in her most recent five.

The two fighters were, at one point in time, training partners in Colorado.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 229 lineup includes:

  • Grant Dawson vs. Bobby Green
  • Abdul-Razak Alhassan vs. Joe Pyfer
  • Drew Dober vs. Ricky Glenn
  • Bill Algeo vs. Alexander Hernandez
  • Ion Cutelaba vs. Philipe Lins
  • Joaquin Buckley vs. Alex Morono
  • Vanessa Demopolous vs. Kanako Murata
  • Qileng Aori vs. Johnny Munoz Jr.
  • Chris Gutierrez vs. Montel Jackson
  • Nate Maness vs. Mateus Mendonca
  • Mariya Agapova vs. Montana De La Rosa
  • Diana Belbita vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 229.