Tag: Kevin Borjas

Joshua Van steps into UFC 306 vs. Edgar Chairez after Kevin Borjas withdraws

A UFC fighter has pulled out of the Sphere event for the first time since the lineup was announced.

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag] has raised his hand once again. But this time as a result, he’ll fight in potential once-in-a-lifetime UFC venue at Sphere in Las Vegas.

With [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag] off the Sept. 14 card for undisclosed reasons, Van (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) steps in to face [autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a flyweight undercard bout at UFC 306.

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

The change is the first one the UFC 306 card at Sphere has encountered. The card is set to be the promotion’s annual Noche UFC event, a tribute to Mexican Independence Day.

Van has remained incredibly active since his amateur debut in December 2020. The fight will mark his 18th over that 46-month period. Van signed with the UFC in 2023 and quickly racked up wins over Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Kevin Borjas, and Felipe Bunes. In July, Van was finished with strikes by Charles Johnson for his first UFC loss.

Chairez has had mixed results in the UFC. After a loss to Tatsuro Taira in his promotional debut, Chairez fought Daniel Lacerda in back-to-back fights. The first was a no contest due to a premature stoppage. Chairez won the rematch by first-round triangle choke submission.

The updated UFC 306 fight card includes:

  • Champ Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili – for bantamweight title
  • Champ Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko – for women’s flyweight title
  • Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega
  • Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber
  • Ode Osbourne vs. Ronaldo Rodriguez
  • Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
  • Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Manuel Torres
  • Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza
  • Edgar Chairez vs. Joshua Van
  • Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aori Qileng

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Kevin Borjas vs. Edgar Chairez added to Noche UFC at Sphere in Las Vegas

A fun flyweight matchup between Kevin Borjas and Edgar Chairez has been added to Noche UFC at Sphere in Las Vegas.

Noche UFC at Sphere in Las Vegas continues to take shape with the addition of a fun flyweight matchup.

On Sept. 14, [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag] will meet [autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag] at UFC 306, the event also known as Riyadh Season Noche UFC. The one-off event at the unique venue in Las Vegas will be a celebration of Mexican Independence Day. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with multiple sources, although the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Peru’s Borjas (9-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) will look for his first victory under the UFC banner. After his unanimous decision win on Dana White’s Contender Series, Borjas was signed to the UFC but has struggled in his first two appearances, losing a unanimous decision to Joshua Van at UFC 295 in November and a TKO loss to Alessandro Costa at UFC 301 in May.

Mexico’s Chairez (11-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) aims to keep the momentum going after his first win in the promotion. In his first outing of the year in February, Chairez submitted Daniel Lacerda with a triangle choke. It was the second meeting between the two after the first was declared a no contest in September due to a premature referee stoppage.

With the addition, current Noche UFC lineup includes:

  • Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
  • Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira
  • Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza
  • Kevin Borjas vs. Edgar Chairez

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

UFC 301 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jose Aldo nets $21k for potential final UFC fight

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 301 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $280,000.

RIO DE JANEIRO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 301 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $280,000.

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 301 took place at Rio Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC 301 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Myktybek Orolbai[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Elves Brener[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Dione Barbosa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ernesta Kareckaite[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ismael Bonfim[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Vinc Pichel[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag]: $4,000

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 $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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,920,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $25,657,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

UFC 301 video: Alessandro Costa chops down Kevin Borjas with leg kicks to set up TKO

Alessandro Costa “kicked” off UFC 301 with a bang when he finished Kevin Borjas, much to the delight of the Rio crowd.

[autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag] kicked off UFC 301 quite literally Saturday as he defeated [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag] in the card’s prelim opener.

The TKO stoppage came at 1:35 of Round 2 and began with a series of leg kicks by Costa (14-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) that killed the lead leg of Borjas (9-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC). The flyweight bout took place at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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With a fast-paced and back-and-forth Round 1 in the bag, the finishing sequence began after the break. Costa found damaging success with leg kicks that sat Borjas down on the canvas. Borjas tried to power through the dead-leg but eventually was swarmed by Costa, who mounted him. A few punches later, the referee saw enough and waved off the fight.

Costa bounces back into the win column as he rebounds from a unanimous decision loss to UFC 301 headliner Steve Erceg in November. The win was his second in the UFC, with his first against Jimmy Flick in June.

Borjas comes up short in his second UFC attempt. He debuted in November and lost a unanimous decision to Joshua Van.

The up-to-the-minute UFC 301 results include:

  • Alessandro Costa def. Kevin Borjas via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:35

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

Alessandro Costa def. Kevin Borjas at UFC 301: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Alessandro Costa’s second-round TKO win over Kevin Borjas at UFC 301.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]’s second-round TKO win over [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag] at UFC 301 at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. (Fight and venue photos by Jason Silva, USA Today Sports)

Kevin Borjas: ‘Alessandro Costa is now Mexican … he’ll be fighting as a visitor’ at UFC 301 in Brazil

Why Kevin Borjas thinks the crowd at UFC 301 will favor him and not Brazil’s Alessandro Costa.

Brazil has always been known to be a passionate and fiery crowd when it comes to MMA, and some even think the fans there are wild enough to give their home fighters an edge over their foreign rivals.

From throwing things to the famed ‘Uh, Vai Morrer!’ – “You’re going to die!” in Portuguese – the Brazilian crowd has always been a sight to see when it comes to UFC events. But Peru’s [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag] doesn’t think the home advantage will be at play when he fights [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag] in the opening bout of UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro.

“First of all, Alessandro Costa is now Mexican,” Borjas said when asked bout his opponent in a Spanish interview with MMA Junkie. “He’s now Mexican, and he’ll be fighting as a visitor.

“I’m going to beat him. He’s not superior to me. I’m way better than him, and I’m ready to fight wherever the fight goes. If he takes me down. I’m going to get up and do my job, and that’s it. There won’t be any surprises. There’s nothing that he can do that will surprise me.”

Costa (13-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) never has fought professionally in Brazil. Although he was born and grew up in Manaus, Brazil, Costa moved to Mexico in his late teens to pursue his MMA dream. Alongside UFC star Diego Lopes, Costa opened up an MMA gym in Puebla, Mexico, and began his professional MMA career there. That’s why Borjas (9-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) doesn’t think Costa will have the backing of the Brazilian crowd.

Although Borjas is from Peru, he thinks he’ll have support from the fans come Saturday. His coach, Ivan Iberico from Pitbull Martial Arts Center, is well known in the Brazilian martial asrts community given his long history in training Luta Livre, a Brazilian style of fighting.

“Here in Rio de Janeiro, it’s basically the birthplace of Luta Livre, which is my coach’s expertise. I’m representing Luta Livre and many coaches and people here support me, so I feel right at home. I’m not a visitor here.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 29-Feb. 4)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 29-Feb. 4.

UFC 295 medical suspensions: Jiri Prochazka, Sergei Pavlovich among 19 suspended indefinitely

Nineteen indefinite suspensions were handed out after UFC 295, per the New York State Athletic Commission.

UFC 295 took place Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York and featured 13 fights.

On Monday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of athlete medical suspensions from the New York State Athletic Commission, the sanctioning body that oversaw the event. Most injury specifics were not disclosed.

Nineteen of the 26 combatants were given indefinite suspensions and will need to be cleared by a doctor before they return. That’s a high number of indefinite suspensions compared to the average UFC event, although the NYSAC may have different safety protocols compared to other regulatory bodies. All 26 fighters were also given mandatory suspensions, which vary from seven days to 90 days.

Check out the full list of medical suspensions from UFC 295 below.

UFC 295 post-event facts: Alex Pereira joins exclusive two-title club in record time

The best facts from UFC 295, which saw Alex Pereira join the two-division title club in less fights than the eight names before him.

The UFC’s penultimate numbered event of the year, UFC 295 from Madison Square Garden in New York, proved to be arguably the best of the bunch.

Two new champions were crowned to close out a lineup that saw eight stoppages in 13 fights. In the main event, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) picked up the vacant light heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), while [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) claimed the interim heavyweight strap in the co-main event with a 69-second knockout of [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 295.

UFC 295 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Title fight athletes net $32,000 each

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 295 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $272,500.

NEW YORK – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 295 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $272,500.

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 295 took place at Madison Square Garden. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 295 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nazim Sadykhov[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dennis Buzukja[/autotag]: $4,000

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 $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: $7,305,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,824,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.