Tag: Kevin Borjas

Kevin Borjas wasn’t concerned with ‘Lazy Boy’ Rodriguez’s weight miss at UFC Mexico

Kevin Borjas picked up his first UFC win, snapped a two-fight skid and took 20 percent of Ronaldo Rodriguez’s paycheck, too.

MEXICO CITY – [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag] met the media Saturday after his win over Ronaldo Rodriguez at UFC on ESPN 64.

Borjas (10-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) picked up his first UFC win and snapped a two-fight skid when he outworked Ronaldo Rodriguez (17-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) for a unanimous decision to open up the main card at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. “Lazy Boy” Rodriguez missed weight for the fight and was fined 20 percent of his purse on top of Borjas’ upset.

Borjas said he wasn’t thinking about Rodriguez’s issues on the scale.

“If ‘Lazy Boy’ missed weight, it’s his problem,” Borjas told MMA Junkie at his post-fight news conference. “I’m a totally professional fighter. I was focused on the fight. I was focused on my training partners. We know we already (did the work) when we got here. I don’t care – if he’s not professional, I’m professional. … I knew I had to go to the cage to kill or be killed. I knew that my job was on the line this fight.”

Check out Borjas’ post-fight news conference in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.

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‘Lazy Boy’ Rodriguez reveals weight cut-related hospitalization after UFC on ESPN 64 loss

‘Lazy Boy’ Rodriguez missed weight prior to his UFC Mexico loss and said the issues led to a post-fight hospital trip.

[autotag]Rolando Rodriguez[/autotag] didn’t have an easy time making it to UFC on ESPN 64 in his home country of Mexico, and the fallout has been even worse.

In the aftermath of his upset loss to Kevin Borjas (10-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) on Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, “Lazy Boy” Rodriguez (17-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) revealed he was hospitalized Monday due to complications stemming from his failed weight cut for the flyweight bout.

Rodriguez missed weight on Friday, tipping the scale at 127 pounds – one pound over the non-title divisional limit. He was fined 20 percent of his purse and the bout against Borjas went on as a catchweight.

“I had some complications due to my weight cut, but we’re good,” Rodriguez wrote in Spanish on an Instagram post with photos and videos of him at the hospital.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DH3YMqbRGAu/?img_index=1

Rodriguez, who did not share additional information about the exact reason for his hospitalization, lost a unanimous decision to Borjas. It was the first defeat of his octagon career. Prior to the result, which was his first loss since 2020, Rodriguez had back-to-back UFC wins over Denys Bondar and Ode Osbourne.

UFC on ESPN 64 marked setback in his journey. Rodriguez is regarded as the biggest rising MMA star in Mexico with more than 2 million followers on Instagram. He came in as the favorite to win the bout and walked out to the cage with Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.

UFC on ESPN 64 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $33 million

UFC Mexico fighters took home Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, with Kelvin Gastelum and Drew Dober leading the way.

MEXICO CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 64 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $168,500.

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 64 took place at Arena CDMX in Mexico. The card aired on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 64 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]David Martinez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Saimon Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ateba Gautier[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jose Daniel Medina[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melquizael Costa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Julia Polastri[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vinc Pichel[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Gabriel Miranda[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]MarQuel Mederos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/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 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,640; 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 $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-64 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2025 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,118,000
2024 total: $8,280,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $33,135,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.

Kevin Borjas vs. Ronaldo Rodriguez prediction, pick, start time for UFC on ESPN 64

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom goes inside the Kevin Borjas vs. Ronaldo Rodriguez fight at UFC Mexico.

[autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag] and [autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag] meet Saturday in the main card opener of UFC on ESPN 64 at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Last event: 4-2
UFC main cards, 2025: 25-22-1

Kevin Borjas vs. Ronaldo Rodriguez UFC Mexico preview

Borjas (9-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) will be looking for his first UFC win on his opponent’s home turf … “Lazy Boy” Rodriguez (17-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) ruled himself out of the possibility for a post-fight bonus when he missed weight for his home-country, high-profile fight.

Kevin Borjas vs. Ronaldo Rodriguez UFC Mexico expert pick, prediction

Kicking off the main card is a fantastic flyweight fight that promises fireworks between [autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag].

Despite having a hiccup on the scale, Rodriguez still finds himself as the odds-on favorite in this fight. And though I don’t disagree with the odds, Rodriguez’s ‘tempt fate’ style of pressuring and countering can be costly at times.

For that reason, I suspect that Borjas will make this fight much more competitive than most expect.

A Peruvian action fighter who appears to have modeled his striking off of a WEC-era Jose Aldo, Borjas brings all the fun in the form of flying knees to left hooks to the liver. Rodriguez also has a solid left hook of his own, but hooking exchanges have proven to be potent two-way streets for both men.

With that in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rodriguez funneled into utilizing his grappling advantages over Borjas in this fight.

The pick is Rodriguez by submission in Round 2.

Kevin Borjas vs. Ronaldo Rodriguez UFC Mexico odds

The oddsmakers and the public are slightly favoring the Mexican fighter, listing Rodriguez -154 and Oliveira +130 via FanDuel.

Kevin Borjas vs. Ronaldo Rodriguez UFC Mexico start time, how to watch

Borjas and Rodriguez are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 7:05 p.m. ET. The fight airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.

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.