Khalil Rountree produced a first in octagon history with his leg kick TKO of Modestas Bukauskas at UFC Fight Night 191.
[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] produced a first in UFC history on Saturday in his brutal TKO win over [autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag].
During a main card bout at UFC Fight Night 191 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Rountree (9-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) landed a vicious knee stomp to the left leg of Bukauskas (11-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) that caused him to immediately fall to the ground, screaming in agony.
The time of the stoppage was the TIME mark of Round 2, giving Rountree a much-needed win after back-to-back losses. There have been plenty of leg kick TKOs over the course of UFC history, but Rountree’s side stomp is unlike any finish prior.
Watch the video below to see the highlight of Rountree’s finish (via Twitter):
Rountree said he worked on the technique that finished Bukauskas during training camp, and he landed it in the fight with bad intentions behind him.
“I didn’t work it in training camp with the intent that I had and threw it with today, because I don’t want to hurt my training partners,” Rountree said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I knew when he threw a jab he was very heavy on the front foot. That’s when I threw it and that’s when it landed.”
It was an important win for Rountree’s career, and he said it marked a new chapter.
“My mindset today was just win,” Rountree said. “Win the fight. I don’t care. I’m not hiding anymore. I’m dealing with my fear head-on. I just knew I had to come in here and just get the job done.”
In the main event, [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (22-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) takes on former welterweight title challenger [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) in what could prove to be a key middleweight fight. Till is a fairly sizable favorite at -190 at Tipico, but our 13 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are siding with the underdog, Brunson, at a 9-4 clip.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in a light heavyweight fight. Aspinall is the biggest favorite on the main card at -260, and he’s our only unanimous pick at 13-0.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 8-4 UFC) fights [autotag]David Zawada[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC) at welterweight. Morono is a slight favorite at -140, and he’s got a big 11-2 lead in the picks from our staff members.
[autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 4-5 UFC) in a light heavyweight bout. Bukauskas is the betting favorite at -160, but it’s underdog Rountree with a 9-4 lead from our pickers.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his promotional debut at lightweight against [autotag]Luigi Vendramini[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC). Pimblett is a -165 favorite, and only two of our pickers are taking Vendramini in an upset.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Till (57 percent), Aspinall (84 percent), Morono (80 percent), Rountree (57 percent) and Pimblett (82 percent) are the choices.
Following his first career knockout loss, Conor McGregor was handed a potential lengthy suspension.
[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] is facing hefty time off following his UFC 257 loss to [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] on Saturday.
Former UFC double champion McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) suffered a technical knockout loss – the first of his career – in a rematch against Poirier (27-6 MMA, 20-6 UFC). Prior to the finish, Poirier damaged McGregor’s legs with an onslaught of leg kicks.
McGregor, 32, was handed a 180-day medical suspension as a result of a potential right tibia/fibula injury sustained in the fight. Like all medical suspensions, he will be eligible to return sooner, if his injuries are cleared by a doctor.
Poirier, meanwhile, received a seven-day suspension for mandatory rest.
MMA Junkie obtained the full list of medical suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com for UFC 256, which took place this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
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After the fight, McGregor was on crutches. He hobbled his way backstage and to the post-fight news conference, where he expressed the pain he felt.
“My leg is completely dead,” McGregor said. “Even though I felt like I was checking them, it was just sinking into the muscle in the front of the leg, and it was badly compromised. It was like an American football in my suit at the moment, so it is what it is.”
UFC 257 competitors [autotag]Andrew Sanchez[/autotag] and [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag] were also each handed 180-day suspensions. Sanchez, who lost via TKO to Makhmud Muradov on the main card, suffered potential nasal and tibia/fibula injuries. In the featured preliminary card bout, Frevola suffered a potential right hand injury in a unanimous decision defeat to Arman Tsarukyan.
The full UFC 257 medical suspensions include:
Dustin Poirier: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
Conor McGregor: Suspended 180 days or until right tibia/fibula x-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to TKO loss.
[autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
[autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to left brow laceration
[autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
Andrew Sanchez: Suspended 180 days or until nasal and right tibia/fibula x-rays are cleared by a doctor; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to TKO loss.
[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to left brow and scalp laceration.
Matt Frevola: Suspended 180 days or until right hand x-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
[autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
[autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
[autotag]Julianna Pena[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
[autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
[autotag]Marcin Prachnio[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to left ankle pain.
[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
[autotag]Nik Lentz[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 21 days no contact for right brow laceration.
[autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
[autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
UFC 257 took place Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The main card streamed on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
If you’re going to lose $60,000 on sports betting, might as well get it out of the way quickly?
If you’re going to lose $60,000 on sports betting, might as well get it out of the way quickly. Forget having to sweat it out.
That’s what happened to one person Saturday night. According to David Pardum, who covers gambling for ESPN, a bettor at Borgata wagered $59,900 on the following parlay between UFC 257 fights and Sunday’s NFL conference championship games:
Just like that, the ticket was killed after Rountree lost a unanimous decision to Marcin Prachnio with across-the-board scores of 29-28. The fight was close, and there seemed to be some chatter of controversy on social media, but among 19 media outlets tracked by MMA Decisions, it was scored 14-5 in favor of Prachnio. MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn was among those to score it 29-28 for Prachnio, as well.
Look, I’m not going to pretend that losing 60 grand ever feels good, but just imagine the complete opposite scenario: First four plays hit, Chiefs lead the Buffalo Bills by four in tomorrow night’s AFC Championship Game only four Bills quarterback Josh Allen to lead a winning drive that culminates with a touchdown on the final play.
All I’m saying is, there are worse ways to lose $60,000.
Of course, I say that as someone who’s never made a $60,000 bet in his life.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
The best facts and figures about UFC 257, which features a Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor lightweight main event.
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The UFC closes out its “Fight Island” stint on Saturday with its first numbered event of the year. UFC 257 takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
A highly anticipated rematch takes center stage in the main event. Dustin Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) and Conor McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will run it back more than six years after their first meeting at UFC 178 in September 2014, which “The Notorious” won by first-round TKO. There’s major differences this time around, though, because it will be contested at 155 pounds instead of 145 and is scheduled for five rounds.
The rematch concludes a notable lineup of fights. For more on the numbers, check below for 65 pre-event facts going into UFC 257.
Light heavyweight Khalil Rountree has extended his contract with the UFC.
Light heavyweight [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] has extended his contract with the UFC.
Rountree (8-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC), who in December 2019 had announced on social media that his next fight will be his last, appears to have had a change of heart. He took to Instagram to announce the news of his contract renewal and his aim of returning to competition early next year.
“I’m extremely happy to announce that I’ve decided to extend my contract with the @ufc and will be making my return at the start of 2021 • After being away from the sport for over one year now it feels like I have the opportunity to start fresh. I’m back in the game 100% like I’ve just begun, ready to put on the most exciting fights you’ve seen from me yet. I’ve had lots of down time to reflect, reinvent and tighten my circle. I’ve taken the time to look at myself from the inside out and I’ve shared with you all the ups and downs publicly. Now it’s time to bite down and fight harder than ever. I’m ready, and you should be too. If you know a company or brand that you’d like to see me repping, please tag them below as I’m looking for sponsors/partners to grow with. #winningticket @mickmaynard2”
Rountree has split his past four appearances and hasn’t competed since September 2019, when he was stopped by Ion Cutelaba at UFC on ESPN+ 18.
Most recently, he was scheduled to face Sam Alvey at UFC on ESPN 8 in March, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Not quite the “baddest ever card in MMA history,” but the revamped UFC 249 lineup certainly has some fights of significance.
It might not fit Dana White’s description as the “baddest ever card in MMA history,” but the revamped UFC 249 lineup certainly has some fights of significance.
With the coronavirus pandemic impacting the sports world as a whole, the UFC was not immune. The promotion postponed three events but remained focused on hosting UFC 249 on April 18, even after travel restrictions were implemented around the globe and lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov – who was supposed to fight [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] in the main event – fell off the card.
Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) now meets [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) for the interim lightweight title in the headliner, but the UFC still has not announced an official location, although broadcast partner ESPN reported on Sunday that a venue on the West Coast is close to being finalized.
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The situation has caused UFC matchmakers to shuffle the deck from the original UFC 249 lineup meant for Brooklyn, N.Y. Some fights have fallen off, while others were added.
UFC officials announced on Monday that the strawweight rematch between former champions [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) and [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will remain as the co-main event, and a heavyweight fight between [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) – who were originally booked for UFC on ESPN 8 on March 28 – have been added to the main card.
Other notable matchups include: [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (28-17 MMA, 15-16 UFC) at featherweight; [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) vs. [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) at middleweight; and [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at heavyweight.
The broadcast plans are unknown, but the latest UFC 249 lineup includes:
Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje – for interim lightweight title
Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas
Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan De Castro
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]
Calvin Kattar vs. Jeremy Stephens
Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Souza
[autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag]
[autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]
[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khama Worthy[/autotag]
[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sarah Moras[/autotag]
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]
A full recap of 2019’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2019’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
* * * *
EVENTS
Octagon girls at UFC 238
The UFC held 42 events in 39 different cities across 15 countries and five continents.
Within those events, there were 516 fights across 13 different weight classes (including catchweight bouts).
Those 516 fights combined for a total cage time of 94:59:04.
The longest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN+ 19: Joanna vs. Waterson” in Tampa, Fla., at 2:57:27. It was the second longest in company history behind “UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura” (3:04:18).
The shortest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” in Minneapolis at 1:38:12.
“UFC on ESPN+ 13: de Randamie vs. Ladd” featured 62 seconds of total fight time in the main and co-main event, the single-event record in company history.
At those events, the UFC drew an announced total attendance of 548,023 for a live gate total of $61,050,133.74 (Note: Live gate was not announced for 11 events; no attendance was revealed for one event).
The highest reported attended event of the year was “UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya” in Melbourne (57,127), which was the all-time company record, while the lowest attended event was “UFC on ESPN+ 20: Maia vs. Askren” in Singapore (7,155).
The highest reported income gate of the year was “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” in New York ($6,575,996.19) while the lowest reported income gate of the year went to “UFC on ESPN+ 4: Lewis vs. Dos Santos” in Wichita, Kan. ($636,417.26).
In 2019, 168 fight-night bonuses were given out for a sum of $8.4 million.
The most knockouts at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos,” “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” and “UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington” with seven each.
Henry Cejudo vs. Marlon Moraes
“UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes” featured a total of 1,818 significant strikes landed, a new single-event record. UFC 231 held the previous high with 1,647.
The most submissions at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 5: Covington vs. Lawler” with five.
The most fights to go to a decision at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” with 10.
“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” featured nine consecutive decision results, tied for the single-event UFC record.
“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” started with nine consecutive decision results, the single-event record.
“UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik” marked the third event in company history to feature two draws. UFC 22 and UFC 216 were the others.
Betting favorites went 319-182. Fifteen fights ended in a draw, no contest or had even odds.
Betting favorites went 22-18 in event headliners. Two fights ended in a no contest or had even odds.
“UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” and “UFC on ESPN+ 22: Blachowicz vs. Jacare” had the most favorites come through victorious, with 10 each. On the flip side, seven underdogs won at three separate events.
Aspen Ladd
A total of 30 fighters officially missed weight for their respective contests. The 28 fighters in that group to compete went 10-17-1 in their respective bouts.
A total of 135 fighters made their UFC debut in 2019. Those fighters went 57-74-2 with two no contests. Debuting fighters who faced an opponent with at least one bout of UFC experience went 43-58-2 with two no contests.
A variety of circumstances caused a total of 19 UFC main event or co-main event fights to be adjusted, postponed or canceled entirely.
One entire event was canceled (UFC 233 in January in Anaheim, Calif.)
Three new bouts have been added to UFC Columbus in March, including the return of controversial heavyweight Greg Hardy.
[autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] has a date and opponent for his next UFC bout.
The controversial former NFL All-Pro will take on [autotag]Yorgan De Castro [/autotag]at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Columbus, Ohio on March 28. The news was announced by the promotion Friday.
Hardy (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) last fought in Novembe,r where he suffered a decision loss to Alexander Volkov in the co-main event of UFC Moscow. Hardy took the fight on short notice. A few weeks prior, he had a unanimous-decision victory over Ben Sosoli changed to a no-contest due to unapproved use of an inhaler during the fight. Hardy won his previous two bouts before the Sosoli mishap.
On the other hand, De Castro (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) last competed in October where he defeated Justin Tafa via knockout in his UFC debut. The 32-year-old fighter is unbeaten in his professional MMA career.
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Additionally, two more bouts were added to the card. [autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) will be taking on [autotag]Louis Smolka [/autotag](16-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in a bantamweight bout and [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) will face [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] (33-13 MMA, 10-8 UFC) in a light heavyweight contest.
UFC Columbus is headlined by heavyweight bout pitting Francis Ngannou against rising contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
