[autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] is out of her scheduled Aug. 21 meeting with [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] due to visa issues. The fight was expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While the bout won’t be happening on its original date, the matchup is expected to remain intact and be rescheduled for a later event.
Two people with knowledge of the postponement recently informed MMA Junkie of the change, but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
For Jojua (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC), her lone UFC victory is sandwiched between defeats. After she dropped her promotional debut to Sarah Moras in September 2019, Jojua defeated Diana Belbita with a first-round armbar. In her most recent outing at UFC 254 in October 2020, Jojua was stopped on a cut against Miranda Maverick.
Casey (9-9 MMA, 5-8 UFC) will enter the fight when it’s rescheduled on a two-fight losing skid. She is 2-5 in her most recent seven, but has been plagued by three close split decision defeats.
A women’s flyweight fight has been added to the UFC’s summer schedule.
A women’s flyweight matchup is the latest addition to the UFC’s summer schedule.
During the UFC Fight Night event Aug. 21 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] and [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] will look to punch their tickets back into the win column.
Two people with knowledge of the booking recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Casey (9-9 MMA, 5-8 UFC) aims to snap a two-fight losing skid. She most recently competed in March, when she lost a close split decision to J.J. Aldrich. Seven of Casey’s nine professional victories have come inside the distance, and she’s only been finished in two of her losses.
Jojua (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has not yet gone the distance in her UFC career. After she was finished by ground-and-pound at the hands of Sarah Moras in her promotional debut, Jojua picked up her first UFC win by armbar against Diana Belbita in July 2020. In her most recent outing at UFC 254 this past October, Jojua was sliced open by Miranda Maverick and the fight was called off by the cageside physician.
With the addition, the Aug. 21 UFC lineup now includes:
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 254 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $215,000.
ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 254 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $215,000.
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 254 took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
The full UFC 254 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
A perfectly placed elbow changed the trajectory of Miranda Maverick vs. Liana Jojua in a split second.
Few things can alter the trajectory of a fight in a split second like a slicing elbow that causes a nasty cut. And few such elbows have been delivered with the precision [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag] displayed in the opening round of her UFC 254 preliminary bout with [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag].
The duo were trading in the pocket during their flyweight fight when Maverick (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) landed a picture-perfect upward left elbow to the bridge of Jojua’s nose. Jojua (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) gamely competed for the rest of the round as her face turned into a blood-soaked mess.
At the end of the round, Jojua’s corner did its best to close the cut, but it was a gnarly slice, and they were unable to stem the bleeding. The fight was waved off by the cageside doctor. Jojua, to her credit, wanted to continue and could be heard yelling “No, no, please no!” But it goes into the book as a TKO victory for Maverick.
We could have a real up-and-comer in Maverick, who previously made waves in Invicta FC, where she won a one-night “Phoenix Rising” tournament and also defeated UFC veteran Pearl Gonzalez her last time out. She was on point throughout her UFC debut against Jojua.
And what’s more, Maverick, who according to her Wikipedia page is working on her PhD in Industrial Psychology at Old Dominion, said she’s been doing her school work over on “Fight Island,” so she’s only begun to scratch the surface of her potential.
“I’ve been doing school work the whole time I’m here,” Maverick said. “Who knows what I’ll do when I’m done with school and don’t have 20 other things going on?”
If UFC 254 is any indication, she has a bright future indeed.
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.
Take a look inside Liana Jojua’s submission of Diana Belbita at UFC on ESPN 13 in Abu Dhabi.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] beat Diana Belbita with a first-round submission Wednesday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 13 in Abu Dhabi.
Take a look inside the fight with Jojua, who won for the sixth time in seven fights.
“I feel very good. I’m very happy. This is a good day for me. I (thought about a) submission – not armbar, but any submission will do. But armbar is my favorite submission, and I (did it). I didn’t think I would make this in the first round. … but she took me down, and I finished.”
Jojua on making the short-notice drop to flyweight
“I’m very happy because I haven’t won in two years. It’s very hard for me. Now I’m very happy because this is perfect. This is my first UFC win and fight at the new (flyweight) weight. I felt very good, but the weight cut is very hard for me. It’s very crazy for me. But then I think it will become easier for me because it won’t be new for me, and only having one month for the fight was a little bit short notice.”
Jojua on what she wants next
“I don’t know when I want to fight next. I haven’t thought about it. I think I want to go to new camps, make a visa for America. I want to go to America and train there, and then I will think about fighting. Right now, it’s very hard for training. If I don’t change camps, it’s not good for me.”
To hear more from Jojua, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 13, which saw Calvin Kattar beat Dan Ige in the main event in Abu Dhabi.
The second in UFC’s string of “Fight Island” events went down on Wednesday with UFC on ESPN 13, which took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
[autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) continued to surge as a featherweight contender in the main event when he outworked [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) to a unanimous decision. Both men showed great toughness in the fight, and that was a theme throughout the evening.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for
* * * *
General
[vertical-gallery id=535287]
UFC on ESPN 13 became the second event in UFC history to feature zero knockdowns. UFC Fight Night 9 in April 2007 was the other.
[autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag], [autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag], [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] and [autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 13 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN 13 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 7-4 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 12-6 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:05:42.
Main card
Dan Ige
Ige has suffered all three of his career losses by decision.
Ige failed to complete a takedown for the first time in his UFC career.
[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] (16-11-1 MMA, 5-9 UFC) snapped his three-fight losing skid for his first victory since December 2017.
Elliott improved to 3-5 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in December 2016.
Elliott has earned four of his five UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 3-5 UFC) has suffered five of his seven career losses by decision.
[autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has earned 17 of his 23 career victories by decision. That includes six of his seven UFC wins.
[autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag] (19-3-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) has suffered two of his three career losses by decision.
Alhassan (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
Preliminary card
Khamzat Chimaev
Chimaev (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all of his career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]John Phillips[/autotag] (22-10 MMA, 1-4 UFC) has suffered eight of his 10 career losses by stoppage.
Phillips has suffered three of his four UFC losses by submission.
[autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he moved up to the featherweight division in November.
Ramos has suffered all three of his career losses by stoppage. He’s been knocked out in both of his UFC defeats.
Bukauskas (11-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned 10 of his 11 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Andreas Michailidis[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by knockout.
[autotag]Jarred Gordon[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has earned three of his four UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Chris Fishgold[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 1-3 UFC) has suffered all three of his UFC losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned seven of her eight career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag] (11-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered five of her six career losses by stoppage.
Belbita has suffered all five of his career stoppage losses by submission.
[autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned 12 of his 13 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished both of his UFC wins by submission.
[autotag]Aaron Phillips[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC) was unsuccessful in his return to the octagon.
Phillips’ skid in UFC competition was extended to three fights. He went 0-2 in his previous tenure in 2014.
Phillips suffered the first submission loss of his career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN 13 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
ABU DHABI – Fighters from Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 13 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $97,000.
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 13 took place at Flash Forum. The card aired streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN.
The full UFC on ESPN 13 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 13 event at “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC on ESPN 13 went with as their backing tracks in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Liana Jojua knows how to commit to an armbar, and her dedication led to a big win at UFC on ESPN 13.
[autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] knows how to commit to an armbar, and her dedication led to a big win at UFC on ESPN 13.
After dropping her UFC debut, Jojua (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) returned to the octagon for her sophomore appearance on Wednesday’s card at Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. She got her first win under the UFC banner, submitting Diana Belbita (11-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in the first round of their flyweight matchup.
Jojua has earned all but one of her career finishes by submission, and Belbita made the error of taking things into her world early. It was a poor choice, as you can see in the highlight below (via Twitter):
HOW BOUT JOJUA!? 🇬🇪 @LianaJojua records her 5️⃣th career armbar vs Belbita.
Belbita, to her credit, put up quite a fight once Jojua had her arm isolated. She squirmed every which way to free herself of the grip, but her efforts were futile. Jojua refused to let it go, and she got the job done.
A jubilant Jojua said during her post-fight interview she knew she’d be better on the ground, but was not completely pleased with her performance. Jojua said she only had one month to prepare for the fight, and that’s why she competed at 125 pounds.
Nevertheless, her fight produced one of the more memorable armbar tug-o-wars in recent history.
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.
