Tag: Mackenzie Dern

Mackenzie Dern plans ‘to correct the mistakes’ after UFC 298 loss, receives praise from Dana White

Mackenzie Dern didn’t get the win at UFC 298, but she at least has Dana White’s support.

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] put on a valiant effort at UFC 298 but ultimately fell short.

Dern lost a close decision to Amanda Lemos this past Saturda in a Fight of the Night effort. She rallied after being dropped and badly hurt in Round 2, but it wasn’t enough to sway the judges in her favor.

Despite now being on a two-fight losing skid for the first time in her career, Dern (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) remained positive in an Instagram post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3g_tETLTXa/

“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world”
•
•
The results weren’t what I was hoping for! Thank you everyone for all the support! I love doing what I do! Now, it’s time to correct the mistakes and keep up the hard work! 💪🏼👊🏼 Congrats to @amandalemos_ufc for an amazing fight! FOTN for us! 🙏🏼

A bloodied and battered Dern held her face after being dropped by Lemos, and UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] was shocked to hear that she didn’t suffer any major injuries.

“We were convinced that she had a broken orbital in that fight,” White said during the UFC 298 post-fight news conference. “When she went down with the eye thing, we were convinced it was a broken orbital, and she fought through it. I’m shocked that it’s not (broken). She’s so f*cking tough. She’s awesome.”

[lawrence-related id=2716061,2716627]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

UFC 298 medical suspensions: Henry Cejudo among 9 fighters suspended 180 days

Nine UFC 298 competitors are out a potential 180 days due to injuries sustained in their fights Saturday in Anaheim, Calif.

Saturday’s UFC pay-per-view event in Anaheim, Calif. was not a good night to be a limb.

UFC 298 took place at Anaheim, Calif. and featured 12 bouts and 24 fighters. Nine of those fighters were handed six-month suspensions as a result of injuries sustained in their bouts. Eight of those potential injuries were deemed possible fractures.

Monday, California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster, who oversaw the event, provided MMA Junkie with a full list of medical suspensions.

Scroll below to see how much time UFC 298 competitors will have to take off as a result of their bouts Saturday. It’s important to note fighters may return before the conclusion of their suspensions if they are cleared by a physician (unless denoted “no exception” or “mandatory”).

UFC 298 post-event facts: Ilia Topuria makes history with title coronation

The best facts to come out of UFC 298, which saw a number of historic feats, including Ilia Topuria’s title KO of Alexander Volkanovski.

The UFC’s second pay-per-view of 2024 was a memorable one, with UFC 298 on Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., seeing a changing of the guard in the featherweight division.

In the main event, [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) became the new featherweight champion when he delivered on his promise to knock out longtime titleholder [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC), which he did in the second round of their fight to claim gold.

For more on the numbers to come out of the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 298.

UFC 298 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Alexander Volkanovski’s $42,000 tops card

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 298 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $252,000.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 298 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $243,000.

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 298 took place at Honda Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 298 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Junior Tafa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rinya Nakamura[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Vera[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Zhang Mingyang[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brendson Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Danny Barlow[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Josh Quinlan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Oban Elliott[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Val Woodburn[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andrea Lee[/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 $4,500; 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: $1,093,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,800,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

UFC 298 results: Amanda Lemos’ superior striking damages Mackenzie Dern in hard-fought decision

In the final UFC 298 prelim, Amanda Lemos left Mackenzie Dern bruised and bloodied after a three-round battle.

[autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] showed off her excellent striking skills and submission defense over 15 minutes with Mackenzie Dern.

The women’s strawweight bout closed out the UFC 298 preliminary card at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and it was an entertaining battle with both women having their moments. When it was all said and done, Lemos (14-3-1 MMA, 8-3 UFC) racked up unanimous scores of 29-28 from each judge, turning away damaged Dern (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC).

Lemos set the tone early with hard kicks, mixing them to the legs and the body. Swelling on Dern’s left lower left leg became very apparent early into the first round. Midway through the frame before her leg could become more of a liability, Dern completed a nice takedown to bring the fight where she’s best. On the mat, Dern worked to transition and hunt for submissions while landing a few strikes.

According to commentator Joe Rogan, Dern’s corner did not apply ice to Dern’s left shin during the break between rounds.

In Round 2, Lemos continued to have success in space, darting in and out with sharp striking. Hard, accurate punches put Dern in a bad spot, causing her to fall to the canvas while covering her face. Referee Mike Beltran nearly stopped the fight, but opted to let the action continue. Lemos followed the bloodied Dern to the canvas, where the action slowed. But when they returned to standing position, Lemos returned to digging in hard leg kicks, and popping fast punches.

However, Dern wasn’t deterred and kept charging forward. A takedown attempt was reversed, but Dern hit a sweep to take top position to close out the final seconds of the round.

The two fighters hugged before getting into the thick of the last round. Dern then tagged Lemos with a big right hand, but Lemos scored a takedown in response. Dern started working for a leg lock from the bottom, eventually using the hold to claim top position. After giving up some control time, Lemos was able to scramble back to the top and land a couple of punches before the final horn.

With all three judges seeing the fight in her favor, Lemos, 36, returns to the win column with a victory over a short-notice replacement. Lemos was originally scheduled to face Tatiana Suarez, who had to pull out due to injury.

Dern, 30, stepped up and fought with one of her biggest supporters Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg watching closely from cageside, but walked away with her second consecutive defeat.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 298 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Amanda Lemos def. Mackenzie Dern at UFC 298: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Amanda Lemos’ unanimous decision win over Mackenzie Dern at UFC 298.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]’ unanimous decision win over [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] at UFC 298 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. (Fight and venue photos by Gary A. Vasquez, USA Today Sports)

Mackenzie Dern ahead of UFC 298: ‘Page is turned, totally at a better place in my life’

Mackenzie Dern says she’s heading into UFC 298 a lot more focused than her previous fight.

IRVINE, Calif. – [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] says she’s heading into UFC 298 a lot more focused than her previous fight.

Dern (13-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) replaces an injured Tatiana Suarez against Amanda Lemos (13-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in Saturday’s featured prelim (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Honda Center in Anaheim.

Dern is coming off a TKO loss to former champion Jessica Andrade at UFC 295. The past year saw a lot of change in which Dern had to deal with switching managers, gyms and a divorce. Despite having a shorter training camp for Lemos, Dern’s mind is a lot clearer after going through those obstacles in her personal life.

“In these four weeks, I trained more than I was able to train in the two months I prepared for Jessica,” Dern said at Wednesday’s UFC 298 media day. “So, just because that page was turned thankfully financially, emotionally, physically. Just everything, how much I could dedicate to my camp even though it was a short amount of time. I’m so happy where I’m at right now.”

Dern expects to put on a much better performance against Lemos after being largely outmatched against Andrade.

“The page is turned, totally at a better place in my life, and a win or loss is part of life,” Dern said. “It could happen. I’m prepared for anything on Saturday, but I’m definitely way more prepared to be able to give my best and for an athlete, that’s all we could ask for. To be able to go injury free, stress free, and being able to be our best.”

[lawrence-related id=2695809,2695632,2695447,2715033]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Amanda Lemos hopes to reschedule Tatiana Suarez fight with UFC 298 win over Mackenzie Dern

Amanda Lemos is still interested in fighting Tatiana Suarez after UFC 298.

IRVINE, Calif. – [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] is still interested in fighting [autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag].

Lemos (13-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was scheduled to meet unbeaten Suarez in Saturday’s UFC 298 event but drew [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) instead after Suarez withdrew because of a knee injury.

Looking to rebound from her title loss to strawweight champion Zhang Weili this past August at UFC 292, Lemos is just happy to have a fight after Suarez was forced out.

“Disappointment came with the possibility of not having a fight, but it’s an injury. It happened to her. It could happen to anyone, and it has happened to me before,” Lemos said through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC 298 media day. “I’m very happy about the fact that I have a fight. We worked and prepared for it, so let’s come out with a win.”

If Lemos gets past jiu-jitsu ace Dern, she thinks rebooking the Suarez (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) fight makes sense for her next.

“After winning on Saturday, the first thing we need to do is try to see if Tatiana is available for the fight and reschedule that fight as soon as possible,” Lemos said. “If she’s not able to go, I would have the UFC tell me what they need from me. The focus right now is to beat her (Dern) on Saturday and go from there.”

[lawrence-related id=2670935,2671444]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Video: UFC 298 media day interviews

Before UFC 298 on Saturday, the main card and prelim fighters are scheduled to speak to reporters at media day.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The UFC 298, which takes place at Honda Center with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+, goes down Saturday.

Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the main card and preliminary are scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday at media day, and MMA Junkie will be on-site.

Check below for the archived videos of each media day.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

UFC 298 pre-event facts: Alexander Volkanovski can make history with post-KO title defense

The best facts and figures about UFC 298, which sees Alexander Volkanovski take on the rare task of a title defense after a knockout loss.

The octagon returns to Anaheim, Calif., for the first time in more than two years and ninth time in its history on Saturday with UFC 298, which goes down at Honda Center with a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

An anticipated featherweight championship bout gets top billing. Champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) returns to the division he rules following a knockout loss to lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev in October when he takes on unbeaten contender [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 298.

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria