Tag: Marcelo Rojo

UFC veterans in MMA and bareknuckle action March 24-26

Check out which UFC veterans are competing in combat sports events across the globe this weekend.

The UFC is back on U.S. soil this week, and it’s not another event at the UFC Apex. The promotion heads to San Antonio for UFC on ESPN 43 for a key bantamweight bout between [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] and [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other MMA events are taking place that feature familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

These nine veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA bareknuckle boxing this week from March 24-26.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

UFC on ESPN 42 post-event facts: Rafael dos Anjos first to reach 8-hour fight time milestone

Rafael dos Anjos became the first fighter in history to log eight hours of octagon fight time in his win at UFC on ESPN 42.

The UFC returned to Orlando, Fla., for the first time in nearly four years Saturday with UFC on ESPN 42, which took place at Amway Center and saw nine out of 14 fights end in a stoppage.

Stephen Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) earned the most memorable result of all in the main event. The longtime welterweight contender went to war with Kevin Holland (23-9 MMA, 9-6 UFC). He emerged on top by fourth-round TKO due to corner stoppage and netted another Fight of the Night award in the process.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 42.

UFC on ESPN 42 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: A record for non-PPV card

UFC on ESPN 42 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

ORLANDO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 42 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $297,500.

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 42 took place at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 42 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kyle Daukaus[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Natan Levy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Genaro Valdez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Istela Nunes[/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 $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-42 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,932,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,109,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.

Francis Marshall def. Marcelo Rojo at UFC on ESPN 42: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Francis Marshall’s second-round knockout win over Marcelo Rojo at UFC on ESPN 42.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag]’s second-round knockout win over [autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 42 at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. (Photos by Nathan Ray Seebeck, USA TODAY Sports)

Marcelo Rojo explains move up to featherweight, says fighting at 135 ‘wasn’t a good time’

Marcelo Rojo opens up about his move to the UFC’s featherweight division.

[autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag] is leaving behind the bantamweight division.

The Argentine UFC fighter is making a move up to 145 pounds, as he makes a return to the cage this Saturday at UFC on ESPN 42 in Orlando. Rojo (16-8 MMA, 0-2 UFC) takes on UFC debutant Francis Marshall.

Rojo said that the decision to switch weight classes was made by his coach James Krause. Rojo didn’t have a history of weight misses at bantamweight, but he said it was always tough to get down to 135 pounds. Krause believes Rojo is better suited at featherweight.

“I’ve always been big for 135,” Rojo told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “Actually, in the studies I made at the UFC PI after my last fight, I have 140 pounds of lean mass. Meaning, and that was done in February, that for me to make 135 I had to lose the fat and five extra pounds of muscle. And yeah, that wasn’t a good time.”

Rojo has fought plenty of times at 145 pounds – he even competed at lightweight during his run in season three of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America back in 2016.

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Rojo is currently 0-2 since joining the UFC in early 2021. It hasn’t been an ideal start to his UFC career, but the 34-year-old is not letting that spoil the journey.

“It’s every fighter’s dream (to fight in the UFC), and I’m enjoying it with my friends and all the people that surround me,” Rojo explained. “It’s unique, it’s unique. There’s a reason why the best fighters are in the UFC. It’s the elite.

“I try to stay informed all the time and I try to study the game to be a better fighter. It’s impressive. I have the luck to be able to train at the UFC Performance Institute with the coaches, who are super professional, the nutritionists, the physical therapists, everything that they bring us is top of the line.”

Any defeat could put pressure on a fighter, as the UFC is a very competitive organization and the turnover is high. Rojo is keeping a strong mind and says there’s no pressure entering UFC on ESPN 42.

“No, that pressure that they make up is put on by the people themselves, you know,” Rojo said. “I’m living my dream. I’m doing what I love, and I’m enjoying it, and I’m getting paid to do it. I’m so fortunate. The truth is that I have nothing to lose. I’m going to go out there and give it my all like I do for every fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.

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Francis Marshall: Marcelo Rojo fight will be striker vs. grappler classic at UFC on ESPN 42

Francis Marshall is expecting a clash of styles against Marcelo Rojo at UFC on ESPN 42.

[autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag] is expecting a clash of styles against [autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 42.

Marshall (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) meets Rojo (16-9 MMA, 0-2 UFC) at Saturday’s event at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate made quite the impression on UFC president White with his contract-winning performance in August, and hopes he can replicate that against Rojo.

“I think it’s a good matchup for me,” Marshall told MMA Junkie. “He has a lot of experience. He’s a good striker, so it should be a classic striker vs. grappler match.

“Hopefully (I) make a good impression – walk away with the finish would be ideal and just set the tone for the future.”

Although Rojo has dropped his first two UFC fights, he has shown plenty of heart and willingness to throw down. But Marshall says he’ll be wise to that and won’t get lured into his game.

“I’m not too worried about if he tries to turn it into a brawl,” Marshall said. “I could always take him down if I want to or I can always punch him back, so nothing I’m worried about.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42

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UFC 271 medical suspensions: Derrick Lewis gets two months; two fighters out indefinitely

As a result of their UFC 271 bouts, all 28 fighters were handed medical suspensions of varying durations by the Texas commission.

Two fighters are facing indefinite suspensions as a result of their UFC 271 bouts.

UFC 271 took place Saturday at Toyota Center and featured 14 bouts, including a middleweight title rematch between champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and challenger [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag].

Of the 10 main card competitors, hometown favorite Derrick Lewis received the longest suspension from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) for his upset knockout loss to Tai Tuivasa. He now faces two months on the shelf.

Two preliminary card fighters, Marcelo Rojo and Maxim Grishin, were suspended indefinitely. Unlike many other commissions, TDLR does not release injury details, so specific causes for their suspensions are not known.

On Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of medical suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the official record keeper of the Association of Boxing Commissions. All fighters’ suspensions can terminate sooner should they be cleared by a doctor.

Check out the full UFC 271 medical suspensions below.

UFC 271 video: Kyler Phillips submits Marcelo Rojo with nasty armbar from triangle position

Watch Kyler Phillips score a nasty armbar finish over Marcelo Rojo at Saturday’s UFC 271.

HOUSTON – [autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag] bounced back from defeat in style.

The bantamweight put on a dominant showing on the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 271 at the Toyota Center. Phillips (10-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) submitted a very tough [autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 0-2 UFC) with an armbar from the triangle choke position in their preliminary contest, which aired on ESPN ahead of the night’s pay-per-view main card. The official stoppage came at the 1:48 mark of Round 3.

Phillips dominated the action from start to finish. The 26-year-old stayed on the outside for the majority of the fight, picking apart Rojo with leg kicks. Phillips also scored several takedowns, where he controlled the action and landed ground-and-pound.

Phillips successfully bounced back from his controversial loss to Raulian Paiva back in July. Prior to the defeat, he was on a four-fight winning streak.

Below you can watch Phillips’ armbar finish:

The up-to-the-minute UFC 271 results include:

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UFC books Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcelo Rojo for Sept. 4 Fight Night

With both men losing their initial opponents, Jonathan Martinez and Marcelo Rojo will now square off against each other.

With both men losing their initial opponents, [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag] will now square off against each other.

Martinez (13-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) takes on Rojo (16-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on Sept. 4 at UFC Fight Night 191, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. ESPN Deportes was first to report the booking.

Martinez was scheduled to face Nathaniel Wood, but Wood was forced to withdraw after he suffered a broken hand. Winner of four of his past six, Martinez scored back-to-back wins over Frankie Saenz and Thomas Almeida before getting stopped by Davey Grant in his past outing in March.

Rojo was booked against Kevin Croom at UFC on ESPN 30 on Aug. 28, but the fight was scrapped after Croom withdrew for undisclosed reasons. The Argentinian Combate Americas alum was stopped by Charles Jourdain in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 187 in March.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 191 lineup includes:

  • Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till
  • Paul Craig vs. Alexander Gustafsson
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dalcha Lungiambula
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Volkan Oezdemir
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Khalil Rountree
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcelo Rojo
  • Molly McCann vs. Ji Yeon Kim
  • Rafael Alves vs. Marc Diakiese
  • Paddy Pimblett vs. Luigi Vendramini
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Jack Shore
  • Mandy Bohm vs. Ariane Lipski
  • Sergey Khandozhko vs. David Zawada
  • Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell
  • Tom Aspinall vs. Sergei Pavlovich

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UFC Fight Night 187 medical suspensions: Belal Muhammad faces 30 days after eye poke

Belal Muhammad isn’t facing a long time off after suffering a nasty eye poke against Leon Edwards at UFC Fight Night 187.

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Thankfully, [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] isn’t facing a potentially long medical suspension coming out of UFC Fight Night 187.

Muhammad’s first headliner vs. Leon Edwards was ruled a no contest after Edwards accidentally poked him in the eye 18 seconds into the second round of their welterweight fight. Visibly in pain, Muhammad was unable to continue and, as a result, the fight was stopped without a winner.

Muhammad (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) was able to provide a positive update shortly after, stating that he suffered no permanent damage to his eye and was slowly starting to get his vision back. The medical report supports his claim as Muhammad will be prohibited from any contact for 21 days with no contest for 30 days, until he receives doctor clearance for his right eye.

MMA Junkie on Tuesday obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.

The full list of UFC Fight Night 187 medical suspensions includes:

  • [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • Belal Muhammad: Must have right eye cleared by an ophthalmologist, otherwise suspended 30 days; minimum suspension is 21 days.
  • [autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with 14 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Darren Stewart[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
  • [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: Must have left eye cleared by an ophthalmologist, otherwise suspended 30 days.
  • [autotag]Ashley Yoder[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until right ear is cleared by ENT.
  • [autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag]: Must have maxillofacial bones fractures cleared by maxillofacial surgeon and left lamina papyracea cleared by an ophthalmologist, otherwise suspended 180 days.
  • [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to left scalp laceration.
  • [autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Ray Rodriguez[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
  • [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until left fibula X-ray is cleared by orthopedic doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until right elbow X-ray is cleared by orthopedic doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until right foot and right hand X-rays are cleared by orthopedic doctor; also suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
  • [autotag]J.J. Aldrich[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Gloria de Paula[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Jinh Yu Frey[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
  • [autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Jason Witt[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.

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