Tag: Mario Bautista

Mario Bautista embracing sell-yourself mentality to get bigger fights like Ricky Simon at UFC Fight Night 234

Mario Bautista’s way has worked well till now, but he thinks it might be time to open up a bit.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] is just 30 and heading into his 10th fight in the UFC.

With years of longevity in the promotion, and a current five-fight winning streak, it doesn’t seem like Bautista is doing much wrong. But when it comes to self-promotion, he may recently have realized he needs to … well, sh*t or get off the proverbial pot.

“I just want to start working on some stuff outside, as far as fighting and the gym stuff,” Bautista said at a Wednesday media day in Las Vegas. “I think I need to start working on selling myself and promoting myself. I feel like that’s an area I kind of lack, and that’s just due to my demeanor – kind of quiet by nature. But I think the closer we get to the top, that’s going to be a very important thing in dictating fights and what fights I get and where I get put on cards. I’m going to try to look into that a little bit better for me this year.”

If stepping up his self-promotion game happens after his next win, Bautista (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will have done it against another of the bantamweight division’s most vaunted contenders, Ricky Simon (20-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC).

Simon has been good, himself. He had his own five-fight winning streak snapped less than a year ago. So the timing would be perfect for Bautista to step up the microphone game with a win. He’s a slight betting underdog in the fight, which is the first time he hasn’t been the favorite in nearly four years.

” I was mainly excited that I finally got a top-15 (opponent), and then who better than Ricky Simon,” Bautista said. “(He’s) a tough opponent and it’s really going to test me and it’s going to prove whether I belong there or not. I think stylistically, it’s going to be a fun fight for both of us and the fans.”

UFC Fight Night 234 (ESPN+) takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Benitez fights Miller in the featured bout on the main card.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.

UFC Fight Night 234 pre-event facts: Jim Miller, Andrei Arlovski look to build on all-time wins leads

The best facts about UFC Fight Night 234, which features chances for Jim Miller and Andrei Arlovski to add to their historic resumes.

After a nearly monthlong hiatus, the UFC opens its 2024 schedule on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 234, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.

Light heavyweight contenders are set to rematch in the main event of the card. [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] (18-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) and [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) will run it back with five rounds scheduled after their originally meeting at UFC 294 in October ended in a no contest due to an illegal knee from Ankalaev that halted the action.

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 for UFC Fight Night 234.

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Video: ‘UFC Fight Night 234: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2’ media day interviews

Before UFC Fight Night 234 on Saturday, watch as the main card athletes speak to reporters at media day.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 234, which takes place at the UFC Apex with a card that streams entirely on ESPN+, goes down Saturday.

Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the main card spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 2-8)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Oct. 2-8.

UFC adds Mario Bautista vs. Ricky Simon to first 2024 event

The 2024 UFC schedule is already being carved out, including a bantamweight matchup, Mario Bautista vs. Ricky Simon.

A bantamweight bout between [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] and [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] is the newest addition to the first UFC card of 2024.

The three-round clash will take place Jan. 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as part of a UFC Fight Night event.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Bautista’s management Iridium Sports Agency first announced the bout Sunday.

Bautista (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) rides a five-fight winning streak into the fight, most recently having won a unanimous decision over Da’Mon Blackshear at UFC 292 in August.

Simon (20-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) looks to rebound from a fifth-round TKO defeat to Song Yadong at UFC on ESPN 45 in April. The loss snapped a five-fight winning streak that included finishes of Jack Shore and Raphael Assuncao among others.

With the addition the UFC Fight Night lineup for Jan. 13 includes:

  • Mario Bautista vs. Ricky Simon
  • Andrei Arlovski vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
  • Norma Dumont vs. Yana Santos
  • Gaston Bolanos vs. Marcus McGhee
  • Bassil Hafez vs. Preston Parsons

UFC 292 winner Mario Bautista unsure he’d take risk of fighting short-notice opponent again

Mario Bautista accepting short-notice Da’Mon Blackshear paid off at UFC 292, but he doubts he’d do it again.

BOSTON – [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] accepting short-notice Da’Mon Blackshear paid off, but he doubts he’d do it again.

Bautista (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) was originally scheduled to face former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt this past Saturday at UFC 292 but ended up fighting Blackshear (14-6-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) instead, who made a historic seven-day turnaround.

Bautista won the fight by unanimous decision, extending his winning streak to five. He wants to fight once more before the end of the year – hopefully without a last-second change in opponent.

“We’re going to be looking in December,” Bautista told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage at TD Garden. “Hopefully we keep the same opponent this time. If not, I don’t know if I’ll take that risk again since we’re getting closer to the top 15 and top 10.”

As he continues his ascent up the bantamweight ladder, Bautista looks to be more cautious about his career moving forward.

“When I have the number next to me, it’s going to be strategic getting to the top,” Bautista said. “If I have a number next to me and something like this happens, I probably won’t do it.”

Bautista admits Blackshear was physically strong and would have done things differently had he known he was fighting him in advance.

“If I were to fight Blackshear (again), I would definitely take my strength and conditioning a lot differently,” Bautista said. “But I went in there with a game plan to fight Cody, and I just used it the best I could to fight Blackshear.”

Prior to facing Blackshear, Bautista said he moved on from Garbrandt, and he still feels the same way after getting his hand raised.

“I’m past Cody,” Bautista said. “Not unless he had a number next to his name, which he doesn’t. I’m moving past that.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292 post-event facts: Ian Machado Garry enters record book with 6-0 octagon start

The best facts to come out of UFC 292, which saw Sean O’Malley, Zhang Weili, Ian Machado Garry and others record statistical achievements.

One of the biggest UFC events of the year thus far went down Saturday with UFC 292, which took place at TD Garden in Boston and featured two championship fights with different results.

In the main event, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) shocked [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) with a second-round TKO to capture the bantamweight belt, while in the co-headliner, [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) got her second strawweight title reign off a dominant start with a lopsided unanimous decision over Brazilian challenger [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (13-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind the two championship bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 292.

UFC 292 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: All-time program total passes $20 million

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 292 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $340.500.

BOSTON – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 292 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $340.500.

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 292 took place at TD Garden. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 292 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: $21,00

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Denis Tiuliulin[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,735,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $20,324,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play from UFC 292 in Boston with Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley and Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos title fights.

BOSTON – UFC 292 took place at TD Garden. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) took on challenger Sean O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC). Sterling holds the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses at 135 pounds. In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champ Zhang Weili (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) met challenger Amanda Lemos (13-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in the first test of her second reign as titleholder.

In addition, former middleweight champ Chris Weidman (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) returned from more than two years out after a severe broken leg in 2021. He took on Brad Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-8 UFC) in a featured bout on the prelims. Plus, two new “Ultimate Fighter” winners will be crowned on the prelims.

UFC 292 results: Mario Bautista spoils Da’Mon Blackshear’s bid at history with decision

Mario Bautista wasn’t going to let Da’Mon Blackshear make history at the expense of himself at UFC 292.

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] wasn’t going to let [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag] make history at the expense of himself at UFC 292.

After Blackshear (14-6-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) stepped in on short notice and tried to enter the record books with the fastest turnaround in modern UFC history after scoring a rare Twister finish this past week, Bautista (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) brought him back to earth with a unanimous decision win (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in their bantamweight bout at TD Garden in Boston.

Blackshear came out of the gate with high intensity, chasing takedowns and repeatedly grounding Bautista over the first several minutes. Bautista tried to counter one of the attempts with a guillotine, but he couldn’t put Blackshear away in a grappling-heavy frame.

The second round consisted of much more striking, with Blackshear and Bautista both having their moments of taking the momentum and landing hard shots. Blackshear had brief success with his grappling, but he couldn’t do anything effective and Bautista showed resistance.

It was clear to start the final round that Bautista had more in the tank, and he utilized it by landing solid strikes and then scoring a big takedown on Blackshear. He burnt a significant portion of time off the clock with the takedown and clinch control, as well as threatening with chokes from the back position to secure the fight in his favor.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 292 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.