Tag: Mario Bautista

UFC 292 pre-event facts: Do Aljamain Sterling’s stats confirm bantamweight GOAT status?

The best facts about UFC 292, which sees Aljamain Sterling bring a potentially GOAT-worthy resume into his title defense vs. Sean O’Malley.

The UFC returns to Boston for the seventh time in company history and the first time in nearly four years on Saturday with UFC 292, which takes place at TD Garden and has a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

A championship doubleheader takes center stage on the card. In the main event, [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) will seek his fourth consecutive bantamweight title defense when he takes on [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC), while the co-main event sees strawweight champ [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) look for the first defense of her second title reign against dangerous Brazilian challenger [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (13-2-1 MMA, 7-2 UFC).

For the numbers behind both title bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 292.

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Mario Bautista: Cody Garbrandt’s had ups and downs, and I can capitalize on that at UFC 292

Mario Bautista is not overwhelmed by the opportunity of facing a former champion at UFC 292 in Boston later this month.

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] is not overwhelmed by the opportunity of facing a former champion.

Bautista (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) got his wish and will take on [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) at UFC 292 on Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston. Garbrandt, a former UFC bantamweight champion, will be arguably the biggest name Bautista has faced to date.

But the 30-year-old MMA Lab fighter says Garbrandt is no longer the undefeated phenom that was running through guys. “No Love” has lost five of his past seven, but was able to rebound in his most recent outing against Trevin Jones at UFC 285.

“It’s just another fight,” Bautista told MMA Junkie Radio. “That’s all it is to me. He’s had some ups and downs lately, so I’m looking to capitalize on that. I’m not putting too much pressure on myself. It’s just another fight to me, and he’s someone that can be beat and that has been beat before. All I can do is just work as hard as I can and roll the dice out there just like I do every time – and it usually works out pretty good for me.”

Bautista has quietly climbed the bantamweight ladder. Most recently, he submitted Brian Kelleher, Benito Lopez and Guido Cannetti all in the first round. He’s OK if people overlook him.

“I don’t mind it too much,” Bautista said. “I’ve been kind of flying under the radar, and that’s fine. But now I get the opportunity to really showcase my skills and have a good card to be on for everyone to see.”

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

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (April 24-30)

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 from April 24-30.

Cody Garbrandt vs. Mario Bautista targeted for Aug. 19 UFC event

A bantamweight bout pitting ex-UFC bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt against Mario Bautista is being targeted for Aug. 19.

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] got his wish.

The bantamweight called out former champion [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] in March following his submission win over Guido Cannetti at UFC Fight Night 221. Fast-forward a little more than a month and the two now now targeted to fight at a UFC event on Aug. 19.

The news was confirmed by MMA Junkie with people with knowledge of the matchup following a Friday from MMA Fighting. The venue and location for the event has yet to be announced by the UFC.

Garbrandt (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) recently returned to competition after 15 months of inactivity. He defeated Trevin Jones in a unanimous decision at UFC 285 in March. The victory got Garbrandt back in the win column after back-to-back losses to Rob Font and Kai Kara-France. The 31-year-old currently is 2-5 in his seven most recent performances.

Bautista’s (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) win over Cannetti put him on a four-fight winning streak, which includes submission wins over Brian Kelleher and Benito Lopez. Bautista, 29, hasn’t lost since 2021 when he was stopped by Jones, Garbrandt’s last opponent.

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‘I opened up my mouth finally’: Mario Bautista calls out former UFC champ Cody Garbrandt

After submitting Guido Cannetti at UFC Fight Night 221, Mario Bautista has his eyes on challenging a former champion.

LAS VEGAS – Bantamweight [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] is starting to come out of his shell, and put his time on the microphone to good use at UFC Fight Night 221.

After submitting Guido Cannetti in an exciting first round, Bautista (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) made it known exactly who he wants next, which is something he typically hasn’t done in the past. The win over Cannetti (10-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC) marked Bautista’s fourth-straight victory, and third consecutive first-round finish – a run he believes is worthy of a top 15 opponent, or a particular former champion.

“I thought I was going to get a top 15 after (Brian) Kelleher,” Bautista told reporters at the post-fight news conference. “And then I got Benito (Lopez), and then Guido. I’m doing what I’m supposed to do: finishing these guys in the first round.

“… I opened up my mouth finally and asked for a top 15. Most of those guys are matched up. So, if not the top 15, then Cody Garbrandt.”

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The former bantamweight champion is coming off a win over Trevin Jones at UFC 285. Although Bautista believes Garbrandt is not the same fighter he once was, his name carries a weight that would be good to have on his resume.

“The name, former champion,” Bautista said. “I think he’s going in a different direction in his fighting style. It showed against Trevin Jones. But I think I can bring it back out of him. I think I can make it an exciting fight.”

5 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 221: Is Dana White right about Merab Dvalishvili?

Analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 221, including Dana White’s firm warning to Merab Dvalishvili.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 221 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings…

UFC Fight Night 221 post-event facts: Merab Dvalishvili sets takedown attempt record

Merab Dvalishvili attempted a historic number of takedowns in his dominant win over Petr Yan in the UFC Fight Night 221 headliner.

The UFC hosted yet another event on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 221, which took place at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) continued to emerge as a contender in the main event when he outworked former champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) to win a unanimous decision with a relentless pace of striking and takedown attempts.

For more on the numbers from the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 221.

UFC Fight Night 221 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $16 million

UFC Fight Night 221 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 221 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $194,000.

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 Fight Night 221 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 221 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Lukasz Brzeski[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]JJ Aldrich [/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag]: $4,500

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 2217 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2211 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: $1,634,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,153,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC Fight Night 221 with Tupac, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Elvis

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 221 event.

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.

See what the fighters from UFC Fight Night 221 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

Mario Bautista def. Guido Cannetti at UFC Fight Night 221: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Mario Bautista’s first-round submission win over Guido Cannetti at UFC Fight Night 221.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]’s first-round submission win over [autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 221 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. (Photos by Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports)