Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken 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 Dec. 20-26.
Things have gotten personal over the past year, but Mariya Agapova and Maryna Moroz have a date to work out their greivances.
[autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag] and [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag] don’t like each other and now they’ll have the opportunity to take out their aggression inside the UFC cage.
The two women’s flyweight fighters have been paired up for UFC 272, which takes place Saturday, March 5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
Both fighters confirmed the booking on social media Monday following an initial report from Brazilian news outlet Combate.
Once teammates at American Top Team, Agapova (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Moroz (10-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) have engaged in a public spat through interviews over the past year.
The rivalry turned public after Moroz openly accused Agapova of drug abuse and threats against teammates at the gym franchise’s flagship location in Coconut Creek, Fla.
Agapova’s manager Alex Davis denied the allegations in an interview with MMA Fighting shortly thereafter. Following her October win over Sabina Mazo, Agapova, who now trains at American Top Team’s Sunrise, Fla. location, called out Moroz.
“She’s just jealous, and second, she’s sneaky,” Agapova said at a post-fight news conference. “She tried to destroy my career. I lost sponsorships because of her interview and got in a big trouble situation, and I would like to punish this b*tch because she tried to destroy my career. I want to smash her.”
With the addition, the UFC 272 lineup includes:
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Check out a full recap of 2020’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2020’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.
Viviane Araujo is getting the opportunity to step into a fight on short notice after COVID-19 forced her to withdraw from one of her own.
The UFC Fight Night event scheduled for Sept. 5 has been shaken up.
[autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag] will no longer fight that night in Las Vegas. In her place, [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] will step in to face [autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag]. Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after Combate reported that Moroz was unable to secure a visa because of the coronavirus pandemic and therefore can’t travel to the U.S. from Ukraine.
For Araujo (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), the opportunity to fight is a change in recent misfortune. She had been scheduled to fight Jennifer Maia on June 27, but travel restrictions pushed the bout back to Aug. 1. However, Araujo was forced to withdraw from the re-booking after she tested positive for COVID-19.
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Araujo will fight De La Rosa coming off a loss. In her most recent fight last December at UFC 245, Araujo dropped a unanimous decision to Jessica Eye.
De La Rosa (11-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC), meanwhile, has won four of her past five fights. After defeating Christina Marks, Rachael Ostovich and Nadia Kassem in succession to kick off her promotional tenure, De La Rosa suffered her fist UFC loss to Andrea Lee in June 2019. In her most recent fight at UFC on ESPN+ 25 in February, De La Rosa got back in the win column by defeating Mara Romero Borella.
With the change, the Sept. 5 UFC Fight Night lineup includes:
A women’s flyweight fight is in the works for September 5.
The UFC has booked another women’s flyweight fight for its upcoming schedule.
UFC-ranked [autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag] will fight [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag] on Sept. 5. No location or name designation has been announced for the event yet.
Multiple people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. De La Rosa also confirmed the news on her Instagram.
De La Rosa (11-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has won four of her past five outings. After defeating Christina Marks, Rachael Ostovich and Nadia Kassem in succession to kick off her promotional tenure, De La Rosa suffered her fist UFC loss to Andrea Lee in June 2019. In her most recent fight at UFC on ESPN+ 25 in February, De La Rosa got back in the win column by defeating Mara Romero Borella.
Riding a two-fight winning streak, Moroz (10-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will be gunning for her third straight victory. In March 2019, Moroz rebounded from back-to-back losses with a unanimous decision win over Sabina Mazo. In her most recent outing at UFC on ESPN+ 28 in March, Moroz defeated Mayra Bueno Silva by unanimous decision.
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With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from March 2020.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from March 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for March.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
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Alex Oliveira def. Max Griffin at UFC 248
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) went to great lengths to leave his welterweight fight with [autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 3-6 UFC) as a winner.
The Brazilian fighter had a back-and-forth war with Griffin in a bout where both men were bloodied. Oliveira defeated Griffin by split decision with a pair of 29-28s from two judges’ scorecards.
Beneil Dariush def. Drakkar Klose at UFC 248
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) produced arguably the greatest highlight of his career when he scored a spectacular knockout of [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] (11-1-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the second round of their lightweight bout.
After a solid first round, the fight got crazy in the second when Dariush and Klose slugged it out and stunned each other. Dariush was able to push through it better, though, and finally landed a devastated overhand left that sent Klose bouncing off the fence and crashing into the canvas.
Zhang Weili def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248
[autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) put on arguably the greatest title fight in women’s MMA history when they went tooth and nail for five rounds to determine who would be the UFC strawweight champion.
Weili ultimately emerged victorious by split decision to retain her belt, but not without going through 25 minutes of hell. The Chinese titleholder and Jedrzejczyk combined for the third most significant strikes in a UFC title fight. It came down to the wire, but there could only be one winner and it was Weili.
Maryna Moroz def. Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC on ESPN+ 28
[autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) and [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) produced the “Fight of the Night” in Brasilia with a three-round banger in the women’s flyweight division.
Moroz was seemingly one step ahead of Bueno Silva over the course of the bout to take a unanimous decision victory. The win kept Moroz unbeaten since moving up to 125 pounds, and netted her some extra money in the process.
Charles Oliveira def. Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN+ 28
[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 17-8 UFC) picked up his first UFC main event when he defeated [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) to extend his winning streak to seven.
Oliveira extended his streak with a third-round submission win over Lee courtesy of a guillotine choke. The Brazilian waited for his moment to attack with the choke, and when he got it tied the UFC’s all-time stoppage record.
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Weili and Jedrzejczyk put themselves through the ringer for the entertainment of the fight world. In the end, the champion prevailed.
Weili and Jedrzejczyk stood toe to toe for five rounds, exchanging strikes and not backing down in a bout that will go down as an all-time classic, resulting in Weili winning by split decision to retain her strawweight title.
By the end of it, Jedrzejczyk was nearly unrecognizable with a bad hematoma causing her entire forehead to swell.
AND STILL. 🏆
🇨🇳 Zhang Weili retains her title in a showdown of EPIC proportions! #ChinaStrong #UFC248 pic.twitter.com/UT1HqDgH9j
— UFC (@ufc) March 8, 2020
Jedrzejczyk opened the fight by, as promised, using a lot of movement to avoid Weili’s aggression and power. She worked well behind the jab, while Weili attacked with low kicks. The strikes came fast and furious from each side as Weili worked the body, and Jedrzejczyk teed off with combinations. Weili landed her best punch with roughly 90 seconds remaining, but Jedrzejczyk seemed to take it well and continued to fire back.
The action picked up where it left off to begin the second round. The output of both fighters was absurdly high, but Jedrzejczyk seemed to be more composed and accurate in her approach against Weili’s power shots. Weili went for the first takedown of the fight, but Jedrzejczyk shrugged it off, answered with some knees in the clinch, then evaded. Weili landed a huge punch that staggered her opponent, but Jedrzejczyk managed to shake off the cobwebs and do some work to make up the deficit of Weili’s big moment.
The leg kicks from Jedrzejczyk seemingly took a toll on Weili going into the third round. The movement and output slowed, which allowed Jedrzejczyk to pick up the pace and find her range on a less mobile target. Jedrzejczyk landed some very good strikes, both as the aggressor and the counter-striker, and Weili knew she needed something to change. Weili attempted to grapple in the final two minutes, but Jedrzejczyk’s takedown defense couldn’t be penetrated and she ended the round in striking range, but Jedrzejczyk developed a gruesome hematoma on her forehead.
With the momentum seemingly on Jedrzejczyk’s side going into the championship rounds, Weili did not appear deterred. She continued to be aggressive, but Jedrzejczyk showed to be more technical both offensively and defensively. Weili certainly found her openings, landing clean punches. Jedrzejczyk’s chin continued to hold up, though, and the pace of the fight was perfectly suiting her style. She found a strong groove going into the final round, despite having a disturbing amount of bruising on her face.
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With the title hanging in the balance, both fighters came out determined to put an exclamation mark in the fifth round. Jedrzejczyk stayed true to her game plan despite awful damage to her face, stepping in the pocket and engaging Weili in a firefight. Weili’s straight punches did her well, but Jedrzejczyk appeared to be more than comfortable with the power and landed some shots that had Weili briefly on some shaky legs. Weili wouldn’t go way, though, and answered back. They kept at it down the home stretch, both landing clean to cap off an incredible 25-minute championship fight.
“We are all martial artists here,” Weili said through an interpreter in her post-fight interview. “We want to set an example for the kids. Thank you everyone.”
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All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 28, which took place in Brasilia, Brazil, and saw Charles Oliveira submit Kevin Lee.
The UFC returned to Brazil on Saturday for what turned out to be a historic event for multiple reasons. The card, which took place at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, was held behind closed doors because of concerns about the spread of coronavirus.
Those concerns didn’t prevent the athletes from stepping into the octagon, though, and in the main event [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 17-8 UFC) continued to prove himself as one of the best in the UFC right now when he scored a third-round submission of [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) to extend his winning streak and further etch his name in the record books.
For more on the numbers behind Oliveira’s win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 28.
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UFC on ESPN+ 28 tied UFC on ESPN 4 for the most consecutive decisions on a single UFC card with nine.
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $209,500.
Debuting fighters went 1-0 at the event.
Oliveira, [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag], [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag] and [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 28 fight-night bonuses.
UFC did not provide a live gate or attendance figure due to the closed-door nature of the event.
Betting favorites went 7-4 on the card. One fight ended in a draw.
Betting favorites fell to 5-3 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:28:46.
Oliveira improved to 8-1 since he returned to the UFC lightweight division April 2017. He’s 10-3 (with one no contest) in the organization at 155 pounds.
Oliveira’s seven-fight UFC winning streak at lightweight is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Tony Ferguson (12) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (11).
Oliveira’s seven-fight UFC stoppage streak is the longest active streak in the company.
Oliveira’s seven-fight UFC stoppage streak is tied with Chuck Liddell for second longest in company history behind Anderson Silva (eight).
Oliveira’s 16 stoppage victories in UFC competition are tied with Donald Cerrone for most in company history.
Oliveira’s 14 submission victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Oliveira’s eight submission victories in UFC lightweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Jim Miller (nine).
Oliveira’s five guillotine-choke victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Oliveira has been awarded 16 fight-night bonuses for UFC bouts, the second most in company history behind Cerrone (18).
Oliveira has been awarded 10 “Performance of the Night” bonuses, the most in company history.
Lee fell to 2-4 in UFC headline bouts.
Lee fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC lightweight division in November.
Lee has completed at least one takedown in 15 of his 17 UFC fights.
Lee’s 37 takedowns landed since 2014 in UFC lightweight competition are most in the division.
Lee has suffered four of his six career losses by stoppage.
Burns (18-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) improved to 3-0 since he returned to the welterweight division in August 2019. He’s 4-0 when fighting at the weight class.
Burns has earned 14 of his 18 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his 11 UFC wins.
[autotag]Demian Maia[/autotag] (28-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) fell to 13-6 since he dropped to the UFC welterweight division in July 2012.
Maia’s total fight time of 6:34:40 in UFC competition is third most in company history behind Frankie Edgar (7:15:51) and Rafael Dos Anjos (6:43:11).
Maia suffered his first knockout loss since Aug. 29, 2009 – a span of 3,850 days (more than 10 years) and 26 fights.
Maia’s 67 takedowns landed in UFC competition are sixth most in company history.
Maia’s 253 takedown attempts in UFC competition are the most in company history.
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) was successful in his UFC lightweight debut.
Moicano has earned all three of his UFC stoppage victories by submission.
[autotag]Damir Hadzovic[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 3-4 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of his career.
[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] (26-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) improved to 2-2 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September 2018.
Krylov improved to 11-4 since he dropped to the light heavyweight division in March 2014.
Krylov earned the first decision victory of his career.
[autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2019.
Walker suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) has earned nine of his past 12 victories by decision.
[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (17-5-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) improved to 2-0-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September 2019.
[autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2019.
[autotag]Randa Markos[/autotag] (10-8-1 MMA, 6-7-1 UFC) fell to 3-4-1 in her past seven UFC appearance dating back to August 2017.
Markos’ seven losses in UFC competition are tied with Angela Hill for most by any female in company history.
Markos has suffered seven of her eight career losses by decision.
[autotag]Aleksei Kunchenko[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career on a 20-fight winning streak.
Kunchenko has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
Moroz (10-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) improved to 2-0 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in March 2019.
Moroz’s 130 significant strikes landed set a new single-fight record for a three-round UFC women’s flyweight fight.
Moroz has earned four of her five UFC victories by decision.
Silva (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had her six-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
[autotag]Bea Malecki[/autotag] (4-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) earned the first decision victory of her career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN+ 28 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $209,500.
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+ 28 took place Saturday at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Brazil. The entire card aired on ESPN.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 28 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Demian Maia[/autotag]: $20,000
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Damir Hadzovic[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Randa Markos[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Aleksei Kunchenko[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag]: $20,000
vs. [autotag]Enrique Barzola[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]David Dvorak[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Bea Malecki[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Veronica Macedo[/autotag]: $4,000
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:
Year-to-date total: $1,293,000
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $32,297,500
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 event in Brasilia, Brazil – which featured no fans in attendance.
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+ 28 went with as their backing tracks in Brasilia, Brazil.
