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Analysis of the biggest UFC Fight Night 228 storylines, from Bryce Mitchell’s post-fight scene to the legitimacy of Mateusz Gamrot’s win.
What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 228 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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Before UFC Fight Night 228 on Saturday, watch the main card athletes speak to reporters at media day.
LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 228, 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 are scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday at media day, and MMA Junkie was on-site.
If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions, 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 228.
Check out these photos highlighting Michelle Waterson’s career through the years.
Check out these photos of [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] through the years
Michelle Waterson is “super bummed” after being finished by Amanda Lemos in the UFC on ABC 3 co-main event.
[autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] will attempt to pick up the pieces and turn things around after a tough defeat to Amanda Lemos at UFC on ABC 3.
Waterson (18-10 MMA, 6-6 UFC) returned from a 14-month layoff on Saturday’s card at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., but did not get the result she wanted after she got caught by a guillotine choke from Lemos (12-2-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in the second round of their strawweight co-headliner.
After nearly being forced into retirement by an injury during her hiatus from competition, Waterson said pre-fight she was simply grateful to compete. Being on borrowed time doesn’t make the latest result any easier, and Waterson expressed her disappointment in the aftermath of her bout with Lemos.
“I’m super bummed – gutted, actually, about the loss,” Waterson said in a statement on her Instagram page. “I had an amazing camp, such amazing people around me including my teammates, coaches, my friends, my family, my loved ones helping me prepare for this camp. Best shape I’ve ever been in my life. Mentally, I was prepared. I felt good in the fight. I felt strong, and it was that split-second opportunity that Amanda was able to capitalize on, and hat’s off to her for seeing that and taking it.
“I’m bummed, but this isn’t the end of my story. I’m not injured, I’m healthy, I have my family. So I’m just going to enjoy the ride and keep training. I’ll stay ready and hopefully be able to be back in there as soon as possible.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgIWr0HgADA
With the defeat, Waterson fell to a grim 1-4 in her past five fights dating back to October 2019. Her losses came to top-tier competition in Lemos, Marina Rodriguez, Carla Esparza and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, but it appears she takes no solace in losing to only the best.
“The Karate Hottie” will turn 37 in January, and it remains to be seen what adjustments she’ll make to ensure victory in her next trip to the octagon, whenever that may be.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 3.
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Amanda Lemos countered Michelle Waterson’s takedown attempt with a slick submission in the UFC on ABC 3 co-headliner.
ELMONT, N.Y. – [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] rebounded from a main event loss in a big way on Saturday when she defeated perennial contender [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] at UFC on ABC 3.
Lemos (12-2-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) showed her defeat to Jessica Andrade earlier this year was just a mere bump in the road when she scored a second-round submission win over Waterson (18-10 MMA, 6-6 UFC) in a key strawweight division matchup at UBS Arena.
The Brazilian used her slick grappling to catch “The Karate Hottie” in a guillotine choke and forced the tap at the 1:48 mark of Round 2.
Check out the replay of the finish (via Twitter):
Lemos locked up a guillotine and Waterson tapped on her back at #UFCLongIsland pic.twitter.com/VwNAp5ODeu
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 16, 2022
Both women came out of the gate looking to find their range in the striking exchanges. Waterson had some troubles breaking through the range and defense of her bigger opponent, but managed to neutralize that challenge with a takedown inside the final 90 seconds, where she rode out the majority of the round from top position.
With the performance, Lemos proved she belongs in the upper tier at 115 pounds. After putting together a five-fight winning streak, she got the step up against former champ Andrade at UFC Fight Night 205 in April. It didn’t go her way, but Lemos picked up the pieces and rebounds with a notable win over Waterson.
In the second round, Waterson waited for her chance to sneak in another takedown attempt, but this time Lemos was ready. She quickly synched in the guillotine choke and fell to her back. Lemos was just about to roll over into mount when Waterson tapped, and she let go. There was a brief moment of confusion because the referee didn’t see the tap and stop the fight, but Waterson acknowledged her error and graciously accepted the defeat.
Bouncing back in a big way 💪 #UFCLongIsland pic.twitter.com/vDDVZybgzI
— UFC (@ufc) July 16, 2022
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ABC 3 results include:
Check out a dozen faceoffs, featuring 24 UFC fighters total including Brian Ortega, Yair Rodriguez, Michelle Waterson, and Miesha Tate.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Twenty-four fighters came face-to-face across a dozen matchups Friday on the eve of UFC on ABC 3, the promotion’s first pre-pandemic event on Long Island.
Atop the card, [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] and [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] hugged it out, as the two featherweight contenders have long been friends – and now are opponents headlining Saturday’s card at USB Arena.
Also featured, a women’s flyweight fight between [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag] and [autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag] serves as the main card opener. Other notables matchups include [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag], [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag], and [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag].
Check out a full card’s worth of faceoffs in the video above and scroll through a gallery of photos below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 3.
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Check out these photos from the UFC on ABC 3 ceremonial weigh-ins.
Check out these photos from the UFC on ABC 3 ceremonial weigh-ins which took place at the UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (Photos courtesy of Gregory Payan, AP Images)
Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ABC 3 main card in Elmont, N.Y., on Long Island.
| Ortega vs. Rodriguez |
Lemos vs. Waterson |
Jingliang vs. Salikhov |
Mudaerji vs. Schnell |
Burgos vs. Jourdain |
Murphy vs. Tate |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 117-63 |
 Ortega (63%) |
 Lemos (65%) |
 Salikhov (64%) |
 Mudaerji (63%) |
 Burgos (74%) |
 Tate (72%) |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 123-62  2018 Champion |
Ortega |
Lemos |
 Jingliang |
Mudaerji |
Burgos |
 Murphy |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 119-66 |
Ortega |
Lemos |
Jingliang |
Mudaerji |
Burgos |
Tate |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 119-66 2014 Champion |
 Rodriguez |
Lemos |
Salikhov |
 Schnell |
 Jourdain |
Tate |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 117-68 |
Rodriguez |
Lemos |
Jingliang |
Mudaerji |
Jourdain |
Tate |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 117-68 |
Ortega |
Lemos |
Jingliang |
Mudaerji |
Burgos |
Tate |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 116-69 |
Ortega |
Lemos |
Jingliang |
Mudaerji |
Burgos |
Tate |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 110-75 |
Rodriguez |
Lemos |
Salikhov |
Schnell |
Burgos |
Tate |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 110-75 |
Ortega |
Lemos |
Salikhov |
Mudaerji |
Burgos |
Tate |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 109-76 2017 Champion |
Ortega |
Lemos |
Jingliang |
Mudaerji |
Burgos |
Tate |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 103-82 |
Ortega |
Lemos |
Salikhov |
Schnell |
Burgos |
Tate |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 89-96 |
Rodriguez |
Lemos |
Salikhov |
Schnell |
Burgos |
Tate |
The UFC is back in New York on Long Island this week with a pair of featherweight contenders atop the lineup.
UFC on ABC 3 takes place Saturday at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. The main card airs on ABC and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, former featherweight title challenger [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in a key bout for the division. Ortega is a -190 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Rodriguez is +145. But it’s not a blowout with our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, who have Ortega with a 7-4 lead in the picks.
In the women’s flyweight co-feature, [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (11-2-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] (18-9 MMA, 6-5 UFC). Lemos is the biggest favorite on the main card at -320 and is our staff members’ only unanimous pick at 11-0.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC) takes on [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in a welterweight bout. Salikhov is a -160 favorite, but our staff pickers have Jingliang with a narrow 6-5 picks lead.
[autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is a big -260 favorite against [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) in their flyweight bout, but he doesn’t have a blowout in the picks. He has just a 7-4 edge from our crew.
[autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is a -170 favorite in his featherweight fight against [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] (13-4-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC) and has a 9-2 lead in the picks.
And to open the main card, former women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag] (19-8 MMA, 6-5 UFC) makes her first appearance at flyweight. She’s more than a 2-1 favorite against Lauren Murphy (15-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) and is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Ortega (63 percent), Lemos (65 percent), Salikhov (64 percent), Mudaerji (63 percent), Burgos (74 percent) and Tate (72 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 3.
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A dejected Michell Waterson went on social media to shed light on the reason her fight with Amanda Ribas has been canceled.
A dejected [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] went on social media Thursday to shed light on the reason her fight with Amanda Ribas has been canceled.
Waterson and Ribas originally were set to meet March 26 at UFC on ESPN 33 until the bout was scrapped after Waterson was forced to withdraw because of an injury. Subsequent reports, including from MMA Junkie, said the fight was rescheduled for May 7 at UFC 274.
Apparently that won’t be happening after Waterson said on Instragram that her injury – while not disclosing the nature of it – can be “career ending” if she doesn’t take care of it. She did not specify if the injury required surgery.
“I’m hoping, keeping my fingers crossed that it is a short break,” Waterson said. “It’s an injury that stopped me from training, and it’s heartbreaking. I was really excited to fight Amanda. I know she was very excited to fight, as well, so hopefully it’s a fight that we can still have. But if I don’t take care of this injury, it will turn into something that can be worse and career ending.”
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CapXrokgi0P/?utm_medium=copy_link
Waterson (18-9 MMA, 6-5 UFC) has withdrawn from a fight against Ribas (11-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) before. The pair were scheduled to face off at UFC 257, but Waterson pulled out due to undisclosed reasons. Ribas ended up facing Marina Rodriguez instead and lost by second-round knockout. She rebounded from her first octagon setback by defeating Virna Jandiroba this past October at UFC 267.
Waterson, meanwhile, has lost three of her past four bouts, with her lone win in that stretch coming in a “Fight of the Night” win over Angela Hill in the UFC Fight Night 177 main event. She most recently lost to Rodriguez in the UFC on ESPN 24 headliner last May.
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The matchup between Amanda Ribas and Michelle Waterson was scrapped from UFC on ESPN 33 after an injury to Waterson,
The matchup between [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] and [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] has a new date.
Originally scheduled to take place March 26 at UFC on ESPN 33, the bout was scrapped after Waterson was forced to withdraw because of an injury. The bout now has been rescheduled for UFC 274 on May 7 at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the news to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Ag Fight was first to report the news of Ribas vs. Waterson being scrapped; MMA Fighting later reported news of the rebooking.
This marks the second time that Waterson (18-9 MMA, 6-5 UFC) has withdrawn from a fight against Ribas (11-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC). The pair were scheduled to face off at UFC 257, but Waterson pulled out due to undisclosed reasons. Ribas ended up facing Marina Rodriguez instead and losing by second-round knockout. But the 28-year-old was able to rebound from her first octagon setback by defeating Virna Jandiroba this past October at UFC 267.
Meanwhile, Waterson will look to get back to the win column after falling short to Rodriguez in the UFC on ESPN 24 headliner last May. The former Invicta FC champion has lost three of her past four, with her lone win in that stretch coming in a “Fight of the Night” win over Angela Hill in the UFC Fight Night 177 main event.
The latest UFC 274 lineup now includes:
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