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Check out the best photos from Gillian Robertson’s unanimous decision win over Michelle Waterson-Gomez at UFC 303.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag] at UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Waterson-Gomez announced her MMA retirement after the fight. (Fight and venue photos by Mark J. Rebilas and Per Haljestam, USA Today Sports)
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 303 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $306,500.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 303 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $311,500.
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 303 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
The full UFC 303 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Macy Chiasson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Payton Talbott[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yanis Ghemmouri[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Martin Buday[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Rei Tsuruya[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Simon[/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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $3,948,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,685,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.
The UFC had the tribute package ready and it choked up both Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Joe Rogan.
[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag] stuck to her bread and butter Saturday at UFC 303 when he defeated seasoned veteran [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag] with a grapple-centric attack.
From the opening bell, Robertson (13-8 MMA, 10-6 UFC) dominated Waterson-Gomez (18-12 MMA, 6-8 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) victory at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The strawweight bout was part of the preliminary card.
The bout turned out to be the final for Waterson-Gomez, 38, who announced her retirement in the cage following the bout. The promotion had a tribute package ready and played it as she tried to compose her emotions during her in-cage interview with Joe Rogan, who also became choked up.
“I’ve been contemplating this, and I’ve been talking to my husband,” Waterson-Gomez said. “‘What am I if I’m not fighting?’ He told me, ‘Just because you’re not fighting in the octagon doesn’t mean you stop fighting.’ That really helped me to accept moving on.”
An emotional tribute for Michelle Waterson-Gomez after she announced her retirement at #UFC303 🫶 pic.twitter.com/zc5ClBDuWw
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 30, 2024
Michelle Waterson-Gomez makes her final walk from the octagon to backstage following her #UFC303 retirement fight. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ruHNtkUS9C
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 30, 2024
In defeat, Waterson-Gomez her fifth fight in a row and the seventh in her most recent eight. A professional fighter since 2007, Waterson-Gomez joined the UFC in 2015. While she did not fight for a title, Waterson-Gomez fought numerous champions and top-tier names, including Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Carla Esparza, and Rose Namajunas. Waterson-Gomez is also a former Invicta FC atomweight champion.
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Robertson was in an advantageous position on the canvas for almost the entirety of the fight. Multiple armbar attempts were unsuccessful. Waterson-Gomez’s grappling was sufficient to prevent a submission but not good enough to get Robertson off her. Robertson mounted Waterson-Gomez in Round 3 and busted Waterson-Gomez up, but the fight ultimately went the distance.
With the victory, Robertson has won two in a row and four of her most recent five. While she spent much of her career at flyweight, Robertson has found a home at strawweight.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 303 results include:
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.
Gillian Robertson is comfortable wherever the fight goes against Michelle Waterson-Gomez.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag] is comfortable wherever the fight goes against [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag].
Robertson (13-8 MMA, 10-6 UFC) faces Waterson-Gomez (18-12 MMA, 6-8 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 303 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) featured prelim at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In her most recent outing, Robertson scored a first-round TKO of Polyana Viana at UFC 297. She tied Jessica Andrade for the second most finishes in UFC women’s history, trailing just Amanda Nunes. If she finishes Waterson-Gomez, Robertson will tie the currently retired Nunes for first place.
“She’s a vet in the game,” Robertson told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “You’ve got to respect her. You’ve got to know she’s coming in there with her best fight. She’s not going to be making any dumb decisions. She’s going to be bringing the best her. So I’ve got to be ready for that Saturday night.”
Robertson boasts nine submission wins to her name but doesn’t necessarily view her matchup vs. “The Karate Hottie” as striker vs. grappler.
“I think you can kind of see it like that a little bit, but for me especially, I don’t care if the fight goes to the ground,” Robertson said. “I’m just looking to do damage. I’m looking to get in there and force her into situations that she’s not comfortable in, force her into making bad decisions. It doesn’t matter if it goes to the ground to me. If we’re on the feet, on the ground, I’m going to be content as long as I’m doing damage.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.
Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 228, including the end of Michelle Waterson-Gomez’s more than 14-year run without a TKO loss.
The UFC put a bow on its September schedule and a run of 17 straight weeks of events on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 228, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
After a card with a handful of highlights, the lightweight main event ended in disappointing fashion when Rafael Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) suffered a knee injury that ended the fight prematurely, giving Mateusz Gamrot (23-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) the TKO victory.
For more on the numbers from the card, check out MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 228.
* * * *
UFC Fight Night 228 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 228 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $164,500.
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 Fight Night 228 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 228 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]A.J. Fletcher[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Andre Fialho[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jacob Malkoun[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Mizuki Inoue[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Montserrat Rendon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/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 2281 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: $6,294,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $20,883,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.
Check out what the UFC Fight Night 228 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 228 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex.
You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 228 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.
Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 228 odds between Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson-Gomez, with MMA picks and predictions.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]
In a 3-round women’s strawweight bout on the main card, Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson-Gomez meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 228 — also known as UFC Vegas 79 — at UFC Apex. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s around the UFC Fight Night 228: Rodriguez vs. Waterson-Gomez odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The prelims can be viewed on ESPN+ starting at 4 p.m. ET with the main card following on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.
Records: Rodriguez (16-3-2) | Waterson-Gomez (18-11-0)
Rodriguez has dropped the past 2 fights, falling to Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision at UFC 288 in May, while falling via KO/TKO in the 3rd round against Amanda Lemos in November 2022. The Brazilian fighter had won 4 straight fights prior to those setbacks, including 3 decision victories. Since arriving at the UFC level, Rodriguez has gone the distance in 9 of 11 fights.
Waterson-Gomez, a.k.a. “The Karate Hottie”, has dropped 3 straight fights, and 5 of the past 6 bouts. That includes a split-decision loss to Luana Pinheiro at UFC 287 in April in her return after having a child, as well as a submission loss to Lemos in July 2022.
Rodriguez has a 3-inch reach advantage and holds a 4.58-to-3.63 significant strikes landed per minute edge. If Waterson-Gomez has any advantage in this fight, it’s on the canvas. She has a 1.40 takedown average, and a 0.70 submission average, to just 0.17 in both categories for Rodriguez.
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:07 a.m. ET.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]
Rodriguez (-320) will cost you more than 3 times your potential return, and that’s way too much risk for not enough return. Instead, you must get a little more specific.
Waterson-Gomez (+260) is skidding, with 3 straight setbacks, and losses in 5 of the past 6 fights. However, she makes the opposition work, regardless of the result, going the distance in 9 of the past 10 fights dating back to Dec. 2, 2017.
As such, playing METHOD OF VICTORY: RODRIGUEZ BY POINTS (-155) is not priced out of line. Both of these fighters tend to let the judges hash out the winner, and Rodriguez should do enough to wow them to get her arm raised.
Over 2.5 Rounds (-380) and Yes: Will the fight go the distance (-310) are both way too expensive. Each of these fighters has had very few finishes in their UFC careers, and both of these props should be avoided. Focus on the method of victory instead.
AVOID.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.
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Michelle Waterson-Gomez feels reinvigorated ahead of her UFC return.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag]’s last showing left a sour taste in her mouth. It was one that caused the former Invicta FC champion to question her future in MMA.
Waterson-Gomez (18-11 MMA, 6-7 UFC) returns to the octagon this Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 228. She takes on Marina Rodriguez (16-3-2 MMA, 6-3-2 UFC) in a rematch. “The Karate Hottie” enters the octagon on the heels of a three-fight losing streak, but many believe it should be off a win.
“I’m not going to lie when I say that it did take a real toll on me,” Waterson-Gomez said at the UFC Fight Night 228 media day when asked about her last fight. “I put a lot of energy into winning that fight, and to not get the outcome that I wanted, it was quite a let-down. I was numb for a while. …. You’re like, ‘Gosh, there’s so many things I could be doing with my life. Why am I still doing that.’
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In April, Waterson-Gomez lost a split decision to Brazil’s Luana Pinheiro at UFC 287 in Miami. Many, including 12 of the 17 reporters who rendered scores of the fight on MMA Decisions, scored the fight for Waterson-Gomez. The official result put her at 1-5 in her past six bouts, causing her to lose her love for fighting.
However, Waterson-Gomez was able to reignite that love again in the past few months, and a lot came from getting back to her roots.
“It just kind of came full circle for me in this fight camp,” Waterson-Gomez said. “I was just talking in another interview about the same thing. When I first signed with the UFC, and I was having my debut, I was just excited to come here and perform and win. I just wanted to show the world what I was capable of, and nothing else mattered. I think it’s like that in life.
“Like when you fall in love, it doesn’t matter what your parents say or think that it wasn’t meant to be, but you don’t care because you’re in love. But then you let all the noise get to you, and you let other opinions get to you. I just came to a point in my life where I don’t want the opinions of others dictate how I live my life. So I really just quieted a lot of that down. My camp was really quiet. I stayed away from social media quite a bit and I just listened to my heart.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.
The best facts and figures about UFC Fight Night 228, which features multiple fighters on three-fight losing skids.
The UFC closes its September schedule ahead of a rare off week on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 228, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and features a lineup that streams entirely on ESPN+.
Lightweight contenders clash in the main event. [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) will meet in a high-stakes lightweight bout scheduled for five rounds.
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 228.
