Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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 a promotion from Aug. 14-20.
Check out the stats to come out of UFC 287, where Israel Adesanya made history by doing something no middleweight had ever done.
The UFC’s long-awaited return to Miami after more than two decades delivered a memorable moment with Israel Adesanya making history by reclaiming middleweight gold from Alex Pereira in the UFC 287 headliner at Kaseya Center.
Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) avenged his TKO loss to Pereira (7-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) from November with a highlight-reel second-round knockout in the main event to become the first two-time titleholder in the storied 185-pound division.
For more on the numbers behind Adesanya’s win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 287.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 287 took home the second-highest UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout of the year thus far.
MIAMI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 287 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $274,500.
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 287 took place at Kaseya Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
The full UFC 287 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $42,000
[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Luana Pinheiro[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Shayilan Nuerdanbieke[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Sam Hughes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jaqueline Amorim[/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 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: $2,045,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,564,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
Check out the best photos from Luana Pinheiro’s split decision win over Michelle Waterson-Gomez at UFC 287 in Miami.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Luana Pinheiro[/autotag]’s split decision win over [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag] at UFC 287 at Kaseya Center in Miami. (Photos by Rich Storry, USA TODAY Sports)
Check out the numbers behind UFC 287 in Miami, where Jorge Masvidal faces the danger of a four-fight losing skid against Gilbert Burns.
The UFC returns to Miami for the first time in more than 20 years Saturday with UFC 287, which takes place at Miami-Dade Arena with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
A highly anticipated middleweight championship rematch receives top billing on the card. Reigning titleholder [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will once again meet his rival [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in the main event in what will be their fourth career combat sports meeting. The Brazilian currently holds a 3-0 lead in the overall series.
For more on the numbers behind both headliners, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 287.
Michelle Waterson-Gomez will make her commentary debut at Combat FC 3 on UFC Fight Pass. It’s a gig she can see doing for a long time.
[autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag] plans to always be involved in MMA one way or another, and commentary could fill that void once her competitive career concludes.
Although she’s served as a desk analyst for the UFC during the FOX Sports era and Invicta FC, Waterson-Gomez (18-10 MMA, 6-6 UFC) will do something Friday she’s never done before: cage-side commentary.
Days after Laura Sanko became the first woman in modern UFC history to call a fight, Waterson-Gomez was named lead commentator for Combat FC 3, furthering the representation of women calling internationally streamed fights.
The event takes place Friday at Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington, Mass., and streams on UFC Fight Pass after prelims on Facebook. Waterson-Gomez will call the fights alongside longtime broadcaster and former Bellator commentator Sean Wheelock.
“I think it will be really cool because commentary is a little bit different than analyzing where I get to sit down and enjoy the fights and just talk about what I see in live time,” Waterson-Gomez told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I feel like I’ll be really comfortable talking about the fights and watch the fighters compete.”
Waterson-Gomez still is solely focused on being a fighter and a mother. She has a bout upcoming April 8 at UFC 287 in Miami against Luana Pinheiro (10-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC). But when she takes a step back though, Waterson-Gomez projects analysis and commentary could be something she needs to set herself up for post-competition.
“I do love fighting. I do love MMA. I love how it’s always evolving,” Waterson-Gomez said. “It’s something that you will always continue to be a student at. If I’m commentating and still learning, I’d love that when I’m done fighting. Martial arts is always going to be part of my life. If being an analyst and a commentator is going to allow me to still be in the MMA world, I would absolutely welcome it with open arms.”
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Until the time comes for her to hang up the gloves, Waterson-Gomez plans to slowly build her commentary resume, which starts with Combat FC. The reason Waterson-Gomez began the pursuit of analysis was to improve as a fighter, and she boosts herself with each fight she studie,s whether it be for analysis or commentary.
“I saw the correlation with them being able to analyze fighters and draw a line between all of them and pick out all these things that were helping fighters be successful in fights,” Waterson-Gomez said. “It was helping them in their own careers as active fighters. I thought it would help me, and it definitely has. You have to sit back and analyze all the fighters.
“Usually, as an active fighter, you really only pay attention to your roster. When you’re an analyst, you have to study all the fighters, all the different styles, all the different tools. There’s always an underlying similarity that the winners have. You start to figure those things out and it’s basically like becoming a student. In studying these fighters, it just adds a layer of complexity to an active fighter’s game.”
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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 Jan. 16-22.
The lineup is in its infancy, but UFC 287 gained Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Luana Pinheiro to its slowly-growing fight card.
With the UFC’s 2023 calendar underway, the promotion continues to chip away at its April schedule.
The most recent addition is a strawweight tilt between veteran [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag] and rising Brazilian [autotag]Luana Pinheiro[/autotag] for UFC 287, an event scheduled for April 8 at a yet-to-be-announced location and venue.
Two people with knowledge of the booking recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto first reported the booking Monday.
Waterson-Gomez (18-10 MMA, 6-6 UFC) looks to bounce back from a quick July submission loss against Amanda Lemos. The defeat was the fourth in five outings for Waterson-Gomez, with the solo victory a split decision over Angela Hill.
Pinheiro (10-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was signed to the UFC in 2020 after a contract-earning performance on Dana White’s Contender Series. After a debut win by disqualification against Randa Markos, Pinheiro defeated Sam Hughes by unanimous decision in November 2021. Pinheiro was then booked to fight Jessica Penne in April. However, the bout was canceled.
The latest UFC 287 lineup now includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
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Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ABC 3 bout odds and lines between Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Amanda Lemos, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a women’s strawweight bout on the main card, Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Amanda Lemos meet Saturday at UFC on ABC 3 at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. Below, we analyze the UFC on ABC 3 Waterson-Gomez vs. Lemos odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The prelims can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+ at 11 a.m. ET, followed by the main card on ABC/ESPN+ starts at 2 p.m.
Waterson-Gomez, a.k.a. “The Karate Hottie”, is in a tailspin, going 1-3 across her last 4 bouts. She has been away from the octagon for the past 14 months due to an injury that she feared might have been career-ending.
The American’s last 8 fights have gone the distance, with her winning 4 of those outings. Her last fight inside the distance was a submission loss to Rose Namajunas in April 2017.
Lemos is looking to bounce back from an embarrassing 1st-round submission loss to Jessica Andrade last time out in the main event in late April. Three of her last 5 fights have finished inside the distance.
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:55 a.m. ET.
[tipico]
Records: Waterson-Gomez (18-9-0) | Lemos (11-2-1)
Lemos (-320) is a heavy favorite, costing you more than three times your potential return. That’s just not a recommended long-term betting strategy, as the return is so little.
Instead, get specific on the method of victory. Waterson-Gomez is a warrior who makes her opponents work for the win. LEMOS BY POINTS (-110) is a much better value.
No: Will fight go the distance (-210) is also too rich for my blood. While I expect the fight to require the judges to decide a winner, just roll with Lemos by Points, and don’t risk more than two times your potential return.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
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