Tag: Michelle Waterson

Amanda Ribas vs. Michelle Waterson in the works for UFC 257

UFC 257 is on the verge of gaining a major 115-pound fight to its lineup.

UFC 257 is on the verge of gaining a major 115-pound fight to its lineup.

Strawweight contenders [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] and [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] have agreed to fight one another at UFC 257 on Jan. 23. The event does not currently have a location or venue.

Multiple people with knowledge of the targeted booking confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie on Monday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. ESPN was the first to report the news.

Ribas (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) looks to keep her five-fight winning streak alive. Since signing with the UFC in 2019, Ribas has defeated Emily Whitmire, Mackenzie Dern, Randa Markos and Paige VanZant in succession.

Meanwhile, Waterson (18-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC) rebounded from back-to-back losses when she defeated Angela Hill in a “Fight of the Night” bonus-earning split-decision victory in September. Waterson has won four of her most recent six outings.

A lightweight rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier has been linked to this event, but there has yet to be an official announcement.

With the addition, the UFC 257 lineup includes:

  • Joanne Calderwood vs. Jessica Eye
  • Amanda Ribas vs. Michelle Waterson

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Fight Game on the ‘Gram: Best of UFC on ESPN+ 35’s Michelle Waterson on Instagram

Check out some of Michelle Waterson’s most popular Instagram posts after the recent announcement of her UFC 257 fight booking.

Social media is part of life in the fight game for most fighters. Many of them turn to Instagram to keep their fans and followers informed and entertained since (for now) its reputation is less vitriolic than some of its contemporaries.

Following the announcement of her UFC 257 fight booking against Amanda Ribas (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC), check out some of the most popular Instagram posts from [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] (18-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC) over the past year.

UFC 257 takes place Jan. 23, but doesn’t have a location or venue announced yet.

UFC on ESPN+ 35 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Ed Herman top earner with $20k

UFC on ESPN+ 35 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 35 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $137,000.

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 on ESPN+ 35 took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card streamed ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN+ 35 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Ottman Azaitar[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Khama Worthy[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag]: $20,000
[autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Alan Patrick[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Kevin Croom[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Roque Martinez[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Brok Weaver[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Anthony Ivy[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag]: $5,000

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: $4,429,500
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: $35,434,000

Who’s next for Michelle Waterson after beating Angela Hill? | UFC on ESPN+ 35 matchmaker

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Michelle Waterson in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Michelle Waterson in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”

Who’s next for Angela Hill after Michelle Waterson loss? | UFC on ESPN+ 35 matchmaker

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Angela Hill in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Angela Hill in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”

Michelle Waterson maintains championship dream, sees ‘light at the end of the tunnel’

Five years into her octagon run, Michelle Waterson still has a singular goal in mind: UFC gold.

LAS VEGAS – Five years into her octagon run, [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] still has a singular goal in mind: UFC gold.

“The Karate Hottie” took a step in that direction on Saturday night with a victory in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 35 at UFC Apex. Waterson (18-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC) earned a hard-fought split-decision win over Angela Hill (12-9 MMA, 7-9 UFC) in the five round thriller, which was awarded the evening’s “Fight of the Night” bonus.

Afterward, while she was a little battered and bruised, Waterson said she was feeling fantastic and was looking forward to getting home to her daughter, Araya.

“Any time you take damage and you get a victory, it doesn’t hurt,” Waterson told MMA Junkie. “I’m super happy to come home with a victory and go home and see my little monkey.”

Things didn’t start out great for Waterson, who dropped the opening two rounds on two of three judges’ scorecards. But a big takedown in the third saw her seize some momentum, and changes to her strategy in the striking department helped her rally to win the fourth and fifth frames, as well.

“I think for me, it was just honestly an adjustment within a couple of inches – the difference in being a little bit further back and reserved and kind of trying to fight on the outskirts vs. just kind of biting down, sitting in a little bit deeper and intruding in her space and just deciding, ‘All right, let’s go forward,'” Waterson said.

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While she took some visible damage in the process, including a small hematoma that was forming near her left temple, Waterson could occasionally be seen smiling down the homestretch. Despite being involved in such a grueling battle, she said that was simply a natural reaction to her emotions at the moment.

“It’s a fight,” Waterson said. “This is what we love to do, and I think everybody has that within themselves. It’s like fight or flight.

“I always remember being in like sport karate and getting kicked in the face and just seeing the blood come down and seeing the blood and not wanting to retreat but actually wanting to move forward. Sometimes you just have to get hit to feel that way. Like ‘All right let’s go. This is a fight.'”

As for what’s next, Waterson admitted she wasn’t sure. In the past, she admits that worrying about rankings and matchups and paths to the title got a little bit overwhelming, so she’s elected instead to just focus on the fight in front of her at the moment.

So while there may be a few matchups that could help steer her in that direction, Waterson isn’t really worried about how to put them together. Instead, she simply plans on staying the course.

“The goal has always been to fight for the belt,” Waterson said. “I’ve been chomping away at this for a really long time, and I want to get there. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m like chipping away and chipping away and I can’t turn around. I’ve just got to keep going forward.”

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UFC on ESPN+ 35: Michelle Waterson post-fight interview.

Michelle Waterson talks to media after a victory at UFC on ESPN+ 35 in Las Vegas

Michelle Waterson talks to media after a victory at UFC on ESPN+ 35 in Las Vegas

UFC on ESPN+ 35 results: Michelle Waterson takes split from Angela Hill in back-and-forth fight

Michelle Waterson’s fight with Angela Hill wasn’t supposed to be a main event. But elevated to headliner, it lived up to the top billing.

[autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag]’s fight with [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] wasn’t supposed to be a main event. But elevated to headliner status, it lived up to the top billing.

Waterson (18-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC) took a split decision from Hill (12-9 MMA, 7-9 UFC) in a close fight that saw Hill getting the best of things early, but Waterson coming on in the third round and beyond. Waterson won with a 49-46 score and a 48-47. A dissenting judge had it 48-47 in favor of Hill, who appeared to be in disbelief that she hadn’t won the fight.

The women’s strawweight bout was the UFC on ESPN+ 35 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

“I was confident, but you never want to leave it in the hands of the damn judges,” Waterson said on the broadcast after the win. “To get another split decision doesn’t leave a good feeling in your stomach. … Whoever’s the next contender to fight for the belt (is who I want next). I want to get to the belt as fast as possible.”

Waterson looked for a takedown just 30 seconds in, but it wasn’t there, and Hill had a good idea of a potential Waterson game plan. Soon after Hill landed a pair of punches and started to press forward. Waterson worked a couple leg kicks, then 90 seconds in tied Hill up along the fence. It didn’t take Hill long to get separation with an elbow and she went back to the center. Midway through, Waterson again thought about a takedown, but Hill read it well and kept moving forward. With about two minutes left in the round, Waterson had her best takedown effort yet, but still couldn’t get Hill to the canvas. With a minute left, Hill landed a big knee to the body. But Waterson answered with a front kick, then had to work around Hill tying her up against the fence.

Hill continued to press forward in the second round, but Waterson appeared to have made adjustments defensively. Hill landed a body kick, then a pair of punches 90 seconds in, and then backed away from a Waterson takedown attempt. Midway through, Hill wobbled Waterson with a right hand – the sharpest connection of the fight thus far. But Waterson stayed on her feet and tried to put a combination together, then grabbed Hill’s leg to look for a takedown again. But like before, Hill stayed upright to keep Waterson from earning some points on the canvas. After a wild few exchange attempts late, Hill again stayed on her feet to go to the middle round.

Hill’s jabs had Waterson bloodied from the nose a minute into the third. Not long after, Waterson finally got her first takedown of the fight. She got on top in half-guard and tried to go to work while Hill defended. The canvas suddenly featured a good amount of blood from Waterson’s nose. Hill tried to scoot to the fence while Waterson tried to free herself from Hill’s guard. With 1:45 left, they were warned for more activity. Waterson briefly took Hill’s back, then had to settle back into half-guard for the rest of the round. Hill threw an upkick with three seconds left that connected to Waterson while she was grounded, and she got a warning from Marc Goddard for the infraction.

Hill landed a solid right hand in the fourth, and that led to a Waterson takedown attempt. Like she had done early in the fight, she stuffed it and got back to the center of the cage with four minutes left. The pace slowed a little, but with two minutes left, Waterson went after another takedown. It missed, but she briefly put Hill on her knees seconds later only to have Hill back up quickly. A pair of karate kicks landed for Waterson, then a kick landed on Hill’s chin. Hill looked for a takedown late in the round, but couldn’t get it and the fifth round came with the bout likely knotted at two rounds each.

Waterson looked for her first takedown in the final frame just 30 seconds in, but Hill stayed upright. Waterson landed kicks to the body, then tried to go up high with one. A spinning kick just missed, but with three minutes left she landed a step-in elbow. A kick combo for Waterson followed midway through the round. Hill landed, too, but not in the same volume as she had done early in the fight. With a minute left, the striking in the final round was dead even. Hill put a combination together. Waterson answered with a front kick. She threw an ax kick, then just missed up high. With the fight winding down, they swung for the fences in a truly close 25-minute fight.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 35 results include:

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UFC on ESPN+ 35 free fight: Michelle Waterson makes quick work of Paige VanZant

Relive Michelle Waterson’s finish of Paige VanZant at UFC on FOX 22.

[autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] shined in her first UFC headline fight.

Waterson faced [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] in the UFC on FOX 22 main event in December 2016, a big spot for then-recently signed former Invicta FC atomweight champion.

In Round 1, Waterson used her side kicks to keep VanZant at bay, while VanZant continued to circle, looking for openings to close the distance. VanZant then went for a head-and-arm throw, but Waterson reversed it and landed one of her own, taking VanZant down to the mat.

VanZant gave up her back when trying to roll out of danger, and Waterson capitalized by taking her back and sinking in the rear-naked choke, putting VanZant to sleep.

Waterson (17-8 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has since had her ups and downs and will look to snap her two-fight losing skid on Saturday, when she faces [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (12-8 MMA, 7-8 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN+ 35 main event, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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Before she faces Hill, relive Waterson’s finish of VanZant in the video above.

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UFC on ESPN+ 35 free fight: Angela Hill takes out Hannah Cifers

Relive Angela Hill’s finish of Hannah Cifers at UFC on ESPN+ 24.

It’s been an active 2020 for [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag].

Hill kickstarted the year by taking on [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 24, looking to put together her first winning streak in the UFC.

Round 1 was contested at a high pace, with Hill pressuring Cifers, and Cifers connecting well with her combinations on the counter.

But in Round 2, Hill was able to sweep Cifers and take her down to the mat, where Cifers had no answer. Hill transitioned from side control to full mount, dropping big elbows and punches in the ground and pound. Cifers hung tough, but the referee eventually intervened and stopped the fight.

Hill would go on to notch her third win in a row by defeating Loma Lookboonmee, but saw her winning streak snapped at the hands of Claudia Gadelha in May, in a narrow split-decision loss.

Hill (12-8 MMA, 7-8 UFC) returns Saturday for her fourth fight in 2020, when she faces Michelle Waterson (17-8 MMA, 5-4 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN+ 35 main event, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Before she faces Waterson, relive Hill’s finish ff Cifers in the video above.

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