Tag: Mike Rodriguez

Great lengths: The 12 longest reaches in UFC history

Check out the 12 longest reaches in UFC history – with a newcomer set to break the record by 2.5 inches.

As much as skill and technique play into how MMA fights unfold, intangibles can present insurmountable obstacles for even the most well-equipped combatant.

Long reaches, and how a fighter utilizes them, can pose a myriad of problems for opponents when they struggled to get inside. In UFC history, few fighters’ biological builds have surpassed 80 inches – and fewer have creeped toward 90 inches. But it’s happened.

At Saturday’s UFC 299, the all-time record for the longest reach will be broken – by 2.5 inches.

The 12 fighters have a combined professional MMA record of 210-74-2, including a combined UFC record of 85-47.

Check out the dozen fighters listed below who were able to touch up their opponents with punches from a farther distance than any others in history, using data from database Tapology.

Thomas Almeida, Emily Whitmire among 5 fighters no longer on UFC roster

The UFC has parted ways with five fighters, including Thomas Almeida and Emily Whitmire.

Five fighters are no longer on the UFC roster, including a former bantamweight contender.

Multiple people with knowledge of the releases recently informed MMA Junkie of the roster moves but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion hasn’t made an official announcement. The roster changes came to light after the fighters were moved to the “former fighters” section of the UFC’s website (h/t UFC Roster Watch).

Check out the recent UFC departures below. The roster moves, unless explicitly noted, are not necessarily a “cut.” The UFC may have elected not to re-sign certain fighters who were at the end of their contracts.

UFC Fight Night 192 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Anthony Smith’s $16k tops card

UFC Fight Night 192 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 192 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $162,000.

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 Fight Night 192 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 192 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Mandy Bohm[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Antonio Arroyo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rong Zhu[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brandon Jenkins[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]JP Buys[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sarah Alpar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Gustavo Lopez[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Emily Whitmire[/autotag]: $6,000

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 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,592,500
Program-to-date total: $3,592,500

Tafon Nchukwi vs. Mike Rodriguez targeted for UFC Fight Night event Sept. 18

Two light heavyweights will look to get back in the win column this September.

A light heavyweight fight is in the works for this September.

At the UFC Fight Night event Sept. 18, Cameroon’s [autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/autotag] is targeted to meet New England’s [autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag], pending bout finalization. The card doesn’t currently have a publicly known location or venue.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently confirmed the targeted booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Nchukwi (5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) lost for the first time as a professional when he was defeated by Jun Yong Park by unanimous decision in May. The fight was Nchukwi’s sophomore promotional appearance after a successful debut bid against Jamie Pickett.

Rodriguez (11-6 MMA, 3-4 UFC) enters the event after back-to-back losses. The first of the two, however, was controversial. When Rodriguez kneed Ed Herman in the chest, referee Chris Tognoni deemed it illegal and a timeout was called rather than a stoppage. After the fight restarted, Herman finished Rodriguez bu submission.

In his most recent outing, which took place in January, Rodriguez was submitted by Danilo Marques.

With the addition, the Sept. 18 lineup includes:

  • Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann
  • Dakota Bush vs. Zhu Rong
  • Danaa Batgerel vs. Montel Jackson
  • Sarah Alpar vs. Erin Blanchfield
  • Tafon Nchukwi vs. Mike Rodriguez

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UFC Fight Night 184 medical suspensions: Overeem among seven facing six-month layoffs

Alistair Overeem is among seven fighters who could be facing lengthy time off after UFC Fight Night 184.

[autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] is among seven fighters who could be facing a lengthy time off after UFC Fight Night 184.

Overeem, who suffered a fractured nose in his second-round TKO loss to Alexander Volkov in the main event, will need doctor clearance or he could be facing up to six months on the sidelines.

Joining Overeem with potential 180-day terms is [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag], who defeated newcomer [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] via unanimous decision. Pantoja must have X-rays on both hands cleared. Kape is also dealing with a hand injury of his own, and requires his right thumb to be cleared by a doctor.

MMA Junkie on Monday obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.

The full list of UFC Fight Night 184 medical suspensions includes:

  • Alistair Overeem: Suspended 180 days or until nasal bone fracture is cleared by ENT; also suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days.
  • [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with 14 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: Needs forehead laceration cleared by doctor, otherwise suspended 30 days; minimum suspension is 21 days.
  • Alexandre Pantoja: Needs X-ray of both hands, and clearance by doctor, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • Manel Kape: Needs doctor clearance of right thumb swelling, otherwise suspended 180 days.
  • [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact due to left eye laceration.
  • [autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag]: Needs MRI of left shoulder, doctor clearance, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Danilo Marques[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Devonte Smith[/autotag]: Needs X-ray of right hand and wrist, doctor clearance, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Justin Jaynes[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact due to left eye swelling.
  • [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: Needs X-ray of left hand, doctor clearance, otherwise suspended 180 days; minimum suspension is 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: Needs doctor clearance for left shoulder sprain, otherwise suspended 180 days.
  • [autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Lara Procopio[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with 14 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with 14 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Martin Day[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Jerome Rivera[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact.

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UFC Fight Night 184 pre-event facts: Alistair Overeem the most accurate striker in UFC history

The best facts and figures about UFC Fight Night 184, which features a Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov heavyweight main event.

The UFC returns to its home base of Las Vegas for the first time this year on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 184, which takes place at the UFC Apex and streams on ESPN+.

A heavyweight headliner tops the card, as devastating and precise strikers [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (47-18 MMA, 12-7 UFC) and [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (32-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) clash in a five-round bout that was previously scheduled to take place in April 2019.

In addition, the undercard features a former UFC champion, a number of surging contenders, and some compelling newcomers. For more on the numbers, check below for 55 pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 184.

MMA Junkie’s 2020 ‘Robbery of the Year’: Referee blunder costs Mike Rodriguez

In MMA Junkie’s 2020 “Robbery of the Year,” Mike Rodriguez suffered one of the most controversial stoppage losses in UFC history.

[autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag] went from almost scoring a finish to getting finished himself.

In a pivotal mistake by referee Chris Tognoni that left UFC president Dana White incensed, Rodriguez suffered a submission loss to Ed Herman at UFC on ESPN+ 35.

Rodriguez was having his way early and was about to put on the finishing touches in Round 2 when he landed a knee to Herman’s midsection that was misidentified by Tognoni as a low blow. Herman fell to the canvas and held his groin, which caused a break in the action.

When the replay was shown, it was evident the strike Rodriguez landed was a clean shot to the midsection, but Herman ended up with time to recover. The fight resumed, and a beaten-down Herman managed to turn things around remarkably. He locked up a Kimura in Round 3 that forced Rodriguez to tap.

Rodriguez (11-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) and his team attempted to appeal the loss, but to no avail. The blemish will remain on his record for now, despite the major controversy.

The circumstances behind the finish make Herman’s win over Rodriguez the MMA Junkie 2020 “Robbery of the Year.”

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Mike Rodriguez assigns no blame in controversial loss: Ed Herman did ‘nothing wrong’

Mike Rodriguez has come to terms with his controversial loss to Ed Herman at UFC on ESPN+ 35 and is ready to move on.

[autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag] has come to terms with his loss to [autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 35 and is ready to move on.

Rodriguez (11-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) got the short end of the stick on a blunder from referee Chris Tognoni in the light heavyweight bout this past Saturday. He landed a knee to the midsection of Herman (26-14 MMA, 13-10 UFC) in the second round, and the referee misidentified it as a low blow.

Herman was presented with the standard five-minute recovery window for a groin-strike foul, but the replay showed it landed clean. The fight was allowed to resume after the controversial moment, and Herman rallied in the third to secure a fight-ending kimura and conclude the stunning turn of events.

There was no shortage of outrage afterward, with fighters on social media, the UFC broadcast team and, most emphatically of all, UFC president Dana White going after Tognoni and Herman for their parts in the situation. A few days later, though, Rodriguez said he’s reflected on what happened and won’t assign blame.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve got no ill will towards (Tognoni). It was a simple mistake, and Ed just capitalized on the mistake. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a (expletive) situation. The only thing I really, like, blame Ed for, if anything, is when he got the submission, how he put his feet in the fence. Other than that, it is what it is. There’s nothing we can really do about it.”

Although it’s over in his mind, there are still moving parts stemming from the outcome at UFC on ESPN+ 35. Rodriguez’s manager, Tyson Chartier, said immediately after the fight that an appeal would be filed to have Herman’s win overturned, likely to a no contest.

Rodriguez said he’s going to allow his team to do their jobs in lobbying to make that happen, but he doesn’t necessarily have expectations.

“I’m assuming if anything it would be changed to a (no contest), which is better than a loss,” Rodriguez said. “I have no clue what’s going to happen with that.”

One thing that does allow Rodriguez to be positive after a disappointing situation was how the controversy was received by the UFC brass. White said he was going to pay Rodriguez his win bonus, and that he is viewing it as a win for him.

“That’s exactly what Dana said: ‘You won that (expletive) round. … You finished Ed Herman the second round,'” Rodriguez recalled. “I was sitting in the back, I was a little bummed out, I got caught. The doctors were looking at my shoulder and all of a sudden I looked up and Dana White was right there. He was not happy. I thought I did something wrong. I was instantly like, ‘Oh (expletive), what did I do?’ He was like, ‘That’s bull(expletive), that’s one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. You definitely won.'”

As far as his next move, Rodriguez said he’s not overly eager to run it back with Herman. If the UFC views it as a win for him, he said he’s happy to proceed the same way and take his next step forward.

“If they’re looking at it as a win for me, I’ll just move on,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t work for the commission, I work for the UFC. So, let’s keep running it. They think it’s a win? Let’s keep going. Who else is next? Who else is out there?”

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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