Tag: Miranda Maverick

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 17: Joaquin Buckley, Manel Kape soar

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC on ESPN 63 including movement from Joaquin Buckley and Manel Kape.

UFC on ESPN 63 took place Saturday in Tampa, Fla. and resulted in all sorts of movement in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

Most notably, main event victor [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) traded places in the welterweight rankings with the man he stopped on a cut, multitime UFC title challenger Colby Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC). Buckley slides to Nov. 5 while Covington falls to No. 10.

Additionally, a big win for [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) results in him bumping up into the No. 6 position in the flyweight rankings. That’s for a TKO win over Bruno Silva (14-6-2 MMA, 4-3 UFC).

Wins from [autotag]Daniel Marcos[/autotag], [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag], and Invicta FC’s [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] also had impact in the rankings.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

Miranda Maverick lost desire to fight Tracy Cortez, wants Jessica Andrade after UFC Tampa

Third time could be the charm to finally meet Tracy Cortez in the cage, but Miranda Maverick isn’t interested in finding out after UFC Tampa.

TAMPA, Fla. – [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag] left UFC on ESPN 63 victorious but disappointed.

Despite her win over Jamey-Lyn Horth on the prelims at Amalie Arena, Maverick (15-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) was supremely critical of the performance that earned her a unanimous decision victory.

“Worst victory I’ve ever gotten. Worst performance I’ve ever done as far as still pulling out the win,” Maverick told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I just didn’t really pull out what I’ve got in there. I’m very disappointed in my performance. I’m better than what I was. But at the end of the day, a win is a win. I get paid for the win the way that I need to. Hopefully, I’ll renegotiate and get higher up the ladder.”

Horth (7-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was a short notice replacement for injured [autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag], whom Maverick has been matched up with twice but has yet to fight. Initially, Maverick vs. Cortez (11-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) was expected to take place in July. Cortez was moved from that bout to a main event vs. Rose Namajunas. After Cortez lost, she was rebooked vs. Maverick. However, she withdrew due to an injury that required surgery.

Given the history of cancellations, Maverick has lost her taste for a potential rebooking. She’d much rather fight former UFC champion [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] instead.

“I was supposed to have a ranked opponent this time,” Maverick said. “I still want a ranked opponent next. I’d love to fight Jessica Andrade in April. She’s inspired me a lot through this journey. Nobody in the top 15 or top 10 wanted to fight me when Tracy dropped out. They had five weeks’ notice and wanted to call it short notice. So I want to keep moving up. … It’s two times (Cortez) has had to fight me now. We gave it an 80 percent chance she was going to drop out this time. What happened was she dropped out and then magically four days later she says she’s ready to fight again. Weird.”

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The potential matchup vs. Andrade (26-13 MMA, 17-11 UFC) interests Maverick for multiple reasons. It’s an opportunity to fight up the rankings, yes – but also Maverick thinks it would be a great style fight for the fans given their perceived similarities.

“We’re both kind of built the same as muscular, stocky girls in the division,” Maverick said. “I’ve been watching her fight since I started in the UFC. I was a kid watching Jessica Andrade on TV fighting. 15-10, no girls wanted to fight. I could call out specific names. Obviously, there’s Tracy. Casey O’Neill is not taking a fight for three times now. Even a short notice against her, she didn’t want to take against me. (There were) at least two other girls in that 15-10 lineup. Skip them. Let’s go onto Andrade. We’ll put on a hell of performance and be a fan favorite.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

UFC on ESPN 63 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2024 total tops $8.2 million

With 2024 a wrap for the UFC, see a breakdown of how much money was paid under the Promotional Guidelines Compliance program.

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 63 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $208,500.

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 on ESPN 63 took place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. The card aired on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 63 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Daniel Marcos[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Navajo Stirling[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tuco Tokkos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Ottman Azaitar[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Fernando Padilla[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Felipe Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jamey-Lyn Horth[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ramon Taveras[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Piera Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/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 $4,630; 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 $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-63 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $8,280,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $31,017,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

Miranda Maverick def. Jamey-Lyn Horth at UFC Tampa: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting Miranda Maverick’s unanimous decision win over Jamey Lyn Horth at UFC on ESPN 63.

Check out these photos highlighting [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over Jamey Lyn Horth at UFC on ESPN 63 from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. (Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

Tracy Cortez out of UFC on ESPN 63 bout vs. Miranda Maverick in Tampa

UFC Tampa takes a blow.

[autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag] is off once again, this time due to injury.

Scheduled for UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa, Fla., Cortez (11-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has withdrawn from the bout against Maverick (14-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) due to injury. The event takes place Dec. 14 at Amalie Arena.

Two people with knowledge of the situation recently informed MMA Junkie of the change but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Cortez and Maverick were originally scheduled to fight July 20 in Las Vegas. However, when Maycee Barber fell out of a July 13 main event in Denver, Cortez was slotted in against Rose Namajunas.

In her first promotional main event, Cortez lost to Namajunas by unanimous decision. One week later, Maverick defeated fill-in Dione Barbosa by unanimous decision.

While no replacement for Cortez has been locked yet, Maverick is expected to remain on the card against a different opponent.

With the change, the current UFC on ESPN 63 lineup includes:

  • Ian Machado Garry vs. Joaquin Buckley
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Dustin Jacoby vs. Vitor Petrino
  • Tracy Cortez vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Josefine Knutsson vs. Piera Rodriguez
  • Navajo Stirling vs. Tuco Tokkos
  • Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras
  • Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva
  • Ottman Azaitar vs. Michael Johnson
  • Daniel Marcos vs. Adrian Yanez

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

Tracy Cortez vs. Miranda Maverick re-booked for UFC Fight Night on Dec. 14

UFC women’s flyweights Tracy Cortez and Miranda Maverick will look to finally throw down this winter.

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag] will look to enter the UFC women’s flyweight rankings when she meets [autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag].

Maverick vs. Cortez will take place Dec. 14 at UFC on ESPN 64 in Tampa, Fla. Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Tuesday following an announcement from Maverick on Instagram.

Maverick (14-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is enjoying her best octagon run, having won three straight over Priscila Cachoeira, Andrea Lee, and most recently Dione Barbosa at UFC on ESPN 60 in July.

Cortez (11-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is coming off her first UFC loss, a unanimous decision in a main event against former champion Rose Namajunas in July. Prior to that, the 30-year-old was on an 11-fight winning streak, including a win over Jasmine Jasudavicius.

Maverick and Cortez originally were set for a summer clash in July, but the UFC shifted Cortez to the Namajunas fight.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night on Dec. 14 lineup includes:

  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Dustin Jacoby vs. Vitor Petrino
  • Tracy Cortez vs. Miranda Maverick

Miranda Maverick hopes she ‘proved something’ by dominating lesser opponent at UFC on ESPN 60

It wasn’t against Tracy Cortez as originally planned, but Miranda Maverick looked good winning her third straight fight at UFC on ESPN 60.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]defeated Dione Barbosa on Saturday night at UFC on ESPN 60.

Maverick (14-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was dominant all around for 15 minutes to claim a unanimous decision from Barbosa (7-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) by scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27. Although Barbosa wasn’t the ranked women’s flyweight opponent that Maverick hoped for and should’ve faced originally (Tracy Cortez), she was happy with her performance and hopes it sent a message.

“Man, I hope I proved something with it,” Maverick, who won her third straight fight, said afterward. “I didn’t finish the fight, little frustrated with that, but I felt like I was beating her everywhere every round. So I’m happy with that aspect.”

You can watch Maverick’s complete UFC on ESPN 60 post-fight session with reporters in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 60.

UFC on ESPN 60 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $27 million

The UFC has issued more than $27 million in Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay to fighters after UFC on ESPN 60.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 60 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $139,000.

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 60 took place at the UFC Apex. The main card ESPN and streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 60 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kaynan Kruschewsky[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Hyder Amil[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jeong Yeong Lee[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dione Barbosa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Thomas Petersen[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,500

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 $4,600; 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 $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-60 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $4,268,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $27,005,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 60.

Miranda Maverick dismisses Tracy Cortez ‘making all the excuses’ for Rose Namajunas loss

Miranda Maverick, who was set to fight Tracy Cortez at UFC on ESPN 60, doesn’t want to hear the excuses for why she lost to Rose Namajunas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag] doesn’t want to hear Tracy Cortez’s excuses.

The pair were originally set to meet inside the octagon at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 60 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. However, a late lineup shift saw Cortez get bumped up to compete a week earlier against Rose Namajunas in the headliner of UFC on ESPN 59 in Denver.

Maverick (13-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) kept her spot on the Las Vegas event, and will now face Dione Barbosa.

Cortez lost her bout against Namajunas by a clear unanimous decision, suffering her first loss in the UFC. A late switch can be a tough challenge, especially against a former champion like Namajunas, but Maverick dismisses Cortez’s reasons for her performance.

“Whatever excuses she wants to give,” Maverick told MMA Junkie Radio at SEICon. “To me, you got to be ready for anything. You took a fight for five rounds, you took it in Denver – you’re making all the excuses – the weight cut and everything else. It’s not like it was a five-day notice, it was two-day notice. She should have been ready for a fight the next week. Like you start your weight cut two weeks before.

“It’s not like she was sitting on the couch. I see all these articles like, ‘Oh, she came off the couch and did this.’ I’m like, no, do your research. She was supposed to fight me this weekend. It’s not that big of a change. She’s in the top 10 rankings. Tracy’s never even really fought a ranked opponent and she finally had an opportunity to move up, and she didn’t show up.”

Cortez accepted the opponent change 19 days out after Maycee Barber, the original headliner for Denver opposite Namajunas, could not compete due to medical issues.

Maverick would be up for facing Cortez, despite the loss to Namajunas. In fact, she says her confidence in her abilities to get the job done grew after watching what happened in the UFC on ESPN 59 main event.

“I think it would look about the same if I fought her as it did when Rose fought her,” Maverick said. “I was not impressed, we’ll just say that.”

For now, Maverick has a new challenge in Barboza (7-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on her hands, and she expects to finish the fight by submission. From there, it’s all about mixing it up with anyone in the top 15, anytime, anyplace.

“Anyone they put in front of me that’s in the top 15, I’m ready to fight,” Maverick said. “I just don’t see how she still has as high of a ranking as she does, and maybe that will end up going down. Maybe we’ll switch spots after this fight, I don’t know. Like I said, anybody they put in front of me, if it ends up being Tracy, I’m down. I’m ready to go if she wants that fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 60.

Miranda Maverick: ‘Pretty girl on Instagram’ Tracy Cortez doesn’t deserve UFC ranking

Miranda Maverick has a theory why Tracy Cortez has stayed in the UFC rankings despite not fighting more than once a year since 2019.

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag] intends to prove she’s more worthy of a place in the UFC women’s flyweight rankings than [autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag] when the pair meet this summer.

Maverick (13-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is currently sitting outside the top 15 at 125 pounds in the UFC’s official rankings, with Cortez (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) holding the No. 11 spot going into UFC Fight Night on July 20 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

On paper, it’s difficult for Maverick to grasp the gap in positioning. Maverick has won four of her past five fights dating back to March 2022, whereas Cortez has fought just twice in that same stretch. Cortez may be unbeaten in the octagon, but she hasn’t competed more than once in a calendar year since 2019.

Maverick knows there’s much more to the fight game than solely comparing resumes, though, and she thinks that’s why Cortez is in her current position.

“I think politics have a lot to do with fighting,” Maverick told MMA Junkie Radio. “She’s that pretty girl on Instagram and everything else. And I think that’s the reason she’s still ranked to begin with. She’s a very inactive fighter, hasn’t really fought anyone ranked, and she’s still been ranked for a long period of time now. I wouldn’t doubt if I fight her, she still remains in the top 12 and I get bumped to No. 13 or No. 12 myself.”

Despite her thoughts on Cortez, there’s no denying this is a rewarding matchup for Maverick. She’s getting the chance to fight upward and build more notoriety against an opponent with a solid fanbase and following.

At 26, Maverick is confident her skillset is still rounding into form and all of her best days are still to come. She takes the sport very seriously and said she’s making daily sacrifices to eventually complete her UFC championship mission, and Maverick hopes this fight serves as a crucial step in her career trajectory.

“I think my stakes are kind of getting up in that top 10,” Maverick said. “Hopefully within the next two years I can become one of those (title) contenders.”

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