Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out what the UFC Fight Night 235 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 235 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 235 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 235.
After a 4-0 start to her UFC career, Natalia Silva plans to show she’s championship caliber vs. Viviane Araujo at UFC Fight Night 235.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag] wants to prove she belongs among the elite in the women’s flyweight division, and beating Viviane Araujo at UFC Fight Night 235 will go a long way toward that goal.
Silva (16-5-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has exploded onto the scene since her June 2022 octagon debut. She’s reeled off four straight wins, including two impressive TKO finishes. Now she gets a big test in a matchup with fellow Brazilian Araujo (12-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) on Saturday at the UFC Apex (ESPN+), and she intends to show more of what she’s capable of.
“I am so happy for this – I have been working my whole life for this,” Silva told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 235 media day. “I am living a dream and I am here to be the champion. I am working to achieve this.
“She’s a strong fighter. She has great grappling and is an experienced girl. It is a hard challenge for me, but I am working, I am training a lot to give my best.”
Silva, 26, an honorable mention in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie strawweight rankings, will have the chance to elevate her stock against No. 13-ranked Araujo. She knows there’s still work to be done to reach the top, but she already thinks her skillset is at a championship level.
“(I don’t know) if UFC thinks I am right (for a title shot) – because I am in my mind,” Silva said. “I think I am really ready because I am working a lot for this. I am here to be the champion and you guys can believe in that.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.
Before UFC Fight Night 235 on Saturday, watch as the main card athletes fighters speak to reporters at media day.
LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 235, which takes place at the UFC Apex with a card that streams entirely on ESPN+, goes down Saturday.
Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the main card spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.
If you happened to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.
The best facts about UFC Fight Night 235, which features the return of Drew Dober, who has the most KO wins in lightweight history.
The UFC kicks off its February schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 235, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.
A pair of middleweights looking to take a big next step in the rapidly-evolving division meet in the main event. [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) will battle in a five-round bout that will see both sides look to claim their first headlining win inside the octagon.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC Fight Night 235.
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All the UFC 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.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Nov. 13-19.
The best facts to come out of UFC 292, which saw Sean O’Malley, Zhang Weili, Ian Machado Garry and others record statistical achievements.
One of the biggest UFC events of the year thus far went down Saturday with UFC 292, which took place at TD Garden in Boston and featured two championship fights with different results.
In the main event, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) shocked [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) with a second-round TKO to capture the bantamweight belt, while in the co-headliner, [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) got her second strawweight title reign off a dominant start with a lopsided unanimous decision over Brazilian challenger [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (13-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC).
For more on the numbers behind the two championship bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 292.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 292 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $340.500.
BOSTON – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 292 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $340.500.
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 292 took place at TD Garden. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
The full UFC 292 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]: $42,000
[autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: $21,00
[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Denis Tiuliulin[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $5,735,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $20,324,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
Check out live play-by-play from UFC 292 in Boston with Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley and Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos title fights.
BOSTON – UFC 292 took place at TD Garden. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
In the main event, bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) took on challenger Sean O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC). Sterling holds the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses at 135 pounds. In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champ Zhang Weili (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) met challenger Amanda Lemos (13-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in the first test of her second reign as titleholder.
In addition, former middleweight champ Chris Weidman (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) returned from more than two years out after a severe broken leg in 2021. He took on Brad Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-8 UFC) in a featured bout on the prelims. Plus, two new “Ultimate Fighter” winners will be crowned on the prelims.
Check out the best photos from Natalia Silva’s unanimous decision win over Andrea Lee at UFC 292 at TD Garden in Boston.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] at UFC 292 at TD Garden in Boston. (Photos by Bob DeChiara, USA TODAY Sports; MMA Junkie; and UFC)
Check out the best photos from the UFC 292 official weigh-ins including Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley and more.
Check out these photos of the UFC 292 official weigh-ins at the UFC host hotel in Boston. (Photos by Nolan King, MMA Junkie)
