UFC Denver fight card loses two more bouts

The UFC’s return to Denver continues to take a beating.

The bad luck continues for the UFC as its summer schedule continues to be pelted by fighter withdrawals.

Most recently, the UFC on ESPN 59 event on July 13 at Ball Arena in Denver has absorbed the brunt of the blow. One day after news surfaced its main event between Maycee Barber and Rose Namajunas was canceled (with Tracy Cortez now stepping in), two undercard fights have also been pulled.

The welterweight bout between [autotag]Mike Malott[/autotag] and [autotag]Gilbert Urbina[/autotag] has been canceled altogether (first reported by TSN). Additionally, [autotag]MarQuel Mederos[/autotag] is out, and the promotion seeks a replacement to fight [autotag]Nazim Sadykhov[/autotag] (first reported by Octagon Update).

Two people with knowledge of the changes recently confirmed them to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Malott (10-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) later posted a video to social media in which he said Urbina (7-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) withdrew from the fight. Malott said he had previously sustained an injury, so he elected to pass on a replacement opponent.

It’s still unclear why Mederos (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) withdrew from the fight vs. Sadykhov (9-1-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC).

With the changes, the UFC on ESPN 59 in Denver includes:

  • Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez
  • Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa
  • Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Muslim Salikhov
  • Mariya Agapova vs. Luana Santos
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
  • Julian Erosa vs. Christian Rodriguez
  • Josh Fremd vs. Andre Petroski
  • Nazim Sadykhov vs. TBA

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.

Nazim Sadykhov focused on excitement, not immediate Slava Borshchev rematch: ‘Maybe down the road’

Nazim Sadykhov and Viacheslav Borshchev turned in an instant classic Nov. 11 in New York, but don’t expect them to run it back any time soon.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Nazim Sadykhov[/autotag] and [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag] turned in an instant classic Nov. 11 at UFC 295 in New York, but don’t expect them to run it back any time soon.

The two fighters engaged in a back-and-forth brawl that ended in a draw – and a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus. However, both fighters seem to want fresh matchups, at least in the immediate.

“I don’t have an exclusive thing where I have to get this one back,” Sadykhov recently told MMA Junkie on the red carpet before the 15th Annual World MMA Awards at Sahara Theater. “He’s that good that he’s probably going to be in the top 10. And inshallah, I’m going to be in the top 10 as well. Maybe down the road (we’ll fight again), but right now I just want to keep fighting, keep going, and see where my road takes me.

“I’m not dying for a rematch. … Not right now. But both of those fights, including this one right here with ‘Slava Claus’, it’s possible in the future. But right now, we just keep moving forward and take other fights.”

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Sadykhov isn’t salty about the draw. Why? Because he went back and watched, and thought the judges got it right. There’s room for improvement for sure. Sadykhov is optimistic necessary changes will be made ahead of his next fight.

“I got a couple of bumps and bruises from the fight, but I’m just so happy the MMA world reacted the way that they did. I’m happy that the fans enjoyed the fight and that’s it. That’s what I’m here for: the big fights, the good fights, the exciting fights, the Fight of the Month, the Fight of the Year, the Fight of the Night. That’s what Nazim Sadykhov is here for.

“… We’re already working on (my next fight). As long as I’m healthy, I’m going to be fighting. As long as I’m fighting, there’s going to be excitement. I’m looking for a March-April return. Perhaps UFC 300. Perhaps a Fight Night or something in March. But we’re targeting March and April right now.”

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for November: UFC 295 slugfest ends in a draw

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from November 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from November 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for November.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Nominees

UFC 295 medical suspensions: Jiri Prochazka, Sergei Pavlovich among 19 suspended indefinitely

Nineteen indefinite suspensions were handed out after UFC 295, per the New York State Athletic Commission.

UFC 295 took place Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York and featured 13 fights.

On Monday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of athlete medical suspensions from the New York State Athletic Commission, the sanctioning body that oversaw the event. Most injury specifics were not disclosed.

Nineteen of the 26 combatants were given indefinite suspensions and will need to be cleared by a doctor before they return. That’s a high number of indefinite suspensions compared to the average UFC event, although the NYSAC may have different safety protocols compared to other regulatory bodies. All 26 fighters were also given mandatory suspensions, which vary from seven days to 90 days.

Check out the full list of medical suspensions from UFC 295 below.

UFC 295 post-event facts: Alex Pereira joins exclusive two-title club in record time

The best facts from UFC 295, which saw Alex Pereira join the two-division title club in less fights than the eight names before him.

The UFC’s penultimate numbered event of the year, UFC 295 from Madison Square Garden in New York, proved to be arguably the best of the bunch.

Two new champions were crowned to close out a lineup that saw eight stoppages in 13 fights. In the main event, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) picked up the vacant light heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), while [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) claimed the interim heavyweight strap in the co-main event with a 69-second knockout of [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 295.

UFC 295 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Title fight athletes net $32,000 each

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 295 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $272,500.

NEW YORK – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 295 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $272,500.

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 295 took place at Madison Square Garden. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 295 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nazim Sadykhov[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dennis Buzukja[/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: $7,305,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,824,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Nazim Sadykhov majority draw at UFC 295: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Viacheslav Borshchev’s majority draw with Nazim Sadykhov at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]’s majority draw with [autotag]Nazim Sadykhov[/autotag] at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photos by Wendell Cruz, USA TODAY Sports)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 25-Oct. 1)

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 the promotions from Sept. 25-Oct. 1.

UFC on ESPN 49: Nazim Sadykhov credits multi-cultured Longo MMA brotherhood for life-changing experience

Nazim Sadykhov hasn’t lost since his pro debut in 2018. He gives much of the credit for his success to his team at Longo MMA on Long Island.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Nazim Sadykhov[/autotag] beat Terrance McKinney with a second-round submission Saturday to open up the main card at UFC on ESPN 49 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Sadykhov, who hasn’t lost since his pro debut in 2018.

UFC on ESPN 49 post-event facts: Mayra Bueno Silva ties Ronda Rousey’s longstanding record

Check out all the post-fight facts from UFC on ESPN 49, where Mayra Bueno Silva put herself in the same category as Ronda Rousey.

UFC on ESPN 49, which took place Saturday at the UFC Ape in Las Vegas, had a slow start to the event, but ultimately ended with a bang.

[autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag] (11-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) continued her rise up the women’s bantamweight contender list when she scored a second-round submission of former champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) to become a true title contender.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 49.