MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for February: Middleweight contenders net another bonus

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2024.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for February.

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

* * * *

Nominees

Chael Sonnen’s advice for Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa after UFC 298: ‘No more breaks’

Chael Sonnen says activity is key for both Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa after UFC 298.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] says activity is key for both [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag].

Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) outlasted Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in a thrilling battle in this past Saturday’s UFC 298 co-main event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Whittaker fought once in 2023, suffering a TKO loss to current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290. Costa has been far less active, not fighting in 2023, and logging in just one fight a year since 2018. Sonnen would like to see both fighters compete more often.

“Robert Whittaker is as true and pure of a fighter as I’ve ever seen,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “He is an absolute lock to go into the Hall of Fame. And when I look at Whittaker and where he needs to go from now, it’s the same analysis that I will look at Paulo Costa and where Paulo needs to go from now, which is quite simply no more breaks. No more year delays. No more talking about talking, and meeting about meetings, and thinking about thinking. You got to compete.

“Got to go in there, get that contract signed, get back in that training camp, and turn over as many performances as you can. It’s the one thing that brings pause when you’re talking about Robert Whittaker’s career. Where should we go with him now? Well, I need to know that he’s active. I need to know that he can take on three fights a year. The same thing goes for Paulo Costa.”

Costa, 32, is now 1-3 in his past four fights. The former title challenger’s lone victory in that stretch came over Luke Rockhold in a Fight of the Night war at UFC 278.

[lawrence-related id=2716023,2716069,2716939]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Video: Hockey player attempts spinning backfist at start of fight

Check out this spinning backfist on ice during a game between two NHL farm teams.

[autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] wasn’t the only professional athlete who tried a spinning attack Saturday night.

Enter Jordon Stone, who must watch too much MMA just like the rest of us.

Stone is an ECHL hockey player for the Utah Grizzlies, which for those of you who don’t follow hockey (your loss) is essentially in baseball terms the AA affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche.

The opposing farm team that night was the Wheeling Nailers (awesome name) and the willing combatant was Shaw Boomhower (also an awesome name).

The two forwards squared off early in the first period, as they tried to energize their teams early. That’s when Stone let a spinning backfist rip. The strike attempt partially landed, though it appeared to be more of an elbow.

Stone gets an A for effort on the attempt, though.

It’s not since then-Anaheim Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa drilled then-Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas with a glorious Superman punch in 2017 that we’ve seen such an MMA crossover on professional ice.

For what it’s worth, Bieksa still has the edge by a large margin and will likely never be topped.

UFC 298 medical suspensions: Henry Cejudo among 9 fighters suspended 180 days

Nine UFC 298 competitors are out a potential 180 days due to injuries sustained in their fights Saturday in Anaheim, Calif.

Saturday’s UFC pay-per-view event in Anaheim, Calif. was not a good night to be a limb.

UFC 298 took place at Anaheim, Calif. and featured 12 bouts and 24 fighters. Nine of those fighters were handed six-month suspensions as a result of injuries sustained in their bouts. Eight of those potential injuries were deemed possible fractures.

Monday, California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster, who oversaw the event, provided MMA Junkie with a full list of medical suspensions.

Scroll below to see how much time UFC 298 competitors will have to take off as a result of their bouts Saturday. It’s important to note fighters may return before the conclusion of their suspensions if they are cleared by a physician (unless denoted “no exception” or “mandatory”).

Paulo Costa thought he was winning at UFC 298, promises to ‘pressure even more’ next time

“Secret Juice” creator Paulo Costa came up short at UFC 298, though the decision seemingly caught him off guard.

[autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] came up short at UFC 298, but he didn’t feel like that was the case until Bruce Buffer read the official decision.

While Saturday’s co-main event was exciting, Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Shortly after the loss, Costa released two statements, one in English and one in Portuguese, on social media. While the statements were similar, the Portguese one was slightly more comprehensive.

“Good to be back in the octagon!” Costa wrote in Portuguese. “It feels good to feel this wonderful energy from all of you cheering me on! Glad I delivered the show you guys wanted! During the fight I felt like I was winning but the judges disagreed and they didn’t see that, anyway I will have to impose myself more in the sense of not leaving the judges’ decision the next ones. Thank you very much! I’m sorry.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3emz3RsJ7B/

Costa, 32, fell to 1-3 in his most recent four fights as a result of Saturday’s loss. A fan favorite, Costa has largely been competitive inside the cage regardless of opponent, but has struggled to compete on a consistent basis. UFC 298 was only Costa’s fourth fight since September 2020.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Robert Whittaker indifferent about potential Sean Strickland matchup, unfazed by trash talk: ‘He’s not that bad’

Following UFC 298, Robert Whittaker reacted to a theorized matchup vs. Sean Strickland and brushed off potential trash talk.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] is back on the winning track and hopes consistency follows.

In the UFC 298 co-main event Saturday at Honda Center, Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) defeated [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) by unanimous decision in a thrilling striking battle.

“Obviously, I’m very happy with (my performance),” Whittaker told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I always look like this after fights. It shows. Plus, I had a firefight with Costa, so it shows a little bit (more). More than the win itself, I’m satisfied with what I wanted to achieve. I achieved that.”

Whittaker, 33, bounced back from a TKO defeat against Dricus Du Plessis in July. Now that the ball is rolling, Whittaker eyes a mid-2024 return with a third outing in the later half of 2024.

But against whom? Sean Strickland? Khamzat Chimaev?

“Options are definitely open,” Whittaker said. “The middleweight division is funny. There’s so much movement and fluidity and opportunity in it that any fight could be made in it at any time, anywhere. Honestly, the UFC has always done right by me. I’ve never had to pick my opponents. They’ve always been laid out in front of me. I’m not about to change the way I conduct business right now.”

In the seconds that followed his UFC 298 win, fans and media members alike pitched the idea of Whittaker against Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC), who lost the middleweight title in January and is not currently booked.

Should they fight, Whittaker will stick to focusing on Strickland’s in-cage abilities, not his verbal antics.

“He’s not that bad,” Whittaker said. “He’s kind of holistically angry at everybody. I don’t think he singles anybody out unless you do something to him particularly. I feel like it would be hard for him to get a grip on something I’ve done, but there’s trying.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

UFC 298 post-event facts: Ilia Topuria makes history with title coronation

The best facts to come out of UFC 298, which saw a number of historic feats, including Ilia Topuria’s title KO of Alexander Volkanovski.

The UFC’s second pay-per-view of 2024 was a memorable one, with UFC 298 on Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., seeing a changing of the guard in the featherweight division.

In the main event, [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) became the new featherweight champion when he delivered on his promise to knock out longtime titleholder [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC), which he did in the second round of their fight to claim gold.

For more on the numbers to come out of the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 298.

UFC 298 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Alexander Volkanovski’s $42,000 tops card

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 298 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $252,000.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 298 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $243,000.

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 298 took place at Honda Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 298 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Junior Tafa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rinya Nakamura[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Vera[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Zhang Mingyang[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brendson Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Danny Barlow[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Josh Quinlan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Oban Elliott[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Val Woodburn[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andrea Lee[/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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,093,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,800,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

UFC 298 salaries: Alexander Volkanovski leads 13 fighters with six-figure payouts

Alexander Volkanovski leaves UFC 298 without his title belt, but he took home the biggest payday of the event.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Thirteen fighters who competed at UFC 298, more than half the hard, earned disclosed payouts of at least six figures, with [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] leading the pack.

California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter purses Saturday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments or discretionary bonuses.

In addition to Volkanovski, who earned a flat $750,000, fellow headliner [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] also took home a flat purse in the amount of $350,000. Every other fighter’s disclosed payout was based on show money and win money.

Topuria went on to claim the featherweight title by knocking out Volkanovski in the second round at Honda Center.

Scroll below to see what the 22 fighters to compete at UFC 298 were paid – disclosed amounts only.

UFC 298 results: Robert Whittaker wins exciting, high-paced striking battle against Paulo Costa

The UFC 298 co-main event was an incredible all-striking affair between former champ Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa.

Aside from a scare late in the first round, former champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] turned in a phenomenal performance in an all-out striking affair against Paulo Costa.

The middleweight bout was the UFC 298 co-main event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and it was one filled with action from two powerful top-tier fighters. When time expired after three rounds, Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) claimed victory over Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) by earning scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27.

From the beginning, it was clear this fight would be filled with hard-hitting action.

Powerful kicks from both started the fight, with Whittaker investing attacks to the legs, while Costa went high. Left hand jabs were also on display early. The pace was fast as Whittaker controlled from the center. The former champ controlled the action by darting in and out with punches, causing Costa to play his counter game or wait for chances between Whittaker’s offerings.

In the closing seconds, Costa uncorked a spinning heel kick that caught Whittaker right on the jaw, wobbling him badly. Somehow, Whittaker made it to the second round.

Whittaker came out in Round 2 with the same plan of attack. Costa smiled as Whittaker cracked him with a hard shot. In response, Costa peppered his jab and circled as blood began to trickle from Whittaker’s nose. Costa’s thumb accidentally poked Whittaker’s eye causing a brief pause, but when the fight resumed, they went right back into the firefight.

Hard leg kicks dug in from Whittaker, affecting Costa’s movement. Whittaker’s counterpunching began to shine in the second half of Round 2 as well.

Just five minutes remained, and the high-paced action continued. Costa chose leg kicks while Whittaker connected with punches upstairs. Costa called for Whittaker to stand in the center of the cage and throw down, but Whittaker kept to his plan. Whittaker’s darting strikes scored well, while Costa loaded up for more powerful strikes. Hard leg kicks from Whittaker also gave Costa trouble as the fight came to a close.

The result marks a return to the win column for Whittaker, who dropped his previous outing to current champion Dricus Du Plessis. Since dropping the title to Israel Adesanya in 2019, Whittaker has built a record of 5-2, maintaining his position among the top guys at 185 pounds.

[lawrence-related id=2716023,2715774,2715778]

Up-to-the-minute UFC 298 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.