Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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 from May 1-7.
The UFC on ABC 5 fight card for Jacksonville, Fla. continues to build with the addition of Neil Magny vs. Phil Rowe.
Two of the tallest and longest fighters in the UFC welterweight division are set to square off.
At UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville, Fla., longtime contender [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] (27-10 MMA, 20-9 UFC) will return to take on [autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC). The card takes place June 24 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Unusually lengthy for the 170-pound division, Magny is 6’3″ with an 80″ reach. Rowe is 6’3″ with an 80.5″ reach.
Magny, 35, looks to bounce back from a quick submission defeat in January when he stepped into a UFC 283 bout vs. Gilbert Burns on short notice. With the defeat, Magny fell to 6-2 in his most recent eight outings.
Rowe, 32, enters the bout on a three-fight winning streak. All three of those victories were TKOs, as he finished Orion Cosce, Jason Witt, and Niko Price with strikes.
With the addition, the UFC on ABC 5 lineup for June 24 in Jacksonville includes:
Rafael dos Anjos became the first fighter in history to log eight hours of octagon fight time in his win at UFC on ESPN 42.
The UFC returned to Orlando, Fla., for the first time in nearly four years Saturday with UFC on ESPN 42, which took place at Amway Center and saw nine out of 14 fights end in a stoppage.
Stephen Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) earned the most memorable result of all in the main event. The longtime welterweight contender went to war with Kevin Holland (23-9 MMA, 9-6 UFC). He emerged on top by fourth-round TKO due to corner stoppage and netted another Fight of the Night award in the process.
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 42.
UFC on ESPN 42 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.
ORLANDO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 42 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $297,500.
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 42 took place at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 42 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kyle Daukaus[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Natan Levy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Genaro Valdez[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Istela Nunes[/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 $42,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-42 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $7,932,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,109,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.
Phil Rowe survived Niko Price’s late surge to pick up his third-straight stoppage at UFC on ESPN 42 in Orlando.
[autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag] had to weather a late storm, but was able to put an exclamation point on his performance against Niko Price.
Although Rowe (10-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) was likely ahead on the scorecards entering the final round of the main card welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 42 at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., Price (15-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) turned up the heat to create one of the wildest back-and-forth rounds of the year.
Rowe picked his shots well and locked in a couple of submission attempts in the first two rounds, putting him ahead in the fight with just five minutes to go. With his back against the wall, Price came out on fire in the third round and put Rowe in a dangerous spot as he hunted for a finish.
However, the finish would not come for Price, but rather Rowe, who worked his way back up and began putting sharp punches together. The momentum quickly shifted in Rowe’s favor after rocking Price, and emptying the tank to get the standing TKO stoppage.
Watch video of the ending sequence below (via Twitter):
Rowe was RELENTLESS 😱 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/mRZ6zwd7Ic
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
Rowe, 32, makes it three straight stoppage wins with Saturday’s result. “The Fresh Prince” recorded finishes of Orion Cosce last July and Jason Witt in February.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 42 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.
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Check out the best photos from Phil Rowe’s third-round TKO win over Niko Price at UFC on ESPN 42.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag]’s third-round TKO win over [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 42 at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. (Photos by Nathan Ray Seebeck, USA TODAY Sports)
Check out the results from the official UFC on ESPN 42 fighter weigh-ins in Orlando, Fla.
UFC on ESPN 42 weigh-ins are in the books, and all but one fighter on the card hit their marks.
In the main event, former welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson (16-6-1 MMA, 11-6-1 UFC) takes on Kevin Holland (23-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC).
Holland and Thompson were the first two fighters to the scale in the two-hour official weigh-ins-window. Holland came in at 170.5 pounds. “Wonderboy” Thompson was right behind him and was 170.
In the co-feature, Bryan Barberena (18-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC) takes on former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (31-14 MMA, 20-12 UFC) at welterweight. Barberena weighed in at 170.5 pounds. Dos Anjos came in at 170.
The only fighter to miss weight was [autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who came in at 173.5 pounds for his welterweight prelim closer against Niko Price (15-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC), who was on the mark at 170. If the fight continues, Rowe will be fined a percentage of his purse.
The weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in Orlando, Fla. The nearby Amway Center hosts Saturday’s card, which airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 42 weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
*Schnell missed the flyweight limit on his first attempt, but was given until the close of the official weigh-ins window at 11 a.m. ET to cut additional weight and was 126 on his second try.
**Rowe missed the welterweight limit by 2.5 pounds and will be fined a percentage of his purse if the fight is agreed to at a catchweight.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.
Ahead of UFC on ESPN 42 in Orlando, Phil Rowe admitted he surprises himself with some of his knockout finishes.
[autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag] admits he surprises himself with some of his knockout finishes.
Boasting a 100 percent finish rate, Rowe (9-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has knocked out his past three opponents, most recently a second-round finish of Jason Witt in February.
Rowe credits boxing coach Kelly Davis for his success, and with his 80.5-inch reach at welterweight, he’s been able to effectively trouble a lot of opponents on the feet.
“They’re random and they shock me every time,” Rowe told MMA Junkie Radio. “Oddly enough, my little frame, I’ve got a lot of power, and it’s how I punch. People could think I’m being funny or – I’m doing something different than 99 percent of these guys. Maybe one day I’ll do a breakdown video on it, but I’ve finished 100 percent of the fights I’ve been in. If I win, I’m going to finish. I’ve never been in a fight – amateur, pro – that I won that wasn’t a finish.
“Amateur, I knocked dudes out with head gear on, and it’s not because I’m big and strong. I have a lot of range, and that creates leverage, and the way I punch is different than 99 percent of people because a lot of people say it’s incorrect. … It’s a unique style and elbow up – that’s all I could tell you. When my right hand touches people, they usually fold. It’s just the way I fight. It’s just what happens. I just end up knocking people out and submitting guys, so it just happens. I don’t think about it.”
Rowe will look to score another finish Saturday when he takes on Niko Price (15-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 42 featured prelim at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.
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The best facts and figures for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 42, where several familiar veterans have a shot at history.
The UFC returns to Florida on Saturday for UFC on ESPN 42, which takes place at Amway Center in Orlando with a card that airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
A welterweight headliner will close out the card as longtime contender [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] (16-6-1 MMA, 11-6-1 UFC) will search for his first win in two years when he takes on [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (23-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC).
For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC on ESPN 42.
Healthy for the first time since 2018, Niko Price eyes another performance bonus against finisher Phil Rowe.
Fan-favorite [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] is finally back and ready to go after a lengthy, injury-induced hiatus.
Price (15-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) is set to compete in front of a home-state crowd when he takes on [autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag] at the UFC Fight Night event scheduled for Dec. 3. The event takes place at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.
A person with knowledge of the matchup recently confirmed the booking Tuesday to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. News of the fight was first reported by UFE Media.
Price, 33, returns for the first time since knee surgery to repair injured ACL, MCL, and LCL ligaments. While the surgery occurred following his October 2021 loss, Price told MMA Junkie in July he battled the injuries dating back to 2018. Even still, Price won his most recent bout, however, with a unanimous decision over Alex Oliveira.
“I’ve been knocking people out and everything with half power,” Price said. “Now, I have full power, I have full everything. I’m excited to see what I can do. The power on the side that was hurt is so much more.”
Meanwhile, Rowe, 32, enters off back-to-back victories by TKO. Following a defeat in his UFC debut, Rowe finished Orion Cosce and Jason Witt, both in Round 2.
With the addition, the UFC Orlando lineup includes:
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