Tag: Rani Yahya

Victor Henry quotes Kim Kardashian after UFC on ESPN 55 bounce back from groin-shot no contest

Victor Henry recounts getting “punted in the pills” and drops an unexpected Kim Kardashian quote after UFC on ESPN 55.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag] is back in the win column. This time, he avoided getting kicked in the testicles – and that feels good.

On the UFC on ESPN 55 prelims, Henry (24-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) defeated seasoned veteran [autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag] (28-12-1 MMA, 13-6-1 UFC) with a barrage of punches for a standing TKO at 2:36 of Round 2.

The fight was Henry’s first since a groin strike left him facedown, screaming on the canvas at UFC 294 in October.

“What happened in the past is what happened in the past,” Henry told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference Saturday. “That last fight over in Abu Dhabi, it is what it is. That is part of fighting. It’s not just the training camp. It’s not just the win. It’s not just the loss. It’s everything involved in it. We’ve got Michael Bisping. He’s going a wonky eye now. We’ve got Bas Rutten. He’s got nerve damage in his arm. I guess it was my time to get punted in the pills. That’s fighting. There’s a lot of chaos that happens. It’s not always predictable.”

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While Henry anticipated the inherent danger of accidental fouls, he was caught a bit off guard by the wave of negativity that flooded his social media accounts after the incident and the bout’s designation as a no contest.

“In the UFC, you have certain groups of people going for certain people because of certain religions, certain races,” Henry said. “You have the guys that are basic. Your basic fans, they just like to see fights, which is cool. You have the guys that are kind of into it. They follow the top-five, the top-15. Then, you have the students of the game who watch everything about it. I appreciated that so many people showed up for my opponent. Javid Basharat is a great martial artist. His record speaks for itself and he’s pulling a decent fanbase for the sport. I was happy for it.

“All the hate I got on my Instagram afterward, I don’t like to see that side of humanity. At the same time, it’s funny. And I left it up on my page. You can go right now and see all the negative comments toward me. In my eyes, it’s just activity on my Instagram. It just makes me look either better or worse. But hey, Kim Kardashian said it best, ‘Any press is good press.’ I’m just not doing what she did. Well, I just got punted in the pills, so I’m almost there anyway, right?”

With the ghosts of groin shots’ past no longer lingering, Henry is back on track and looking toward the future. While he didn’t present a callout after the bout, Henry wants to remain active in his ascent up the divisional ladder.

“As soon as anybody wants to see me again,” Henry said. “I’ve got a big nose and some big old ears, but hey. I’m down for it. I’ll go next week if they want me. … I’m not in the business of calling people out. I’d like to climb up that ladder, but the UFC is going to do what the UFC wants with me. That’s the way it is. If they want me to fight a gorilla in the back alley then, hey, let’s get at it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 55.

UFC on ESPN 55 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $25 million

UFC on ESPN 55 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 55 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $175,000.

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 55 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 55 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bogdan Guskov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ariane Da Silva[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jhonata Diniz[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]David Onama[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Uros Medic[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michal Figlak[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Caio Machado[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ketlen Souza[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Marnic Mann[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chris Padilla[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]James Llontop[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ivana Petrovic[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Na Liang[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Hayisaer Maheshate[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/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 $4,550; 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 $55,000 while title challengers get $55,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-55 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,640,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $25,377,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 55.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 2-8)

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 Oct. 2-8.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 14-20)

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 a promotion from Aug. 14-20.

UFC Fight Night 222 post-event facts: Sergei Pavlovich makes history with first-round KO streak

Sergei Pavlovich is firmly in the UFC record books after extending his first-round KO streak against Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 222.

The octagon was back in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday for UFC Fight Night 222, and a new heavyweight contender emerged from the main event.

[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) made history when he recorded a modern company record sixth consecutive first-round knockout, this time against his most decorated opponent to date in fellow contender [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC).

Pavlovich has put his mark on the record books of the promotion, and for more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 222.

UFC Fight Night 222 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $17 million

UFC Fight Night 222 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 222 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $181,500.

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 Fight Night 222 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 222 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000
vs. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brogan Walker[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jeremiah Wells[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Glenn[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Junior Tafa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]William Gomis[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Danaa Batgerel[/autotag]: $6,000

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 2221 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: $2,411,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $17,000,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 222.

Cody Garbrandt wants Rani Yahya fight rebooked for UFC 290 in July: ‘I’d really like to whoop his ass’

Cody Garbrandt wants a matchup with Rani Yahya, which Yahya has twice pulled out of, rescheduled for UFC 290 in July.

[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] wants his matchup with [autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag] rescheduled for July.

Garbrandt (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) and Yahya were booked to face each other twice in 2022, but both fights fell apart after Yahya withdrew due to injury. “No Love” took care of his own injuries before a return against Trevin Jones at UFC 285 earlier this month. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Yahya (28-10-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) is scheduled to face Montel Jackson at UFC Fight Night 222 on April 22. If Yahya can come out of the Jackson fight unscathed, Garbrandt hopes they can meet at UFC 290 on July 8.

“I’d like to fight International Fight Week,” Garbrandt told MMA Junkie Radio. “My birthday is July 7. The fight’s July 8, so it would be great to weigh in on my birthday, fight the next day, (and) get a big win. I saw Rani Yahya is slated to fight in April, so if he wins, hopefully he can fight in July. That’s something I look forward to, fighting him.

“He’s got a lot of records in the bantamweight division, riding a three-fight win streak, probably the best grappler in our division, so I would like to test my grappling skills against him. It’s already been two camps I was supposed to fight him and he pulled out twice two weeks before the fight. So that would be my ideal fight July 8.”

The former bantamweight champion was able to snap his two-fight losing skid with a win over Jones and hopes the third time is the charm with Yahya.

“July 8, I’m getting ready for whatever – hopefully Rani Yahya,” Garbrandt added. “It’s two fights that he’s pulled out, so I’d really like to whoop his ass just for that. That’s two fight camps you didn’t get paid for.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

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Cody Garbrandt in need of opponent after Rani Yahya withdraws from UFC Fight Night 211

Rani Yahya has been forced to withdraw against Cody Garbrandt for a second straight time.

[autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag] has been forced to withdraw against [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] for a second straight time.

Yahya (28-10-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) is out of his UFC Fight Night 211 bout against Garbrandt (12-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) on Oct. 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for undisclosed reasons. It is unknown if Garbrandt will remain on the card.

A person with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the withdrawal after an initial report from Eurosport NL.

Garbrandt and Yahya originally were booked for UFC on ESPN 39 on July 9, but Yahya withdrew due to a neck injury. The bout was rescheduled for Oct. 1, but has been scrapped once again.

Garbrandt was set to return to 135 pounds after a failed stint at flyweight, where he was knocked out by Kai Kara-France at UFC 269 this past December. The former bantamweight champion has lost five of his past six. His lone win in that stretch was a knockout of Raphael Assuncao in June 2020.

Yahya has won two in a row. He submitted Ray Rodriguez in March 2021, then took a unanimous decision over Kyung-Ho Kang this past November.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 211 lineup includes:

  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xioanan
  • Chris Daukaus vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Brendan Allen vs. Krzysztof Jotko
  • Randy Brown vs. Francisco Trinaldo
  • Ilir Latifi vs. Aleksei Oleinik
  • Jessica Penne Tabatha Ricci
  • Guido Cannetti vs. Randy Costa
  • Chelsea Chandler vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • John Castaneda vs. Daniel Santos
  • Cody Garbrandt vs. TBA
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Trevin Jones
  • Jesse Ronson vs. Joaquim Silva
  • Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Mike Davis
  • Don Shainis vs. Sodiq Yusuff

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UFC rebooks Cody Garbrandt vs. Rani Yahya for Oct. 1 event

Cody Garbrandt vs. Rani Yahya has been rescheduled for October.

[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag] has been rescheduled for October.

Garbrandt (12-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) meets Yahya (28-10-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event on Oct. 1, which doesn’t yet have a publicly known venue or location.

Both fighters confirmed the news on social media after an initial report by MMA Mania.

The pair were originally slated to square off at UFC on ESPN 39 on July 9, but a neck injury forced Yahya out of the bout. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace has won his past two in a row, submitting Ray Rodriguez in March 2021, followed by a unanimous decision over Kyung-Ho Kang last November.

Meanwhile, Garbrandt will return to his original home. Currently training out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, the former UFC bantamweight champion was knocked out by Kai Kara-France in his flyweight debut last December. Garbrandt has lost five of his past six, with his lone win in that stretch coming in a knockout over Raphael Assuncao in June 2020.

With the addition, the UFC lineup for Oct. 1 includes:

  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xioanan
  • Brendan Allen vs. Krzysztof Jotko
  • Vinc Pichel vs. Jesse Ronson
  • Tabatha Ricci vs. Cheyanne Vlismas
  • Guido Cannetti vs. Randy Costa
  • Chelsea Chandler vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • John Castaneda vs. Daniel Santos
  • Cody Garbrandt vs. Rani Yahya

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Neck injury forces Rani Yahya out of Cody Garbrandt fight on July 9

Cody Garbrandt will need a new opponent for his return to bantamweight.

[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] will need a new opponent for his return to bantamweight.

[autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag] (28-10-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) has been forced to withdraw from their July 9 matchup at the UFC Apex due to a neck injury. It is unknown whether Garbrandt (12-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) will remain on the card.

A person with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the change after an initial report from MMA Fighting.

Garbrandt, who debuted at flyweight in his past outing, was looking to rebound from his first-round knockout loss to Kai Kara-France at UFC 269. The former bantamweight champion has lost five of six fights, with his lone win in that stretch coming in a buzzer-beater knockout of Raphael Assuncao in June 2020.

Brazil’s Yahya was looking to make it three straight after notching back-to-back wins with a submission of Ray Rodriguez followed by a unanimous decision over Kyung Ho Kang this past November at UFC Fight Night 198.

With the change, the July 9 lineup includes:

  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev
  • Cody Garbrandt vs. TBA
  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Nina Nunes
  • Cortney Casey vs. Antonina Shevchenko
  • Cody Brundage vs. Tresean Gore
  • Saidyokub Kakhramonov vs. Ronnie Lawrence
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
  • Jamie Pickett vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
  • Caio Borralho vs. Armen Petrosyan
  • Sijara Eubanks vs. Maryna Moroz
  • Ricky Turcios vs. Aiemann Zahabi
  • Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Karl Roberson

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