Raphael Assuncao – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Raphael Assuncao admits retirement thoughts loomed before UFC Fight Night 212 win: ‘It’s a big relief for sure’

Before UFC Fight Night 212, retirement thoughts snuck in Raphael Assuncao’s brain. He’s glad he didn’t have to cross that bridge – yet.

LAS VEGAS – If [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] lost at UFC Fight Night 212, it could’ve been his final fight.

But luckily for him, he’ll never know because he wasn’t faced with that decision. Instead, Assuncao (28-9 MMA, 15-8 UFC) defeated [autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) by unanimous decision Saturday to snap a four-fight skid.

“It’s a big relief for sure. There are no other words there,” Assuncao told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “… When I turned 40, either I’ll retire or I’ll give it one more shot to put myself to the test and start to do good about it.”

Assuncao has long been a perennial contender, but he admits with the string of losses doubt crept into his mind. He revealed a loss Saturday would’ve likely been his curtain call – at least at bantamweight.

“To be honest, probably (I would’ve retired),” Assuncao said. “Probably, just because, and I’m not being proud about it – I’m not being super proud about this – I would’ve probably made a switch to featherweight. I’m not positive if I would still be in the UFC. I don’t know. With five losses, it’s probably not a good number to be in the UFC. If I decided not to retire had I lost today, I probably would’ve moved up in weight class because I felt like I was losing muscle. It’s just mentalizing all these things. Unfortunately, you have to think of the loss. It worked out fine.”

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Mental adjustments, including a fresh start at Xtreme Couture, were the biggest changes for Assuncao, who visibly broke down inside the cage upon the official decision reading.

“As I showcased up in the cage there, (there) were a lot of emotions,” Assuncao said. “I was doing some math work over there. I haven’t won a fight since 2018. There were a lot of ups and downs, but we made it happen. I made some changes, as I mentioned also: new team, new camp, new everything. It worked out well. I’m very glad.”

Even with his UFC Fight Night 212 win, Assuncao thinks the end is likely near. He’s not done yet, but tries to soak in enjoyment in the twilight of his competitive career. While his competition will eventually cease, MMA will always be a part of his life in some capacity.

“We’re getting close to the end,” Assuncao said. “I don’t want to cry about this right now. We’re getting close to the end. I’ll definitely be (at Xtreme Couture), even if I’m not actively (competing). Like I said, if I decide to retire, I’ll still be around to help the guys.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.

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5 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 212: Alexa Grasso smart to slow-play title shot

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 212, which took place Saturday in Las Vegas.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 212 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …

UFC Fight Night 212 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Main event nets $12k total

UFC Fight Night 212 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 212 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $151,500.

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 212 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 212 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mana Martinez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brandon Davis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jacob Malkoun[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Nick Maximov[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Lucas Alexander[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Piera Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sam Hughes[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Pete Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mike Jackson[/autotag]: $4,500

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 2127 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2121 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 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

“UFC Fight Night 212: Grasso vs. Araujo” – $151,500
“UFC Fight Night 211: Dern vs. Yan” – $164,500
“UFC Fight Night 210: Sandhagen vs. Song” – $202,000
“UFC 279: Chimaev vs. Diaz” – $202,000
“UFC Fight Night 209: Gane vs. Tuivasa” – $155,000
“UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2” – $226,000
“UFC on ESPN 41: Vera vs. Cruz” – $195,000
“UFC on ESPN 40: Santos vs. Hill” – $140,000
“UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes 2” – $313,500
“UFC Fight Night 208: Blaydes vs. Aspinall” – $179,000
“UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez” – $179,000
“UFC on ESPN 39: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev” – $157,500
“UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier” – $362,500
“UFC on ESPN 38: Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot” – $140,500
“UFC on ESPN 37: Kattar vs. Emmett” – $189,000
“UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka” – $258,000
“UFC Fight Night 207: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik” – $149,000
“UFC Fight Night 206: Holm vs. Vieira” – $127,000
“UFC on ESPN 36: Blachowicz vs. Rakic” – $173,000
“UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje” – $320,000
“UFC on ESPN 35: Font vs. Vera” – $197,500
“UFC Fight Night 205: Lemos vs. Andrade” – $149,500
“UFC on ESPN 34: Luque vs. Muhammad 2” – $159,000
“UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie” – $293,500
“UFC on ESPN 33: Blaydes vs. Daukaus” – $186,500
“UFC Fight Night 204: Volkov vs. Aspinall” – $154,500
“UFC Fight Night 203: Santos vs. Ankalaev” – $198,000
“UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal” – $236,000
“UFC Fight Night 202: Makhachev vs. Green” – $138,000
“UFC Fight Night 201: Walker vs. Hill” – $140,000
“UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2” – $282,500
“UFC Fight Night 200: Hermansson vs. Strickland” – $160,500
“UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane” – $241,000
“UFC on ESPN 32: Kattar vs. Chikadze” – $132,000

Year-to-date total: $6,642,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $12,810,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.

UFC Fight Night 212 predictions: Is anyone taking Viviane Araujo over Alexa Grasso?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 212 main card in Las Vegas, which features Alexa Grasso vs. Viviane Araujo.

	Grasso vs. Araujo	Martinez vs. Swanson	Todorovic vs. Wright	Assuncao vs. Wright	Cirkunov vs. Menifield
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 161-96	Grasso (78%)	Swanson (55%)	Todorovic (61%)	Henry (63%)	Menifield (75%)
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 171-91 2018 Champion	Grasso	Martinez	Todorovic	Henry	Menifield
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 167-95	Grasso	Martinez	Todorovic	Henry	Cirkunov
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 165-97 2014 Champion	Grasso	Swanson	Todorovic	Assuncao	Menifield
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 164-98	Grasso	Martinez	Todorovic	Henry	Menifield
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 163-99	Grasso	Swanson	Todorovic	Henry	Menifield
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 161-101	Grasso	Swanson	Wright	Assuncao	Cirkunov
Simon Samano @SJSamano 161-101	Grasso	Swanson	Wright	Assuncao	Menifield
Nolan King @mma_kings 155-107	Grasso	Swanson	Todorovic	Henry	Menifield
Brian Garcia @thegoze 154-108 2017 Champion	Grasso	Swanson	Todorovic	Henry	Menifield
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 146-116	Grasso	Swanson	Wright	Assuncao	Menifield
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 128-133	Grasso	Swanson	Todorovic	Assuncao	Menifield

The stays on its home turf after an off week, and a pair of women’s flyweight contenders are atop the bill.

UFC Fight Night 212 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at 125 pounds. Grasso is a -240 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Araujo is +180. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Grasso as our lone unanimous picks on the main card at 11-0.

The co-main event features [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) against [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] (28-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) at bantamweight in Swanson’s move to the division after spending the bulk of his career, including the past nearly 15 years, at featherweight. Martinez is more than a 2-1 favorite, but most of our pickers are bucking the odds and have Swanson with a big 8-3 lead.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at middleweight. Todorovic is more than a 2-1 favorite and has an 8-3 picks lead.

[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (27-9 MMA, 11-6 UFC) is the event’s second biggest underdog in his bantamweight fight against [autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who is a -420 favorite. But Henry has just a 6-5 lead from our staff members.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 6-6 UFC) meets [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at light heavyweight. Menifield is a -220 favorite and has a blowout in the picks at 9-2.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Grasso (78 percent), Swanson (55 percent), Todorovic (61 percent), Henry (63 percent) and Menifield (75 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.

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UFC Fight Night 199 medical suspensions: Six fighters face potential six-month suspensions

Check out the full list of the fighter medical suspensions from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 199 in Las Vegas.

The last UFC event of the year left six fighters facing potential 6-month suspensions.

UFC Fight Night 199 went down on Saturday, Dec. 18 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In the main event former UFC heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] stopped [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] in the first round.

Neither fighter faced the maximum standard suspension of 6 months, but others fighting outside the top billing did. [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag], [autotag]Jordan Leavitt[/autotag], [autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag], [autotag]Harry Hunsucker[/autotag], [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag] and [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] were the six facing potential six-month outings.

On Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of the UFC Fight Night 199 medical suspensions handed out by the NAC from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.

Below is the full list of medical suspensions from UFC Fight Night 199:

UFC Fight Night 199 results: Ricky Simon slumps Raphael Assuncao for second round knockout

Ricky Simon picked up an impressive win at UFC Fight Night 199 by knocking out Raphael Assuncao in the second round.

[autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] made a statement at the UFC Apex on Saturday evening.

The bantamweight division has never been hotter and Simon (19-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) hoped to make his way into the top 15 by taking out No. 12 in the official promotional rankings on the main card of UFC Fight Night 199. With his incredible finish of Assuncao (27-9 MMA, 11-6 UFC) at the UFC Apex, he certainly turned a few heads.

The fight began with a rocky start as a low blow landed on Assuncao paused the action just nine seconds into the fight. After resuming, Simon went to work landing clean strikes before securing a takedown and working from top position on the mat. He would maintain the position and land strikes until the round concluded.

Simon continued to have the upper hand in the second round. The finishing moment came after a clean right hook from Simon slumped Assuncao against the fence, prompting referee Chris Tognoni to rush in to prevent any further damage.

Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter):

STATEMENT: MADE ✅

[ @RickySimonUFC | #UFCVegas45 ] pic.twitter.com/7WIZPsLTOg

— UFC (@ufc) December 19, 2021

Simon makes it four straight wins with Saturday’s result, which was his third victory of 2021. During his current run, Simon defeated Ray Borg, Gaetano Pirrello, and Brian Kelleher before taking care of Assuncao.

On the other end, Assuncao drops his fourth straight UFC bout, although his three previous losses were to premier competition in Marlon Moraes, Cory Sandhagen, and former champion Cody Garbrandt.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC Fight Night 199 include:

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UFC Fight Night 199 predictions: Who’s picking Chris Daukaus to keep rolling over Derrick Lewis?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 199 card, featuring Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus.

	Lewis vs. Daukaus	Muhammad vs. Thompson	Hill vs. Lemos	Assuncao vs. Simon	Ferreira vs. Gamrot	Elkins vs. Swanson
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 204-120	Lewis (60%)	Thompson (77%)	Lemos (65%)	Simon (61%)	Gamrot (68%)	Swanson (62%)
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 208-116	Daukaus	Thompson	Lemos	Simon	Gamrot	Swanson
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 206-118	Lewis	Muhammad	Lemos	Simon	Ferreira	Swanson
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 200-124 2014 Champion	Lewis	Thompson	Lemos	Simon	Gamrot	Swanson
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 199-125	Lewis	Thompson	Lemos	Simon	Ferreira	Elkins
Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 198-126	Lewis	Thompson	Lemos	Assuncao	Gamrot	Elkins
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 197-127 2020 Champion	Daukaus	Thompson	Lemos	Simon	Gamrot	Elkins
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 2021: 126-82 (60.57)	Lewis	Thompson	Lemos	Simon	Ferreira	Swanson
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 192-132	Lewis	Muhammad	Hill	Assuncao	Ferreira	Elkins
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 190-134 2018 Champion	Lewis	Muhammad	Lemos	Assuncao	Gamrot	Swanson
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 188-136	Lewis	Muhammad	Lemos	Assuncao	Gamrot	Elkins
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 186-138 2017 Champion	Lewis	Muhammad	Lemos	Assuncao	Gamrot	Elkins
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 186-138	Lewis	Muhammad	Lemos	Simon	Ferreira	Swanson
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 184-140	Lewis	Thompson	Lemos	Assuncao	Gamrot	Elkins

The final UFC event of the year takes place Saturday in Las Vegas with heavyweights at the top of the bill.

UFC Fight Night 199 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, former title challenger [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (25-8 MMA, 16-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC). Daukaus is a slight -140 favorite at Tipico. But our 13 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are taking slight underdog Lewis in a big way at 11-2 margin.

In the co-feature, two-time welterweight title challenger [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] (16-5-1 MMA, 11-5-1 UFC) meets [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC). Thompson is more than a 2-1 favorite, but he’s only got a 7-6 edge in the picks.

[autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (10-1-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is the biggest favorite on the main card at more than 3-1 in her women’s strawweight fight against [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (13-10 MMA, 8-10 UFC). Only one of our pickers is taking Hill in an upset.

[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (27-8 MMA, 11-5 UFC) meets [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a key bantamweight bout. Simon is nearly a 3-1 favorite, but the picks are tight and he has just a 7-6 lead from our staff members.

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is a 2-1 favorite at lightweight against [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC). Gamrot has a slight edge in the picks at 8-5.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag] (26-9 MMA, 16-8 UFC) and [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] (27-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC) throw down in a featherweight fight that seems like it should have happened years ago. Swanson nearly is a 2-1 favorite, but our pickers have Elkins with the smallest possible edge at 7-6.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Lewis (60 percent), Thompson (77 percent), Lemos (65 percent), Simon (61 percent), Gamrot (68 percent) and Swanson (62 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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UFC Fight Night 199 pre-event facts: Derrick Lewis goes for all-time knockout record

The best facts and figures about UFC Fight Night 199 where Derrick Lewis will attempt to set the UFC’s all-time knockout record.

The UFC closes out its 2021 schedule on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 199, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.

A clash of heavyweight contenders takes the main event spotlight, with [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (25-8 MMA, 16-6 UFC) set to attempt another climb to a title shot when he meets [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who is undefeated in the octagon thus far.

For more on the numbers behind the main event and rest of the lineup, check below for 60 pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 199.

UFC adds Raphael Assuncao vs. Ricky Simon to Dec. 18 event

Raphael Assuncao will look to snap his losing skid when he meets streaking contender Ricky Simon.

[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] will look to snap his losing skid when he meets a streaking contender.

Assuncao (27-8 MMA, 14-7 UFC) faces [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Dec. 18 in an event that doesn’t yet have a know venue or location.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA DNA was first to report the news.

After two canceled fights, Assuncao will look to return to action for the first time since June 2020. The Brazilian, who recently underwent surgery for a torn distal tendon in his left bicep, has dropped his past three in a row to former title challenger Marlon Moraes, top contender Cory Sandhagen, and most recently former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt. Assuncao’s last win came over Rob Font in 2018.

Simon was able to rebound from back-to-back losses to Urijah Faber and Font with three straight wins in less than a calendar year. The former LFA bantamweight champion is coming off a unanimous decision win over Brian Kelleher at UFC 258 in February.

With the addition to the card, the Dec. 18 UFC event currently includes:

Amanda Lemos vs. Nina Nunes
Anthony Hernandez vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
Raphael Assuncao vs. Ricky Simon

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Adrian Yanez: Raphael Assuncao or Jimmie Rivera ‘would set me up even higher for my next fight’

After another thrilling finish, Adrian Yanez is ready to elevate his career to the next level.

After another thrilling finish, [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag] is ready to elevate his career to the next level.

Yanez (14-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) picked up his third straight “Performance of the Night” bonus when he rallied to score a second-round TKO of fellow prospect Randy Costa at UFC on ESPN 27 this past Saturday.

The 27-year-old’s stock continues to rise, and after winning his seventh straight bout, Yanez likes the suggested ideas of facing veterans [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] or [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] next.

“Both those guys are phenomenal names and guys who I respect,” Yanez told MMA Junkie Radio. “I was watching Raphael Assuncao fight when I was still an amateur, and that was back in 2012, so I have a big respect for the both of them. Both those names sound very, very nice. They’ve been in the game for a very long time, and I think that’s just great all around. I think that would be a great fight either way.

“That would set me up even higher for my next fight, so those are great set-up fights – tune-ups to get those guys who are in the top 15, easily.”

Although he was fairly critical of his performance, especially in the first round, Yanez wants to ramp up his activity by fighting another two times before the end of the year.

“I would want September,” Yanez said. “I definitely want September and then fight end of November and kind of chill out for December, January and February – and after that, be very, very active.”

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