Tag: Rodolfo Vieira

UFC Fight Night 223 post-event facts: Song Yadong climbs KO list at 135 pounds

Check out the numbers to come out UFC Fight Night 223, where Song Yadong climbed the bantamweight knockout list with a main event finish.

The UFC closed its April schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 223 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The card, which was thin on paper, saw [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (20-7-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) shine in the main event when he outworked and eventually finished [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) with a fifth-round TKO in their bantamweight showdown.

For more on the numbers to come out of the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 223.

UFC Fight Night 223 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Marcos Rogerio de Lima tops card with $16k

UFC Fight Night 223 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 223 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $144,500.

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 223 took place at the UFC Apex. The main card streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2.

The full UFC Fight Night 223 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Fernando Padilla[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Waldo Cortes-Acosta[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Trey Waters[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Josh Quinlan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Martin Buday[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Irina Alekseeva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Stephanie Egger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Journey Newson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jamey-Lyn Horth[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Hailey Cowan[/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 2231 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: $2,556,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $17,145,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 223.

UFC Fight Night 223 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 223 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 223 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 223 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 223.

UFC Fight Night 223 predictions: See our three unanimous picks in Vegas

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 223 main card, featuring Song Yadong vs. Ricky Simon at bantamweight.

Yadong
vs.
Simon		 Borralho
vs.
Oleksiejczuk		 Brundage
vs.
Vieira		 Erosa
vs.
Padilla		 Cortes-Acosta
vs.
Rogerio		 Quinlan
vs.
Waters
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
63-41		 simon2023
Simon
(59%)		 borralho2023
Borralho
(79%)		 vieira2023
Vieira
(75%)		 erosa2023
Erosa
(70%)		 cortesacosta2023
Cortes-Acosta
(60%)		 quinlan2023
Quinlan
(86%)
Matt Erickson
@MattE
67-37		 yadong2023
Yadong		 borralho2023
Borralho		 vieira2023
Vieira		 padilla2023
Padilla		 cortesacosta2023
Cortes-Acosta		 quinlan2023
Quinlan
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
67-37		 simon2023
Simon		 borralho2023
Borralho		 vieira2023
Vieira		 padilla2023
Padilla		 cortesacosta2023
Cortes-Acosta		 quinlan2023
Quinlan
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
66-38		 simon2023
Simon		 borralho2023
Borralho		 vieira2023
Vieira		 erosa2023
Erosa		 cortesacosta2023
Cortes-Acosta		 quinlan2023
Quinlan
Nolan King
@mma_kings
66-38		 yadong2023
Yadong		 borralho2023
Borralho		 vieira2023
Vieira		 padilla2023
Padilla		 cortesacosta2023
Cortes-Acosta		 quinlan2023
Quinlan
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
64-40		 simon2023
Simon		 borralho2023
Borralho		 vieira2023
Vieira		 padilla2023
Padilla		 cortesacosta2023
Cortes-Acosta		 quinlan2023
Quinlan
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
63-41
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 simon2023
Simon		 borralho2023
Borralho		 vieira2023
Vieira		 erosa2023
Erosa		 cortesacosta2023
Cortes-Acosta		 quinlan2023
Quinlan
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
60-44		 simon2023
Simon		 borralho2023
Borralho		 vieira2023
Vieira		 padilla2023
Padilla		 cortesacosta2023
Cortes-Acosta		 quinlan2023
Quinlan
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
-60-44
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion		 simon2023
Simon		 borralho2023
Borralho		 brundage2023
Brundage		 padilla2023
Padilla		 cortesacosta2023
Cortes-Acosta		 quinlan2023
Quinlan
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
58-46
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 simon2023
Simon		 borralho2023
Borralho		 vieira2023
Vieira		 erosa2023
Erosa		 cortesacosta2023
Cortes-Acosta		 quinlan2023
Quinlan
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
58-46		 simon2023
Simon		 borralho2023
Borralho		 vieira2023
Vieira		 padilla2023
Padilla		 cortesacosta2023
Cortes-Acosta		 quinlan2023
Quinlan
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
57-47		 yadong2023
Yadong		 borralho2023
Borralho		 vieira2023
Vieira		 erosa2023
Erosa		 cortesacosta2023
Cortes-Acosta		 quinlan2023
Quinlan

The UFC stays in Las Vegas this week with a key bantamweight matchup atop the card.

UFC Fight Night 223 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

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

In the main event, [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (19-7-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC) in a 125-pound matchup originally set for a co-main event this past Saturday. Simon is a slight -120 favorite at the betting window. The comeback on Yadong is +100, making these some of the stickiest main event odds in the UFC this year. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Simon with a big eight ahead of Yadong, who has just three head nods.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is the biggest favorite on the card at nearly 4-1 in his middleweight bout against [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC). He’s also one of our three unanimous picks.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in a middleweight bout. Vieira is about a -250 favorite and is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.

[autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag] (28-10 MMA, 6-6 UFC) is a slight favorite with the oddsmakers in his featherweight bout against [autotag]Fernando Padilla[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC). But it’s Padilla who has a 7-4 picks lead.

Although unbeaten heavyweight [autotag]Waldo Cortes-Acosta[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is a slight underdog against [autotag]Marcos Rogerio[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC), he’s the second of our three unanimous picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Josh Quinlan[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is our third unanimous pick in his welterweight bout against short-notice opponent [autotag]Trey Waters[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC). Quinlan nearly is a 2-1 favorite in the fight.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Simon (59 percent), Borralho (79 percent), Vieira (75 percent), Erosa (70 percent), Cortes-Acosta (60 percent) and Quinlan (86 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 223.

Rodolfo Vieira plans to cut back on takedown attempts at UFC Fight Night 223

Rodolfo Vieira won’t try for “1,000 takedowns” against Cody Brundage at UFC Fight Night 223, but expects a finish on the ground.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] intends to be more selective with his takedown attempts when he meets Cody Brundage at UFC Fight Night 223.

Vieira (8-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Brundage (8-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) meet in the middleweight featured bout of Saturday’s card, which takes place at the UFC Apex and streams on ESPN+ following early prelims on ESPN2.

After going 0-for-20 on takedown attempts in his previous outing against Chris Curtis in June, Vieira, a decorated jiu-jitsu champion, has been working hard on taking a more tactical and effective approach.

“I’m not going to do what I did the last fight, like try a 1,000 takedowns,” Vieira told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 223 media day. “Of course I want to use my jiu-jitsu because it’s my background and what I do the best. My striking is very good as well and I’m very confident in all areas. But for sure I’m going to try to take him down and use my jiu-jitsu.”

To hear more from Vieira, check out his complete UFC Fight Night 223 media day interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 223.

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Video: UFC Fight Night 223 media day interviews

Before UFC Fight Night 223 on Saturday, main card fighters are scheduled to speak to reporters at media day.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC schedule for April closes out Saturday with UFC Fight Night 223, which takes place at the UFC Apex with a main card that streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2.

A bantamweight main event serves as the final act on the card. Song Yadong (19-7-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC) will take on Ricky Simon (20-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in a matchup of fighters looking to take the next step forward in arguably the sport’s most stacked division.

Before fight night arrives, though, eight athletes from the main card are spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each session.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 20-26)

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 Feb. 20-26.

UFC on ESPN 38 pre-event facts: Neil Magny can break Georges St-Pierre’s record

Neil Magny can break Georges St-Pierre’s record and be the first to 20 welterweight wins if he beats Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC on ESPN 38.

The UFC returns to its home base of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 38, which has a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

A matchup of surging lightweight contenders is featured in the main event. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] (20-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will look to break through into the next tier of the division when they meet in a five-round bout.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the 12-fight lineup, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 38.

UFC adds Chris Curtis vs. Rodolfo Vieira to June 25 lineup

Chris Curtis will look to overcome another tough challenge when he faces ADCC champion Rodolfo Vieira.

[autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] will look to overcome another tough challenge.

Curtis (28-8 MMA, 2-0 UFC) takes on [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) on June 25 in an event expected to be a Fight Night card, likely at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

People with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial post by Curtis’ management Iridium Sports Agency on social media.

Since getting his shot at the UFC in late 2021, Curtis has defied the odds. In two octagon bouts, Curtis picked up upset finishes of Phil Hawes, and most recently Brendan Allen this past December at UFC on ESPN 31. He was scheduled to face Dricus du Plessis at UFC 273, but withdrew due to a fractured wrist.

Vieira rebounded from a massive upset submission loss to Anthony Hernandez at UFC 258 with a third-round “Performance of the Night” submission of Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC on ESPN 26 in July. The ADCC champion was booked against fellow Brazilian Wellington Turman at UFC 270 in January, but the bout was scrapped after Vieira was forced out due to medical reasons.

With the addition, the UFC’s June 25 lineup now includes:

  • Amir Albazi vs. Tim Elliott
  • Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Jinh Yu Frey
  • Alan Baudot vs. Josh Parisian
  • Chris Curtis vs. Rodolfo Vieira

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LFA 126 results: Jose Delano thrives in short-notice upset; Gabriel Bonfim shines bright as earned title gold

The event took place in Brazil and showcased dozen’s of rising prospects including new champ Gabriel Bonfim and main event winner Jose Delano.

A previously-vacant title now has a Brazilian owner following LFA 126, which took place Friday at Complexo Ribalta in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In the featherweight title fight main event, [autotag]Jose Delano[/autotag] (10-2) battled Dana White’s Contender Series alum [autotag]Jonas Bilharinho[/autotag] (9-2-1) but no champion was crowned. Delano won via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 48-47) after five hard-fought rounds.

Delano wasn’t even originally scheduled for the five-round main event. He prepared for a main card opener, which he missed weight for by six pounds Thursday. When originally-scheduled headline fighter Rafael Barbosa was pulled by CABMMMA (sanctioning body), Delano stepped in but was ineligible for a title in a last-second elevation into the headlining bout.

The first two rounds were closely contested as Delano led the dance and bloodied Bilharinho. In Round 3, Delano dragged the fight to the canvas and remained heavy on top.

The fighters entered the championship rounds and Delano continued to make things ugly. He tied up Bilharinho in the clinch, but ate a big head-splitting elbow. Blood poured down from the middle of his forehead as the striking resumed. The final round was perhaps the most violent of the fight as both bloody fighters landed wild spinning strikes in the final seconds. When the dust settled, Delano had a new piece of hardware.

After the fight, Delano vowed to make weight in his next outing, should LFA grant him another opportunity.

The loss stings for Bilharinho, who many fans thought was snubbed on DWCS in 2021. Bilharinho landed a highlight-reel wheel kick knockout on the series, but was not awarded a contract from the UFC president.

In the co-main event, [autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag] (12-0) made a major statement in a big way. Entering the fight with a hugely lopsided record, Bonfim widened the spread when he pieced up [autotag]Eduardo Garvon[/autotag] (13-4) on the feet before he sunk in a deep D’Arce choke. The tap came shortly thereafter and made Bonfim the seventh welterweight champion in LFA history.

Before titles were on the line, other rising Brazilian prospects made the most of their moments under the spotlight of an international stream.

Heavyweight [autotag]Eduardo Neves[/autotag] (5-0) remained undefeated with a violent bonanza of punches that marked the beginning of the end for previously unbeaten [autotag]Andre Vieira[/autotag] (4-1). Neves finished the fight 64 seconds into Round 1.

Bantamweight [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/autotag] (6-1) showed off her slick submission skills when she snatched a slick, second-round heel hook against [autotag]Queila Braga[/autotag] (5-2).

In the opening main card bout, [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] (8-1) maintained his winning ways with a buzzer-beating triangle choke against [autotag]Thiago Vieira[/autotag] (11-5).

The event marked the promotion’s second trip to Brazil after two events in one weekend, LFA 111 and LFA 112 in July 2021. The internationally-streamed platform is somewhat unique for the talent in Brazil. Although the country has produced numerous UFC fighters, many enter the promotion with little or no fight tape on the internet.

LFA CEO Ed Soares, a longtime manager of legendary Brazilian fighters Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira among others, has indicated Brazil will regularly be in the promotion’s rotation from here on out. LFA plans to return in May 2022.

The LFA 126 results include:

  • Jose Delano def. Jonas Bilharinho via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 48-47)
  • Gabriel Bonfirm def. Eduardo Garvon via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 1:19 – for vacant welterweight title
  • Ismael Bonfim def. Andrey Augusto via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
  • Eduardo Neves def. Andre Vieira via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:04
  • Tamires Vidal def. Queila Braga via submission (heel hook) – Round 2, 3:36
  • Rodolfo Bellato def. Thiago Vieira via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:58
  • Gabriel Alves Braga def. Rogerio Ferreira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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