Middleweights will collide in a Jan. 16 UFC showdown.
A middleweight fight is the latest addition to the UFC’s Jan. 16 lineup.
[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] and [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] will square off at the event, which does not yet have an announced location.
Two people with knowledge of the situation recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup, but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to announce the booking.
Hernandez (7-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) will look to turn his momentum back around following a 39-second TKO loss to Kevin Holland in his most recent outing in May. Hernandez is a former LFA middleweight champion who holds a UFC win over Jun Yong Park.
Vieira (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is a four-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and seven-time World Cup champion. Since transitioning to MMA, Vieira has carried over his grappling skills. Having finished all seven of his professional MMA fights, Vieira has submitted six of his opponents. He most recently submitted Saparbeg Safarov at UFC 248 in March.
Jiu-jitsu standout Rodolfo Vieira will look to keep his momentum going when he faces Markus Perez this fall.
Jiu-jitsu standout [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] will look to keep his momentum going this fall.
Vieira (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will face [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in a middleweight matchup at the UFC’s planned event for Oct. 10. No location or name designation has been announced for the event yet.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report by MMA Fighting. The person asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an announcement.
Vieira, an Abu Dhabi Combat Club gold medalist and multiple-time IBJJF champion, remained unbeaten in his last outing when he submitted Saparbeg Safarov at UFC 248 March. He has finished all seven of his pro wins.
Perez has split his past four appearances, but his two wins over James Bochnovic and Anthony Hernandez came by submission. He was scheduled to face Eric Spicely at UFC on ESPN+ 31 this past weekend, but Spicely was forced out due to weight-cut issues. He then drew newcomer Charles Ontiveros, but due to a commission ruling, the fight was canceled.
Israel Adesanya is one of six fighters in need of further evaluation after UFC 248.
[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] is one of six fighters in need of further evaluation after UFC 248.
The UFC middleweight champion Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who defended his title in a unanimous decision over Yoel Romero (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in Saturday’s headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, needs X-rays on both of his feet before obtaining clearance to fight again.
Monday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of medical suspensions from the Nevada Athletic Commission, the body that oversaw the event.
Complete UFC 248 medical suspensions include:
* * * *
Israel Adesanya: Needs X-rays of both feet. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until April 9; minimum suspension no contact until April 29.
[autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag]: Suspended until May 5; no contact until April 22.
[autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag]: Suspended until May 5; no contact until April 22.
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: Needs MRI on right knee. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until April 9.
[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag]: Needs MRI on left shoulder. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until Sept. 4; minimum suspension with no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: Needs X-ray on left foot. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until Sept. 4; minimum suspension with no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Jose Quinonez[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag]: Needs X-ray on left foot. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until Sept. 4; minimum suspension with no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: Needs X-ray on left ankle. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until Sept. 4; minimum suspension with no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag]: Suspended until April 7; no contact until March 29.
[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Danaa Batgerel[/autotag]: Needs X-ray on right foot. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until Sept. 4; minimum suspension with no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was the highest earner at UFC 248, taking home more than double that of the card’s other champ.
Middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] was the highest earner at UFC 248, taking home more than twice as much disclosed pay as the card’s other defending champ.
Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) made $500,000 with no win bonus for his main event title defense against challenger [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Romero made $350,000 in defeat.
The other defending champion on the card, Zhang Weili (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) netted $200,000 for beating [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who got $106,000 in the memorable title contest.
The total disclosed payroll for the event was $2.086 million.
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Complete disclosed salaries for UFC 248:
Israel Adesanya: $500,000 (no win bonus)
def. Yoel Romero: $350,000
The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, including the official UFC 248 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special discretionary bonuses the UFC sometimes pays. They also do not include pay-per-view cuts that some top-level fighters receive.
For example, UFC officials handed out additional $50,000 UFC 248 fight-night bonuses to Dariush and O’Malley for “Performance of the Night,” and Weili and Jedrzejczyk for “Fight of the Night.”
In other words, the above figures are simply base salaries reported to the commission and do not reflect entire compensation packages for the event.
The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 248, which saw Israel Adesanya beat Yoel Romero in the main event.
The UFC returned to Las Vegas for the second time this year on Saturday with UFC 248, which took place at T-Mobile Arena with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
Two title fights sat atop the card, and neither champion was unseated. [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) kept ahold of his middleweight strap with a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in the main event, while [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) managed retain her strawweight title by edging out [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in a split decision.
For more on the numbers to come out of the title bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 40 post-event facts from UFC 248.
Betting favorites improved to 5-2 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 2:16:14.
Main card
Israel Adesanya
Adesanya’s 19-fight winning streak is third longest among active UFC fighters behind Khabib Nurmagomedov (28) and Zhang (21).
Adesanya’s 19-fight winning streak is the longest among active UFC middleweights.
Adesanya’s eight-fight UFC winning streak at middleweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
Romero’s three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.
Romero fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to July 2017.
Romero has suffered all four of his UFC losses by decision.
Zhang Weili
Weili extended her winning streak to 21 fights. She hasn’t suffered a defeat since her MMA debut in November 2013.
Weili’s 21-fight winning streak is the second longest among all fighters on the UFC roster behind Nurmagomedov (28).
Weili’s five-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is with Tatiana Suarez and Yan Xiaonan for the longest active streak in the division.
Weili and Jedrzejczyk combined for 351 significant strikes landed, the third most in UFC title-fight history. Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega hold the record with 400 total at UFC 231.
Jedrzejczyk fell to 2-4 in her past six fights dating back to when she lost the UFC strawweight title in November 2017.
Jedrzejczyk is one of two fighters UFC history to land 100 or more significant strikes in eight separate fights. Max Holloway also accomplished the feat.
Jedrzejczyk has suffered three of her four career losses by decision.
Dariush’s (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) 12 UFC lightweight victories since 2014 are the most in the division.
[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] (11-2-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Neil Magny
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]’s (22-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (16).
Magny’s 15 victories since 2013 in UFC competition are second most among active fighters in the company behind Donald Cerrone (17).
Magny has earned nine of his 15 UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has suffered five of his six career losses by decision.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) improved to 8-5 (with one no contest) in UFC welterweight competition.
[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 3-6 UFC) fell to 1-4 in his past five UFC appearances dating back to July 2018.
Griffin has suffered seven of his eight career losses by decision.
Preliminary card
Sean O’Malley
O’Malley (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned eight of 11 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision. That includes both of his UFC defeats.
[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned all seven of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished both of his UFC wins by submission.
[autotag]Saparbek Safarov[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) was unsuccessful in his middleweight debut.
Safarov has suffered all of his career losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has earned 28 of his 30 carer victories by stoppage. That includes all six of his UFC wins.
[autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 6-0.
Winn suffered the first submission loss of his career.
[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by (split) decision.
[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 248 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $257,000.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 248 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $257,000.
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 248 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
The full UFC 248 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 248 event.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC 248 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.
Rodolfo Vieira’s mangled eye likely would have caused the doctor to stop the fight if he hadn’t finished it first.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] likely was on his way to a doctor stoppage loss against Saparbeg Safarov on Saturday at UFC 248. Fortunately for him, he finished the fight before the doctor could intervene.
With his eye mangled and swollen shut, Vieira (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) took care of business inside the first round against Safarov (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) in their middleweight bout, securing an arm-triangle choke for the submission.
Although the pain likely was numbed by the win, Vieira will be feeling the effects for a good while. The extent of the damage is unknown, but it did not look in good shape as he walked past press row inside T-Mobile Arena (via Twitter):
In addition, Vieira was immediately transported to the hospital after the fight, a UFC official confirmed to MMA Junkie.
Good thing.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
The lineup has been set for what promises to be an explosive night of action in Las Vegas.
UFC 248 will feature a championship doubleheader showcasing four elite competitors from all over the world.
Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya of New Zealand will put his title on the line against Yoel Romero, from South Florida by way of Cuba, in the main event.
The melting pot that is UFC 248 takes place March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Both Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Zhang (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will look to remain undefeated in the UFC.
The finalized UFC 248 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Champ Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero – for middleweight title
Champ Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk – for strawweight title
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]
[autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]
[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Shane O’Malley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jose Quinonez[/autotag]
[autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag]
[autotag]Saparbek Safarov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag]
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Emily Whitmire[/autotag]
[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]
[autotag]Danaa Batgerel[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]
A middleweight bout between Rodolfo Vieira and Saparbek Safarov is the latest addition to UFC 248.
[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] has his first fight for 2020 booked.
Jiu-jitsu standout Vieira (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Saparbek Safarov[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in a middleweight bout at UFC 248. MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with a person with knowledge of the matchup following an initial report by MMA DNA.
UFC 248 takes place March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
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Vieira, a decorated grappler who won an Abu Dhabi Combat Club gold medal in 2015 and is a multiple-time IBJJF champion, will be looking to remain undefeated in his MMA career. Vieira most recently fought in August with a successful UFC debut. He submitted Oskar Piechota in the second round at UFC on ESPN+ 14 in Uruguay.
Safarov most recently was seen this past March at UFC on ESPN+ 5 in London. He outpointed Nicolae Negumereanu to win his first bout in the promotion after losses in his first two UFC fights to Tyson Pedro and Gian Villante.
With the addition, the UFC 248 lineup now includes:
Champ Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk – for women’s strawweight title
