Video: Our favorite new matchups for 2024’s first quarter

Our “Spinning Back Clique” picks their favorite fights on the schedule so far for Q1 2024.

It’s a new year and that means a whole new slate of fights ahead.

As the UFC and other promotions fill out their Q1 2024 calendar, some intriguing matchups have been announced.

From [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] 2 in Mexico, to the return of [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] against [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] in Las Vegas, and [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] in Atlantic City, there are a number of fun matchups to get excited about.

But which fights are our favorites?

That’s what our “Spinning Back Clique” of Nolan King, Dan Tom and Brian “Goze” Garcia discussed along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above, or check out this week’s episode below on YouTube or in podcast form.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Jan. 8-14)

There were 35 UFC 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.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 8-14.

Rose Namajunas stays at flyweight, meets Amanda Ribas in UFC main event on March 23

Former UFC champ Rose Namajunas will attempt to avoid a third consecutive loss when she takes on Amanda Ribas in March.

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] will remain at women’s flyweight in hopes of getting back on the winning track.

Namajunas, a former two-time UFC strawweight champ, will take on [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] in a 125-pound main event at UFC Fight Night on March 23, which is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and stream on ESPN+.

Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from MMA HOJE. The people requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Both Namajunas(11-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and Ribas (12-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) have signed their bout agreements, the people said.

Namajunas, 31, will attempt to snap a two-fight losing skid. After dropping the 115-pound title to Carla Esparza in one of the most criticized title fights in company history at UFC 274, Namajunas took an extended layoff. She moved up a division for her return but dropped a unanimous decision to Manon Fiorot last September at UFC Fight Night 226.

Looking to hand “Thug Rose” a third consecutive defeat will be Ribas, who continues to bounce around weight classes. The Brazilian is coming of a third-round TKO of Luana Pinheiro at UFC Fight Night 232 in November, and despite claiming she was going to stick around strawweight, she moves back up again for the encounter with Namajunas.

Manager: Ex-UFC champ Rose Namajunas to stay at flyweight, will return in first half of year

Despite falling short in her divisional debut, Rose Namajunas is sticking around at flyweight.

Despite falling short in her divisional debut, former UFC strawweight champion [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] is sticking around at flyweight.

Namajunas (11-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) was outlasted by top contender Manon Fiorot in her flyweight debut this past September in Paris.

Namajunas dismissed the notion that she’s too small for 125 pounds after the loss, and her manager, Brian Butler, confirmed that she won’t be dropping back down to strawweight.

“She’s going to stay at flyweight,” Butler told MMA Junkie Radio. “You’ll see her first half of this year.”

Namajunas revealed that she dislocated her pinky finger in Round 1 of her fight against Fiorot. “Thug Rose” still managed to stand toe to toe with Fiorot, winning Round 3 on two of the three judges’ scorecards.

Namajunas holds two wins over current UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili, but Butler said Namajunas likes her chances at flyweight.

“Unfortunately in her last fight, she popped her finger in the very first round and was not really able to get her groove going until a little too late,” Butler said. “It didn’t deter her at all, and she felt very confident that if she had all of her tools that she could have won that fight.

“If Rose is confident, if Rose’s mind is into it, nobody’s beating her. Like I said, if Rose is on a mission and Rose wants to do something and she’s motivated for it, that’s a problem for everybody.”

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Rose Namajunas: Trevor Wittman not in my corner at UFC Paris ‘has nothing to do with Pat’ Barry

Rose Namajunas says Pat Barry is not to blame for Trevor Wittman’s absence in her corner at UFC Paris.

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] says [autotag]Pat Barry[/autotag] is not to blame for Trevor Wittman’s absence in her corner.

Namajunas (11-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) fell short in her flyweight debut when she lost a unanimous decision to Manon Fiorot (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 226 co-headliner at Accor Arena in Paris.

A notable absence in her corner was Wittman, but Namajunas says that was her choice – not her fiancé Barry’s.

“Everybody wants to sh*t on Pat and just makes assumptions because that’s the way things are no matter what,” Namajunas said in an Instagram video. “People are just going to assume that he’s the reason why (Wittman) wasn’t in my corner. It has nothing to do with Pat.

“It has everything to do with me and (Justin) Gaethje and him having a fight with the ‘BMF’ and all that stuff, and I did not want to interfere and I stayed back. There’s more to it than that, but for the most part, that’s all I think I want to say about that because our relationships are very … we’re very close people and it’s nobody’s business.”

Barry received plenty of criticism when taking the lead in Namajunas’ corner in her title-fight loss to Carla Esparza at UFC 274. Namajunas lost the strawweight title in a lackluster decision.

Namajunas said she spoke to Wittman after her fight, and plans to continue working with him. Namajunas also said she received the fight offer for Fiorot during Gaethje’s training camp for his “BMF” title fight against Dustin Poirier, and didn’t want to interrupt it.

“The state of mind that I was in, I couldn’t bring that around him,” Namajunas said. “The fact that I could contribute to him not doing well has not sit right with me since that Carla (Esparza) fight. So, I took it upon myself to stay back.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.

Rose Namajunas dismisses notion that flyweight isn’t for her: ‘I’m definitely not too small’

Rose Namajunas is more than comfortable at flyweight.

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] is more than comfortable at flyweight.

Although Namajunas (11-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to Manon Fiorot (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 226 co-headliner at Accor Arena in Paris, she had no issues standing toe-to-toe with the French fighter.

Namajunas dislocated her pinky finger in the first round, but battled through it for the three rounds. The two-time strawweight champion said she’s unsure what’s next, but insists flyweight is her new home.

“What’s next? Good question. I’m still piecing that together,” Namajunas said in an Instagram video. “I’ve thought about a rematch. I’ve thought about a bunch of different things. But definitely, rematch comes to mind, or I’ll get her eventually because I almost beat her with one hand. So that’s how I feel about that.

“I’m definitely going to stay (at flyweight). I want to put a little more muscle on. I don’t want to go back down (to strawweight) – definitely not. I felt so much bigger not cutting weight.”

Fiorot told MMA Junkie at the post-fight news conference that Namajunas is too small for 125 pounds, which didn’t sit well with “Thug Rose.”

“I did see a headline where she says I’m too small, and I didn’t win a round,” Namajunas said. “Well, I disagree with both of those things. I think I dropped your ass, so I’m definitely not too small. I might have had some moments of, like, freaking out because I couldn’t grip my fingers together or I couldn’t make a fist, but definitely not too small.”

Namajunas plans on building herself even more into the flyweight frame, and is confident she can beat Fiorot.

“If I have a little more time, I will definitely put more size on,” Namajunas said. “And that’s what I’m going to concentrate on right now. … If it was a real fight, the fight would have kept going on and I would have eventually, I believe, found a way to win, even with just one hand.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.

4 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 226: Rose Namajunas’ curious future, Ciryl Gane saves reputation

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 226, including Rose Namajunas’ curious fighting future.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 226 at the Accor Arena in Paris? Here are a few post-fight musings …

* * * *

UFC Fight Night 226 post-event facts: Rose Namajunas’ career hits uncharted territory after loss

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 226, such as Rose Namajunas being on the first true losing skid of her career.

The UFC’s second trip to Paris was another significant event for French MMA with UFC Fight Night 226 going down Saturday at Accor Arena.

Multiple French fighters on the card thrived, but none more than former interim UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC, who thrived in the main event with a second-round TKO of [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) to rebound from his loss against Jon Jones earlier this year.

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 Fight Night 226.

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Rose Namajunas suffered broken finger in UFC Fight Night 226 loss to Manon Fiorot

Manager releases photo of Rose Namajunas’ badly injured finger from UFC Fight Night 226 loss.

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]’s finger injury was no joke.

Brian Butler-Au, manager for Namajunas at Sucker Punch Entertainment, posted a photo on Sunday morning of Namajunas’ badly injured pinky finger on her right hand.

Namajunas (11-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) sustained the injury in the very first round of her UFC flyweight debut against Manon Fiorot (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 226 in Paris. In the end, Namajunas lost a unanimous decision to the French fighter.

Butler-Au believes the injury played a factor in Namajunas’ defeat. She did point out her injury to her corner the second the first round ended, saying she had likely broken her finger, and she mainly kept her right hand open for the majority of the fight.

“This is what happened to @rosenamajunas hand in the very first clash in the first round,” Butler-Au wrote on Instagram. “Not being able to make a fist caused a mental battle to keep fighting and carried into the second round.. by the third round Rose was ready for 2 more. Such is the fight game 🤦🏻‍♂️ She is in good spirits and heading home now 🙏🏼🌹.”

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UFC Fight Night 226 marked Namajunas’ return to MMA competition in over a year. Prior to her fight against Fiorot, Namajunas was last seen in May 2022 when she lost her UFC strawweight title fight to Carla Esparza in a lackluster unanimous decision.

The 31-year-old is currently 3-2 in her past five bouts. Namajunas indicated at media day on Wednesday that she was likely going to stay at 125 pounds for the remainder of her career.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.

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UFC Fight Night 226 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Multiple fighters top card with $11,000

UFC Fight Night 226 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

PARIS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 226 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $128,500.

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 226 took place at the Accor Arena in France. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 226 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Bogdan Guskov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]William Gomis[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yanis Ghemmouri[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Morgan Charriere[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Manolo Zecchini[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Caolan Loughran[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kleydson Rodrigues[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jacqueline Cavalcanti[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zarah Fairn[/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 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2261 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: $5,735,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $20,324,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.