Tag: Sodiq Yusuff

Diego Lopes aims to become the first to stop Sodiq Yusuff at UFC 300: ‘That’s my objective’

Diego Lopes wants to finish Sodiq Yusuff at UFC 300 and send a message to the UFC featherweight division.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] thinks he has a massive opportunity to make a statement.

The fan-favorite UFC featherweight is set to fight on the massive UFC 300 event Saturday in Las Vegas, as he takes on veteran [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] on the preliminary card. It’s a big spotlight for any fighter, and that’s why Lopes (23-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) wants to make the most of it. That means not only defeating Yusuff (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), but also becoming the first man to stop him.

“That’s my objective,” Lopes told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I want to finish the fight against Sodiq and send a clear message that there’s a new contender in the division. That’s the message I look for and want to send to everyone.”

Lopes highly respects Yusuff and thinks defeating him is an automatic entry into the rankings. The Brazilian acknowledges he has a tough task at hand, but he prepared to not let the fight go to a decision.

“I know he’s a very consistent fighter in the UFC, and he’s someone that’s fought very good names in the division,” Lopes said. “He only has two defeats in the UFC, which came against Edson Barboza, who’s a legend of the sport, and Arnold Allen, who’s like six or seven in the rankings. This is a very important fight for me. It’s helped me work harder, and I’m focused on becoming the first person to finish Sodiq Yusuff in the UFC.”

Yusuff aside, Lopes is stoked to be part of UFC 300. He’s been with the promotion for less than a year and is glad the UFC considered him for the event despite his short tenure in the promotion.

“I’m going to be part of history,” Lopes said. “I’m at a spot a lot of fighters dream of and wanted to be in. Every fighter in the UFC wanted a spot because of the magnitude and all the impact the event is going to cause. As we know, this is a historic event, the 300th UFC pay-per-view. There’s only one in the history, and I’ll be part of it. It’s incredible.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Everything UFC 300 – Pereira vs. Hill, BMF title fight, Harrison’s debut, more

On this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses everything UFC 300.

Check out this week’s special edition of “Spinning Back Clique,” where we’ll be breaking down everything UFC 300.

This week’s panel will be composed of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura, and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia – along with appearances from Matt Wells, Mike Bohn, Farah Hannoun, Dan Tom, and Nolan King.

For this Monday’s special episode, the panel discussed:

  • The pair of undisputed UFC championship fights headlining UFC 300. In the main event, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] makes his first light heavyweight title defense against former champion  [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag], who returns from injury. In the co-main event, [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] takes on fellow Chinese fighter [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] in a women’s strawweight bout.
  • The first-ever Baddest Motherf*cker title defense, as BMF champion [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] welcomes back [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] to the lightweight division. Other key lightweight bouts go down, including [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag], [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag], [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag].
  • Highly-touted undefeated middleweight prospect [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s return to action. He takes on Cody Brundage in the opening bout of the pay-per-view main card. This will be Nickal’s third fight under the UFC banner.
  • Two-time PFL champion and two-time Judo Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] makes her highly awaited UFC debut. She takes on former champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] at bantamweight – a division Harrison will be debuting in. Harrison has previously fought at 155 and 145 pounds.
  • Former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] has moved up to featherweight. Veteran contender [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] welcomes him to the division.
  • To cap off the show, the panel will do a quick promo breakdown to hype up the four remaining bouts of the UFC 300 card. This includes [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag], [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag], [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag], and [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag].

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 22-28)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 22-28.

Diego Lopes vs. Sodiq Yusuff joins stacked UFC 300 lineup

Diego Lopes, MMA Junkie’s 2023 Newcomer of the Year, has his first assignment of 2024 on the biggest of stages.

Rising star [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] will be featured on the UFC’s historic 300th event.

Lopes takes on [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] in a featherweight bout April 13 at UFC 300 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from Instagram account Freak MMA.

Lopes (23-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC), MMA Junkie’s 2023 Newcomer of the Year, emerged as one of the most popular fighters this past year. After falling short in a valiant effort against unbeaten contender Movsar Evloev at UFC 288, Lopes scored back-to-back first-round finishes of Gavin Tucker in August and Pat Sabatini at UFC 295.

Yusuff (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will look to rebound from his Fight of the Night war against Edson Barboza, which headlined UFC Fight Night 230 in October. Prior to that, the Dana White’s Contender Series alum won eight of his past nine, including wins over Andre Fili and Alex Caceres.

The latest UFC 300 lineup now includes:

  • Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway – for BMF title
  • Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan – for strawweight title
  • Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan
  • Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm
  • Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling
  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt
  • Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller
  • Cody Brundage vs. Bo Nickal
  • Diego Lopes vs. Sodiq Yusuff

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for October: Edson Barboza sets Fight of the Night record

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from October 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from October 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for October.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Nominees

Sodiq Yusuff opens up on Edson Barboza loss from hospital bed: ‘I dropped the ball’

Sodiq Yusuff’s war with Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night 230 resulted in a hospital trip for both men.

[autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]’s war with [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 230 resulted in a hospital trip for both men.

Barboza (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC) rallied to outlast Yusuff (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in their five-round, Fight of the Night featherweight battle in this past Saturday’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Yusuff almost got the finish over Barboza less than a minute into the fight, but Barboza survived the onslaught and managed to win by unanimous decision. From his hospital bed, Yusuff released a statement addressing the loss, where Barboza was getting treated right behind him.

“It hurts a lot right now, but I know at the end of the day I’m going to get past it,” Yusuff said in a video on his YouTube channel. “I said it on the commentary after the fight: I was a good nail before I ever was a good hammer, and I’m not just saying that. I had a lot of bumps and bruises before I ever became that guy that you guys see fighting on the TV. So because of that, I know I’ll be back.

“Everybody out there has a fight, has a struggle that’s going on. You guys just get to watch mine on TV. I dropped the ball today, but the struggle continues. That’s fighting. No matter what you guys are doing out there, I wish you the best in your struggle or your fight. I hope you guys come out on top. For now, I’ve got to eat my ‘L.’ But I’m going to do it with my chin up and continue to be a good nail until I’m eventually a hammer again.”

With the loss, Yusuff saw his two-fight winning streak snapped. The 30-year-old has won 8 of his past 10 fights.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 230.

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Sodiq Yusuff after UFC Fight Night 230 loss?

Sodiq Yusuff showed how dangerous he can be at UFC Fight Night 230, but suffered a setback with his main event loss to Edson Barboza.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Edson Barboza after UFC Fight Night 230 win?)

[autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] showed how dangerous he can be in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 230, but suffered a setback with his main event loss to Edson Barboza.

With his stock rising in the featherweight division, Yusuff (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) came out on fire in his first headlining opportunity against octagon legend Barboza (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC) and nearly ended the fight in the first round at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He let his opponent off the hook, however, and the Brazilian managed to turn the tide and get his hand raised by unanimous decision.

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The outcome will certainly be one that bothers Yusuff for the foreseeable future given how close he was to winning, but if he’s able to digest and learn from it in the right ways, it will ultimately be beneficial for the future of the 30-year-old.

Yusuff’s trajectory changes with the loss, however, and to see what’s next for him after UFC Fight Night 230, watch the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 230.

UFC Fight Night 230 post-event facts: Edson Barboza sets record for Fight of the Night bonuses

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 230, where Edson Barboza set a new record for most Fight of the Night bonuses.

The UFC’s second event of October got off to a slow start, but UFC Fight Night 230 closed with one of the best fights of the year.

The main event saw [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC) rally from a vicious first-round beatdown to secure a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a thrilling Fight of the Night matchup of ranked featherweights.

Check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from that fight and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 230 card from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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UFC Fight Night 230 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $21 million

UFC Fight Night 230 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 230 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $167,500.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 230 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]TJ Brown[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tainara Lisboa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. autotag]Ravena Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brendon Marotte[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melissa Dixon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Irina Alekseeva[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ashley Yoder[/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 2301 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: $6,651,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,170,00

UFC Fight Night 230 results: Edson Barboza rallies from early scare to earn nod over Sodiq Yusuff

Edson Barboza was nearly finished early, but battled back to win a decision over Sodiq Yusuff in the UFC Fight Night 230 headliner.

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]’s night was almost done in a blink, but the veteran striker was able to pull off a gritty comeback win against a dangerous Sodiq Yusuff.

In the main event of UFC Fight Night 230 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Yusuff (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) nearly finished Barboza (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC) in one of the opening exchanges. Experience prevailed though, as Barboza was able to rally back to earn a unanimous decision with scores of 49-46, 48-46, and 48-46.

The two featherweights met in the middle and immediately began throwing down. Yusuff kept his guard high while throwing hard punches as Barboza fired back.

After Barboza just missed the mark with a big jumping knee, Yusuff rocked the Brazilian with a powerful left hook followed by a sharp right hand. Barboza was clearly hurt and in survival mode early within the first minute of the fight.

“Super” Sodiq didn’t rush, but he continually applied more pressure with strikes, eventually taking top control on the mat as Barboza did his best to remain in the fight by threatening submissions from the bottom.

Looking to get back into it, the bruised and bloodied Barboza came out firing strikes to start Round 2. Yusuff remained defensively sound as he resumed his own offense. In the last 90 seconds of the round, Barboza began to mount some momentum as he was able to keep Yusuff close to the fence.

The striking exchanges continued at a steady pace in Round 3 as Barboza began to appear recovered from the first-round scare. Keeping the pressure high, Barboza began getting the better of more and more exchanges. Suddenly out of nowhere, Barboza uncorked a wheel kick that rocked Yusuff. The swarm was on for Barboza, but the finish wasn’t there.

In Round 4, fatigue was apparent in both fighters, but that didn’t mean the action slowed. Barboza offered more forward pressure, but Yusuff was right there to return fire with punches and kicks as they exchanged strikes.

Barboza continued pressing the action in the final frame. Not only did he fire first in exchanges, he kept the volume high throughout the round. Barboza also mixed things up with a couple of takedowns and work in the clinch against the cage.

The judges were unanimous in declaring Barboza the winner, as he successfully completed the comeback from an early near finish.

During his post-fight interview, Barboza admitted he was nearly done in the opening round.

“I was very dizzy,” Barboza told Michael Bisping. “I didn’t know if I was in the gym, if I was in my house playing with the kids. I said, ‘What the f*ck is going on?’ Then, OK. I’m back in the fight.”

With the win, Barboza makes it two in a row, as he entered on the heels of a nasty first-round finish of Billy Quarantillo in April.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 230 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 230.