Tag: Tabatha Ricci

Tecia Torres returns vs. Tabatha Ricci at UFC Fight Night on May 11

Tecia Torres is back after an over two-year long layoff.

[autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag] is back.

Torres (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) returns from an over two-year layoff to face [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night event on May 11, which doesn’t yet have a publicly known venue or location.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from Ricci on “Remember The Show.” Torres announced the fight, as well, Saturday on Instagram.

Torres hasn’t competed since a split decision loss to Mackenzie Dern at UFC 273 in April 2022, which snapped her three-fight winning streak. Torres’ time off was due to her pregnancy, where she gave birth to a baby girl this past June.

Ricci will also look to rebound from a split decision loss which she dropped to Loopy Godinez this past November at UFC 295. Prior to that, the 29-year-old had won four in a row – including a win over Gillian Robertson.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night card for May 11 includes:

  • Jake Hadley vs. Charles Johnson
  • Terrance McKinney vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Alonzo Menifield vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Tabatha Ricci vs. Tecia Torres

UFC 295 medical suspensions: Jiri Prochazka, Sergei Pavlovich among 19 suspended indefinitely

Nineteen indefinite suspensions were handed out after UFC 295, per the New York State Athletic Commission.

UFC 295 took place Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York and featured 13 fights.

On Monday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of athlete medical suspensions from the New York State Athletic Commission, the sanctioning body that oversaw the event. Most injury specifics were not disclosed.

Nineteen of the 26 combatants were given indefinite suspensions and will need to be cleared by a doctor before they return. That’s a high number of indefinite suspensions compared to the average UFC event, although the NYSAC may have different safety protocols compared to other regulatory bodies. All 26 fighters were also given mandatory suspensions, which vary from seven days to 90 days.

Check out the full list of medical suspensions from UFC 295 below.

UFC 295 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Title fight athletes net $32,000 each

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 295 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $272,500.

NEW YORK – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 295 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $272,500.

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 295 took place at Madison Square Garden. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 295 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nazim Sadykhov[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dennis Buzukja[/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 2011 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: $7,305,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,824,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 results: Loopy Godinez displays sharp striking in record win over Tabatha Ricci

Loopy Godinez earned a potentially breakthrough win and made some UFC history in the process Saturday night.

[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag] earned a potentially breakthrough win and made some UFC history in the process.

Godinez displayed superb striking Saturday night at UFC 295 where she secured a split decision over [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag] in their strawweight bout at Madison Square Garden. Godinez, who was No. 13 in the official rankings, earned scores of 29-28 from two judges, but Ricci, ranked No. 10, was awarded a questionable score of 30-27 from judge Bryan Miner.

“I knew it was close,” Godinez said afterward. “For sure, yeah, she’s a tough opponent. She’s (No. 10) for a reason.”

While that description of Ricci shouldn’t be questioned, neither should Godinez’s performance as she displayed a clear advantage striking for 15 minutes and defended all six of Ricci’s takedown attempts.

Godinez (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) got off to a strong start in the first round, looking sharper on the feet and landing the crisper punches. She dropped Ricci (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) with about two minutes remaining, although Ricci clipped Godinez with a left hand just before the buzzer that might’ve swayed Miner.

Godinez remained composed and balanced with her attack through Rounds 2 and 3 as Ricci struggled to consistently find her range. But the moments Ricci did land, they were significant. It just wasn’t nearly as frequently as Godinez.

With the win, Godinez became the first woman in UFC history to win four fights in a calendar year. Her streak began with Cynthia Calvillo in April, then continued with Emily Ducote (May) and Elise Reed (September) before the win over Ricci, who had a three-fight winning streak snapped.

“I’m super happy,” Godinez said. “To be able do four fights in a year and actually go through and win, it takes a lot of work. It takes discipline. It takes a great team. I recently did the move to Lobo, and I’ve never been happier with my career, with my life.”

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Up-to-the-minute UFC 295 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Loopy Godinez def. Tabatha Ricci at UFC 295: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Loopy Godinez’s split decision win over Tabatha Ricci at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]’s split decision win over [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag] at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photos by Wendell Cruz, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC 295 pre-event facts: Alex Pereira’s two-division title bid comes with historic twist

Check out the facts behind UFC 295, where Alex Pereira can join the two-division titleholder club in a way that differs from everyone else.

The UFC makes its annual stop in New York on Saturday with UFC 295, which takes place at Madison Square Garden with a pair of title fights that top the pay-per-view main card following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

In the main event, [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will return to competition from a significant injury to face [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant light heavyweight belt. The co-headliner will see [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) clash with [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in an interim heavyweight championship contest.

For more on the numbers behind the title-fight doubleheader, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 295.

Booked for UFC 295, Loopy Godinez expected clash vs. Tabatha Ricci: ‘Eventually I was going to fight her’

Loopy Godinez had a feeling she was going to eventually fight Tabatha Ricci.

Sooner or later, [autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag] knew she was going to cross paths with [autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]. As expected, the two were paired to fight on Nov. 11 at UFC 295, which takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Godinez (10-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) knew this day would come, as the pair have rose through the ranks on a similar timeline. From fighting in the regional scene to now being in the UFC’s official strawweight rankings, both Godinez and Ricci (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) show plenty of promise.

“When she got in the rankings, I figured we were going to fight someday,” Godinez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “Actually, before I was fighting in the UFC, and I was at LFA, she was also at LFA, so there could’ve even been a possibility where I fought her before the UFC. But anyway, I got in the UFC, then after she joined, and I did think that eventually I was going to fight her.”

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The Lobo Gym product is currently on a three-fight wining streak and 5-1 in her past six UFC appearances. She’s coming off a dominant showing against Elise Reed at Noche UFC on Sept. 16, where she got a submission victory along with a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

Godinez sees Ricci as a formidable challenge and a great next step for her career. She believes fight fans will be in for a treat.

“She’s very complete,” Godinez said. “She has ground game. She has wrestling and judo. She’s got good hands. I think it’s going to be a cool fight because it’s going to have a little of everything.

“She has her strengths, but so do I with my wrestling and jiu-jitsu. I also did judo and my hands are getting better. We’re going to shine that night.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 25-Oct. 1)

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 or officially announced by the promotions from Sept. 25-Oct. 1.

UFC on ABC 5 medical suspensions: Josh Emmett out indefinitely from damage sustained

Josh Emmett and Justin Tafa suffered graphic injuries at UFC on ABC 5 and are among those suspended indefinitely by the Florida commission.

UFC on ABC 5 took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. and featured 13 fights.

There were back-and-forth battles, knockouts, an eye gouge, and a submission. Through these fights, the athletes involved sustained injuries that will put them on the shelf for some time, unless cleared by a doctor.

Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of athlete medical suspensions from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), the sanctioning body that oversaw the event. The DBPR does not disclose injury specifics, but does show the durations of the suspension.

Atop the card, [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] proved he’s a premiere contender when he dominated [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] en route to a unanimous decision, including a rare 10-7 scorecard. The two headliners were suspended indefinitely by DBPR afterward.

Seven fighters total were handed indefinite suspensions, while two were handed terms of specific durations and the rest of the card was cleared on fight night. Fighters are permitted to return prior to the end of their assigned durations if they are cleared by a doctor.

Scroll below to see the suspensions for the full UFC on ABC 5 card.

Tabatha Ricci in no hurry for title shot, but knows she’s in contention after UFC on ABC 5

Tabatha Ricci picked up her fourth straight win when she outworked Gillian Robertson at UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville, Fla.

[autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag] beat Gillian Robertson with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ABC 5 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

Take a look inside the fight with Ricci, who picked up her fourth straight win after a loss in her UFC debut two years ago.