UFC 289 – Page 5 – Syndication Server

UFC 289 winner Mike Malott remained laser focused after dodging disaster during railing collapse

Mike Malott said he had “bigger fish to fry” and couldn’t worry about the unexpected scary moment that happened during his UFC 289 walkout.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – [autotag]Mike Malott[/autotag] was lucky to dodge disaster at UFC 289.

An unexpected scary moment occurred Saturday night at Rogers Arena where a railing gave way as fans leaned over it to cheer on and high-five Malott just as his walkout began. The moment Malott’s signature walkout song of “Fatlip” by Sum 41 started blaring, a plethora of fans tumbled to the arena floor on top of each other in a wild scene caught on video.

It wasn’t apparent on the UFC 289 broadcast, and viewers didn’t get their first inkling of what happened until cageside commentator Daniel Cormier said, “Oh my God, somebody fell out of the stands.”

Railing collapses #UFC289 pic.twitter.com/ffFaHdomfY

— Taner (@TanerFrank) June 11, 2023

After his submission win over Adam Fugitt, Malott said the railing collapse didn’t cause him to lose focus.

“I noticed it for like a quarter of a second,” Malott said. “It fell. I kind of like jumped to the side, stepped over the gate. I was like, ‘One, that sucks for them. Two, don’t think about it, stay focused,’ and immediately forgot about it afterward.”

Malott said he didn’t even remember it happened until one of his cornermen showed him video. That’s how focused he was on what he described as “the biggest fight of my life.”

“I had bigger fish to fry. I had the biggest fight of my life in front of me,” Malott said. “I was focused on that. But like f*ck, man, that would’ve been a sh*tty way for that fight not to happen – have it (the railing) fall on your knee and then you’re on your way to the hospital or something. That would’ve sucked.”

Thankfully that’s not how things played out, and the Canadian standout was able to make the walk to the cage undeterred. In the second round, Malott landed a nice two-punch combo that stunned Fugitt and allowed him to harp on a guillotine choke for the finish.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

Charles Oliveira ready for Islam Makhachev rematch: ‘He’s got the belt, and I want to be a champion’

After stopping Beneil Dariush at UFC 289, former lightweight champ Charles Oliveira wants another crack at Islam Makhachev.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] wants another crack at the man currently holding the title, Islam Makhachev.

After stopping the streaking Beneil Dariush in the co-main event of UFC 289 at Rogers Arena on Saturday evening, Oliveira finds himself back in prime position to challenge for the title. Not only did Oliveira defeat Dariush, who was promised a title shot if he won, “Do Bronx” finished him in the first round by TKO, sending a statement to the division, the promotion and the fans.

At the conclusion of the pay-per-view event, UFC president Dana White said pairing Oliveira and Makhachev again makes sense. Oliveira wants to reclaim his title again, and will be ready when the time comes.

“Look, who’s got the belt?” Oliveira said through an interpreter during the post-fight news conference. “He’s got the belt, and I want to be a champion, so I have to go through him. Of course, I want to fight him. But right now, I don’t want to worry about it. I want to go back to my family back home, relax a little bit, and let my team decide that.”

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The pair first met at UFC 280 for the vacant lightweight title. Had Oliveira not missed weight by a half pound for his title bout at UFC 274 against Justin Gaethje, the fight would have been an opportunity for his third title defense. Unfortunately for Oliveira, the title situation didn’t matter because Makhachev submitted him in the second round.

With that fight behind him, and a fresh victory over one of the hottest fighters in the division in Dariush, Oliveira is feeling confident enough to enter the rematch with Makhachev without having to change his approach.

“Nothing. I would do nothing (different), just simply be Charles.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

Amanda Nunes says UFC retirement is definite: ‘I’m good. I did everything’

Amanda Nunes won’t leave the door open for a return to MMA after she announced her retirement at UFC 289.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] is done for good.

The UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion retired on Saturday night following her latest title defense, and she’s not leaving a door open for a return in the future – not even the slightest bit.

Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC), who defeated Mexico’s Irene Aldana in the main event of UFC 289, says the ride is over.

“Yeah, I’m gone,” Nunes told reporters at the UFC 289 post-fight press conference. “I’m good. I did everything and all is taken care of in my life.

“Thank you, UFC. They took care of me, and they’ll always take care of me, so I’m always going to be around. If I don’t do anything with them, I’ll still go up and down just to be around because I love this sport so much, and I did everything to be the best at it. And I proved it tonight. I retired with my two belts.”

Nunes didn’t make a hasty decision in walking away from the sport. She knew well before Saturday night that she was going to retire.

“When I signed the contract for this fight,” Nunes said when asked when she made the decision to call it a career. “I tried to hide it from you guys the whole week, but you guys were always on top of it. I just didn’t want to focus on that, I wanted to focus on my fight because I didn’t want to talk about the retirement all the time, and I still talked about it. Imagine if I would’ve said I was going to retire, it would’ve been all about that. So yeah, I knew the whole time.”

As far as the future of both divisions, UFC president Dana White said the women’s featherweight will likely be dismantled – given the lack of fighters in the weight class. The women’s bantamweight division is going strong, however, and will have a championship fight for the vacant title.

Nunes is excited to see how things shake out without her presence and thinks her rival Aldana (14-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) has a good chance at being the champion.

“The division has to move on,” Nunes said. “I think Aldana is going to be a good one in the future. I think she’s going to come back strong and she might get the belt. We’ll see, it’s going to be good to see. It’s going to be good for me to see the division play out. I’m very excited for the division.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

Dana White: UFC women’s featherweight division likely retired with Amanda Nunes

According to UFC president Dana White, it’s likely fans have seen the last of the promotion’s women’s featherweight division.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – As [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] walks into the sunset, she might bring a UFC division with her.

Following the conclusion of UFC 289 and Nunes’ retirement announcement, promotion president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] was asked about the future of the UFC women’s featherweight division.

Over time, the division’s talent pool has dwindled to almost nothingness. White previously hinted the division would likely evaporate when Nunes decided to leave the UFC and he affirmed Saturday the plan will likely remain the same.

“The answer is probably yes,” White said. “I mean, I don’t make these decisions the night of the fight. … Yeah, I don’t know. But it makes sense.”

The division was announced in December 2016 with an inaugural fight between Germaine de Randamie and Holly Holm at UFC 208. After de Randamie won and became the division’s first champion, she vacated. This cleared the way for Cris Cyborg, who the UFC signed and who became champion shortly thereafter. Nunes defeated Cyborg for the title at UFC 214 in August 2017 and remained champion since.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

UFC 289 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Amanda Nunes’ $42,000 tops card

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 289 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $236,500.

VANCOUVER – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 289 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $236,500.

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 289 took place at Rogers Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 289 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Mike Malott[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Adam Fugitt[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $6,000
vs. [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Aiemann Zahabi[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Aori Qileng[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Blake Bilder[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]David Dvorak[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Maria Oliveira[/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:

“UFC 289: Nunes vs. Aldana” – $236,500
“UFC on ESPN 45: Kara-France vs. Albazi” – $199,500
“UFC Fight Night 224: Dern vs. Hill” – $179,500
“UFC on ABC 4: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida” – $267,500
“UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo” – $267,500
“UFC Fight Night 223: Song vs. Simon” – $144,500
“UFC Fight Night 222: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes” – $181,500
“UFC on ESPN 44: Holloway vs. Allen” – $254,500
“UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” – $274,500
“UFC on ESPN 43: Vera vs. Sandhagen” – $137,000
“UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3” – $266,500
“UFC Fight Night 221: Yan vs. Dvalishvili” – $194,000
“UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane” – $282,500
“UFC Fight Night 220: Muniz vs. Allen” – $126,000
“UFC Fight Night 219: Andrade vs. Blanchfield” – $158,000
“UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski” – $263,000
“UFC Fight Night 218: Lewis vs. Spivac” – $136,000
“UFC 283: Teixeira vs. Hill” – $359,500
“UFC Fight Night 217: Strickland vs. Imavov” – $137,000

Year-to-date total: $3,650,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $18,239,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC 289 with Jimi Hendrix, Sum 41 and Rihanna

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 289 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.

See what the fighters from UFC 289 went with as their backing tracks in Vancouver.

Dana White reacts to Amanda Nunes retirement after UFC 289: ‘I’m not shocked’

While Amanda Nunes’ UFC 289 retirement caught many off guard, Dana White said he wasn’t surprised.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] wasn’t among those caught off guard when double champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] announced her retirement Saturday.

Following her dominant UFC 289 title defense vs. Irene Aldana at Rogers Arena, Nunes (23-5 MMA, 16-2 UFC) asked for a pair of scissors, removed her gloves, dropped her titles in the center of the canvas, and put her gloves next to her hardware.

“First of all, she looked incredible,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “It was an amazing performance. She completely shut her down. I think one of the guys was telling me tonight that it was the most punches landed or something like that. It was the most punches ever landed. I think she passed Sara McMann tonight for takedowns, so more records for her.

White received the signal from Nunes immediately following the final horn that the retirement announcement was coming. But even before that, White said he suspected the possibility Nunes wouldn’t fight much longer.

“I’m not shocked that she retired,” White said. “I’ve been saying for a while, she’s made a lot of money and her life was a lot different than it was 10 years ago. … This must be what Amanda wants, so I’m definitely happy for her. Would I like to see her stick around and do some more? Absolutely. She’s been incredible to work with. She’s such a good human being and a great champion. Obviously, she’s the greatest female fighter of all time. I’d love to keep her around. But if she’s ready to go, you have to be happy for her.”

In MMA, retirements happen often but seldom stick. For Nunes, a fighter who has likely made more money than many other women in MMA history, White indicated he firmly thinks UFC 289 was a legitimate curtain call.

“Oh yeah, she’s definitely (done),” White said. “Listen, everybody spins every f*cking thing I say, but I kind of felt this. She made a very good living. She’s made a lot of money. She’s going to be good.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

UFC 289 play-by-play and live results

Get live play-by-play and official results from Nunes vs. Aldana and Dariush vs. Oliveira at UFC 289 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – UFC 289 takes place Saturday and you can join us for live play-by-play and official results.

UFC 289 takes place at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

In the main event, women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes (22-5 MMA, 15-2 UFC) puts her 135-pound title on the line against challenger Irene Aldana (14-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC). In the co-feature, former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (33-9 MMA, 21-9 UFC) takes on Beneil Dariush (22-4-1 MMA, 16-4-1 UFC) in a No. 1 contenders bout.

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results beginning at approximately 7 p.m. ET for the early prelims on ESPN+, 8 p.m. for the prelims on ESPN and 10 p.m. ET for the main card on pay-per-view.

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC 289 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn ) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

Amanda Nunes def. Irene Aldana at UFC 289: Best photos

Check out these photos from Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in Vancouver.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]’ bantamweight title defense against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Photos by Sergei Belski, USA TODAY Sports)