Tag: UFC Fight Night 196

UFC Fight Night 196 medical suspensions: Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori face 180-day terms

Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori are both looking at six months off after their five-round war.

[autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] and [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] are both looking at six months off after their five-round war at UFC Fight Night 196.

Vettori (18-4-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) outlasted Costa (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in this past Saturday’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and both men took quite a bit of damage in their fight.

On Wednesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of the UFC Fight Night 196 medical suspensions handed out by the Nevada Athletic Commission from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commission’s official record keeper.

Costa, who was deducted a point in the second round for an inadvertent eye poke, needs an X-ray on his right foot and his left eye cleared by a doctor, or he could be sidelined for 180 days.

Vettori is also potentially looking at six months as the Italian must have X-rays on both forearms and an MRI on his right knee before getting cleared to compete.

The full list of UFC Fight Night 196 medical suspensions includes:

Spinning Back Clique: On Fedor’s next fight, Paulo Costa and Nate Diaz’s UFC futures, and more

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, we look at [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag]’s stunning performance, the saga between [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] and [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag], the futures of [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag], and what to expect at UFC 267.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and “Gorgeous” George Garcia discuss these topics with host John Morgan.

  • This past weekend, 45-year-old Fedor Emelianenko was in vintage form, scoring an incredible walk-off knockout of Tim Johnson in Russia. It was a pretty special moment for the former PRIDE champ, and Fedor seems to want to fight out his current deal with Bellator before calling it a career. So what fight should be next?
  • It was an intriguing week in the UFC, as well, with Paulo Costa admitting a bicep injury was the culprit behind his inability to make middleweight against Marvin Vettori, leading to the fight ultimately taking place at light heavyweight. Afterward Vettori’s win, UFC president Dana White said he believes Costa will need to compete at 205 pounds moving forward, while the Brazilian suggested maybe it was going to take a little more money for him to make a move like that. Three questions: What makes sense for Costa now? Is the UFC setting a bad precedent for allowing this? And did Vettori get a raw deal after all was said and done?
  • After UFC Fight Night 196, White confirmed that Nate Diaz has one fight remaining with the promotion and that the company was currently working on booking that contest. What is the best fight to make for Diaz right now, and do you believe that will be the last time he fights for the UFC?
  • It’s championship week in the PFL, with the organization set to crown six new champs and hand out six more $1 million checks. It’s a big night, and there should be some great fights, but it’s hard not to focus on what happens afterward, when we know that undefeated star Kayla Harrison is set to become a free agent. Should she stay, or should she go? What’s the best next move for Harrison, and is it impacted by how things turn out in her fight with Taylor Guardado?
  • UFC 267 is this Saturday in Abu Dhabi with a special early start time for everyone, and it’s loaded with some very meaningful fights. Jan Blachowicz-Glover Teixeira, Cory Sandhagen-Petr Yan, Dan Hooker-Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev-Li Jingliang are among the fights generating the most buzz. Who’s going to steal the spotlight at Etihad Arena?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3203: Guest Kenny Florian, UFC/Bellator recaps, PFL preview, more

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,203, the fellas welcome guest [autotag]Kenny Florian[/autotag] to help break down Wednesday’s PFL Championship fights. Plus, they look back at Bellator 269 and UFC Fight Night 196 and discuss the latest MMA news.

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

UFC Fight Night 196 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Paulo Costa gets $6,000

UFC Fight Night 196 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 196 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $157,500.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 196 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $6,000
vs. [autotag]Ricky Glenn[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Dwight Grant[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nicolae Negumereanu[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ike Villanueva[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Gregor Rodrigues[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Junyong Park[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Mason Jones[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]David Onama[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Maria Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Laureano Staropoli[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Khama Worthy[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jeff Molina[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Daniel da Silva[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Randa Markos[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Livinha Souza[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Zviad Lazishvili[/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 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $4,489,000
Program-to-date total: $4,489,000

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Paulo Costa says bicep injury in camp led to weight cut issues ahead of UFC Fight Night 196

Paulo Costa promised to reveal what led to his inability to make the cut to middleweight for UFC Fight Night 196.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] provided insight into what caused the fight week weight class changes ahead of his fight on Saturday against Marvin Vettori.

In the days leading up to UFC Fight Night 196, the main event bout which was originally set to take place at middleweight, ended up being a light heavyweight fight after Costa (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) requested multiple changes during the week.

Earlier in the week, Costa said he would talk about why he couldn’t make 185 pounds after the fight, and made good on that promise.

“The only problem, my friend, is that I lost the fight, so it will look like an excuse,” Costa told MMA Junkie during the post-fight news conference. “I do not have an excuse for nothing. I did a good job there, Marvin as well. Congratulations for him and to me, I think, but I had some problems to not come in here with my usual weight. I came at a little bit higher weight because I needed to stop some weeks of training.”

When asked to clarify if it was a specific injury that led to him taking time away from training, Costa looked at his arm and simply replied, “My left bicep.”

Ultimately, Costa and Vettori (18-4-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) made it to the cage and created an amazing main event on Saturday evening, despite the change from 185 to 205 pounds. Vettori emerged victorious by unanimous decision, which was something that perplexed the Brazilian as he assessed the damage sustained in the fight.

“Physically I’m good, but my foot is a balloon,” Costa said as he showed off the swelling on his right foot. “I kicked him a lot on his body, on his head. I think maybe his left arm should be very hurt and his body as well. I don’t really understand why the judges saw that result. I really believe I won.”

Costa was docked a point by referee Jason Herzog in the second round after an eye poke caused a pause in the action. Herzog did verbally warn Costa to watch his fingers in the first round, and after a poke occurred in the second, he took a point.

“He’s a very good referee,” Costa said. “I don’t understand why he took one point from me on the very first stoppage. …I really don’t understand that.”

While Costa walks away with his second-straight loss, his biggest concern going forward may be with which weight class he will be fighting at the next time he competes. According to UFC president Dana White, that is already decided, as the boss said he will be competing at 205 pounds, following the events that unfolded this week.

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Marvin Vettori glad he didn’t fall into Paulo Costa’s ‘trap’ at UFC Fight Night 196

Marvin Vettori says keeping his composure was a key factor in getting his hand raised against Paulo Costa at UFC Fight Night 196.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] says keeping his composure was a key factor in getting his hand raised against Paulo Costa at UFC Fight Night 196.

Vettori (18-5-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) could’ve easily blown his fuse multiple times leading up to his unanimous decision win in the main event at the UFC Apex. Costa’s (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) displayed major unprofessionalism in coming into fight week over the contracted middleweight limit, forcing multiple changes in weight before the fight was finally settled at light heavyweight.

It didn’t stop Vettori from the win. He went tooth-and-nail with Costa for five grueling rounds, and he needed to pull out all the stops to get it done. Vettori said he probably wouldn’t have been able to pull that off if he didn’t keep his composure through all the drama.

“It was a very solid performance,” Vettori told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC Fight Night 196 post-fight news conference. “I’m glad I didn’t let go of all that tension before the fight thinking that he’s not ready, he didn’t train, he came in fat, he’s not taking seriously. He actually did. It was a trap a little bit. He was willing to scratch the fight for sure, but he was ready also.”

Vettori admits it was a challenge to come out on the right end of the decision. Costa looked significantly bigger in the octagon, with UFC president Dana White revealing post-fight that the Brazilian was roughly 220 pounds compared to Vettori’s 208 pounds.

The Italian said the size disparity forced him to fight smart, but he knew he could overcome it. It gives him confidence going forward, but that certainly doesn’t mean Vettori is inviting more opponents to not meet the originally contracted weight.

“He was big,” Vettori said. “I’m able to deal with anybody. Being a middleweight, we’re pretty big. … I don’t care about the weight. I’m able to deal with anybody. The cage is my house. This is my sport. I don’t care how much overweight you come in. But that being said, don’t show up f*cking overweight. To my next opponent. Don’t show up overweight cause you know I’m going to take the fight, cause I’m still going to beat you.”

In the grand scope of Vettori’s career, this was a hugely important fight for him. He needed to show he can rebound after a title-fight loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 263 in June, and he took on a (literally) enormous task to show he’s still a top player in the sport.

Vettori doesn’t think beating Costa puts him in line to challenge for the title right away. He said if someone falls out of the planned bout between Adesanya and Robert Whittaker in February then he’ll be available, but otherwise, he intends to keep winning until his time comes again.

“Whatever makes sense – I’m ready to go,” Vettori said. “I don’t think I’m going to fight before the end of the year. But it’s easy to trick me into good fight if they’re good. Maybe February someone gets injured. You never know. The one thing about me is I’ll be ready, I’ll show up and I’ll put on a hell of a show for all the fans.

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Dana White praises Marvin Vettori, says Paulo Costa must now fight at light heavyweight

Dana White says Paulo Costa will be moving up to light heavyweight after the events that unfolded this week.

LAS VEGAS – After a fight week with unusual changes, UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] was ultimately pleased with the outcome of the main event of UFC Fight Night 196.

[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] competed in an incredible back-and-forth war for 25 minutes, but just getting the two men in the cage seemed like a tall order during fight week.

“We were trying to keep this fight alive and make sure that it happened, and we couldn’t have done it without a guy like Vettori,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC Fight Night 196 post-fight news conference. “Vettori acted like an absolute professional, stud, a guy that’s incredible to work with. That’s why this fight happened.”

Vettori emerged victorious by unanimous decision after five rounds of intense fighting, despite shifts in the contracted weight. Throughout fight week, there were multiple changes to the bout that was originally scheduled to take place at 185 pounds. White confirmed the bout was agreed upon at 195 pounds initially, before the final shift to 205 pounds just a few hours before weigh-ins. Both men made the newly contracted weight but still added a few pounds between hitting the scale and stepping inside the cage.

“Vettori was 208 and Costa was 220,” White said about the fighters’ weight before competing on Saturday.

Despite all of the changes during fight week, the UFC boss had nothing but praise for Vettori’s professionalism while dealing with the entire ordeal.

“Again, you have to give all the credit to Vettori,” White said. “He was willing to fight at any weight and didn’t let this stuff mess with his head. At the end of the day, it’s all about the fight. They both fought their ass off. Costa looked better in the fifth round than he did in the first round, so he was definitely in shape. When a guy comes in that heavy, you have to question whether he’s in shape or not. He was in shape.”

While being in shape and putting on a great performance after everything Costa put his opponent and the promotion through this week may have helped avoid further punishments from the UFC, White said there will be changes for the Brazilian going forward.

“We absolutely tell you where to fight when this happens,” White stated firmly. “He’s gonna have to fight at 205.”

Usually, the UFC doesn’t like to force fighters to fight in a certain weight class, however, given the events that unfolded this week, White insists that will be different in dealing with Costa, who is now on a two-fight skid.

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UFC Fight Night 196 bonuses: Marvin Vettori gets extra $50,000 – but none for Paulo Costa

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including to the main event winner.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including to the main event winner.

After UFC Fight Night 196, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

Twitter reacts to Marvin Vettori’s win over Paulo Costa in classic at UFC Fight Night 196

See the top Twitter reactions to Marvin Vettori’s win over Paulo Costa in the UFC Fight Night 196 main event.

After a fight week filled with drama, [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] delivered when it mattered most to defeat [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] in the UFC Fight Night 196 main event.

Vettori (18-5-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) got back in the win column following his tittle-fight loss to Israel Adesanya in June when he beat Costa (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) by METHOD in the headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The Italian’s win is particularly meaningful given the fight week shenanigans where Costa forced the fight to be moved from middleweight to light heavyweight just days out due to poor weight management. Nevertheless, Vettori overcame it to get his hand raised.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Vettori’s victory over Costa at UFC Fight Night 196.