Tag: UFC Fight Night 228

Mateusz Gamrot eyes 2024 matchup against former champion Charles Oliveira to test ground skills

UFC lightweight Mateusz Gamrot wants a piece of former champion Charles Oliveira to test his jiu-jitsu skills.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] picked up his second UFC main event victory, and now wants a piece of former champion [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag].

In the main event of UFC Fight Night 228 at the UFC Apex, Gamrot got his hand raised over Rafael Fiziev, but it wasn’t in a manner anyone anticipated. Fiziev threw a hard right kick to Gamrot’s body, which was defended well. However, Fiziev’s left knee buckled and he immediately fell to the canvas, resulting in a second-round injury stoppage.

“This was an unfortunate situation, nobody knows what happened in the cage,” Gamrot told reporters during a post-fight news conference. “Two things: first, win is win, like we are sportsmen. Another one is, sometimes if you have camp, you prepare attacks. You prepare kicks, you prepare punches, but also I prepare my defense for these kicks because I know Rafa would be kicking a lot.”

Gamrot certainly didn’t expect Fiziev to suffer an injury, but the result still goes down as his second main event win under the UFC banner. His first came against Arman Tsarukyan last June, a fight Gamrot won by unanimous decision in the same building.

As for what’s next, Gamrot wants to test himself against one of the elites of the lightweight division, former champion Charles Oliveira. While “Do Bronx” is currently set to rematch Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 294, Gamrot is willing to wait until early 2024.

“In the next one, I would like to test myself against Charles Oliveira, because he’s the most dangerous guy on the ground,” Gamrot said. “My previous opponents, every time stand up, stand up – the ground is hard for everybody. The next one, I would like to challenge myself on the ground. I want to show my really good skills in jiu-jitsu. I want to show how good I am on the ground. I think this guy will be the first guy in my career who wants to fight with me on the ground.”

Gamrot doesn’t believe Oliveira will reclaim the lightweight title in October, but that doesn’t make any difference to him.

“I know he has a fight soon in the next month with the champ,” Gamrot said. “My prediction is the result will be the same as last time: Islam defends his belt. I can wait for Charles Oliveira to next year. Doesn’t matter. Maybe March, maybe April, maybe May. I will be ready for him and I want to fight with him.”

[lawrence-related id=2681683,2681913,2681721]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.

UFC Fight Night 228 post-event facts: Michelle Waterson-Gomez TKO’d after 14 years

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 228, including the end of Michelle Waterson-Gomez’s more than 14-year run without a TKO loss.

The UFC put a bow on its September schedule and a run of 17 straight weeks of events on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 228, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

After a card with a handful of highlights, the lightweight main event ended in disappointing fashion when Rafael Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) suffered a knee injury that ended the fight prematurely, giving Mateusz Gamrot (23-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) the TKO victory.

For more on the numbers from the card, check out MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 228.

* * * *

UFC Fight Night 228 winner Marina Rodriguez wants Tatiana Suarez: ‘I deserve that fight’

Marina Rodriguez thinks Tatiana Suarez’s path to the UFC strawweight title needs go through her.

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag]’s path to the UFC strawweight title needs go through her.

After delivering a statement performance in a bloody second-round TKO of Michelle Waterson-Gomez at UFC Fight Night 228 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Rodriguez (18-3-2 MMA, 7-3-2 UFC) made it clear she wants a matchup with undefeated contender Suarez (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC).

Although many believe Suarez is already worthy of challenging current 115-pound champion Zhang Weili, the Brazilian is not part of that group, and said a title eliminator between them is the way to go.

“I just feel I have some shots to shoot,” Rodriguez told MMA Junkie and other outlets through an interpreter at the UFC Fight Night 228 post-fight news conference. “Because I need to hit bullseye. I really need to get some fights that will actually position me to put me and reroute me towards the championship. … She is undefeated. Stopped fighting for a while, comes back still undefeated. So I do feel like I deserve that fight and it should happen.”

At 36, Rodriguez is likely entering the point in her career where she needs to make something happen now if she hopes to make her title aspirations come true. She entered UFC Fight Night 228 with back-to-back losses vs. Virna Jandiroba and Amanda Lemos, and she needed to do something to draw attention back on her side.

After beating Waterson-Gomez by unanimous decision in their first meeting in May 2021, Rodriguez delivered on her promise to make things more emphatic in the rematch, and now she’s looking upward.

“I am this athlete who is always going to push forward, always go for the finish, always want to be a champion,” Rodriguez said. “Since the day I started here, to continue to go on, to continue to be aggressive and push forward to actually go out there and look for that title.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.

UFC Fight Night 228 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Tim Means’ $21,000 leads card

UFC Fight Night 228 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 228 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $164,500.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 228 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]A.J. Fletcher[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Andre Fialho[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jacob Malkoun[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mizuki Inoue[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Montserrat Rendon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/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 2281 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: $6,294,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $20,883,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC Fight Night 228 with a double dose of Fall Out Boy. Sorry, Jason Aldean!

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 228 event in Las Vegas.

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 Fight Night 228 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

UFC Fight Night 228 bonuses: Marina Rodriguez’s bloody beatdown takes $50K

After UFC Fight Night 228, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances at the UFC Apex. Check out the winners.

The UFC handed out post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including the winner of a vicious stoppage.

After UFC Fight Night 228, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

UFC Fight Night 228 results: Mateusz Gamrot gets TKO win from Rafael Fiziev injury

Mateusz Gamrot was looking good to begin with, so that the biggest win of his career will have an asterisk next to it seems a little unfair.

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] was looking good to begin with, so the fact arguably the biggest win of his career will have an asterisk next to it seems a little unfair.

Gamrot (23-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) got the victory over [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a crucial lightweight fight when Fiziev threw a right kick that landed on Gamrot’s elbow. But right after the kick hit, Fiziev winced and dropped to the canvas. The broadcast speculation watching doctors work on Gamrot’s left leg – not the right foot – was he injured his knee while planting to throw the kick.

The TKO finish came at the 2:03 mark of the second round and gave Gamrot, a slight underdog coming into the fight, his second straight win. Then Gamrot said he’s ready for a top-five opponent before he’s ready for a title shot – and called out former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, who is fighting champ Islam Makhachev in a month at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.

The fight was competitive up to that point, though it seemed clear Gamrot was getting the better of things. He landed a takedown and had a minute of control time. But because of the injury, Fiziev never got a chance to get started – and now has dropped back-to-back fights after a six-fight winning streak. He was helped out of the cage before the official result was read.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 228 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.

Social media reacts to Mateusz Gamrot’s injury TKO win over Rafael Fiziev at UFC Fight Night 228

The MMA community reacted to Mateusz Gamrot’s unfortunate injury win over Rafael Fiziev in the UFC Fight Night 228 main event.

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] picked up another notable win in the lightweight division Saturday when he defeated [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] in the UFC Fight Night 228 headliner – but it didn’t come the way he’d hoped.

Gamrot (23-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) picked up his sixth victory in his past seven octagon appearances when he beat Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) by injury TKO stoppage in the second round of the 155-pound main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Gamrot’s victory over Fiziev at UFC Fight Night 228.

* * * *

UFC Fight Night 228 play-by-play and live results

UFC Fight Night 228 took place Saturday, MMA Junkie provided live play-by-play and official results throughout the event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 228 took place Saturday, and MMA Junkie provided live play-by-play and official results throughout the event.

UFC Fight Night 228 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.

In the main event, Rafael Fiziev (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) took on fellow lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot (23-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC). In the co-feature, Dan Ige (17-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC) met Bryce Mitchell (16-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) at featherweight.

Check out our round-by-round coverage and official results below. You also can get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway ) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

UFC Fight Night 228 results: Bloodied Bryce Mitchell outworks Dan Ige, trots out Maui wildfire conspiracy theory

Dan Ige had big moments, but Bryce Mitchell’s wrestling was too much in a back-and-forth win.

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] had big moments, but [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]’s wrestling was too much in a back-and-forth win.

Mitchell (16-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) outworked Ige (17-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 228 featherweight co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He rebounded from the first loss of his career with a unanimous decision with a pair of 29-28 scores and a 30-27.

Mitchell then retrieved his Bible, which he made a show of during his introduction by raising it above his head in the middle of the cage whlie he screamed “Freedom!” and asked Ige to stay with him to pray. Mitchell said he would donate $5,000 to the Hawaiian to help victims of the recent wildfires that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on Maui. He blamed the fires on Satan.

Then Mitchell, whom viewers were reminded on the broadcast does not believe in gravity, went a different direction and said he thinks those same wildfires that killed nearly 100 people were manmade so non-native Hawaiians could steal the land from natives of the islands, a conspiracy theory that first gained traction through social media outlets. There has been non factual basis for the wildfires being anything other than a horrific natural disaster started by high winds from Hurricane Dora ensuring the flames from the fires spread quickly and devastatingly.

In the fight itself, about 90 seconds in, an already-bloodied Mitchell tried to get the fight to the canvas, but Ige stuffed the takedown attempt with a little work. But about a minute later, Mitchell went after it again and got it after a brief sprawl from Ige. Again, though, he was back up quickly and the energy Mitchell used to get the fight to the mat was mostly wasted.

But Mitchell stuck with his game plan, and with a minute left, Mitchell got a solid takedown and was able to keep the position for the first time. He jumped to full mount quickly and maintained it even while Ige tried to explode out at the end of the frame.

Quickly into the second, Ige came forward and landed a big right hand that briefly wobbled Mitchell. But Mitchell went back to his wrestling and pressed Ige to the fence. Ige was able to disengage a minute in, and the cut over his right eye from the first round started to look worse. After another left hand from Ige, referee Mark Smith stopped the fight to have the cageside doctor look at Mitchell’s cut.

With the official seal of approval, Mitchell chased another takedown, but it was Ige who wound up on top and got some offense in before Mitchell moved back to his feet. But with two minutes left, Mitchell got a crucial takedown and hopped to mount again. With 90 seconds left, he took Ige’s back and got his right arm around for a rear-naked choke attempt with plenty of time to work. He got his left arm in and tried to flatten out Ige, who had to roll to his back and fend off an arm-triangle choke with 30 seconds left.

In the third, with the fight potentially up in the air, Mitchell got Ige to the canvas and even though Ige was on top, Mitchell managed to take the back with a tight body triangle with four minutes to work. Halfway through, Mitchell perfectly worked back to mount, which actually led to Ige back to his feet. But Mitchell just overpowered him and made sure to leave no doubt in the third. A slam with 90 seconds left and a kimura attempt kept him in control a little longer, though Ige rallied late.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 228 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 228.