Tag: UFC Fight Night 229

Mateusz Gamrot to serve as UFC 294 backup fighter for Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira

Mateuz Gamrot will be the UFC 294 backup fighter for Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira, Dana White confirmed.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC 294 main event has a designated backup fighter should either [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] or [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] be unable to compete at the Oct. 21 pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi.

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] has assumed that role and will weigh in Oct. 14, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed Saturday at a UFC Fight Night 229 post-fight news conference. Gamrot had revealed the news earlier Friday while doing media in Poland.

Gamrot, 32, most recently competed Sept. 23 at UFC Fight Night 228 when opponent Rafael Fiziev suffered a torn ACL and was rendered unable to continue. Gamrot notched a second-round TKO victory as a result.

The win was Gamrot’s sixth in seven fights and second in a row His only loss in the UFC to date came against Beneil Dariush in October 2022. Prior to the win over Fiziev, Gamrot defeated Jalin Turner by split decision.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 229.

Dana White: Conor McGregor has taken next step toward UFC return, but still a ways to go

After months of stalling, it appears Conor McGregor has finally taken a step toward fighting again.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] is inching closer to a UFC return.

According to UFC CEO Dana White, there’s still much to be done before the former double champion to return. However, McGregor recently submitted his paperwork to reenter the USADA drug-testing pool – a roadblock that’s been the path to a comeback for quite some time.

“He is not officially in the USADA pool,” White told reporters including MMA Junkie at a UFC Fight Night 229 pre-fight news conference Saturday. “He submitted the paperwork. Probably by Monday, he’ll be submitted. Again, don’t hold me to that. But the paperwork is submitted next week sometime.”

As for when McGregor, who has not competed since he broke his leg in July 2021, could make his comeback, White declined to speculate until things progress further.

“… I literally have nothing planned with Conor McGregor right now,” White said. “The paperwork is being submitted. We’ll play it by ear, see how things work out. There’s still a lot of things that have to happen as far as fights go. Then we’ll see where he’s going to land.”

Should he return, USADA policy would mean McGregor would need to pass at least six months of random drug testing before he could compete.

McGregor, 35, recently coached “The Ultimate Fighter 31” opposite Michael Chandler. While it was advertised the two would fight following the conclusion of the show’s airing, the bout has not yet been booked.

Chandler continues to hold out for the super fight, though he told reporters in August he had a “loose timeline” as to when he’d move on.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 229.

Bobby Green now ‘in sniper range’ of UFC title, eyes Dan Hooker fight in December

After a 33-second main event knockout win, Bobby Green feels he can go get the UFC lightweight title if he wants.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] is living in the moment after his sub-minute finish in the second main event of his UFC tenure, but that doesn’t mean a couple of names aren’t on his radar.

Green (31-14-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) needed just 33 seconds to knock out Grant Dawson in the UFC Fight Night 229 main event at the UFC Apex. As a result, Green wasn’t sure how to process the moment other than just praising his team and all of those around him.

With the win over the promotion-ranked No. 10 Dawson (20-2-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC), Green will likely have a number next to his name next week, which he says will be cool for the fans who want to identify his place in the lightweight division. While he admits he has never been motivated by chasing the UFC title, “King” believes it’s within reach, if that’s how the promotion wants to push him.

“I’m in sniper range,” Green said during a post-fight news conference. “Don’t think I can’t go get that title. I can go get the title. I’m just a fun kid who’s like, ‘Hey, I’m just happy-go-lucky.’ I’m here, I’m there. … I just pop up wherever they put me.

“UFC guys are the story writers. Sean Shelby, Dana White. They’re writing the story. Whoever they put is how the story gets written. So, you talk to them and tell them, and we’ll figure it out. If they want to put me towards the title, that’s awesome. I’m in sniper range now. It’s getting real close.”

As for what would be the next step to get him closer to gold, should that be the plan, Green says his coaches have been mentioning Dan Hooker, but Renato Moicano has also been trying to pick a fight.

“They want me to fight Hooker,” Green said. “I’m like, ‘OK.’ If Hooker’s down, I’m down. I’m down to even headline the prelims. I know the cards got so stacked up. I just got to go check out my hand a little bit. I started slamming them little hammerfists. … If I’m good, I want to fight in December. I want to be the most active fighter this year.”

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As he has done before, Moicano chirped at Green immediately after his victory Saturday, but Green is growing tired of his antics since a fight has yet to come together.

“Tell that guy suck it,” Green said about Moicano. “He wanted to fight. It’s like he wants the big money, and he’s like, ‘Hey, I want to fight.’ But then when I saw him, like ‘What’s up?’ Then it’s like, ‘Oh, not that time.’ – It’s just a bunch of, you gotta figure that sh*t out. Go figure that out, bro.”

Moicano hasn’t fought since UFC 281 last November, where he submitted Brad Riddell in the first round. Hooker was last in action in July at UFC 290, where he defeated Jalin Turner by split decision. The bout was his first of 2023, and he typically fights two to three times per calendar year.

“Hangman” caught wind of Green’s comments, and seems down for the matchup. He also shared the same sentiment about Moicano.

“Let’s boogie,” Hooker wrote on X. “Moicano can suck it.”

Ultimately, Green will travel in whichever direction the UFC wants to direct him, as long as he can stay active and keep cashing Performance of the Night bonuses.

“To be honest, I just put whoever they put in front of me,” Green said. “If they put Renato, he’ll get his ass slept too.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 229.

UFC Fight Night 229 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Bobby Green, Drew Dober top card

UFC Fight Night 229 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 229 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $189,000.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 229 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Glenn[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Mateus Mendonca[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Vanessa Demopoulos[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kanako Murata[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Aori Qileng[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Johnny Munoz[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]JJ Aldrich[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/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 2291 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: $6,483,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,072,500

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC Fight Night 230, where Jason Aldean was skunked again – unless you count ‘The Stroke’

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 230 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 230 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

Dana White explains UFC ending ban on flags: ‘If any flags hurt your feelings, too f*cking bad’

UFC has ended it’s ban on fighters bringing flags into the octagon, and CEO Dana White has explained why.

LAS VEGAS – UFC has ended its ban on fighters bringing flags into the octagon, CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] confirmed following Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 229 event.

After the promotion stopped allowing fighters to carry flags on broadcasts on the heels of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, it was extremely noticeable when Joe Pyfer daunted the United States flag following his second-round submission of Abdul Razak Alhassan at the UFC Apex.

White was asked about the situation at the post-fight press conference, and said the recent Noche UFC event was a turning point for him to overrule the policy.

“Flags are back,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I was on vacation during the Mexican Independence Day, and the no flag thing drove me crazy. So I was like, ‘Yeah, f*ck that. We’re bringing flags back.’ It drove me crazy.”

White said he initially didn’t think the flag ban was a big issue, and it wasn’t something he was overwhelmingly against. As time wore on, however, he disliked what was happening, and now the fighters are free to represent their respective countries.

“There’s a lot of things that go on in a company this big,” White said. “You can’t micromanage everything. Sometimes things are done for the intentions of the right reasons, or whatever. Everybody in this room knows the way that I feel about a lot of things. Basically, ‘I don’t give a f*ck,’ is the answer to most things.

“Everybody’s too soft, everybody’s too sensitive about everything. When the decision was made to do this, I was just like, ‘Eh, what’s the big deal if they don’t have flags?’ Mexican Independence Day flipped the switch and I was like, ‘That’s enough of the no flags thing.’ Flags are back. If any flags hurt your feelings, too f*cking bad.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 229.

UFC Fight Night 229 bonuses: Be Joe Pyfer, win $50K

Check out which fighters took home an extra $50,000 for their performances at UFC Fight Night 229 in Las Vegas.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including a sub-minute finish in the main event.

After UFC Fight Night 229, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

Social media reacts to Bobby Green’s 33-second upset of Grant Dawson at UFC Fight Night 229

The MMA community reacted to Bobby Green’s 33-second knockout upset of Grant Dawson in the UFC Fight Night 229 main event.

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] earned one of the more important wins of his career on Saturday when he upset [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] in the UFC Fight Night 229.

Green (31-15-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) brought an end to the unblemished octagon record of Dawson (20-2-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) when he secured a 33-second knockout victory in the lightweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Green’s triumph over Dawson at UFC Fight Night 229.

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UFC Fight Night 229 video: Bobby Green upsets Grant Dawson with 33-second knockout

Bobby Green pulled off a massive upset at UFC Fight Night 229 when he knocked out Grant Dawson in the first round.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] pulled off a massive upset on Saturday when he knocked out [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] in the first round at UFC Fight Night 229.

Green (31-15-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) came out confident from the outset of the lightweight headliner at the UFC Apex, holding his hands low. He measured up Dawson (20-2-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) and clipped him with a left hand that dropped him. “King” swarmed, and forced referee Keith Peterson to step in just 33 seconds into the contest.

Check out the replay of Green’s finish below (via X):

After submitting Tony Ferguson in August, Green is now riding back-to-back wins at 155-pounds, ending Dawson’s perfect UFC tenure. He wouldn’t make any callouts after the fight, but said he wants to compete again this year.

“I don’t call shots I just take whoever they put in front of me,” Green said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “I can call names all day. I don’t like to call shots. I want to call a date. I want to fight in December. I want to be the most active fighter this year. I have the most fights of 2023”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 229.

UFC Fight Night 229 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC Fight Night 229 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 229 took place Saturday, and MMA Junkie provided live play-by-play and official results throughout the event.

UFC Fight Night 229 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.

In the main event, Grant Dawson (20-2-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) took on fellow lightweight contender Bobby Green (31-14-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC). In the co-feature, Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) met Joe Pyfer (12-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at middleweight.

Scroll below to read a play-by-play of the action and get the official results. 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.