Tag: UFC Fight Night 239

Even at 40, Ovince Saint Preux to ‘continue to make everybody mad’ like he did at UFC Fight Night 239

Ovince Saint Preux is one of the most senior (both in age and experience) fighters on the UFC roster but Saturday proved he still has more left.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] is one of the most senior (both in age and experience) fighters on the UFC roster, but Saturday proved he still has more left in the tank.

On the UFC Fight Night 239 main card, Saint Preux (27-17 MMA, 14-12 UFC) thrilled with a three-round slugfest against Kennedy Nzechukwu (12-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC), whom he defeated by split decision.

The fight as a whole, but particularly the third round, saw the two men stand in the pocket and go blow-for-blow. Saint Preux’s boxing and aggression proved to be the difference, as two of the three judges sided with him.

“Man, to be honest again, I knew he don’t have that one (punch) knockout power,” Saint Preux told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “He was landing shots. I was landing shots. Actually, my trainer’s wife Taylor, the other day, we were doing something. She said, ‘You can do anything for five minutes. If you do it in five minutes, you can do anything in five minutes.’ I was like, ‘All right, cool.’ If you end up being in a phone booth for five minutes, you can do that. I was like, ‘I’m going to make it a fight. I’m not going to go down.’ We stayed in there. I knew he was getting tired of hitting me and I wasn’t going to get tired of hitting him.”

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Saint Preux, 40, has been on the promotion’s roster since 2013. Saturday’s fight positioned him at No. 1 atop the promotion’s all-time light heavyweight appearances leaderboard.

So having won two of his most recent three outings, where does OSP go from here?

“(I’ll) continue to make everybody mad,” Saint Preux joked. “I mean, it was a good fight, man. He came out orthodox and I was like, ‘OK.’ We kind of prepared for that but we were expecting to stay southpaw. Then, his jab was kind of landing. I was wondering, ‘Man, why is his jab landing kind of good.’ He went right-handed. Given the fact he went southpaw, with his dominant hand, he was able to pop up out a little bit faster. But once I got the timing down and stuff, I think my head movement did pretty good and I kind of messed up his timing. … I’m trying to fight two more times this year.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

Gerald Meerschaert reacts to tying Anderson Silva’s record at UFC Fight Night 239

Gerald Meerschaert hasn’t held or fought for a UFC title – but he’s found a way to make his mark on the promotion’s record books.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] hasn’t held a UFC title. He hasn’t fought for one, either. But he’s found a way to make his mark on the UFC record books.

Saturday at UFC Fight Night 239 at the UFC Apex, Meerschaert (35-17 MMA, 10-9 UFC) defeated [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (18-11 MMA, 9-9 UFC) by submission. The finish tied Anderson Silva’s all-time middleweight record at 11. He already held, but extended, the division’s all-time submission record.

“That’s pretty cool,” Meerschaert told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I’ve got the most submissions at middleweight. I think I would’ve bumped another spot all-time to like fourth or fifth or something of most submissions at any weight and then tying Anderson Silva, that’s awesome. And I still have all my wins by finish in the UFC. It’s over 10 wins and that’s pretty nuts.”

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Meerschaert has 52 professional fights with 19 in the UFC. Only seven of his fights have gone to the decision. He has 34 finishes, and has been finished 12 times, making him truly a “do or die” fighter.

“Pretty much,” Meerschaert said of that categorization. “If you watch my fights, that’s generally how it goes. It’s not just submissions, either. This is probably one of the few times that I went out there and just straight grappled somebody, put them in a bad spot, and choked them. Usually, we get in a standup battle, or I punch them in the face a lot first, which makes choking them a lot easier.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Tai Tuivasa after UFC Fight Night 239 loss?

Tai Tuivasa is on the worst losing skid of his career after being submitted at UFC Fight Night 239, now his future is in question.

(ALSO SEE: Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Marcin Tybura after UFC Fight Night 239 win?)

[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] was unable to turn things around against Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 239, and is now facing a career crossroads.

After being taken down and choked out by Tybura (25-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) in the opening round of Saturday’s heavyweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Tuivasa (15-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) now finds himself on a four-fight losing skid. The performances haven’t offered much in terms of redeeming qualities, either, and that’s cause for concern.

Can Tuivasa right the ship, or has his time already expired at just 31 years old? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Tuivasa’s future after UFC Fight Night 239.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Marcin Tybura after UFC Fight Night 239 win?

See who Marcin Tybura should fight next after his victory over Tai Tuivasa in the UFC Fight Night 239 headliner.

(ALSO SEE: Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Tai Tuivasa after UFC Fight Night 239 loss?)

[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] joined a short list of fighters to rack up a dozen or more career octagon victories in the heavyweight division after he put away Tai Tuivasa in the UFC Fight Night 239 main event.

Tybura (25-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) used his grappling prowess to take down and submit the inferior Tai Tuivasa (15-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) inside the first round at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, achieving his first main event victory under the UFC banner.

The result put Tybura back on the winning track after a quick TKO loss to Tom Aspinall in July, but where does he go from here?

Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Tybura’s future after UFC Fight Night 239.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

Ange Loosa asserts vision was impaired at UFC Fight Night 239, hopes for closure with Bryan Battle rematch

After an unfortunate ending at UFC Fight Night 239, Ange Loosa admits he’s “down today” but vows to come back stronger.

[autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag] admits he woke up Sunday feeling “down,” but he isn’t second-guessing how he maneuvered through an unfortunate situation.

His UFC Fight Night 239 co-main event Saturday ended in a no contest due to an eye poke – a disappointing result, Loosa (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) acknowledges. However, Loosa also asserts he couldn’t see properly.

The circumstances of the fight’s ending led to a heated exchange with opponent [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag], who accused Loosa of looking for a way out of their fight in Las Vegas. The two fighters were separated by security before anything physical occurred.

Despite the emotional aftermath, Loosa is confident in his decision hours later. He told MMA Junkie on Sunday the eye issues have persisted, and he will visit a specialist once he gets back home.

“That’s hard to take,” Loosa said. “I’m very disappointed. My eye is still hurting. This is not the way I wanted this fight to end up. That’s it. I don’t have much to say. I’m very disappointed. Yeah, that’s the way it ended up.”

“… (The UFC) wants to send me to an ophthalmologist. I have to see another one back in Florida. We will check and see what’s going on, but I feel like there’s something inside (my eye). It’s itchy and hurting a little bit. We’ll check the eye and see how it goes from there.”

Loosa did not have the chance to speak with reporters backstage at the UFC Apex following the event, as he was being medically tended to. Battle (11-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), however, got much off his chest at a post-fight news conference.

Loosa doesn’t deny Battle was winning the fight up until the end. But to call Loosa a quitter? Loosa says he’s anything but.

“To be honest, he started to fight well,” Loosa said. “I cannot take that from him. He fought well in the first round. He definitely won the first round. But I’m not afraid of him. I started slow. In the second round, I was ready to go. I would never, ever, ever stop the fight if I’m able to continue. I wasn’t able to see. The only thing I’m disappointed about me is to lose my cool. For all the people who know me, I’m always respectful and I never curse like that. But calling me the way he called me after the fight was just so disrespectful and I had to react. I just think that’s not the way things should go in mixed martial arts.”

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Battle wasn’t the only one to hurl insults at Loosa. The unfriendly messages have flocked in on social media. Loosa said the negativity doesn’t bother him, but he wishes people understood what it feels like to fight with one properly working eye.

“The thing I see is that there’s a lot of people online coming after me, saying like, ‘Oh, you quit, you quit, you quit.’ But those people, most of them, 99 percent of them never fought,” Loosa said. “They don’t know how I felt. That’s what makes me feel like I’m fine. I’m OK. I’ll be back from that. I don’t take all this negativity. I have good people around me and I know what I’m worth. It’s OK. I’m down today, but I’ll be back stronger.”

While Battle indicated a rematch isn’t at the top of his list, Loosa wants to put closure on the situation and hopes the UFC circles back.

“The only way to fix that is to run it back,” Loosa said. “… He didn’t win the fight. He didn’t lose the fight. Like I said, this is unfortunate. This is not the way I wanted this fight to end up. Yeah, if I was able to fight back, I’d fight back for sure. I wasn’t expecting to have the fight stop like that. I thought I’d maybe have more time, to be honest. But my eye was really damaged. If they give me the opportunity to fight him again, for sure I’m going to take it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

UFC Fight Night 239 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Ovince Saint Preux leads with $21,000

UFC Fight Night 239 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 239 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $189,500.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 239 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Isaac Dulgarian[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Macy Chiasson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Natan Levy[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Chelsea Chandler[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Josiane Nunes[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jafel Filho[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Danny Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Josh Culibao[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jaqueline Amorim[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mitch Ramirez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chad Anheliger[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Charalampos Grigoriou[/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 2391 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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,551,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,258,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

Marcin Tybura lukewarm about Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s callout after UFC Fight Night 239

Marcin Tybura responds to Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s callout after Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 239.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] got called out by [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] fresh off his return to the win column.

The veteran heavyweight picked up a submission win over Tai Tuivasa (15-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) pm Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 239 at the UFC Apex. The victory was a bounce back from his TKO loss to now-interim champion Tom Aspinall in July 2023. Just minutes after the win, Rozenstruik called out Tybura (25-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) for a fight.

“I kind of feel like I’ve always been a fighter who doesn’t reject fights, so if the UFC (wants it),” Tybura said when asked about Rosenstruik’s callout at the UFC Fight Night 239 post-fight press conference. “I’m not exactly one to respond, but if the UFC wants to do it, I will agree. But I’d rather have someone higher ranked.”

Tybura and Rozenstruik do have some history. They were supposed to fight in January 2022, but their fight was moved to a few months later. Weeks before the matchup, though, Tybura withdrew from the fight due to injury.

Tybura thinks a fight with Rozenstruik would go very similar to his first-round submission of Tuivasa.

“The thing is that I owe it a little bit to Jairzinho because our fight was scheduled a year ago or so, and I had to reschedule it, and then I pulled out from the fight because I had some health issues. So that’s maybe the fight I will have to do.”

Tybura is open to fight Rozenstruik, but he’s really hoping to get someone higher ranked. He has no specific name in mind, but just wants someone ahead of him.

“I didn’t bring any name because I really just wanted to focus on this one and get back in the win column, so right now I don’t have anyone in my mind,” Tybura said. “But anyone in the top 10 would be great. Right now it’s more like a celebration, and that’s it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

Bryan Battle says Ange Loosa milked UFC Fight Night 239 eye poke: ‘A no contest is better than a loss’

UFC Fight Night 239 co-headliner Bryan Battle doubles down on Ange Loosa criticism, which almost sparked a brawl post-fight in the cage.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] exits UFC Fight Night 239 with a mix of emotions, but none make him feel anything less than a winner despite a no contest ruling.

In Saturday’s co-main event, Battle (10-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) thumbed opponent [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in the eye at the UFC Apex. After a timeout, Loosa said he could not see and the fight was waved off.

Bruce Buffer read the no contest ruling, and then the two fighters were separated after Battle called out Loosa – an energy he carried into his post-fight news conference.

Battle thinks Loosa exaggerated the eye poke’s damage to avoid a loss.

“What triggered the argument is that I looked at him and called him a p*ssy,” Battle told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I knew it wasn’t that bad. I knew it wasn’t that bad. I’ve been poked in the eye before. I’ve accidentally poked people in the eye before. I’m sitting there looking at him and he’s fine.

“It was really just one of those things where he was getting his ass whooped. He knew there was no way he was going to win that fight. He knew without a shadow of a doubt there was no way he was going to win that fight. So when he had an opportunity to act like he couldn’t see, that they would call it a no contest (he did).

“I mean, a no contest is better than a loss, which is clearly what he was headed for. He didn’t have the speed. He didn’t have the power. He didn’t have the size. He didn’t have the grappling technique. He didn’t have the striking technique. None of that. He didn’t have any of those areas to compete with me. It’s unfortunate but whatever. We move on. That’s life. That’s the fight game. I’ve got bigger and better things on the horizon anyway. We just keep on moving.”

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It’s not uncommon practice the UFC runs back fights that end in controversial fouls, though the promotion has not indicated that will be the case with Battle vs. Loosa.

While Battle would happily accept a second crack at Loosa, he indicated he’s otherwise moved passed the matchup.

“I don’t see how he agrees to a rematch,” Battle said. “That’s an easy paycheck for me. I would prefer to keep on moving up in the rankings. I’d prefer to fight someone with more of a name. We’re the co-main event but we’re not the co-main event if he’s the A-side. I was the A-side of this match. I’m ready to move onto something bigger and better. If the UFC hits me up and they’re like, ‘Ange Loosa (on) such-and-such date,’ I’m like, ‘All right, fine.’ I’ll whoop his ass again.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

UFC Fight Night 239: Best photos from Las Vegas

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC Fight Night 239 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC Fight Night 239 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos courtesy of the UFC via Getty Images)