Tag: UFC on ESPN 11

UFC on ESPN 11 post-event facts: Curtis Blaydes’ takedowns make history

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 11, which saw Curtis Blaydes defeat Alexander Volkov in Las Vegas.

The UFC’s run of events continued Saturday with UFC on ESPN 11, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and aired on ESPN/ESPN+.

The main event featured a historic performance from [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who beat [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (31-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) by unanimous decision with the help of a record number of takedowns landed.

It was one of several notable happenings to occur on the card. For more on the numbers, check below for 55 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 11.

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General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $178,500.

Debuting fighters went 1-1 at the event.

[autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag], [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag], [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Jaynes[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 11 fight-night bonuses.

UFC on ESPN 11 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.

Betting favorites went 7-5 on the card.

Betting favorites improved to 9-6 (currently 8-6) in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:32:32.

Main card

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Blaydes’ four-fight UFC winning streak in heavyweight competition is tied with Francis Ngannou and Augusto Sakai for the longest active streak in the division.

Blaydes’ 14 takedowns landed set the single-fight record for a UFC heavyweight bout.

Blaydes’ 14 takedowns landed are tied for the third most in a single UFC fight behind Khabib Nurmagomedov (21 at UFC 160) and Sean Sherk (16 at UFC 73).

Blaydes’ 59 takedowns landed in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.

Volkov fell to 7-2 since his final Bellator bout in June 2015.

Volkov has suffered four of his seven career losses by decision.

Emmett (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) improved to 5-1 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in October 2017.

Emmett has landed 10 knockdowns in his past six fights.

Emmett’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Jeremy Stephens (11).

Burgos (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]’s (11-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) eight victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Amanda Nunes (11).

Pennington’s total fight time of 3:07:33 in UFC women’s bantamweight competition is most in divisional history.

Pennington has earned six of her eight UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Marion Reneau[/autotag]’s (9-6-1 MMA, 5-5-1 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.

Reneau has suffered all six of her career losses by decision.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) improved to 7-1 in his past eight fights dating back to February 2017. His lone defeat came against Geoff Neal at UFC on ESPN+ 1.

Muhammad has earned 12 of his 17 career victories by decision. That includes six of his eight UFC wins.

[autotag]Lyman Good[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past six fights.

Good has suffered five of his six career losses by decision.

Miller’s (32-14 MMA, 21-13 UFC) 21 victories in UFC competition are third most in company history behind Donald Cerrone (23) and Demian Maia (22).

Miller’s 10 submission victories in UFC competition are tied with Royce Gracie for third most in history behind Charles Oliveira (14) and Demian Maia (11).

Miller’s 43 submission attempts in UFC competition are the most in company history.

[autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of his career.

Preliminary card

[autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] (35-20 MMA, 15-14 UFC) fell to 3-3 since he returned to the UFC lightweight division in June 2017.

Guida’s 54 takedowns landed in UFC lightweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Gleison Tibau (84) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (57).

[autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag]’ (11-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) snapped her four-fight losing skid for her first victory since December 2017.

Torres’ seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10).

Torres has earned 10 of her 11 career victories by decision.

[autotag]Brianna Van Buren[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has suffered all three of her career losses by decision.

[autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) snapped his three-fight losing skid for his first victory since September 2018.

[autotag]Oskar Piechota[/autotag] (11-4-1 MMA, 2-4 UFC) has suffered four consecutive losses after starting his career on a 12-fight unbeaten streak.

Piechota has suffered all four of his career losses by stoppage.

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]’s (8-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) five victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are tied with Valentina Shevchenko and Katlyn Chookagian for most in divisional history.

Robertson’s five stoppage victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are most in divisional history.

Robertson’s four submission victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are most in divisional history.

[autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] (9-8 MMA, 4-7 UFC) fell to 1-1 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in May.

Casey fell to 2-4 in her past six fights since January 2017.

Casey has suffered both of her career stoppage losses by submission.

[autotag]Frank Camacho[/autotag] (22-9 MMA, 2-5 uFC) fell to 2-3 since he dropped to the UFC lightweight division in November 2017.

Camacho has suffered seven of his nine career losses by stoppage.

[autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) improved to 4-1 since she dropped to the UFC flyweight division in December 2017.

Murphy’s three-fight UFC winning streak at women’s flyweight is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Shevchenko (five).

Murphy’s four victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Shevchenko (five), Chookagian (five) and Robertson (five).

[autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] (24-17 MMA, 3-5 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over her past eight fights.

Modafferi has suffered 13 of her 17 career losses by decision. That includes all five of her UFC defeats.

[autotag]Max Rohskopf[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his five-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

Respect and records: Jim Miller maintains perspective after UFC on ESPN 11 win

“The numbers are cool, but I still have things I want to do.”

At a time when a lot of his contemporaries are retired or barely hanging on, [autotag]Jim Miller [/autotag] is still winning fights.

The submission wiz from New Jersey added another one to his record Saturday night, when he submitted Roosevelt Roberts in the opening round of their 160-pound catchweight fight in the main-card opener of UFC on ESPN 11.

Miller, who holds the UFC lightweight career wins record at 19, tied Donald Cerrone with most career fights at 35 and took sole possession of third place for most UFC wins with 21.

And while records are cool, the 36-year-old Miller has a nice round number in mind as he continues to move forward: getting in 40 career UFC bouts before he calls it day.

“They’re cool to have, but it’s not my goal,” Miller told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after the fight. “Knowing how I feel right now, how my body’s been feeling, and if I can fight at the pace I want to, I know I can get to 40 (fights). It would only be like two years, if that, if I’m fighting at my pace, which would be like every three months. The numbers are cool, but I still have things I want to do.

“I know I can compete with the best guys in the world in the division. It’s just about showing up on fight night. Over the years, it has become harder to do that, but I feel like I’m cracking the code on it. Me now at my best is way better than me back in 2010. There’s still a lot I’d like to do. I’m healthy enough to keep doing it.”

 

Miller, who’s won three of his last four fights, has earned the admiration of his peers, who can be a tough bunch to please. And to a fighter who has been doing this since 2005, and been in the UFC since 2008, that means as much as any other accolade he can receive.

“It’s amazing. The respect that I’ve earned from my peers by being me, I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Miller said. “I honestly wouldn’t. I’m not gonna jeopardize that aspect, because that’s something that’s taken a career and a life of just trying to do the right thing and showing respect to anyone else that’s gonna step inside that octagon. Because it’s not easy. Even at 35, I’m still feeling butterflies. … It’s still a nerve wracking thing. Nobody’s given the opportunity to do it. You have to earn it. To have my peers and other coaches say the things that they say about me, it’s awesome. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

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Oh, and there’s one other thing Miller thinks would be pretty cool. He fought at the landmark UFC 100, where he defeated Mac Danzig, and UFC 200, where he defeated Takanori Gomi.

At the pace UFC holds events, it won’t be too long until UFC 300. An opportunity for three wins at three UFC century events is something Miller wouldn’t decline

“Maybe that would be the one to hang my hat on?” Miller said. “Who knows? Right now I’m feeling fantastic.”

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UFC on ESPN 11: Austin Hubbard knew Max Rohskopf ‘was broken’ but surprised he quit

Austin Hubbard was ready to finish his fight in the third round, but it turned out he didn’t have to do.

[autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag] was primed and ready to finish his UFC on ESPN 11 fight with [autotag]Max Rohskoph[/autotag] in the third round.

Hubbard (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was dominating the lightweight bout, which kicked off Saturday night’s event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, to the degree color commentator Michael Bisping called it “target practice.” This especially rang true in Round 2, which all three judges scored 10-8 in Hubbard’s favor.

So Hubbard was preparing to get the job done inside the distance.

“I was ready to go out there and finish him in that third round,” Hubbard told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after the fight. “I could tell he was broken. I was landing some good shots, some hard shots. In my mind, that fight was not gonna make it to the end of the third.”

Instead, an unusual situation went down: Roshkopf (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who was making his UFC debut, overruled his own corner and declined to come out for the final round, giving Hubbard a TKO win.

“I was surprised,” Hubbard said. “I never experienced that. I know I was hitting him clean; I was hitting him hard. I can’t blame him. He is a tough kid. He was taking them well. I could tell those were hurting him, though. … I could tell he was a little cloudy. I’m not surprised, and in my mind I was finishing that fight for sure.”

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For his part, Hubbard said he would never go against his coaches’ wishes if the situation was reversed.

“I would never do that,” Hubbard said. “They would have to stop me from going out there than me not wanting to go out there.”

With the victory, the Denver-based Hubbard now has won two of his past three. It goes into the books as the first stoppage victory of his UFC tenure.

“This is the next level,” Hubbard said. “I fought a lot of people that were really good before I got here into the UFC. I won multiple regional titles before I got here to the UFC, and I’m really thankful about that. I got into the UFC at 10-2, which seems kinda long. It was longer at the time than I wanted, but it gave me that experience that I need to be here now, and I’m super thankful for that, and I’m looking forward to the future.”

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UFC on ESPN 11 bonuses: Josh Emmett vs. Shane Burgos an obvious ‘Fight of the Night’

Josh Emmett vs. Shane Burgos was a “Fight of the Year” candidate, so it was a pretty clear pick for “Fight of the Night.”

When we list the contenders for “Fight of the Year” come December, it’s likely that Saturday night’s thrilling featherweight throwdown between [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] and [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] will be among the fights listed.

So it should come as no surprise, then, that Emmett’s unanimous decision victory over Burgos took “Fight of the Night” honors at UFC on ESPN 11, earning both competitors an extra $50,000.

Emmett, who won his third consecutive fight, earned his second career post-fight bonus, which have come in back-to-back fights. Burgos, who had a three-fight winning streak snapped, earned his third post-fight bonus. All three bonuses won by the exiting Bronx brawler have been “Fight of the Night” awards.

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There was also a pair of $50,00 “Performance of the Night” awards handed out after the event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The irrepressible [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] is now a 12-time bonus winner, as he took home POTN for his first-round submission of Roosevelt Roberts in a 160-pound catchweight fight.

Meanwhile, [autotag]Justin Jaynes[/autotag], who didn’t even know he’d be fighting in the UFC this weekend when the week started, made the most of his UFC debut, as he needed just 41 seconds for a short-notice victory over Frank Camacho. Jaynes took home the other POTN award.

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UFC on ESPN 11 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2020 total passes $2.5 million

UFC on ESPN 11 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 11 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $178,500.

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 on ESPN 11 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 11 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Marion Reneau[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Lyman Good[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Brianna Van Buren[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Oskar Piechota[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Justin Jaynes[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Frank Camacho[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Max Rohskopf[/autotag]: $3,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.

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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,603,000
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $33,607,500

Dana White: ‘Who the (expletive) is anybody to judge’ Max Rohskopf for quitting in UFC debut?

“He had the balls to come here and fight and take a short-notice fight in the UFC.”

[autotag]Max Rohskopf[/autotag] had the courage to step in and take his first UFC fight on 10 days’ notice.

It didn’t go well as the 25-year-old lightweight took a two-round beating from Austin Hubbard in the opening fight of Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN 11 card. Against his corner’s objections, he then opted out of the fight, giving Hubbard what goes into the books as a TKO win.

Rohskopf, who was undefeated in five professional fights before Saturday, doesn’t look quite ready to compete on the highest level. But while UFC president Dana White never has hesitated to shoot harsh words at anyone he feels deserves them, he wasn’t about to pile on Rohskopf.

“Let me tell you what: In this (expletive) sport, if you’re done, you’re done,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the post-fight news conference at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “You should absolutely be able to quit. I know that it’s frowned upon, but guess what? Anybody that would talk (expletive) about you quitting isn’t in there fighting. It’s real easy to be a critic. With what these kids do, this is a whole ‘nother level, man. … When you get here, this is a whole different level, man.”

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Many years ago, White had dreams of becoming a boxer in his hometown of Boston. It didn’t pan out, and he instead launched on the path that led him to become UFC president. As someone who didn’t make it as a fighter, he’s not about to rip someone like Rohskopf, who chased after his dream but didn’t get all the way there.

“I believed back in the day that I was a fighter and wanted to do this and that, and one day I found out that I wasn’t,” White said. “The realization was that I wasn’t. When you find out, you need to walk away. I’m not saying that’s the case with this kid. But if that kid felt like he needed to quit tonight, who the (expletive) is anybody to judge him on that? He had the balls to come here and fight and take a short-notice fight in the UFC.”

Whether Roshkopf continues with his fight career is something he’ll have to figure out for himself. But White finished his thoughts with a pointed message for anyone who might be tempted to kick Roshkopf while he’s down.

“He’s gotta get up tomorrow and look himself in the mirror and figure out who he is and what he wants to do,” White said. “There is no shame in getting here and finding out that you’re not it. There’s no shame in that at all. He gave it a shot, didn’t work out. Anybody who would try to ridicule a kid like that, (expletive) you. Come try it. Come try and do what he did tonight. Very few people can do it.”

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Curtis Blaydes embraces criticism after UFC on ESPN 11 win: ‘I like to make you mad’

Curtis Blaydes has no problems being the wrestling “heel” of MMA because of his style of fighting – as long as he keeps winning.

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] is fueled by the haters following his wrestling-heavy win over Alexander Volkov at UFC on ESPN 11.

Blaydes (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) utilized his “universal game plan” of non-stop takedowns against Volkov (31-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) to win a unanimous decision Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He didn’t get much in the way of positive feedback after the fight, though, with UFC president Dana White even saying he looks “stupid” for not backing up his big talk on a number of topics heading into the fight.

It appears Blaydes doesn’t care about what White or anyone else thinks about his performance. In fact, he relishes those who don’t enjoy the style of fighting he employs.

“I know who I am now,” Blaydes told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC on ESPN 11 post-fight news conference. “I’m the heel. You don’t like what I do? I like to make you mad. I like to win. That’s probably the best part about this win, is I predicted this, and I did it. Twenty-five minutes. Didn’t look the best, but I’m OK with having a gritty win like that, and I know a lot of fans didn’t like it, and I’m OK with that. It makes me happy.”

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In addition to his criticism of the in-cage effort, White advised that Blaydes keep busy in the heavyweight division while the current title scenario unfolds. Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier are scheduled to finish their trilogy for the belt Aug. 15 at UFC 252, and Francis Ngannou – who holds two wins over Blaydes – is on deck as the next contender.

Blaydes thinks he doesn’t have better options than to wait, though, and said he’s earned the right to see how things play out.

“Stay busy against who?” Blaydes said. “I fought Justin Willis, ranked below me. I fought (Shamil) Abdurakhimov, ranked below me. I fought Junior (Dos Santos), ranked below me. I fought Volkov, ranked below me. Like what? No. I don’t know, man. This is probably not the best time to answer that questions so I’m going to leave that alone.”

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