Tag: UFC on ESPN 32

Video: The UFC isn’t seriously about to let Katlyn Chookagian walk away, is it?

Katlyn Chookagian is unquestionably one of the top women’s flyweights in the world, but the UFC appears to be no longer interested.

An interesting storyline that emerged at UFC on ESPN 32 involved [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag], who revealed that she fought out her contract, with the UFC declining to give her a new deal prior to the event.

That means that after Chookagian’s third consecutive win (her 10th straight win by decision after beating Jennifer Maia), she’s looking at free agency. It’s undeniable that she’s one of the best women’s flyweights in the world, ranked No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, but even she admits that the public isn’t clamoring for her to get a title rematch with Valentina Shevchenko.

Is this a situation where the UFC might simply let her go in favor of developing new contenders? If so, is that the right way to proceed?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia discussed their biggest takeaways from the fight.

You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. 

Giga Chikadze after UFC on ESPN 32 loss: I beat Calvin Kattar nine out of 10 times

Giga Chikadze acknowledges his mistakes at UFC on ESPN 32, but thinks he beats Calvin Kattar any other time they fight.

[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] acknowledges his mistakes at UFC on ESPN 32 but thinks he beats [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] any other time they fight.

Chikadze (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) lost a lopsided unanimous decision to Kattar (23-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in the main event of this past Saturday’s card, marking the Georgian’s first promotional loss.

Chikadze got off to a good start, whipping up an array of attacks to Kattar’s head, body and legs. But the tough Kattar was able to absorb those strikes and keep pressing forward until Chikadze wilted under the pressure. Kattar proceeded to cut up Chikadze’s face with numerous elbows, battering him over the course of the fight.

“I f*cked up last night, but it’s all good,” Chikadze said during a Facebook live session. “It’s the journey. I’m learning from this. Next time, I’m going to come back so much stronger. I already feel bad for my future opponents, so I’m going to learn a lot from this one. Trust me on that.

“Also, I feel like if I would fight with this guy 10 times, nine I would win. That would be the one I would lose, and that was last night. It is what it is. I made mistakes, and I’m paying now with that. It’s all good. I’m unbreakable, remember this sh*t. Georgians are always unbreakable. This is how we fight: until the f*cking end.”

After his “Fight of the Night” battle on Saturday, Chikadze shared a picture with Kattar at the hospital with the caption “Respect.” Chikadze was hoping to replace Max Holloway against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski but was out-campaigned by Chan Sung Jung, who is set to challenge Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 273 on April 9.

Chikadze criticized Volkanovski for opting to face Jung, but now that his winning streak has been snapped, his road to gold likely just got a little bit longer.

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Dana White reacts to Tyson Fury’s callout of Francis Ngannou: ‘These boxing guys need guys to fight’

UFC boss Dana White thinks Tyson Fury’s callout of Francis Ngannou is a reflection on the ugly state of boxing.

UFC president Dana White has never held back with his thoughts on the state of boxing. He thinks the sport has been mishandled and has a laundry list of issues too deep to recite, so little from that corner of the combat sports world can shock him.

That’s why White seemed completely unsurprised by heavyweight boxing champion [autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag]’s recent decision to call out UFC heavyweight titleholder [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag].

Fury posted on social media this past week and proposed a mixed-rules showdown of sorts in which he would face Ngannou (16-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in a boxing match with MMA gloves. Ngannou took the bait and made it clear he would be all for it, but in reality, it’s not that easy.

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A bevy of hurdles would stand in the way of bringing such a matchup to fruition, and much of it hangs on the result of Ngannou’s title fight against Ciryl Gane on Saturday at UFC 270. Nevertheless, White said it’s all a testament on where boxing stands.

“No (I’m not surprised),” White told MMA Junkie and other media at the UFC on ESPN 32 post-fight news conference. “Listen, these guys – none of this surprises me. These boxing guys need guys to fight. That’s what it shows. It doesn’t surprise me at all.”

If Ngannou is keen to pursue the matchup with Fury, then he might have the opportunity in the future. Ngannou enters UFC 270 in the midst of a well-documented contract dispute with the UFC brass, and if he loses his fight with Gane, he will become a free agent.

If Ngannou emerges victorious at UFC 270, he likely will attempt to wait out the remaining time on his deal and attempt to enter free agency while he’s still UFC champ. In that scenario, a UFC exit to pursue a clash with Fury would make the potential bout nothing short of monumental.

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Free agent Katlyn Chookagian hopes to re-sign with UFC after UFC on ESPN 32 win

Katlyn Chookagian now is a free agent following her UFC on ESPN 32 win.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] is hoping to continue to be a UFC fighter.

The former women’s flyweight title challenger is a free agent after the UFC chose not to offer her a new contract upon the expiration of her latest deal.

Chookagian (17-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) fought out the last fight on her contract this Saturday on the main card of UFC on ESPN 32. She beat Jennifer Maia by unanimous decision in a rematch from a 2019 fight, which Chookagian also won.

Chookagian is surprised the UFC let her fight out her contract and hasn’t yet offered her a new deal.

“The first time I heard it, I was a little shocked,” Chookagian told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 32 post-fight news conference. “Being (ranked) No. 2 coming off a two-fight win streak … I beat, I don’t know what ranks they are, but No. 2, 3, 4, 5. I beat most girls who are in the top 10 already with dominant performances, so I thought it was just kind of a given.

“I think for a day, I was thrown back a bit. But then it’s like, ‘Whatever.’ You just have to fight. So I’ve been focused on the fight. I was confident. I knew I would win. I was just like, ‘Whatever.’ If I get a dominant performance, I’d be coming off a three-fight win streak going into the next contract instead of a two-fight. It was just a little more motivation.”

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Chookagian is uncertain what the future may hold, but one thing is for certain: She wants to remain a UFC fighter.

“I don’t know – we’ll see. This was the last fight on my contract,
Chookagian said. “I think the UFC needs to re-sign me before I think about that. I mean, I’m on a three-fight win streak – I think all top five opponents. So I’m hoping they’ll re-sign me.

“They didn’t want to extend my fight contract before this, so hopefully I proved I belong here. I’m No. 2 in the division. I’ve been No. 1 or No. 2 in the division for three or four years since the division started. I have just as many wins as (champion) Valentina (Shevchenko). I’ve probably beaten more top-10 fighters than any other fighter in the UFC – male or female. This is my 13th UFC fight and I think all but two were top-10 opponents.”

UFC president Dana White was asked about Chookagian’s future in the company following the event.

“She’s a free agent right now,” White said. “I don’t know – that was between her and Mick (Maynard), that deal with her. We’ll see what happens. We’ll get back in the room on Tuesday and figure out what’s next.”

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Giga Chikadze fires back at ‘cheap f*ck’ Chan Sung Jung, promises to rebound from UFC on ESPN 32 loss

Giga Chikadze was graceful in defeat to everyone except Chan Sung Jung after his UFC on ESPN 32 loss.

[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] handled his loss to Calvin Kattar at UFC on ESPN 32 with the utmost grace – except when it came to one person.

Chikadze’s (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) perfect octagon run came to an end Saturday when he suffered a brutal unanimous decision loss to Kattar (23-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. His face was cut open and bloodied during the five-round Fight of the Night battle, and it halted all the momentum he’d built in previous wins.

One of the narratives coming into UFC on ESPN 32 centered around Chikadze’s push for a featherweight title shot if he got his hand raised. He wanted the promotion to see how his fight played out before announcing a replacement opponent for champion Alexander Volkanovski after Max Holloway fell out, but the UFC did not oblige and [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] was tapped as the new challenger at UFC 273 on April 9.

Chikadze took some shots at “The Korean Zombie” after he slid in, calling him an “easy task” for Volkanovski. So naturally, when Chikadze lost, Jung (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) took the chance to deliver a pot-shot of his own (via Twitter):

@giga_chikadze 🤦‍♂️

Chikadze, who displayed humility in the aftermath of his defeat by posing with Kattar for a photo at the hospital after a 25-minute scrap, showed a positive mindset on the heels of a difficult moment in his career. He promised to come back stronger, but couldn’t help but criticize Jung for reveling in his loss (via Instagram stories):

Thank you my real supporters! I love you all & I owe you speed come back

Lot of fake people around, but its okay!

Also fuck you Korean Zombie! Be happy with someone’s lose you cheap fuck @koreanzombiemma

With the amount of damage he sustained in defeat, it might be a while before Chikadze makes his way back to the octagon for a fight. In the meantime, Volkanovski vs. Jung will play out at UFC 273.

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UFC on ESPN 32 post-event facts: Katlyn Chookagian sets dubious decision record

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 32, which saw history made on the promotion’s first event of 2022.

The first UFC event of the year took place Saturday with UFC on ESPN 32 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A 10-fight card that was ravaged by lineup changes ultimately concluded with a strong performance from [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (23-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC), who returned from a career-long layoff to battle [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision in the matchup of featherweight contenders.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 32.

UFC on ESPN 32 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Court McGee leads charge with $20,000

UFC on ESPN 32 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 on ESPN 32 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $132,000.

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 on ESPN 32 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 32 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Rogerio Bontorin[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dakota Bush[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joseph Holmes[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Court McGee[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Ramiz Brahimaj[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Croom[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]TJ Brown[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Charles 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 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 20-32 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

  • “UFC on ESPN 32: Kattar vs. Chikadze” – $132,000

Year-to-date total: $132,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $6,299,500

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Photo: Giga Chikadze, Calvin Kattar share moment at hospital after UFC on ESPN 32 war

Giga Chikadze and Calvin Kattar were immediately transported to hospital after a brutal war in the UFC on ESPN 32 main event.

[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] and [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] were immediately transported to the hospital after a brutal war in the UFC on ESPN 32 main event.

Once there, however, the pair of featherweight contenders connected for an epic photo.

Kattar (23-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) defeated Chikadze (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It was a thrilling performance, and one that saw the loser take an abundance of facial damage.

Check out the photo between them, which Chikadze shared on social media post-fight (via Twitter):

Kattar’s win marked a successful return to competition after almost exactly one year away. He suffered a lopsided and record-setting defeat to Max Holloway, but then came back to dish out a brutal beatdown of his own against Chikadze, who lost inside the octagon for the first time.

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UFC on ESPN 32 bonuses: Calvin Kattar, Giga Chikadze’s war predictably among winners

Check out who took home bonuses for their performances at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday evening.

UFC on ESPN 32 marked the first event for the promotion in 2022 and delivered a few moments worthy of promotional bonuses.

In the main event, featherweight contenders [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] and [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] traded strikes for 25 minutes in an incredible war. It was apparent mid-way through the contest they would be taking home a bonus for the best fight of the evening. Two other fighters secured bonuses for their performances as well, marking a total of four extra earners on Saturday evening.

Check out who took home a bonus for their performance on Saturday evening below.