Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out MMA Junkie’s top five fights for 2020, including the first women’s bout to take top honors.
With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best knockouts from January to December. Here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Fight of the Year” award for 2020.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice for “Fight of the Year.”
UFC lightweight Kevin Croom and DWCS competitor Jose Flores each were issued four-and-a-half month suspensions for marijuana use.
LAS VEGAS – UFC lightweight [autotag]Kevin Croom[/autotag] and Dana White’s Contender Series competitor [autotag]Jose Flores[/autotag] each were issued four-and-a-half month suspensions in relation to marijuana use.
The Nevada Athletic Commission handed out the orders during Wednesday’s monthly meeting, which was held via teleconference due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Croom (22-12 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN+ 35 on Sept. 12, stepping in on just one day’s notice before needing just 31 seconds to score a submission win over Roosevelt Roberts. “The Hard-Hitting Hillbilly” also earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus.
However, a pre-fight drug screen identified the presence of marijuana, and Croom subsequently agreed to a proposed adjudication agreement approved Wednesday that includes the suspension, which expires on Jan. 26, 2021, as well as a reduced fine of $1,800 fine and prosecution fees totaling $145.36.
Flores (9-2) kicked off the current fourth season of Dana White’s Contender Series at DWCS 27 on Aug. 4. He was submitted in the opening round by Jordan Leavitt, who was awarded a UFC deal.
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After also testing positive for marijuana, Flores agreed to a suspension that expires on Dec. 4, as well as a reduced fine of $750 and prosecution fees totaling $145.36.
In a non-marijuana related decision, heavyweight [autotag]Chad Johnson[/autotag] was issued a nine-month suspension for testing positive for a banned amphetamine.
Johnson (6-2) appeared at Dana White’s Contender Series 29 on Aug. 18, suffering a first-round knockout loss to Josh Parisian, who was awarded a UFC contract with the result.
Johnson’s suspension expires May 18, 2021. He was also fined $750 and must pay prosecution fees totaling $145.36 per Wednesday’s adjudication agreement.
All suspended athletes must also pass drug screens 30 days, 15 days and three days before their next contest in order to regain licensure in Nevada.
Additionally, UFC welterweight [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] saw his temporary suspension extended after testing positive for carboxy THC, a prohibited cannabinoid, in relation to his Sept. 19 bout at UFC on ESPN+ 36. The commission expects to resolve the issue in December.
Price (14-4-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC) fought Donald Cerrone at the event. “The Hybrid” was deducted a point for multiple eye pokes in the opening round of the contest, which ended up being declared a majority draw.
Lastly, [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag], who tested positive for a modulator metabolites in August, was granted a continuance to a later date.
Pyfer (7-2) competed in the featured contest of DWCS 28 on Aug. 11. He was forced to settle for a TKO loss after suffering an arm injury from being slammed to the canvas by Dustin Stoltzfus, who took home a UFC contract with the win.
Mike Rodriguez has come to terms with his controversial loss to Ed Herman at UFC on ESPN+ 35 and is ready to move on.
[autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag] has come to terms with his loss to [autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 35 and is ready to move on.
Rodriguez (11-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) got the short end of the stick on a blunder from referee Chris Tognoni in the light heavyweight bout this past Saturday. He landed a knee to the midsection of Herman (26-14 MMA, 13-10 UFC) in the second round, and the referee misidentified it as a low blow.
Herman was presented with the standard five-minute recovery window for a groin-strike foul, but the replay showed it landed clean. The fight was allowed to resume after the controversial moment, and Herman rallied in the third to secure a fight-ending kimura and conclude the stunning turn of events.
There was no shortage of outrage afterward, with fighters on social media, the UFC broadcast team and, most emphatically of all, UFC president Dana White going after Tognoni and Herman for their parts in the situation. A few days later, though, Rodriguez said he’s reflected on what happened and won’t assign blame.
“It’s a lot to take in,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve got no ill will towards (Tognoni). It was a simple mistake, and Ed just capitalized on the mistake. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a (expletive) situation. The only thing I really, like, blame Ed for, if anything, is when he got the submission, how he put his feet in the fence. Other than that, it is what it is. There’s nothing we can really do about it.”
Although it’s over in his mind, there are still moving parts stemming from the outcome at UFC on ESPN+ 35. Rodriguez’s manager, Tyson Chartier, said immediately after the fight that an appeal would be filed to have Herman’s win overturned, likely to a no contest.
Dana White unloaded on the "Mazzagatti-level shit" from ref Chris Tognoni in the Ed Herman vs. Mike Rodriguez fight: "Disgusting."
Full #UFCVegas10 interview: https://t.co/IS6Dk0zGuZ pic.twitter.com/M2HfeS75rU
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) September 13, 2020
Rodriguez said he’s going to allow his team to do their jobs in lobbying to make that happen, but he doesn’t necessarily have expectations.
“I’m assuming if anything it would be changed to a (no contest), which is better than a loss,” Rodriguez said. “I have no clue what’s going to happen with that.”
One thing that does allow Rodriguez to be positive after a disappointing situation was how the controversy was received by the UFC brass. White said he was going to pay Rodriguez his win bonus, and that he is viewing it as a win for him.
“That’s exactly what Dana said: ‘You won that (expletive) round. … You finished Ed Herman the second round,'” Rodriguez recalled. “I was sitting in the back, I was a little bummed out, I got caught. The doctors were looking at my shoulder and all of a sudden I looked up and Dana White was right there. He was not happy. I thought I did something wrong. I was instantly like, ‘Oh (expletive), what did I do?’ He was like, ‘That’s bull(expletive), that’s one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. You definitely won.'”
As far as his next move, Rodriguez said he’s not overly eager to run it back with Herman. If the UFC views it as a win for him, he said he’s happy to proceed the same way and take his next step forward.
“If they’re looking at it as a win for me, I’ll just move on,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t work for the commission, I work for the UFC. So, let’s keep running it. They think it’s a win? Let’s keep going. Who else is next? Who else is out there?”
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Mike Rodriguez discussed his controversial loss to Ed Herman at UFC on ESPN+ 35 with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn.
Mike Rodriguez discussed his controversial loss to Ed Herman at UFC on ESPN+ 35 with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn.
UFC on ESPN+ 35 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+ 35 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $137,000.
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+ 35 took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card streamed ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 35 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Ottman Azaitar[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Khama Worthy[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag]: $20,000
[autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Alan Patrick[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Kevin Croom[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Roque Martinez[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Brok Weaver[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Anthony Ivy[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag]: $5,000
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: $4,429,500
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: $35,434,000
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Michelle Waterson in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Michelle Waterson in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Angela Hill in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Angela Hill in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”
Five years into her octagon run, Michelle Waterson still has a singular goal in mind: UFC gold.
LAS VEGAS – Five years into her octagon run, [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] still has a singular goal in mind: UFC gold.
“The Karate Hottie” took a step in that direction on Saturday night with a victory in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 35 at UFC Apex. Waterson (18-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC) earned a hard-fought split-decision win over Angela Hill (12-9 MMA, 7-9 UFC) in the five round thriller, which was awarded the evening’s “Fight of the Night” bonus.
Afterward, while she was a little battered and bruised, Waterson said she was feeling fantastic and was looking forward to getting home to her daughter, Araya.
“Any time you take damage and you get a victory, it doesn’t hurt,” Waterson told MMA Junkie. “I’m super happy to come home with a victory and go home and see my little monkey.”
Things didn’t start out great for Waterson, who dropped the opening two rounds on two of three judges’ scorecards. But a big takedown in the third saw her seize some momentum, and changes to her strategy in the striking department helped her rally to win the fourth and fifth frames, as well.
“I think for me, it was just honestly an adjustment within a couple of inches – the difference in being a little bit further back and reserved and kind of trying to fight on the outskirts vs. just kind of biting down, sitting in a little bit deeper and intruding in her space and just deciding, ‘All right, let’s go forward,'” Waterson said.
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While she took some visible damage in the process, including a small hematoma that was forming near her left temple, Waterson could occasionally be seen smiling down the homestretch. Despite being involved in such a grueling battle, she said that was simply a natural reaction to her emotions at the moment.
“It’s a fight,” Waterson said. “This is what we love to do, and I think everybody has that within themselves. It’s like fight or flight.
“I always remember being in like sport karate and getting kicked in the face and just seeing the blood come down and seeing the blood and not wanting to retreat but actually wanting to move forward. Sometimes you just have to get hit to feel that way. Like ‘All right let’s go. This is a fight.'”
As for what’s next, Waterson admitted she wasn’t sure. In the past, she admits that worrying about rankings and matchups and paths to the title got a little bit overwhelming, so she’s elected instead to just focus on the fight in front of her at the moment.
So while there may be a few matchups that could help steer her in that direction, Waterson isn’t really worried about how to put them together. Instead, she simply plans on staying the course.
“The goal has always been to fight for the belt,” Waterson said. “I’ve been chomping away at this for a really long time, and I want to get there. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m like chipping away and chipping away and I can’t turn around. I’ve just got to keep going forward.”
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Angela Hill talks to media after a victory at UFC on ESPN+ 35 in Las Vegas
Angela Hill talks to media after a victory at UFC on ESPN+ 35 in Las Vegas
Michelle Waterson talks to media after a victory at UFC on ESPN+ 35 in Las Vegas
Michelle Waterson talks to media after a victory at UFC on ESPN+ 35 in Las Vegas
