Tag: UFC on ESPN 43

Manel Kape shares harsh words for Alex Perez: ‘Cowards die several times before their death’

Manel Kape had some harsh words for Alex Perez, who was forced out of their UFC on ESPN 43 bout on fight day.

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] was not happy to hear his bout against [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] was scrapped on the day of the fight, but he says it wasn’t a surprise.

During the UFC on ESPN 43 prelims, the commentary team announced Perez was forced out of the scheduled fight due to a medical issue. There were just two more bouts to go before Kape and Perez were set to make the walk to the cage at AT&T Center in San Antonio.

Details about the medical issue Perez faced were not disclosed, and the event continued with one less bout.

Shortly after the announcement was made, Kape shared some harsh words for Perez, who has had a recent string of bad luck when it comes to making it to the cage.

“Unfortunately, my opponent just came to the weighing to pose and take a picture!” Kape wrote on Instagram. “Inside me I felt that he would not have the courage to face me, our energies were totally different and I knew that he did not want to be here, he did not want the same as I wanted, and it was notorious the fear that emanated from him.

“But I was surprised to see him getting on the bus and I really thought we were going to fight. Even after grabbing him by the neck and giving him some good slaps in the chest, in the meeting room. We arrived at the Arena, warmed up, turned on my hands and only three fights left for our fight, he just gave up! Your DNA is an abomination. Unlike you, my DNA is from fearless warriors coming from Queen NJinga Mbande, my DNA has history. I kill by the sword and die by the sword inside the battlefield.
YOU COWARD! Cowards die several times before their death.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqO3EhTuBHR/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

Holly Holm doesn’t see many logical options after dominant UFC on ESPN 43 win

Former UFC champ Holly Holm knows the matchmaking for her future isn’t exactly simple after a dominant win at UFC on ESPN 43.

SAN ANTONIO – [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] admits she’s in a bit of a tricky situation after a dominant performance over Yana Santos in the UFC on ESPN 43 co-main event.

It’s not a predicament the former UFC women’s bantamweight champ is particularly unfamiliar with, though.

Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) kept her name among the top contenders at 135 pounds on Saturday when she used a takedown-heavy approach to grind out Santos (14-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) for a unanimous decision at AT&T Center. Her resume, notoriety and the fact she competed in a thin division means Holm is a constant presence in title conversation, but the current demand seems to be lacking.

She’s already suffered a first-round knockout loss to champ Amanda Nunes when they fought at UFC 239 in July 2019, meaning the UFC would be tasked with selling a rematch to a definitive result. It might still happen, but at this point, Holm isn’t demanding anything. She doesn’t know what the next move is, but the only people above her in the UFC rankings are Nunes, Julianna Peña and Raquel Pennington.

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“We’ll see whatever they come up with,” Holm told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC on ESPN 43 post-fight news conference. I definitely feel there’s not many above me. I’ve fought Raquel Pennington twice (and won), so sometimes that doesn’t make sense. However, if that’s the fight again, then, you know. But other than that it’s Peña or the championship, I guess. But you never know. Things change so much and you never know. I just want to keep getting better in the gym and whatever they present is what it’s going to be.”

Prior to UFC on ESPN 43, Holm signed a new six-fight contract with the UFC. She’s ticked the first off with a one-sided performance, and now the journey forward continues.

At 41, Holm is among the oldest fighters on the UFC roster regardless of gender. She thinks she’s still capable of competing at a high level for years to come, though, and won’t put a definitive end point on her future.

“That’s very possible (that I fight out of the full contract),” Holm said. “I don’t ever like to put a timeline on myself, but I definitely know that I’m not like 25 or 30 anymore. I still feel very healthy right now. I definitely know retirement is sooner than it was 10 years ago, but I’m not ready to do it right yet.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

Cory Sandhagen explains callout of Merab Dvalishvili: ‘Who am I to ask for a title before him?’

UFC on ESPN 43 main event winner Cory Sandhagen is trying to lead by example in his quest for down-to-earth callouts.

SAN ANTONIO – For as intentionally corny as his UFC on ESPN 43 post-fight callout was, [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] says it came from a place of honesty and respect.

Following his victory Saturday at AT&T Center, Sandhagen (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) didn’t call for a title shot, no. He called out No. 1 bantamweight in the official UFC rankings, [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) instead.

“Merab, you’re hungry? Well, I’ve got something for you to eat and it don’t taste good,” Sandhagen yelled into the microphone during his in-cage winner’s circle interview.

“How stupid is that?” Sandhagen laughed backstage afterward at a post-fight news conference. “It was supposed to be as stupid as possible, so I hope that I accomplished that.”

The callout was lighthearted, but Sandhagen zoned in Dvalishvili because he thought it was obtainable and deserved. In a sport where unique characters constantly try to one-up each other in a mad dash for money fights, Sandhagen is OK being mellow and fair in his approach.

“I think Merab is the best guy in the division right now, outside who is fighting for the title,” Sandhagen said. “I don’t want to shy away from challenges. I don’t want to be that guy. I want to inspire people. I don’t want to cherrypick my fights all the way to the top. I want to fight the best guys, so that when I do get the title, I can defend it because I’m experienced. I think Merab is a perfect type of challenge for my type of style, for my type of fighting. He’s going to make me train really hard because of how good he is.

“Those are the types of guys I want to fight. If I can get past him, then I 100 percent deserve a title shot. Like I said, I don’t want to be cherry-picking. The guy is on a nine-fight winning streak. Who am I to ask for a title before him? I’m not going to set that standard in MMA. People should be more real about it.”

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Sandhagen rides a two-fight winning streak as he takes one step closer toward a potential title opportunity. However, he’s stuck between a rock and hard place when it comes to the timing he anticipates for his return.

In need of elbow surgery that could put him out of action for a while, Sandhagen said he also hopes to keep his fiancee happy by not being in fight camp during their upcoming wedding.

“I got pretty hurt a couple times in this camp,” Sandhagen said. “I might need elbow surgery. I was kind of going into it not 100 percent, but not enough to b*tch super hard about it. I might need elbow surgery. I get married on Sept. 1. My fiancee will kill me if we have the wedding and I have to still be training for a fight, so it’ll definitely have to be before Sept. 1 or my fiancee will kill both me and Merab. She’s feisty.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

UFC on ESPN 43 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: ‘Chito’ tops card with $21k

UFC on ESPN 43 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

SAN ANTONIO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 43 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 43 took place at AT&T Center. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 43 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Yana Santos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Albert Duraev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Tucker Lutz[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Lucas Alexander[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Steven Peterson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Preston Parsons[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Daniel Lacerda[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Vinicius Salvador[/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 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 $43,000 while title challengers get $43,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-43 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,771,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,290,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

UFC on ESPN 43 bonuses: Early Comeback of Year candidate gets $50,000

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card in San Antonio, including one to an early Comeback of the Year candidate.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to an early candidate for Comeback of the Year.

After UFC on ESPN 43, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in San Antonio. Check out the winners below.

UFC on ESPN 43 results: Cory Sandhagen too tricky for Marlon Vera in puzzling split decision

Cory Sandhagen proved too much for Marlon Vera to handle in the UFC on ESPN 43 main event at AT&T Center in San Antonio.

[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] turned in a masterful performance, and Texas judging almost ruined it.

The bantamweight main event of UFC on ESPN 43 at AT&T Center certainly didn’t lack action, as Sandhagen (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) was too elusive and varied in his attacks for Vera (20-8-1 MMA, 14-7 UFC). Somehow, the judges were split in their decision after five rounds, as scores of 50-45 and 49-46 were read in Sandhagen’s favor, with a dissenting judge turning in a card of 48-47 for Vera.

Sandhagen was active early, offering combinations of punches to the body and head. Vera remained patient as he studied his opponent’s movement, but the forward pressure was heavy. Midway through the round, Sandhagen took the fight to the mat nicely with a trip takedown, and began looking for ground-and-pound strikes. Vera remained defensively sound, and snuck in an elbow of his own from the bottom that opened a cut on Sandhagen. Despite the blood, Sandhagen continued to land heavy shots until the round ended.

Sandhagen went right back to the heavy-pressure attack in the second, leading to an early takedown. Vera caught the neck for a guillotine attempt, and although it appeared deep for a moment, Sandhagen slipped out. From there, more punches from the top rained down. Vera eventually worked his way back up with about 90 seconds remaining, but didn’t muster much offense as Sandhagen continued to fire first.

After receiving impassioned feedback from his corner between rounds, Vera came out with more aggression in the third, which made for some intense striking exchanges. Sandhagen looked for the takedown, but Vera stuffed it, and the bantamweights traded on the feet for the entirety of Round 3.

Vera stopped three takedown attempts early in Round 4, including a beautiful sprawl of the last try. Much like the previous round, Sandhagen won a majority of the exchanges by darting in and out, causing Vera to chase in order to land his share of punches and kicks.

Sandhagen didn’t let off the gas in the final round. He went back to the takedown game, and this time got the fight to the ground. Vera threatened with upkicks and got back to his feet, but Sandhagen’s movement continued to give Vera problems. “Chito” emptied the tank in the final moments, but was unable to find the finishing blow he needed to win the fight.

After 25 minutes of what appeared to be a clear fight in Sandhagen’s favor, the Texas judges had their say. Judge Sal D’Amato scored every round for Sandhagen, while Chris Lee only saw Round 3 in Vera’s direction. Judge Joel Ojeda’s scorecard was a puzzling one, as he scored the final three rounds for Vera.

With the win, Sandhagen makes it back-to-back victories. The 30-year-old entered with a fourth-round TKO win over Song Yadong in September.

During his post-fight interview, Sandhagen called for a fight against Merab Dvalishvili, who holds the No. 2 spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings. Dvalishvili, who was in attendance, appeared up for the idea when shown on the broadcast.

For Vera, his four-fight win streak comes to an end. “Chito” entered with consecutive wins over Davey Grant, Frankie Edgar, Rob Font, and Dominick Cruz.

Complete UFC on ESPN 43 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

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UFC on ESPN 43 play-by-play and live results

Get live play-by-play and official results from Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN 43 in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO – UFC on ESPN 43 took place Saturday at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The main card aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, Marlon Vera (20-8-1 MMA, 14-7 UFC) takes on Cory Sandhagen (16-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) in a fight between bantamweight contenders. In the co-feature, former women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) met Yana Santos (14-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC).

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC on ESPN 43 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Danny Segura (@dannyseguratv ) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

UFC on ESPN 43 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC on ESPN 43 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO – UFC on ESPN 43 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner and guest fighter interviews from AT&T Center in San Antonio.

You can hear from all the UFC on ESPN 43 winners and more by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

UFC on ESPN 43 discussion thread

UFC on ESPN 43 takes place Saturday in San Antonio, and you can discuss the event here.

SAN ANTONIO – MMA Junkie was on scene and reported from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 43 event at AT&T Center in San Antonio. You can discuss the event here.

Be sure to follow along with the latest card updates in our UFC on ESPN 43 live results post, and then discuss the event in the comments section below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

Twitter reacts to Cory Sandhagen’s split decision win over Marlon Vera at UFC on ESPN 43

The MMA community heaped praise on Cory Sandhagen for a masterclass performance over Marlon Vera at UFC on ESPN 43.

[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] reasserted himself as a bantamweight contender on Saturday when he defeated [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 43 main event.

Sandhagen (16-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) now has back-to-back wins after his last failed title shot after securing a unanimous decision win over Vera (20-8-1 MMA, 14-7 UFC) in the headlining bout a AT&T Center in San Antonio.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Sandhagen’s victory over Vera at UFC on ESPN 43.

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