UFC on ESPN 56 – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Joaquin Buckley shifts to Gilbert Burns after unrealistic Conor McGregor callout: ‘I’m definitely not going to get that’

Joaquin Buckley wants to fight Gilbert Burns next, knowing he likely won’t get the Conor McGregor bout.

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] knows he’s not going to fight [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], yet he called him out anyway.

The rising UFC welterweight contender used his in-octagon, post-fight interview at UFC on ESPN 56 to call out McGregor. Although he got an impressive win over Nursulton Ruziboev (34-9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in the co-main event of the card, UFC CEO Dana White quickly shut down his request – something Buckley (19-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) expected.

“I’m definitely not going to get that, but why not take chances, right?” Buckley said at the UFC on ESPN 56 post-fight press conference. “I’ve been doing it up until this moment, so why not make the biggest callout that I can make? If Michael Chandler doesn’t show up for the fight, ‘New Mansa’ will be ready.”

McGregor is expected to make his return at UFC 303 on June 29. He takes on Michael Chandler in a welterweight bout.

Buckley did have a plan B keeping in mind how far he was reaching in the McGregor callout.

“Gilbert Burns, I think it’s a beautiful fight, a beautiful matchup,” Buckley said. “I don’t know when he’s going to be cleared or when he’s going to be ready, but Gilbert Burns, definitely.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Derrick Lewis after UFC on ESPN 56 knockout win?

The endlessly entertaining Derrick Lewis got himself back into the heavyweight discussion with another big knockout at UFC on ESPN 56.

[autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] added to his legend on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 56 with another knockout and another memorable celebration.

Lewis (28-12 MMA, 19-10 UFC) extended his lead at the top of UFC’s all-time knockout list when he hurt and stopped Rodrigo Nascimento (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in the third round of the heavyweight headliner at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, then proceeded to remove his pants, remove his cup and deliver an entertaining post-fight interview with Michael Bisping.

“The Black Beast” has been through it all during his UFC tenure. We’ve seen low points in his performances, but when he’s on, there are few more enjoyable people in the sport to witness. Lewis claimed before and after this fight he’s in his “prime” right now, but at 39, what is he still capable of in the heavyweight division?

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Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Lewis’ future after his UFC on ESPN 56 victory.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.

Bryce Mitchell down with Sean Woodson’s UFC St. Louis callout: ‘I need some money’

It didn’t take long for Sean Woodson to line up his potential next assignment.

It didn’t take long for [autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag] to line up his potential next assignment.

Woodson (12-1-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) on Saturday used some of his time on the microphone to make a callout after his unanimous decision win over Alex Caceres (21-15 MMA, 16-13 UFC) on the UFC on ESPN 56 main card at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

Woodson took aim at fellow featherweight [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), and Mitchell wasted no time letting loose with a response.

“I just beat a top 15-ranked guy,” Woodson told Michael Bisping in his in-cage post-fight interview. “I feel like I should be (ranked in the) top 15 next. Next, I want Bryce Mitchell. I want No. 10, then I want No. 5, then I want a title shot.”

Within minutes after Woodson left the cage in front of his home fans in St. Louis, Mitchell let him know his callout was not in vain.

“When and where, dude? When and where?” Mitchell posted in a video on social media. “I’m sitting here watching this sh*t. I’m ready. I need some money. I’m ready to fight you. Tell me where.”

https://twitter.com/ThugnastyMMA/status/1789454185219477708

Mitchell started his career 15-0, including 6-0 in the UFC. But at UFC 282, he was choked out by new champion Ilia Topuria on his ascent to the title. He rebounded with a win over Dan Ige, but three months later, this past December, was brutally knocked out by Josh Emmett.

Mitchell was born and lives in Arkansas. Woodson was fighting in front of his home fans in St. Louis in Missouri, Arkansas’ neighbor to the north.

“It’s a dream come true being in the UFC, but this right here is another dream come true,” Woodson said about fighting at home. “I can’t even put it into words. I feel like I’m going to sound like an idiot if I even try. But it’s a dream come true.”

Woodson is 5-0-1 since the lone loss of his career, which came nearly four years ago to Julian Erosa. He was building on a split decision win over Charles Jourdain earlier this year heading into the fight with Caceres, which now stands as arguably his most prolific win.

Woodson said he thinks he’s someone to watch out for at 145 pounds.

“I’m the dark horse in this division,” he said. “I can be the best in the world. I have everything it takes to get there. The world just doesn’t know it yet. I know it, my team knows it, and my city knows it. I’m coming for that belt. I promise you.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.

Dana White says UFC plans to hit road more in 2024: ‘We’ve got to get out of the Apex’

All of those asking the UFC to get out of the Apex could be very happy come the end of the year.

It’s been a while since a month-long stretch of the UFC calendar didn’t contain a show at the Apex in Las Vegas, but maybe that could change soon.

Following the conclusion of UFC on ESPN 56 at a raucous Enterprise Center in St. Louis, UFC CEO Dana White revealed the promotion’s all time UFC Fight Night gate record was broken with a whopping $2,470,197 at the door.

“Even if you were watching on ESPN, I’m sure you guys were getting texts too, like, ‘Jesus Christ, it’s like a pay-per-view there right now,'” White told reporters at his post-fight news conference. “And when you think about how we built this business, it was taking it out of the big markets.

“When we first got into the fight business, everybody just went to Vegas, Atlantic City, sometimes New York, sometimes L.A. Those were the only places that really had fights unless you had a local kid that would fight. We built this business to taking this thing to every city all over the world. As we start to get our sh*t together, I’ll call it, and start to move out and go out to these different cities like we used to, the whole sport just goes to another level.”

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The UFC Apex events began in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak as a way to hold lower-cost shows in Las Vegas and comply with government protocols.

While all signs pointed to the in-house shift being temporary, the venue still housed dozens of UFC events in the years that followed: 29 in 2020; 42 in 2021; 29 in 2022; and 27 in 2023. As of the end of August, the promotion will have held 15 events at the UFC Apex in 2024.

While White has long indicated he wants to move away from the in-house shows at the UFC Apex, he said 2024 will be the year the promotion increases its roadshows further.

“I’ve been saying this for a long time,” White said. “We’ve got to get out of the Apex and start doing more events in all these different cities. We’re starting to do it. We’re getting it done this year.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Joaquin Buckley after UFC on ESPN 56 win?

Joaquin Buckley made it 4-0 since dropping to welterweight at UFC on ESPN 56, and now the competition is about to get serious.

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] proved again why welterweight is the right division for him Saturday with a strong showing against the highly touted Nursulton Ruziboev UFC on ESPN 56.

Buckley (20-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) made it four consecutive victories since he dropped to the welterweight division a year ago when he outworked Ruziboev (34-9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) to a unanimous decision in front of his home crowd at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, and the growing threat of “Newmansa” in this division cannot be ignored any longer.

After putting a beating on perennial contender Vicente Luque just six weeks ago, Buckley took a step down in name value to get his hometown fight. He treated Ruziboev as he should’ve ranking-wise, and he’s now done everything that warrants a bigger opportunity.

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Who is on deck for Buckley as he makes his ascent up the 170-pound rankings? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future after UFC on ESPN 56.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.

Derrick Lewis wants a WWE side hustle, but not at the expense of his UFC career

UFC heavyweight star Derrick Lewis discusses his interest in diving into the WWE world.

[autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] is looking to take his talents to the WWE, but that’s no reason for MMA fans to worry.

Although looking to get into the pro wrestling world, Lewis (27-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) assures fans if he wrestles, it won’t come at the expense of his fighting career. Lewis, a two-time UFC heavyweight title challenger, ideally would like to work with the WWE while continuing his UFC career.

“I wouldn’t stop here at UFC, but I would like to dibble dabble in WWE,” Lewis told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 56 post-fight press conference when asked about potentially working with the brand.

Lewis defeated Rodrigo Nascimento (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) on Saturday in the main event of UFC on ESPN 56 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. He plans on continuing his talks with the WWE and making a trip to Orlando, Fla., to visit the WWE Performance Center.

A year ago, the UFC and WWE merged into a single sports entertainment company now called TKO. Dana White, the UFC CEO, has no issue with Lewis going to WWE, especially since they’re now under the same umbrella.

“I didn’t know that, but I would do anything for Derrick Lewis,” White said at the UFC on ESPN 56 post-fight press conference. “I like Derrick Lewis a lot. Some of the fighters here have always dreamed of a WWE match or whatever it is. Yeah, I don’t have a problem with that.”

In terms of the logistics, Lewis already has an idea of the type of role he’d like to play in the WWE, and that’s something close to a WWE Hall of Famer.

“You remember Gold Dust? Probably something like that,” Lewis said. “As long as I get to paint my face so people don’t really know it’s me, I’m going to be a ho freak out there and be a little sassy with it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.

UFC on ESPN 56 Fight of the Night: Best photos from Trey Waters vs. Billy Goff in St. Louis

Check out the best photos from Trey Waters’ unanimous decision win over Billy Goff at UFC on ESPN 56, a Fight of the Night bonus winner.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Trey Waters[/autotag]’ unanimous decision win over [autotag]Billy Goff[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 56 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. (Fight and venue photos by Jeff Le, USA Today Sports)

UFC on ESPN 56 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2024 total passes $3 million

UFC on ESPN 56 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

ST. LOUIS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 56 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $186,000.

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 56 took place at Enterprise Arena. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 56 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Nursulton Ruziboev[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Waldo Cortes-Acosta[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tecia Pennington[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Trey Waters[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Billy Ray Goff[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]JJ Aldrich[/autotag]: $6,000

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 $4,560; 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 $56,000 while title challengers get $56,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-56 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

“UFC on ESPN 56: Lewis vs. Nascimento” – $186,000
“UFC 301: Pantoja vs. Erceg” – $280,000
“UFC on ESPN 55: Nicolau vs. Perez” – $175,000
“UFC 300: Pereira vs. Hill” – $460,000
“UFC Fight Night 240: Allen vs. Curtis 2” – $162,500
“UFC on ESPN 54: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot” – $173,000
“UFC on ESPN 53: Ribas vs. Namajunas” – $148,000
“UFC Fight Night 239: Tuivasa vs. Tybura” – $189,500
“UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera 2” – $359,000
“UFC Fight Night 238: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev” – $133,500
“UFC Fight Night 237: Moreno vs. Royval 2” – $135,500
“UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria” – $243,000
“UFC Fight Night 236: Hermansson vs. Pyfer” – $236,500
“UFC Fight Night 235: Dolidze vs. Imavov” – $170,500
“UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis” – $285,500
“UFC Fight Night 234: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2” – $159,500

Year-to-date total: $3,106,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $25,843,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.

Dana White praises Joaquin Buckley’s UFC on ESPN 56 win, but shuts down his Conor McGregor request

Dana White shares his thoughts on Joaquin Buckley’s dominant win at UFC on ESPN 56.

[autotag]Dana White[/autotag] liked what he saw from [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] this Saturday. Well, at least almost all of it.

The UFC CEO was taken away by Buckley’s (19-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) showing at UFC on ESPN 56, where he defeated Nursulton Ruziboev in the co-main event of the card. Buckley, who had fought and defeated Vicente Luque at the end of March, called to fight in his hometown of St. Louis just a few weeks later against whoever the UFC could put in front of him.

Despite coming off arguably the most high-profile win of his career, Buckley accepted to take on unranked, but dangerous Ruziboev (34-9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), putting on his win streak on the line.

“He asked for this fight. He fought a guy that was smashing people in the first round, and he went out there and took the fight to him,” White said at the UFC on ESPN 56 post-fight press conference. “It was an incredible performance, and in his hometown. In my experience, and it’s funny because you get some guys say, ‘It’s my dream to fight in my hometown,’ but most people don’t want to fight in their hometown. There’s a lot of pressure and everybody is hitting you up for tickets. It’s a different vibe when you fight in your hometown.

“Buckley called for this, came out, and he delivered. That guy is going to be a rock star here now. People who didn’t know who he was yesterday, definitely know who he is now.”

He's got his eyes on ONE person after tonight's victory 👀@NewMansa94 | #UFCStLouis pic.twitter.com/rPsQzc8W2a

— UFC (@ufc) May 12, 2024

After the victory, Buckley was interviewed in the cage where he called for a fight against UFC superstar Conor McGregor – something White won’t entertain, as he answered with a simple “Nuh-uh” when asked about it at the post-fight press conference.

Buckley is on a four-fight winning streak since dropping back down to welterweight. He’s in one of his best career runs and quickly rising up the ladder at 170 pounds. He also said he’s interested in fighting welterweight veteran contender Gilbert Burns next.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.