Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris will be forced to take a little recovery time after taking some damage in the UFC on ESPN 8 main event.
[autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] and [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag] will be forced to take a little recovery time after each taking some damage in the UFC on ESPN 8 main event.
Both men sustained knockdowns during the heavyweight headliner, but ultimately it was Overeem (46-18 MMA, 11-7 UFC) who emerged victorious with a second-round TKO over Harris (13-8 MMA, 6-7 UFC).
UFC on ESPN 8 took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card aired on ESPN.
MMA Junkie obtained a list of the UFC on ESPN 8 athletes’ medical suspensions from the Florida Boxing Commission on Monday.
More time could be tacked on to the suspension, or they could be reduced, pending further health testing on multiple athletes.
Check out a full list of the UFC on ESPN 8 medical suspensions below.
* * * *
Alistair Overeem: Suspended 45 days
def. Walt Harris: Suspended 45 days
[autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days
def. [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days
def. [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days
[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days
def. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days
[autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by a physician; 30 days mandatory
def. [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days
[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: No suspension
def. [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days
[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag]: 180 days or until cleared by a physician; 30 days mandatory
def. [autotag]Irwin Rivera[/autotag]: 180 days or until cleared by a physician; 30 days mandatory
[autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days
def. [autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days
[autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag]: No suspension
def. [autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag]: 180 days or until cleared by a physician; 30 days mandatory
[autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag]: 30 days or until cleared by a physician
def. [autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag]: No suspension
Take a look inside Miguel Baeza’s knockout of Matt Brown at UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Fla.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] beat Matt Brown with a second-round knockout Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Take a look inside the fight with Baeza, who stayed perfect in his pro career.
“I missed my opportunity the first time to finish him, so the second round I wanted to make sure I finished the fight right there. As soon as I knocked him down, I tried to get on top of him because his nickname is ‘The Immortal,’ so I’m not about to let a guy with that name get away after I get a knockdown like that.”
Baeza on fighting a veteran like Brown
“It turned into a fight. He caught me and I just wanted to get him back and it became a scrap after that. I saw what he had, took his shot and then I was able to get my timing from there. I’m super thankful to be here and I wanted to come here and prove that I belong. Fighting Matt Brown and getting a win proves that I belong here, so I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”
Baeza on what he wants next
“(I want) whatever the UFC has next for me. We haven’t said no. We just take the fights. I’ve got a great team behind me – I’ve got all the guys at MMA Masters (in Miami). … We’re ready to go. I feel like we can go and take on anybody.”
To hear more from Baeza, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Krzysztof Jotko is targeting a swift return to the octagon after a successful, but frustrating, fight with Eryk Anders at UFC on ESPN 8.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Polish middleweight contender [autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag] went into his fight with Eryk Anders aware of his unwanted reputation, so the nature of his victory at UFC on ESPN 8 left him a little less than satisfied.
Jotko (22-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) defeated Anders (13-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) via unanimous decision at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena to claim his third straight victory inside the octagon. But the fact that all three of those wins came on the scorecards is a source of frustration with the Pole, who had arrived in Florida targeting a stoppage victory.
“I’m a little disappointed because I wanted to fight him and I wanted to have a good fight because my fans and people say that I am a boring fighter,” he told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage after his win. “So in this fight, I wanted to give my fans what they want, but Eryk tried to cuddle with me.”
Jotko revealed his frustration also stemmed from a frosty exchange between the pair during fight week.
[lawrence-related id=519892,426429]
“I was all week with big positive energy, and Eric really pissed me off,” he explained. “We were sitting on the bus and I said ‘Hi,’ and he showed me (blowing a kiss), so this pissed me off and (I) came there to (expletive) him up.
“It’s not like I was fighting angry, I was controlling everything. But I came to the octagon too angry, but I controlled myself, because that’s what I can do. I can control myself.”
Jotko’s preparation for the fight was punctuated with schedule changes, as his fight was pushed back twice from its original Apr. 11 date. But the 30-year-old said that he’ll ready to capitalize on his momentum and get back in the cage again soon. Just give him a short break first.
“I want to come back fast, but give me like a one-month break because my body was feeling so bad,” he requested. “I started with pain everywhere, because I’m human. I can’t train all year without (a) stop. So give me a little rest and I can come back to the octagon.”
When that time comes, he knows exactly who he wants to fight – former foe [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag], who defeated him via second-round TKO back in September 2017.
“This (defeat) still hurts me,” he admitted. “I dropped him three times in the first round and I fought him with my broken left hand, so I want to see him when I’m healed and 100%, like now.”
He also revealed beef with Israel Adesanya, and said he was convinced that he would one day get to settle his differences with the current UFC middleweight champion.
“Yeah, I still feel this, and I always will feel this (animosity),” he said. “I hate him, man. Of course, now is not the time to fight Adesanya, but in the future we will see each other inside the octagon.”
Chinese bantamweight Song Yadong looks back on his split-decision win over Marlon Vera in Jacksonville, Florida.
Chinese bantamweight contender [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] picked up the win against Marlon Vera in their featherweight UFC on ESPN 8 main card opener, but admitted he wasn’t too impressed with his own performance.
Yadong (16-4-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC) snapped Vera’s five-fight win streak to extend his own unbeaten run to nine. But he said his short-notice camp, plus the unexpected drama of last-minute visa issues that threatened to scratch him from the card, played into his performance on the night.
“I think I didn’t do my best, but I’ve been preparing for only two weeks, so since that I think I’m doing good,” he told reporters, including MMA Junkie, via a translator backstage after his win.
[lawrence-related id=468097,520381,519889]
“I was having some visa issues before the fight. Sean Shelby was telling me that I couldn’t fight because of this issue, but my coach Urijah Faber was pushing it to get this done, and luckily we got it done one day before the fight.
“For sure, I was kind of affected by this, and also because of this special situation (fighting during a pandemic). Under all the circumstances I was under a little pressure.”
Yadong battled back and forth with Vera (17-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in a fight that earned the pair Fight of the Night bonus checks, and the Chinese contender admitted he was unsure whether he’d done enough to claim the win as the scorecards were being totaled.
“I was thinking that way (worried it could go either way) at that moment, as well. I think I didn’t perform that well, but for sure I did all the best I could do.”
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 8, which saw Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris in Jacksonville, Fla.
The UFC’s third event in an eight-day stretch went down on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 8, which took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and aired on ESPN.
In the main event, [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (46-18 MMA, 11-7 UFC) rallied from an early deficit to stop [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 6-7 UFC) by second-round TKO to advance his position in the heavyweight division.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 40 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 8.
[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag], [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag], [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] and [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 8 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN 8 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 7-3 on the card. One fight had even odds.
Betting favorites fell to 5-6 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 1:54:38.
Main card
Alistair Overeem def. Walt Harris
Overeem became the 11th heavyweight in UFC history to earn 11 heavyweight victories.
Overeem has earned 41 of his 46 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his 11 UFC wins.
Harris fell to 6-5 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in April 2016.
[autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag]’s (18-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10).
Gadelha has earned six of her seven UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (12-8 MMA, 6-8 UFC) fell to 6-6 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.
Hill’s three knockout victories in UFC strawweight competition are with Rose Namajunas for most in divisional history.
Hill has suffered six of her eight career losses by decision.
Hill’s eight losses in UFC competition are most for any female in company history.
[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]’s (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is tied with Alexander Volkanovski and Zabit Magomedsharipov for the second longest active streak behind Arnold Allen (seven).
[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 14-9 UFC) was unsuccessful in his featherweight debut.
Barboza fell to 1-5 in his past six fights dating back to December 2017.
[autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has earned eight of his nine UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) fell to 3-5 in his past eight fights after starting his career on a 10-fight winning streak.
Anders has suffered four of his five career losses by decision.
Vera (15-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) has suffered all six of his career losses by decision.
Preliminary card
Miguel Baeza def. Matt Brown
Baeza (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned seven of his nine career victories by stoppage. He’s finished all of those wins by knockout.
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] (22-17 MMA, 15-11 UFC) fell to 3-6 in his past nine bouts after going on a seven-fight UFC winning streak from 2012-2014.
Brown’s eight stoppage losses in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Tim Boetsch (nine).
[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]’ (24-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2018.
Elkins fell to 13-7 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in June 2011.
Elkins’ total fight time of 4:24:04 in UFC featherweight competition is second most in divisional history behind Max Holloway (4:32:00).
Elkins’ 41 takedowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Dennis Bermudez (46).
Cortney Casey
Casey (9-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) was successful in her women’s flyweight debut.
Casey has earned seven of her nine career victories by stoppage. That includes three of her five UFC wins.
[autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag]’s (12-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) three-fight losing skid is tied for the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since February 2019.
Borella fell to 1-4 in his past five UFC appearances dating back to January 2018.
Borella suffered her first submission loss since Apr. 12, 2014 – a span of 2,226 days (more than six years) and 20 fights.
Borella has completed at least one takedown against all six of her UFC opponents.
[autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag] (6-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by stoppage.
Mayes has suffered both of his UFC losses by submission.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Featherweight contender Dan Ige reflected on his biggest UFC win to date after edging former lightweight contender Edson Barboza at UFC on ESPN 8.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] ran the gauntlet against former lightweight striker Edson Barboza and proved the doubters wrong at UFC on ESPN 8.
In-form Ige (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) took on Barboza (20-9 MMA, 14-9 UFC), who had dropped down to make his 145-pound debut, and stood with the renowned striker for much of the matchup as he battled his way to a split-decision victory.
After the fight, Ige told reporters, including MMA Junkie, that the victory was a perfect showcase of his own fighting credentials in a crowded featherweight division.
“That’s six wins in a row in the featherweight division – not an easy thing to do,” he said. “I went out there and I just fought one of the best guys in the world and I stood with him for the majority of the fight. Edson’s one of the best strikers, if not the best striker in the UFC alone, so I showed that I can go in there and strike with the best guys.”
Ige admitted that the prospect of facing Barboza’s whose striking arsenal has seen him compile a highlight reel of finishes during his career in the UFC lightweight division. But despite the initial nerves, Ige said by the time he arrived at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, he was clear-minded and ready to go.
[lawrence-related id=519863,519895,520467]
“It’s a surreal feeling. It’s hard to explain, but to go out there and share the octagon (with Barboza) – I woke up this morning and when you wake up in the morning and you have to fight Edson Barboza, that’s scary!” he said. “But I gathered my wits and manned up to the plate and here I am on the winning side, so I’m super happy.
“I used to not get nerves before my fights, but I used to not be a killer like I am now. I woke up this morning and it’s kinda been like this the last few fights, just like an eerie nerves, anxiety. But by the time I’m in that bus and headed to the arena, it’s my time. There’s no nerves, I’m just here, I’m excited. As soon as I get off the bus I’ve burned the boats, and that’s it. That’s my mentality and that’s how I come out, every fight.
“I thought I did all the right things. It was a subtle pressure. I tried to be a hybrid of Khabib and Gaethje and all these guys, and Felder. Edson’s so good, man. He’s one of the best guys in the world, and that’s what it’s all about. I want to come in here and test myself against the best guys and I got to do that tonight. It’s such an honor to be in there and to get a W over Edson is huge, so I’m so happy.”
After extending his win streak to six, Ige said the time was right for him to step into the cage with a top featherweight contender, and he had a name ready when asked during the post-fight press conference.
“I said it last fight, I want to fight ‘The Korean Zombie,'” he stated. “The guy says he doesn’t know who I am – I hope he does now. Hey dude, I just beat Edson Barboza! No disrespect against ‘Zombie,’ I just think that’s an exciting fight and I don’t think you guys will disagree.”
Take a look inside Kevin Holland’s first-round knockout of Anthony Hernandez at UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Fla.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] beat Anthony Hernandez with a first-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Take a look inside the fight with Holland, who now has won four of his past five.
Result: Kevin Holland def. Anthony Hernandez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:39 Updated records: Holland (17-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC), Hernandez (7-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) Key stat: Hernandez didn’t land a single strike; Holland landed 14 in his quick 39 seconds of work.
Holland on the fight’s key moment
“Not quick – I just had visions of ending him. I was the underdog. I haven’t been the underdog in a fight since Thiago Santos. I was the underdog, and I was like, ‘What the heck is going on here? I’m the underdog to a guy that has less fights that me. No way possible. I’m going to smoke him like a blunt.’ And I smoked him like a blunt.”
Holland on changes before the fight
“I worked on my diet. I started working with a meal company and started eating properly. I got back to the bread and butter – training hard, practicing my forms again like old-school kung fu. I’m staying true to martial arts.”
Holland on what he wants next
“I didn’t want (a fight with Marvin Vettori). I did not want that fight. I was like, ‘Nah, he’s a cool dude.’ He’s big. The first time I ever met him, he was really nice to me. … But you don’t shake my hand and then go online and drop a post. That’s not manly. It upset me. If you’re going to play that role … you go online when you could’ve just talked to me when you see me? P***y. Straight p***y. Not a man at all. … (Expletive) Marvin Vettori. He’s a snake. He’s a dirty dog snake, and I’m going to (expletive) him up when I get the chance.”
To hear more from Holland, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the octagon the first time – so how did the two newcomers perform on Saturday?
Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For two athletes, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event marked that special moment in their career.
Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Confident and composed, [autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag] stepped into the octagon for his UFC debut like a man making his fifth or sixth appearance in the cage, and he produced a performance to match as he outstruck, then outgrappled, Don’Tale Mayes to claim an impressive first win as a UFC athlete.
Nascimento made his intentions clear from the very start of his UFC debut as he charged to the center of the cage and started to engage with Mayes from the get-go. Nascimento looked strong in the clinch, but also showed he’s not a one-trick pony by connecting with some solid punches in the stand-up.
Nascimento eventually dragged his man to the canvas and immediately took control, but Mayes did enough off his back to keep the Brazilian at bay and survive the round. However, Nascimento’s finish to Round 1 offered a glimpse of what was to come in Round 2.
Once again, Nascimento came out fast and aggressive as he connected with a big right hand, then an eye-catching head-kick that had Mayes backing up. The Brazilian then locked up the clinch with his back against the cage and, despite taking some solid body shots from Mayes, soon swept his man to the mat.
With the action back on the canvas, Nascimento instantly transitioned to Mayes’ back and locked up the rear-naked choke as he forced a quick tap from Mayes and secured a very impressive debut victory.
There’s room for improvement, too. He’s perhaps a little too static and upright in his striking and stood and admired his work a little, rather than following up on his best shots, but overall Nascimento produced a performance of great promise on his debut. If he continues to evolve his striking game, he could become a dangerous new presence in the UFC’s heaviest weight class.
Take a look inside Giga Chikadze’s win over Irwin Rivera at UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Fla.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] beat Irwin Rivera with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Take a look inside the fight with Chikadze, who picked up his fifth straight win.
“I saw one of the fights of Rivera that he lost with an inside leg kick, so I was trying the same thing. I know it was hurting a lot. After a couple inside leg kicks, I kept doing the same thing – and then my leg started to swell.”
Chikadze on ‘The Giga Show’
“I think most fans have only seen Giga at 25 percent. There is a lot more to see. My friends call it the ‘Giga Show.’ It will slowly come, and when we reach 100 percent, you guys will be very happy to watch and enjoy a lot.”
Chikadze on what he wants next
“I don’t know what’s next. Hopefully they don’t schedule me against (Mike Davis). I’m not taking a fight against this guy anymore. … I’ve been working hard on my grappling, and I’m just going to go back in the gym after a week once my leg is recovered, and continue working on my grappling … I’m going to keep getting better and better and better. I’m going to ask the UFC – I want somebody with a name that people know.”
To hear more from Chikadze, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
UFC on ESPN 8 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $184,500.
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 8 took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The card aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 8 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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:
