Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Jan. 9-15.
Check out some of Veronica Macedo’s most popular Instagram posts ahead of UFC 286 in London.
Social media is part of life in the fight game for most fighters. Many of them turn to Instagram to keep their fans and followers informed and entertained since (for now) its reputation is less vitriolic than some of its contemporaries.
Following news of her return from a retirement of nearly three years, check out some of the most popular Instagram posts from [autotag]Veronica Macedo[/autotag] over the past year.
Macedo (6-4-1 MMA, 1-4 UFC) returns March 14 to take on Juliana Miller (3-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC). Their women’s flyweight fight will be part of UFC 286 in London.
Three years after her retirement, and not long after her wedding to a former UFC title challenger, Veronica Macedo is set for a comeback.
Three years after her most recent fight, and not long after her wedding to a former UFC title challenger, [autotag]Veronica Macedo[/autotag] is set for a comeback.
Macedo (6-4-1 MMA, 1-4 UFC) is set to take on [autotag]Juliana Miller[/autotag] (3-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a women’s flyweight bout when the UFC returns to London for UFC 286 in March. A person with knowledge of the booking confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie on Friday, but asked to remain anonymous since the UFC has not made a formal announcement. Miller announced the fight on the Outside the Box podcast with Xaria Bloom.
UFC 286 takes place March 14 at The O2 in London. Broadcast details have not yet been announced, but the main card is expected to start at 5 p.m. ET.
Macedo hung up the gloves after a March 2020 unanimous decision loss to Bea Malecki in Brazil. It was the UFC’s final event before the pandemic shut things down for a while. Ahead of that fight, Macedo pulled out of two matchups in late 2019. It was concussion issues that led to her early retirement.
In five UFC bouts, Macedo, a 27-year-old from Venezuela, had just one win, but she made it count. Her 69-second armbar submission of Polyana Viana in August 2019 was a $50,000 bonus winner. Macedo was in the news over the holidays when she and new husband Dan Hardy, who once challenged Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title, announced their marriage.
Miller will fight for the first time since she won Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter” this past August with a third-round TKO of Brogan Walker in the finale. The 26-year-old Miller, who went 1-1 under the Invicta banner before she got a spot on “TUF 30,” beat Claire Guthrie and Kaytlin Neil on the show to reach the final against Walker.
With the addition, the UFC 286 lineup now includes:
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Former UFC women’s fighter Veronica Macedo now officially has a new last name.
Former UFC women’s fighter [autotag]Veronica Macedo[/autotag] now officially has a new last name.
It’s Veronica Hardy after the 27-year-old Venezuelan married former UFC welterweight title challenger and ex-UFC broadcast analyst [autotag]Dan Hardy[/autotag]. The couple posted photos on Instagram announcing their nuptials, including one of Hardy signing the marriage certificate.
Macedo went 1-4 in her run in the UFC over a period of more than three years, but concussion issues led to her early retirement after a loss to Bea Malecki in March 2020 in Brazil.
In 11 pro fights, Macedo never fought in the U.S. But in her five UFC bouts, she picked up two $50,000 post-fight bonuses for a 69-second submission of Polyana Viana and a Fight of the Night decision loss to Andrea Lee.
In retirement, Macedo has done broadcast work for the UFC and ARES Fighting Championship.
The 40-year-old Hardy has been retired for about a decade. He challenged Georges St-Pierre for the 170-pound title at UFC 111 in March 2010, but lost a decision. That setback started a stretch of four straight losses, but he rebounded for wins over Duane Ludwig and Amir Sadollah to close out his career. The latter fight came in Nottingham, England, in front of his home fans.
Check out Macedo and Hardy’s social media posts from their new union below.
Veronica Macedo wants to take care of her health issues before making the walk to the cage again.
[autotag]Veronica Macedo[/autotag]’s UFC career has not played out as planned. She continues to struggle with ongoing medical issues.
Macedo (6-4-1 MMA, 1-4 UFC) bounced around from 125 to 135 pounds throughout her five octagon bouts, and chalked up her recent woes to health issues that she hasn’t been addressing.
“The things I’ve had with the weight classes has been more things of medical issues and things that haven’t been resolved, to be honest, at all,” Macedo told MMA Junkie. “And I just think that I need to stop avoiding and stop overlooking and stop pushing them and take it serious and resolve them.
“What I keep doing is, I keep thinking that I can take care of it and I can fix it, and I can’t, and I keep accepting fights when I shouldn’t. So that’s just the first thing that I want to do. I want to – whether the UFC keeps me on the roster or not, whatever my next fight will be – I want to actually be prepared for it, just medically.”
Macedo is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Bea Malecki at UFC on ESPN+ 28 in March. She appeared to be tired throughout the fight.
“It is what it is,” Macedo said of the loss. “There’s not much you can really say. A lot of it was down to lack of cardio – bad performance due to lack of cardio. A lot of things I could have done better, but (I had) no energy, and that played a huge role. I think that’s the biggest part of it. You can have all these ideas and all these things that you think of doing and all this technical stuff, but if your energy is not there, you’re not going to be able to do it.”
UFC women’s bantamweight Veronica Macedo spoke with MMA Junkie’s John Morgan.
UFC women’s bantamweight Veronica Macedo spoke with MMA Junkie’s John Morgan.
UFC on ESPN+ 28 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $209,500.
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+ 28 took place Saturday at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Brazil. The entire card aired on ESPN.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 28 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Demian Maia[/autotag]: $20,000
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Damir Hadzovic[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Randa Markos[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Aleksei Kunchenko[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag]: $20,000
vs. [autotag]Enrique Barzola[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]David Dvorak[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Bea Malecki[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Veronica Macedo[/autotag]: $4,000
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: $1,293,000
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: $32,297,500
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 event in Brasilia, Brazil – which featured no fans in attendance.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC on ESPN+ 28 went with as their backing tracks in Brasilia, Brazil.
The best stats and figures about UFC on ESPN+ 28, which features a Kevin Lee vs. Charles Oliveira lightweight main event.
The UFC travels to Brazil for the 37th time in company history on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 28. It’s the third stop in Brasilia, as the event takes place at Ginasio Nilson Nelson with a 12-fight lineup set to stream on ESPN+.
A pair of surging lightweight contenders match up in the main event. [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) will attempt to stay unbeaten since returning to 155 pounds when he meets red-hot [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (28-8 MMA, 16-8 UFC), who has won six consecutive fights – all by stoppage.
For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as a deep supporting cast, check below for 60 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN+ 28.
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Lee was successful in his return to the lightweight division when he knocked out Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244 in November.
Lee’s 11 victories since 2014 in UFC lightweight competition are tied with Tony Ferguson for second most in the division behind Beneil Dariush (12).
Lee has completed at least one takedown in 14 of his 16 UFC fights.
Lee’s 35 takedowns landed since 2014 in UFC lightweight competition are most in the division.
Lee’s 258 significant ground strikes landed in UFC lightweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Khabib Nurmagomedov (308).
Lee’s 96 significant ground strikes landed at UFC Fight Night 128 are the second most in a single UFC fight behind Neil Magny’s 100 landed at UFC Fight Night 85.
Oliveira is 7-1 since he returned to the UFC lightweight division April 2017. He’s 9-3 (with one no contest) in the organization at 155 pounds.
Oliveira’s average fight time of 4:51 in UFC lightweight competition is the second shortest in divisional history behind Manny Gamburyan (4:45).
Oliveira’s six-fight UFC winning streak at lightweight is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Tony Ferguson (12) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (11).
Oliveira’s six-fight UFC stoppage streak is the longest active streak in the company.
Oliveira’s 15 stoppage victories in UFC competition are second most in company history behind Donald Cerrone (16).
Oliveira’s 13 submission victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Oliveira’s six submission victories in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Oliveira’s four guillotine-choke victories in UFC competition are tied with Nate Diaz for most in company history.
Oliveira is one of two fighters in UFC history with multiple submission victories via anaconda choke. Phil Davis also accomplished the feat.
Oliveira is one of two fighters in UFC history to earn submission victories with six different techniques. Frank Mir also accomplished the feat.
Oliveira is one of two fighters in UFC history to earn a calf-slicer submission victory. Brett Johns also accomplished the feat.
Oliveira has been awarded 15 fight-night bonuses for UFC bouts, the tied with Nate Diaz and Joe Lauzon for second most in company history behind Cerrone (18).
Oliveira has been awarded nine “Performance of the Night” bonuses, the most in company history.
Oliveira is the only fighter in UFC history to be awarded five or more fight-night bonuses in two separate divisions.
[autotag]Demian Maia[/autotag] (28-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC), 42, is the oldest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Maia competes in his 32nd UFC bout, tied with Jeremy Stephens for the third-most appearances in company history behind Cerrone (34) and Jim Miller (34).
Maia’s 22 victories in UFC competition are second most in company history behind Donald Cerrone (23).
Maia’s 22 victories in UFC competition are the most of any Brazilian fighter in company history.
Maia’s total fight time of 6:32:06 in UFC competition is third most in company history behind Frankie Edgar (7:15:51) and Rafael Dos Anjos (6:43:11).
Maia is 13-5 since he dropped to the UFC welterweight division in July 2012.
Maia’s 11 submission victories in UFC competition are second most in company history behind Oliveira (13).
Maia’s nine submission victories via rear-naked choke in UFC competition are most in company history.
Maia’s 65 takedowns landed in UFC competition are sixth most in company history.
Maia’s 251 takedown attempts in UFC competition are the most in company history.
Maia once went a combined 0-for-49 on takedown attempts over a three-fight UFC stretch. It’s the longest streak of failed attempts in UFC history without a takedown landed.
Maia was unsuccessful on all 21 of his takedown attempts against champ Tyron Woodley at UFC 214, the second worst title-fight output in UFC history behind Diego Sanchez’s 0-for-27 effort against B.J. Penn at UFC 107.
Maia completed just two of 22 takedown attempts in his unanimous-decision loss to Rory MacDonald at UFC 170. Those 22 takedown attempts were the most in a single UFC welterweight bout.
[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) is 2-0 since he returned to the welterweight division in August 2019. He’s 3-0 when fighting at the weight class.
Burns’ three armbar victories in UFC competition are tied for third most in company history behind Royce Gracie (four) and Demetrious Johnson (four).
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] (13-3-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC) moves up to the UFC lightweight division after spending his previous eight promotional appearances at featherweight.
Moicano enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since August 2018.
[autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned 16 of his 17 career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.
Walker is one of seven fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back fist. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN+ 2.
Walker is one of two fighters in UFC history to win a light heavyweight bout by knockout stemming from a flying knee. James Irvin also accomplished the feat.
Walker is one of five fighters in modern UFC history to win a light heavyweight bout by knockout in 15 seconds or less. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN+ 2.
[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) is 1-2 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September 2018.
Krylov is 9-5 since he dropped to the light heavyweight division in March 2014.
Krylov has earned all of his 25 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 20 of those wins in Round 1.
Krylov lands 56.1 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC light heavyweight competition, the second best rate among active fighters in the weight class behind Jon Jones (57.9 percent).
Krylov’s 25-second knockout at UFC on FOX 10 marked the fastest finish stemming from a head kick in UFC history.
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 14-6 UFC), 41, is the oldest active fighter in the UFC lightweight division.
Trinaldo has alternated wins and losses over his past seven fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN+ 22 in November.
Trinaldo’s 12 UFC victories in Brazil are the most in company history.
Trinaldo is the only fighter in UFC history to earn two arm-triangle submission victories from half-guard.
[autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) is one of seven fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back fist. He accomplished the feat at UFC 129.
Makdessi defends 71.4 percent of opponent significant strike attempts in UFC lightweight competition, the second highest rate among active fighters in the weight class behind Nasrat Haqparast (74.1 percent).
Makdessi defends 86.8 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC lightweight competition, the third best among active fighters in the weight class behind Cerrone (90 percent) and Mairbek Taisumov (88.5 percent).
[autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag] (23-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) competes in his 15th UFC flyweight bout, tied with Demetrious Johnson for the second most appearances in divisional history behind Joseph Benavidez (17).
Formiga’s nine victories in UFC flyweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Johnson (13) and Benavidez (13).
Formiga’s three submission victories in UFC flyweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Johnson (five).
Formiga defends 86.2 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC flyweight competition, the third best rate in divisional history behind Kai Kara-France (90.9 percent) and Ian McCall (90 percent).
[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (16-5-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) is 1-0-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September.
[autotag]Randa Markos[/autotag] (10-7-1 MMA, 6-6-1 UFC) competes in her 14th UFC strawweight bout, tied with Angela Hill for the most appearances in divisional history.
Markos is 3-3-1 in her past seven UFC appearance dating back to August 2017.
Markos’ six victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10), Jessica Andrade (seven) and Hill (seven).
Markos has completed at least one takedown against 10 of her 13 UFC opponents.
Markos’ four split-decision results in UFC strawweight competition are most in divisional history.
Markos and Marina Rodriguez fought to the first draw in UFC strawweight history at UFC Fight Night 137 in September 2018.
[autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag] (26-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC) has earned 20 of his 26 career victories by submission. He’s finished 13 of those wins in Round 1.
Yahya’s eight stoppage victories in UFC/WEC bantamweight competition are tied with T.J. Dillashaw, Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland for most in combined divisional history.
Yahya’s eight submission victories in UFC/WEC bantamweight competition are most in combined divisional history.
Yahya is one of four fighters in UFC history to earn a north-south choke submission in UFC competition. Jake Ellenberger, Jeff Monson and Michel Prazeres have also accomplished the feat.
Yahya’s 21 takedowns landed in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Merab Dvalishvili (39), Urijah Faber (26) and Dominick Cruz (23).
[autotag]Enrique Barzola[/autotag] (16-5-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) drops to the UFC bantamweight division after spending his previous nine promotional appearances at featherweight.
Barzola has earned all six of his UFC victories by decision.
Barzola’s 36 takedowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Dennis Bermudez (46) and Darren Elkins (40).
Barzola is one five fighters in history to earned 10 or more takedowns in a UFC/WEC featherweight bout. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 129.
[autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Sept. 22, 2018. The 539-day layoff is the longest of her nearly four-year career.
[autotag]Veronica Macedo[/autotag] (6-3-1 MMA, 1-3 UFC), 24, is the youngest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Macedo returns to the UFC women’s bantamweight division after going 1-2 in the flyweight division.
Macedo’s submission victory at 1:09 of Round 1 at UFC on ESPN+ 15 is the fastest finish in UFC women’s flyweight history.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
The UFC’s first card in Brazil in 2020 is starting to fill up, and includes an intriguing flyweight matchup.
The first Brazilian UFC card of 2020 is taking shape.
In a Thursday press release, the promotion announced a handful of fights for UFC Brasilia on March 14. Among them, a flyweight battle between [autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC) and [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (16-5-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC).
Formiga looks to rebound from a second-round TKO loss to Joseph Benavidez in his last fight. That resulted ended a four-fight win streak. Moreno, meanwhile, gets right back to work after his unanimous-decision victory over Kai Kara-France at UFC 245. That kept the Tijuana native unbeaten (1-0-1) in his second UFC stint.
The promotion also announced a bantamweight bout between [autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag] (26-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC) and [autotag]Enrique Barzola[/autotag] (16-5-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC). In the women’s bantamweight division, [autotag]Veronica Macedo[/autotag] (6-3-1 MMA, 1-3 UFC) returns to take on [autotag]Bea Malecki[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC).
The release also confirmed previously revealed fights including a welterweight matchup between Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Alexey Kunchenko, a women’s strawweight bout between Amanda Ribas and Paige VanZant, a light heavyweight fight between Johnny Walker and Nikita Krylov, and a middleweight fight between Brad Tavares and Antonio Carlos Junior.
The main event for UFC Brasilia has yet to be announced.
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UFC Brasilia takes place Saturday, March 14 at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil. The event is expected to stream on ESPN+.
With the additions, check out the full UFC Brasilia lineup below:
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