Viviane Araujo spoke with the media ahead of UFC on ESPN 20 on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.
UFC on ESPN 20: Viviane Araujo media day interview
Viviane Araujo spoke with the media ahead of UFC on ESPN 20 on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.
Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Viviane Araujo spoke with the media ahead of UFC on ESPN 20 on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.
Viviane Araujo spoke with the media ahead of UFC on ESPN 20 on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi.
UFC on ESPN+ 34: Viviane Araujo post-fight interview
UFC on ESPN+ 34: Viviane Araujo post-fight interview
Viviane Araujo is getting the opportunity to step into a fight on short notice after COVID-19 forced her to withdraw from one of her own.
The UFC Fight Night event scheduled for Sept. 5 has been shaken up.
[autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag] will no longer fight that night in Las Vegas. In her place, [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] will step in to face [autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag]. Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after Combate reported that Moroz was unable to secure a visa because of the coronavirus pandemic and therefore can’t travel to the U.S. from Ukraine.
For Araujo (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), the opportunity to fight is a change in recent misfortune. She had been scheduled to fight Jennifer Maia on June 27, but travel restrictions pushed the bout back to Aug. 1. However, Araujo was forced to withdraw from the re-booking after she tested positive for COVID-19.
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Araujo will fight De La Rosa coming off a loss. In her most recent fight last December at UFC 245, Araujo dropped a unanimous decision to Jessica Eye.
De La Rosa (11-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC), meanwhile, has won four of her past five fights. After defeating Christina Marks, Rachael Ostovich and Nadia Kassem in succession to kick off her promotional tenure, De La Rosa suffered her fist UFC loss to Andrea Lee in June 2019. In her most recent fight at UFC on ESPN+ 25 in February, De La Rosa got back in the win column by defeating Mara Romero Borella.
With the change, the Sept. 5 UFC Fight Night lineup includes:
Viviane Araujo is out of her upcoming UFC on ESPN+ 31 fight with Jennifer Maia after contracting the coronavirus in Brazil.
[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] is the latest UFC fighter to catch COVID-19.
Araujo is out of her women’s flyweight bout against [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag], which was set for UFC on ESPN+ 31, after testing positive for coronavirus in the pre-fight screenings leading up to the Aug. 1 event in Las Vegas. The news was first reported by MMA Fighting and subsequently confirmed by MMA Junkie, who received an update from Araujo on her condition.
“Unfortunately this week I tested positive for COVID-19. I don’t know how I caught it,” Araujo told MMA Junkie on Monday. “I was taking all precautions and training with only two fighters. They tested negative. Only I tested positive. That’s it. I was very sad that the fight was canceled and also worried for my health. Here in Brazil, the contamination rate is very high. Despite all precautions, I caught it. I am feeling mostly OK with only mild cold symptoms. My doctors are keeping an eye on me. The goal is to recover so I can book my next fight.”
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Araujo (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is coming off a decision loss to former UFC title challenger Jessica Eye in December at UFC 245. Prior to that, the Brazilian had picked up wins over veterans Talita Bernardo and Alexis Davis to kick off her UFC tenure.
Meanwhile, Maia (17-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) also looked to bounce back from defeat after dropping a decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian in November. Combate reports that Joanne Calderwood is expected to fill in for Araujo. Maia told MMA Junkie on Monday that she was offered Calderwood and accepted, but she couldn’t say the same for Calderwood, who previously had been tabbed to challenge Valentina Shevchenko until injury forced the 125-pound champion out of their matchup.
UFC on ESPN+ 31 is headlined by a women’s bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Irene Aldana.
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Ahead of her fight with Viviane Araujo, Jennifer Maia is certain that her weight-cutting issues are a thing of the past.
[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] is sure that her weight-cutting issues are behind her.
Maia (17-6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) faces [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] on Aug. 1, where she will look to climb back up to flyweight contention. Maia missed weight in her last two outings, and the former Invicta FC champion chalks up her mishaps to being ill-prepared.
“I’ve been fighting for a long time,” Maia told MMA Junkie. “I had always made weight. But, for my last two bouts, there were strategic errors during my preparation. They caused me problems at the weigh-ins. Those errors have been corrected. It won’t happen again. The problem was in trying to maximize my physical strength before the final stages of the weight cut.”
After notching wins over Alexis Davis and Roxanne Modafferi in her first two UFC fights, Maia suffered a unanimous decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian last November, who went on to challenge champion Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title.
While Maia is focused on Araujo, she has her sights set on one day getting a shot at the title.
“I look at things one fight at a time,” Maia said. “Of course, I very much want the UFC belt. I’m looking to get there, but my focus now is completely on the bout against Viviane. Hopefully a victory will push me even closer to the top of the division so I can eventually face the champion.”
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Similarly to Maia, Araujo impressed in her first two UFC fights but suffered a unanimous decision loss to former flyweight title challenger Jessica Eye in her last outing at UFC 245.
So Maia is expecting a very game Araujo when the meet on the Aug. 1 event, which was rescheduled from an original June 27 date.
“‘Vivi’ is truly tough,” Maia said. “She’s had excellent performances inside the UFC. I think it’s going to be a great fight. It’s going to be a challenge. We’ll both be constantly looking for a finish. I’ve been training hard for this specific fight. I’m confident I’ll be bringing this win home. I don’t know exactly how the fight will end, but I plan to make sure it happens before it goes to the judges.
“In this fight, and going forward, I want to show things that I haven’t yet been able to show in the UFC. I want to show how much sharper my game is. I want people to see that I’m a different fighter now.”
Viviane Araujo vs. Jennifer Maia has been added to a UFC event that will take place in Austin, Texas.
A women’s flyweight bout has been added to a UFC event that will take place in Austin, Texas.
[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will face fellow Brazilian [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on June 27. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with a person with knowledge of the booking who requested anonymity because the organization has yet to make an official announcement.
Combate first reported the bout.
Araujo joined the roster last year, competing three times in 2019. She made an emphatic promotional debut with a knockout over Talita Bernardo at bantamweight, then dropped down to flyweight, picking up a win over Alexis Davis. But in her most recent outing, Araujo lost a unanimous decision to former UFC flyweight title challenger Jessica Eye at UFC 245.
Meanhwile, after dropping her UFC debut to Liz Carmouche, former Invicta FC 125-pound champion Maia then rebounded with two straight wins over Alexis Davis and Roxanne Modafferi. She was then matched up with Katyln Chookagian in a flyweight title eliminator but lost the fight via unanimous decision. Maia also failed to make weight for the matchup, making it the second straight time that she missed the flyweight mark.
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A total of 12 fighters made north of six figures Saturday at UFC 245, and that number increases when post-fight bonuses are factored in.
Main event combatants [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] each pocketed $500,000 for their respective efforts at UFC 245.
MMA Junkie recently obtained the list of the disclosed paydays for Saturday night’s card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas from the Nevada Athletic Commission, which oversaw the event.
UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovksi[/autotag], who won the belt in the evening’s co-main event, earned $250,000 for his performance. Former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag], who lost the belt, took home a $350,000.
UFC women’s double champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] pocketed $450,000 for her bantamweight title defense against [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag]. Dutch challenger de Randamie earned $100,000.
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Former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] was the fourth highest-paid athlete on the card. Despite losing to [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] in his drop to bantamweight, Aldo earned $400,000.
The total disclosed payroll for the event was $4,096,000.
The full list of disclosed UFC 245 paydays included:
The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, including the official UFC 245 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special discretionary bonuses the UFC sometimes pays. They also do not include pay-per-view cuts that some top-level fighters receive.
For example, UFC officials handed out additional $50,000 UFC 245 fight-night bonuses to Yan and Aldana for “Performance of the Night,” and Usman and Covington for “Fight of the Night.”
In other words, the above figures are simply base salaries reported to the commission and do not reflect entire compensation packages for the event.
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As you might expect, Colby Covington is going to be out awhile after UFC 245. But Kamaru Usman could be on the shelf as well.
Seven fighters are facing lengthy medical suspensions after a hard-hitting night of action at UFC 245.
Both main event combatants, [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], face 180-day suspensions for injuries sustained in their back-and-forth main event.
Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) retained his welterweight championship, but not without sacrificing his well-being. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has been suspended 180 days or until X-ray of left thumb is cleared by physician.
Meanwhile, Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has been suspended 180 days or until his nondisplaced midline mandibular fracture is cleared by oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
Additionally, newly crowned UFC featherweight champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] is up for a potential 180 days suspension as well, for a potentially broken hand suffered against Max Holloway in the evening’s co-main event.
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Four other fighters could see 180-day suspensions for various injuries, including bantamweight contender [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag], [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag], [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag], and [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag].
MMA Junkie acquired the full list of medical suspensions from the Nevada Athletic Commission, which you can read below:
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The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 245, which saw Kamaru Usman beat Colby Covington in the main event.
The UFC’s final numbered event of the year took place Saturday at UFC 245 went down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
Three championship bouts were featured on the card, but it was Kamaru Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) who closed the show in dramatic fashion when he stopped Colby Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) by fifth-round TKO to defend his welterweight title for the first time in the main event.
It was a memorable finish to close a memorable card, and for more on the numbers, check below for 60 post-event facts to come out of UFC 245.
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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $369,500.
Usman, Covington, [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] and [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC 245 fight-night bonuses.
Debuting fighters went 2-0 on the card.
UFC 245 drew an announced attendance of 16,811 for a live gate of $4,041,119.14.
Betting favorites went 8-5 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 22-17 (one fight had even odds, one ended in a no contest) in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 2:49:00.
Usman extended his winning streak to 15 fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since May 2013.
Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is the longest active streak in the division.
Usman became the fourth fighter in UFC history to start 11-0 with the promotion. Anderson Silva, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Royce Gracie also accomplished the feat.
Usman is the only welterweight in history to start his UFC career with 11 consecutive victories.
Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak is the third longest active streak in the company behind Nurmagomedov (12) and Tony Ferguson (12).
Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is the longest active streak in the division.
Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is the second longest in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (12).
Covington suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) became the fourth undisputed featherweight champion in UFC history.
Volkanovski became the first Australian-born champion in UFC history.
Volkanovski’s six-fight UFC winning streak at featherweight is tied with Arnold Allen and Zabit Magomedsharipov for the longest active streak in the division.
Volkanovski extended his winning streak to 18 consecutive fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since May 2013.
Volkanovski has earned five of his eight UFC victories by decision.
Volkanovski has outlanded his eight UFC opponents by a 650-301 margin in total strikes.
[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC) has suffered four of his five career losses by decision.
Holloway landed 100+ significant strikes for the 10th time in UFC competition, the most in company history. No other fighter has more than seven such performances.
Holloway became the third fighter in UFC history to complete 22 octagon appearances without suffering a knockdown.
[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]’ (19-4 MMA, 12-1 UFC) five consecutive UFC title defenses are most among current champions.
Nunes’ seven victories in women’s UFC title fights are most in company history.
Nunes’ 12 victories in UFC competition are most for any female in company history.
Nunes’ 11 victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Nunes’ 10-fight UFC winning streak in women’s competition is the longest in company history.
Nunes’ nine-fight UFC winning streak at women’s bantamweight is the longest active streak in the division.
[autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) fell to 2-1 since she returned to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in September 2017.
De Randamie suffered her first decision loss since June 24, 2011 – a span of 3,115 days and nine fights.
[autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (23-6-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) improved to 18-2 in his past 20 fights dating back to December 2011.
[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) was unsuccessful in his bantamweight debut.
Aldo fell to 3-5 in his past eight fights after going undefeated for more than a decade.
Yan’s (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is the longest active streak in the division.
Yan has earned all three of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.
[autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (35-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC) suffered just the fourth knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]’s (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Usman (11), Leon Edwards (eight) and Santiago Ponzinibbio (seven).
Neal has earned 10 of his 12 career victories by stoppage. That includes four of his five UFC wins.
Neal became the first welterweight since Usman to start 5-0 in the UFC.
[autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) fell to 2-5 in his past seven fights dating back to December 2017.
Perry suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Aldana’s (12-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) five victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Nunes (11), Raquel Pennington (eight) and Ronda Rousey (six).
[autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) had her 10-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
[autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (19-4-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) improved to 3-0-1 since he returned to the UFC middleweight division in December 2017. He’s 4-0-1 in the weight class overall under the UFC banner.
Akhmedov’s five-fight UFC unbeaten streak at middleweight is tied with Paulo Costa for the second longest active streak in the division behind Israel Adesanya (seven).
[autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May.
Heinisch has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]’s (22-16 MMA, 15-10 UFC) 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (16).
Brown has earned 20 of his 22 career victories by stoppage. That includes 13 of his 15 wins under the UFC banner.
Brown’s 13 stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Brown’s 11 knockout victories in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Vitor Belfort (12).
Brown’s 11 knockout victories in welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.
[autotag]Ben Saunders[/autotag] (22-13-2 MMA, 8-10 UFC) fell to 5-7 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in August 2014; it includes one win in an outside promotion.
Saunders’ four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since June 2018.
Saunders is 1-6 in his past seven UFC appearances dating back to May 2017.
[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag] (7-0-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned five of his seven career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Daniel Teymur[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 1-4 UFC) fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to December 2016.
Teymur suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (16-5-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) improved to 1-0-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September.
Moreno snapped his three-fight winless skid in UFC competition for his first octagon victory since April 2017.
[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of her career.
[autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned six of his seven career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Oskar Piechota[/autotag] (11-3-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has suffered three consecutive losses after starting his career on a 12-fight unbeaten streak.
Piechota suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 245 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $369,500.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 245 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $369,500.
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 245 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
The full UFC 245 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $40,000
def. [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]: $30,000
[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $30,000
def. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]: $40,000
[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]: $40,000
def. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag]: $30,000
[autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $20,000
[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag]: $20,000
[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Ben Saunders[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Daniel Teymur[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Oskar Piechota[/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 2019 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $7,249,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $30,883,500