Tag: Zak Cummings

2023 MMA retirement tracker: A list of former UFC champions, legends and more who hung up the gloves

The MMA world already has said goodbye to many retiring fighters in 2023, from former UFC champions to icons of the sport.

MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently, fighters from the era who helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves in order to move on to the next chapter in life.

If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete, and perhaps more importantly get a payday, will continue to drive fighters back even well beyond their expiration dates.

2023 has seen an uptick in notable fighters announcing they are done with the sport, and we have a list of those who have opted to walk away this year (the list will update as new retirements are announced).

UFC on ESPN 44 medical suspensions: Three fighters get 60 days after KO losses

The Missouri commission issued medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN 44, the longest of which went to fighters who were knocked out.

Three fighters face 60-day medical suspensions as a result of stoppage losses by strikes at UFC on ESPN 44.

The event took place this past Saturday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The event was overseen by the Missouri Division of Professional Regulation, which suspended 13 of 28 fighters from the card for medical reasons after their bouts, according to a list published Wednesday by the commission.

It’s important to note fighters can return sooner than the expiration date of their medical suspension should they receive proper medical clearance from a doctor. In addition, the commission does not list reasons for medical suspensions – just durations.

Scroll below to see the full list of UFC on ESPN 44 medical suspensions.

UFC on ESPN 44 winner Zak Cummings ‘couldn’t imagine a better way’ to retire than after TKO at home

Zak Cummings battled with the idea of retiring prior to UFC on ESPN 44, but winning was the deciding factor.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [autotag]Zak Cummings[/autotag] battled with the idea of retiring prior to UFC on ESPN 44, but winning was the deciding factor.

Cummings (25-8 MMA, 10-4 UFC) took out Ed Herman (26-16 MMA, 13-12 UFC) by third-round TKO this past Saturday in his hometown of Kansas City, and the moment was too good for him not to call it a career. With a performance like that, 38-year-old Cummings wanted to leave the sport on a high note.

“I really wasn’t sure what I was gonna do,” Cummings told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage. “I knew this would be special, but I love this stuff. I had so much fun. Having the training camp, having everything, staying healthy to get to the fight. I got all the way to the end, had the war that I wanted, had the finish that I wanted, had a finish in three different weight classes in the UFC, which I know is pretty special.

“Hometown, the way they were – KC fans are insane. Any sporting event here, they’re so loud. They just get behind everybody. It was so special, and I’m not going to taint that. It was fun in there, it was special, and it’s time. I couldn’t imagine a better way for anybody to go out, and I can’t believe it was the way I got to.”

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Cummings wasn’t the only one who retired. His opponent, longtime UFC veteran Herman, also called it a career as the pair shared a special moment in the octagon.

“Bittersweet, it really was,” Cummings said. “I have my emotions. I’m on top of the world right now, and I respect Ed so much. I’ve never said a bad thing about that guy. It was just crazy to be able to be in there with someone like Ed Herman, who’s been in this game for so long. I knew how tough he was and seeing the other end of it, it broke my heart. It broke my heart seeing him beaten and battered and his crying, his tears for the other end.”

He continued, “Being able to lay our gloves down in the middle of the octagon and have a moment with him, it’s a moment I’ll never forget.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC on ESPN 44: Max Holloway’s perfect navigation of title purgatory

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC on ESPN 44, including Max Holloway’s title hopes and much more.

What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 44 in Kansas City, Mo.? Here are a few post-fight musings …

UFC on ESPN 44 post-event facts: Max Holloway joins 20-win club, sets other records

Check out the numbers from UFC on ESPN 44, where Max Holloway hit more milestones – including being the first to land 3,000 octagon strikes.

The UFC returned to Missouri after six years Saturday at UFC on ESPN 44, and the card delivered with half the fights ending by stoppage.

One of the bouts to go the distance was the main event, where former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 20-7 UFC) once again displayed his greatness in ending the winning streak of [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC) with a unanimous decision. In the process, “Blessed” made more history to add to his one-of-a-kind octagon resume.

For more on the numbers to come out of the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 44.

UFC on ESPN 44 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Four fighters get max non-title payout

UFC on ESPN 44 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 44 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $254,500.

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 44 took place at T-Mobile Center. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 44 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]T.J. Brown[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Zak Cummings[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Piera Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Denise Gomes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bruna Brasil[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gaston Bolanos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Aaron Phillips[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/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 $4,500; 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 $44,000 while title challengers get $44,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-44 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,230,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,819,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

Zak Cummings and Ed Herman have double retirement after UFC on ESPN 44 prelim bout

Ed Herman and Zak Cummings both announced their retirements from MMA in an emotionally-charged post-fight scene at UFC on ESPN 44.

[autotag]Zak Cummings[/autotag] and [autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag] provided one of the most emotionally-charged post-fight moments in recent memory on Saturday when they both retired from MMA at the conclusion of their UFC on ESPN 44 bout.

Cummings (25-8 MMA, 10-4 UFC) landed three knockdowns of Herman (26-16 MMA, 13-12 UFC) en route to a third-round TKO of the bout, which took place in his home state of Missouri at T-Mobile Center. The result made Cummings the 17th fighter in UFC history to earn victories in three weight classes, and it marked his return to competition from a career-long layoff.

At the conclusion of the fight, both men started to take off their gloves. Cummings’ daughter then entered the octagon and he came to tears, announcing his career, which began in November 2007, was done.

“I started this pro career in Missouri,” Cummings said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I fought here six years ago when the UFC came. Six years ago to the day, I get to do it again. You guys showed out. I love you guys. I could not be more grateful …. I got two fights on my contract. I’ve got one left. I can’t think of a better way to go out than in front of this crowd of you guys.”

After Cormier finished his interview with Cummings, he went over to Herman, who had already taken his gloves off. “The Ultimate Fighter 3” finalist entered the event as the longest-tenured fighter on the UFC roster going back to his debut in 2006. At 42 and with back-to-back losses, though, his time was up.

“Congratulations Zak – what a way to go out in front of your crowd,” Herman said. “I want to thank the UFC, fans and everyone else for the support over the last 17 years. I think I’m going to hang them up here in this cage.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

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UFC middleweight Zak Cummings explains how a sneeze caused him to be bedridden for three months

A sneeze is one of the human body’s natural reactions, but UFC’s Zak Cummings says one sidelined him for months, leading to surgery.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – UFC middleweight [autotag]Zak Cummings[/autotag] has not competed since August 2020, and he can thank a sneeze for keeping him on the sidelines.

Cummings (24-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC) returns to action Saturday at UFC on ESPN 44 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., to take on Ed Herman (27-15 MMA, 13-11 UFC) in a preliminary bout that airs on ESPN+.

It’s been a long journey to get back to competitive shape after a sneeze was the straw that essentially broke Cummings’ already-damaged back while preparing for a fight two years ago.

“I’ve been dealing with some back stuff over time and everything, and I was getting ready for, I think the Sam Alvey fight, and then I just had a lot of pain and a lot of nerve issues and stuff,” Cummings told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “And then I was really in an awkward position, and I really hate to admit it, but I sneezed and it blew a disc out that was like dangling to the vertebrae below it, and it was completely blocking my nerves, my spinal cord off, and it left me bedridden for three months.

“It took me a long time to get in to a neurosurgeon. I wanted to make sure that if I’m dealing with that stuff, I’m seeing someone high level. It took me a while, but the second he saw me, he got me in surgery immediately, and got everything clipped out and taken care of. But yeah, it was bad. It was rough.”

After surgery, Cummings admits he wasn’t ready to return to his fighting career, because his focus shifted to being healthy enough to do simple tasks with his family, such as picking up his three-year-old daughter. Quality of life became paramount, but a return to fighting was inevitable, as long as his body would allow it.

“If I never fought again, I was really OK with it,” Cummings said. “I’ve been doing this for a decade with the UFC now and I’ve been fighting since I was 7. … I was really unhappy with my quality of life, you know, with like family and stuff like that. But the healthier you get, the more you move – this stuff is very much a part of me and it’s one of those where I needed to prove to myself that I could get back to what I was.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

UFC on ESPN 44 pre-event facts: Will Arnold Allen crack Max Holloway’s historic chin?

Check out the numbers behind UFC on ESPN 44, where Max Holloway brings an insane durability record into his main event with Arnold Allen.

The UFC returns to Missouri for the first time in exactly five years on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 44, which takes place at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., with a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, the stakes don’t get much higher than the clash of featherweight contenders. Former longtime UFC champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) looks to begin another run toward the belt when he takes on [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC), who is unbeaten inside the octagon thus far.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts from UFC on ESPN 44.

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Ed Herman books 25th UFC fight, faces Zak Cummings in Kansas City

No current member of the UFC roster has longer been a part continuously than Ed Herman, who debuted in 2006.

The longest-tenured fighter on the UFC roster is set for his 25th fight under the promotion’s banner.

“Short Fuse” [autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag] (24-15 MMA, 13-11 UFC) hasn’t competed since August 2021, but at the promotion’s upcoming UFC Fight Night card April 15 in Kansas City, Mo., he’ll make his return to the cage against [autotag]Zak Cummings[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in a light heavyweight bout.

Both fighters announced the bout Wednesday on their social media pages.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CosTjbCvH1p/

Herman, 42, has been in the UFC continuously since 2006, when he joined the promotion on the cast of “The Ultimate Fighter 3.” Herman rode a three-fight winning streak into his most recent bout, a unanimous decision loss 18 months ago, against Alonzo Menifield at UFC 265.

Cummings, 38, has been away from competition even longer than Herman has. His most recent bout was a unanimous decision win over Alessio Di Chirico in August 2020. A winner of three of his most recent four outings, Cummings told BJPenn.com in September his absence from competition was due to a back injury that caused him to be “bedridden.”

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for April 15 includes:

  • Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen
  • Edson Barboza vs. Billy Quarantillo
  • Chris Gutierrez vs. Pedro Munhoz
  • Matheus Nicolau vs. Brandon Royval
  • Dustin Jacoby vs. Azamat Murzakanov
  • Bill Algeo vs. TJ Brown
  • Bruna Brasil vs. Denise Gomes
  • Gillian Robertson vs. Piera Rodriguez
  • Lando Vannata vs. Daniel Zellhuber
  • Danaa Batgerel vs. Brady Hiestand
  • Joselyne Edwards vs. Lucie Pudilova
  • Gaston Bolanos vs. Aaron Phillips
  • Zak Cummings vs. Ed Herman