Bantamweights Michael McDonald and John Lineker have taken over the main event role for UFC Fight Night 91.
A planned headline fight pitting Tony Ferguson vs. Mike Chiesa was scrapped when Chiesa bowed out due to a back injury. Ferguson will remain …
Bantamweights Michael McDonald and John Lineker have taken over the main event role for UFC Fight Night 91.
A planned headline fight pitting Tony Ferguson vs. Mike Chiesa was scrapped when Chiesa bowed out due to a back injury. Ferguson will remain on the card, taking on newcomer Landon Vannata.
McDonald (17-3) and Lineker (27-7) have a combined Octagon record of 14-4. They are both right on the edge of contention in the stacked bantamweight division.
Vannata (8-0) will try to spoil the run put together by Ferguson (20-3), who has gone 10-1 in his UFC career.
UFC Fight Night 91 takes place July 13 from the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Last weekend (Sat., June 4, 2016) Dominick Cruz once again proved to the MMA community why he is widely considered to be the best bantamweight to have ever competed inside the Octagon. In the co-main event of UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, Cruz coasted to a decisive decision victory over longtime rival
Last weekend (Sat., June 4, 2016) Dominick Cruz once again proved to the MMA community why he is widely considered to be the best bantamweight to have ever competed inside the Octagon.
In the co-main event of UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, Cruz coasted to a decisive decision victory over longtime rival Urijah Faber, ending the last chapter in their historic rivalry and defending his 135-pound strap in the process.
After battling a seemingly never-ending string of injuries that kept him out of action for almost four years, Cruz has clearly returned to form after re-capturing the title from ex-champion TJ Dillashaw in his return last January and once again toppling “The California Kid” last night.
Luckily for “The Dominator”, the once-barren bantamweight division is now booming with contenders, and he’ll have a few top-flight challenges waiting for him in the near future.
Let’s take a look at four possible fights for Cruz to take next.
One-time UFC title contender Michael McDonald will make his second appearance inside the Octagon this year after spending two years on the sidelines when he returns against John Lineker at UFC Fight Night 91.
The bantamweight contest will serve as t…
One-time UFC title contender Michael McDonald will make his second appearance inside the Octagon this year after spending two years on the sidelines when he returns against John Lineker at UFC Fight Night 91.
The bantamweight contest will serve as the co-main event for the UFC’s debut in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on July 13.
McDonald (17-3) has gone 2-2 over his last four after posting a 15-1 record. During his time with the UFC, “Mayday” has defeated the likes of Masanori Kanehara, Brad Pickett, Miguel Torres and Chris Cariaso.
He is a two-time “Fight of the Night” winner and “Submission of the Night” bonus winner. In all, McDonald has earned six fight-night bonuses.
Lineker (27-7) is on a four-fight win streak and is 8-1 over his last nine, losing only via decision to former UFC title contender Ali Bagautinov. Earlier this month he defeated Rob Font via decision.
UFC Fight Night 91 is headlined by Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa in a lightweight showdown.
It may not have been the most hyped mixed martial arts (MMA) event of 2016, but last night’s (Sunday, February 21, 2016) UFC Fight Night 83 from the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, delivered a heavy-hitting mix of great fights and finishes that earned it a deserving recognition as a very solid under-the-radar event.
It may not have been the most hyped mixed martial arts (MMA) event of 2016, but last night’s (Sunday, February 21, 2016) UFC Fight Night 83 from the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, delivered a heavy-hitting mix of great fights and finishes that earned it a deserving recognition as a very solid under-the-radar event.
There was a great women’s bout between Lauren Murphy and Kelly Faszholz that earned ‘Fight of the Night’ on the Fight Pass prelims, while the fight right after it between Ashlee Evans-Smith and Marion Reneau resulted in yet another MMA scoring controversy that only furthered the backlash towards the scoring system in place and the judges present in Pittsburgh that made some head-scratching errors.
There was also the continued rises of a few strong up-and-coming stars, and another return of sorts as recent lightweight title challenger Donald Cerrone returned to winning ways with an impressive first round submission of late replacement Alex Oliveira. All in all, it was a strong card that continued the UFC’s strong recent efforts and will continue promotional momentum into the absolutely blockbuster events scheduled for two weeks to come.
Let’s take a look back at the five biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 83.
The dust has now settled on UFC Fight Night 81 which went down last Sunday (January 17, 2016) night from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts presented live on FOX Sports 1. The main event featured a long awaited and highly anticipated bantamweight title fight between TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz. In a very close
The dust has now settled on UFC Fight Night 81 which went down last Sunday (January 17, 2016) night from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts presented live on FOX Sports 1.
The main event featured a long awaited and highly anticipated bantamweight title fight between TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz. In a very close fought split-decision, “The Dominator” was able to reclaim the title he had never technically lost.
With Cruz now back at the helm, one of mixed martial arts’ (MMA) previously most lacking divisions has all of a sudden become resurgent with intriguing and exciting possibilities.
With the possibility of trilogy bouts, rematches, and the emergence of multiple rising contenders, let’s take a look at five potential fights for the new and improved 135-pound division:
Now that the UFC on FOX 9 salaries have been made available, it’d be hard to declare that Johnson isn’t well on his way to achieving the financial security he so desires. The flyweight champ might not be making “Anderson Silva money,” but he managed to bank $175,000 for just two minutes work on Saturday, which makes for a nice chunk of change when combined with that X-box One money he is surely making.
Now 4-0 in 2013 with three submission victories to his credit, Urijah Faber topped the $1,007,000 payroll, banking a cool $200,000 for his second round, SOTN-earning win over Michael McDonald. Dude is looking more and more like Vitor Belfort by the day, so let the year of the Rhino “The California Kid” continue. Join us after the jump for the full list of disclosed salaries, as well as our thoughts on the payout.
(UFC on FOX 9 Phantom Cam highlights via Fox Sports.)
Now that the UFC on FOX 9 salaries have been made available, it’d be hard to declare that Johnson isn’t well on his way to achieving the financial security he so desires. The flyweight champ might not be making “Anderson Silva money,” but he managed to bank $175,000 for just two minutes work on Saturday, which makes for a nice chunk of change when combined with that X-box One money he is surely making.
Now 4-0 in 2013 with three submission victories to his credit, Urijah Faber topped the $1,007,000 payroll, banking a cool $200,000 for his second round, SOTN-earning win over Michael McDonald. Dude is looking more and more like Vitor Belfort by the day, so let the year of the Rhino ”The California Kid” continue. Join us after the jump for the full list of disclosed salaries, as well as our thoughts on the payout.
Demetrious Johnson: $175,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus)
vs. Joseph Benavidez: $42,000
Urijah Faber: $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus)
vs. Michael McDonald: $17,000
Chad Mendes: $90,000 (includes $45,000 win bonus)
vs. Nick Lentz: $29,000
Joe Lauzon: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus)
vs. Mac Danzig: $32,000
Ryan LaFlare: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
vs. Court McGee: $20,000)
Edson Barboza: $52,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus)
vs. Danny Castillo: $31,000
Bobby Green: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
vs. Pat Healy: $25,000
Zach Makovsky: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
vs. Scott Jorgensen: $26,000
Sam Stout: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus)
vs. Cody McKenzie: $12,000
Abel Trujillo: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
vs. Roger Bowling: $12,000
Alptekin Ozkilic: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
vs. Darren Uyenoyama: $12,000
Of course, these figures are absent of any undisclosed bonuses, training fees, blah blah blah.
Overpaid: You kidding me, brah? I pay your mother better when I’m renting her out for the night.
Underpaid: Seven fights and five victories into his UFC career, Michael McDonald is barely making more than the average TUF grad.
Contrary to the Al Bundy gif I just posted, I do not approve of this. My concern for “Mayday,” however, is only overshadowed by my lack of surprise. Look, it’s hard to deny that McDonald is severely underpaid for his skill level (that he always puts on entertaining fights is another issue entirely), but at the same time, he’s a young kid with a bright future ahead of him. While a loss to Faber will halt his momentum a little bit, he’s got plenty of time to increase his value in the UFC. Or sign with One FC. Either or.
And we know he didn’t look great in his last bout with Michael Johnson, but how is Joe “Mr. Fight Night” Lauzon making less than Mac Danzig to show? Un-be-lie-va-ble.
So, Nation, do any of these salaries strike a chord with you? Give us a shout in the comments section.
