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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
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UFC on ABC 9 bonuses: Record-breaking knockdown performance appropriately rewarded
The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday's card in Abu Dhabi, including a record-breaking performance. After UFC on ABC 9, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Check out the winners below. Performance of the Night: Muslim Salikhov Age is no problem for the 41-year-old Muslim Salikhov (22-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who came into his fight against Carlos Leal (22-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC) as a massive underdog. "The King of Kung Fu" blasted an overly aggressive Leal with a clean counter shot for a sub-minute knockout, to notch his second straight opening-round finish – both of which earned Perfomance of the Night bonuses. Performance of the Night: Steven Nguyen Steven Nguyen (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) picked up his first win under the UFC banner with a record-breaking performance. Nguyen repeatedly put Mohammad Yahya (12-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC) on the canvas with accurate punches, totalling a record six knockdowns en route to a TKO stoppage by the cageside doctor after Round 2. That's two fights and two bonuses in the UFC for Fortis MMA's Nguyen, who returns home with an extra check and his name in the record books. Fight of the Night: Shara Magomedov def. Marc-Andre Barriault On the main card, middleweights Shara Magomedov (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Marc-Andre Barriault (17-10 MMA, 6-9 UFC) put on an incredible back-and-forth war over 15 minutes. After a close opening round, all hell broke loose when both fighters had near-finishing moments. Barriault flattened Magomedov's nose, but he ended up in big trouble as the round came to a close. The bloody affair somehow reached the final horn, where Magomedov was announced the winner by unanimous decision. For their efforts, they both take home an extra $50,000. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Abu Dhabi bonuses: Steven Nguyen breaks records, takes one of four
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC on ESPN 69 takeaways: Ex-champs Usman, Namajunas, Garbrandt emerge in different spots
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 69 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta? Here are a few post-fight musings … 4. Malcolm Wellmaker is a problem Malcolm Wellmaker is a legitimate bantamweight prospect to watch, and he showed why with a highlight-reel victory over Kris Moutinho to keep his undefeated record intact. Advertisement Although Wellmaker (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was set up for this kind of moment in his home state of Georgia, it doesn't mean the result was a given. He still had to go out there and do it, and he did so in absolutely spectacular fashion. It was clear that Wellmaker had something special in him when he emphatically earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series. That was back in August, and all he's done in the 10 months since is earn two first-round face plant knockouts in the UFC, both of which got him Performance of the Night honors. Nice start for the 31-year-old. 3. Cody Garbrandt's future Cody Garbrandt fought valiantly against Raoni Barcelos in their bantamweight bout, but ultimately he came out on the wrong end of a unanimous decision and is now 3-7 in his past 10 fights. Advertisement At this point, it's probably best to understand that Garbrandt (14-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) is who he is. He can beat UFC-level fighters and even be highly competitive with the upper tier on the right night, but anyone expecting him to recapture the magic that saw him become UFC champion in 2016, is probably in for an eternal wait. There was a different level of intrigue coming into this fight when we thought Garbrandt was on the final bout of his UFC contract. However, he revealed at media day that he signed a new multi-fight deal, so unless the UFC re-negs and cuts him, we are going to likely see more of him being a familiar name at 135 pounds and perhaps not much more. 2. Can Rose Namajunas rediscover title glory? Rose Namajunas showed flashes of the brilliance that made her a UFC champion twice over in her win against Miranda Maverick, even if she didn't get the finish. Advertisement Former two-time strawweight titleholder Namajunas (14-7 MMA, 12-6 UFC) claimed her third victory in five fight since moving up to women's flyweight in September 2023 when she outworked Maverick to a unanimous decision. A third-round knockdown sealed the deal in her favor, and that type of moment showed what "Thug" is truly capable of. Although she is only 32 and has just 20 professional fights, Namajunas has accomplished more than most fighters could dream. She wants to get another title in a second division, but 125-pounds is getting deeper and deeper by the day, and no matter how she tries to transform her body, it seems there are critical moments where her technique is overthrown by stronger and bigger opponents who are cutting more weight from bigger frames. We're not here to put a ceiling on Namajunas, though. In peak form, she can truly beat anyone on the women's side. The question, however, is how many more of those nights are left in her at this point. And she would probably agree with that sentiment. 1. How back is Kamaru Usman really? Kamaru Usman dug himself out of the trenches in a big way in the main event when he overcame naysayers, self-doubt and more to thwart Joaquin Buckley for one of the most critical victories of his career. Advertisement Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) has been at the pinnacle of the sport that everyone chases for prolonged period of time, but then it all changed in seemingly the blink of an eye for the former long-reigning UFC welterweight champion, who found himself on a three-fight losing skid and as a betting underdog to Buckley, who was eager to take his spot. It wasn't happening on this night, however, because Usman brought Buckley's six-fight winning streak since dropping to 170 pounds to a halt by unanimous decision, and in the process showed he still has life as a contender in his own right. Usman appears to strongly believe he will be fighting for the title next against the winner of Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev. The likes of Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov and more will have something to say about that, but Usman is no doubt in a far better spot than he had been if this went the other way, and no matter what he should be proud to have fended off a member of the new guard when the general expectation was he wouldn't. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Atlanta takeaways: Different futures for three former champions
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Monster Energy's Merab Dvalishvili Defeats Sean O'Malley to Defend UFC Bantamweight Title at UFC 316 in Newark
34-Year-Old from Georgia Defends Title, Earns $50,000 Performance of the Night Bonus Kayla Harrison from Middletown, Ohio, Defeats Julianna Peña to Claim UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship, Receives $50,000 Performance of the Night Bonus NEWARK, N.J., June 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- One epic night, two UFC Champions! Monster Energy congratulates MMA athlete Merab Dvalishvili on defeating Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 and defending his UFC Bantamweight World Championship title in Newark on Saturday night. In the main event fight inside sold-out Prudential Center, the 34-year-old from Tbilisi, Georgia, dominated his challenger to earn a submission victory in the third round. The battle also earned Dvalishvili the UFC's $50,000 Performance of the Night Bonus. In the night's Co-Main Event, 34-year-old Kayla Harrison from Middletown, Ohio, earned a submission victory over Julianna Peña in Round 2 to claim the UFC Women's Bantamweight division World Championship title. Harrison also received the UFC's $50,000 Performance of the Night Bonus for her victory. UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley 2 was contested in front of a live crowd of 17,300 spectators inside sold-out Prudential Center. Featuring two title fights on the Main Card, the event was broadcast on ESPN as pay-per-view programming. The prelims streamed on the ESPN+ platform. Still the Champion: Merab Dvalishvili Defends UFC Bantamweight Title Against O'Malley Monster Energy's Merab Dvalishvili (20-4) stepped into the Octagon in Newark as the reigning UFC Bantamweight Champion. The Georgian had originally taken the belt from Sean O'Malley at UFC 306 in September 2024 and mastered his first title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January 2025. Saturday night's rematch marked the first UFC fight for American MMA star Sean O'Malley (18-3) since losing the title to Dvalishvili. Right from the start, Dvalishvili pressured the challenger with an aggressive pace. Mixing takedown attempts and dangerous strikes, the champion kept O'Malley on the defense while evading heavy punches. The second round saw O'Malley firing back and landing a hard left that failed to slow down Dvalishvili. Both fighters relied on their striking, with Dvalishvili causing the most damage, until the round culminated in a wild exchange of fists until the buzzer. Round 3 unfolded with Dvalishvili using his notorious dexterity and high-frequency output to wear down his opponent. The dynamic shifted when the champion successfully took O'Malley to the ground, keeping him there despite resistance, and systematically began working towards the submission with unstoppable precision. Although the challenger demonstrated textbook ground defense, Dvalishvili locked in a vicious North-South neck crank that caused O'Malley to tap out. Referee Jason Herzog stopped the contest at 4:42 of Round 3, declaring Dvalishvili the winner and undefeated UFC Bantamweight World Champion. Dvalishvili also received the UFC's $50,000 Performance of the Night Bonus for the title fight. "He was well trained, he was well prepared, and I knew that he was going to make changes because, hey, every time I lost, I made big changes and I learned from it," said Monster Energy's Dvalishvili upon his victory at UFC 316, adding: "But I'm getting better and better. I wasn't showing this technique, and I have more tools in my pocket that I'm still working on, and then little by little, I will show. Now it's my time." What's next for "The Machine" after his second title defense? In his Octagon interview on Saturday night in Newark, Dvalishvili indicated American MMA fighter Cory Sandhagen as his next opponent. Stay tuned as the incredible story continues! Welcome the New Champion: Kayla Harrison Submits Julianna Peña to Claim UFC Women's Bantamweight Title In the night's Co-Main Event, rising UFC star Kayla Harrison (19-1) took her first shot at claiming the UFC Women's Bantamweight title. Previously, the 34-year-old from Middletown, Ohio, had defeated Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307 in October 2024 to earn her chance to fight for the belt. Harrison's opponent, Venezuelan fighter Julianna Peña (13-6), had earned the UFC Women's Bantamweight title by defeating Raquel Pennington at UFC 307. She also previously held the title in 2021. When Harrison and Peña collided in the Octagon, both fighters initially used strikes and kicks to cause damage. Halfway through the opening round, Harrison successfully took Peña to the canvas and began raining big shots from above. The fight was broken up, and the referee subtracted a point when Peña landed an illegal up kick from the ground. Harrison increased the pressure in Round 2, wearing down the champion with clinches against the fence and ultimately securing a crucial takedown. Working from the top position, Harrison proceeded to lock in a tight triangle hold as Peña maintained her resistance, hoping to survive the round with only a few seconds on the clock. Then it was all over quickly: Using her dominant position, Harrison captured Peña in a painful kimura arm lock that left the champion no choice but tapping out with only five seconds to go. And like that, Harrison was pronounced the winner and new Women's Bantamweight Champion by submission at 4:55 of Round 2. Her victory also earned Harrison the UFC's $50,000 Performance of the Night Bonus. "This is for anyone who has ever felt hopeless and wanted to quit," said Monster Energy's Harrison upon claiming the title at UFC 316. Speaking of her opponent, she said, "We prayed for each other. It's not personal. We're here to fight. This is a business, and I'm grateful to Peña for bringing out a better version of me." Before making her UFC debut in January 2024, Harrison was the Women's Lightweight Champion in the PFL promotion in 2019 and 2021. Harrison is also the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medalist in judo. Right after claiming the belt, Harrison called former Bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes to the Octagon as her next opponent. "I feel like we knew this was going to happen," said Harrison, adding: "I have the belt; she has the legacy. Let's put it on the table." Stay tuned for more from the newly minted champion! Monster Energy's elite UFC athletes include Jon Jones, Alex Pereira, Belal Muhammad, Dricus Du Plessis, Merab Dvalishvili, Valentina Shevchenko, Zhang Weili, Marlon Vera, Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, Brandon Moreno, Giga Chikadze, Johnny Walker, Sean Strickland, Dan Ige, Diego Lopes, Daniel Zellhuber, Derrick Lewis, Alexa Grasso, Raul Rosas Jr., Tatsuro Taira, Shara Magomedov, Patricio Pitbull, Maycee Barber, Aaron Pico, Patchy Mix, Jasmine Jasudavicius, and Kayla Harrison. For more on Monster Energy's MMA athletes, visit Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok. For interview or photo requests, contact Kim Dresser. About Monster EnergyBased in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at CONTACT: Kim Dresser C: (949) 300-5546 E: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Monster Energy
