All articles tagged with #ufc contract
Modestino Rodrigues earned a UFC contract on Week 4 of Dana White's Contender Series after a 15-second KO of Brandon Holmes, but the stoppage—by referee Chris Tognoni while Holmes was conscious and defending— sparked controversy.
Alex Apodaca stunned Bella Mir as a massive underdog in Contender Series Week 3, outworking her for 15 minutes to earn a UFC contract and disbelief from peers, signaling a potential rise toward the bantamweight top 10 despite being 32 with limited pro experience.
Bella Mir headlines Dana White’s Contender Series Week 3 at the UFC Apex, facing Alex Apodaca, and pursues a UFC contract while becoming the biggest betting favorite in women’s DWCS history—surpassing Antonina Shevchenko; the daughter of Frank Mir has a winding path back to competition and eyes UFC glory, Olympic gold, and more.
Bella Mir, the NCAA wrestling champion and daughter of former UFC champ Frank Mir, is set to face Alex Apodaca in Season 10, Week 3 of Contender Series at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Oddsmakers list Mir as a record-setting -1600 betting favorite to earn a UFC contract; the 4-0 pro with three first-round submissions has been groomed as a top UFC prospect and could follow in her father’s footsteps if she wins.
Joe Lauzon confirms he isn’t retired and is set to make his bare-knuckle debut for BKFC on Aug. 29 at Fenway Park. UFC approval followed talks with Hunter Campbell, and Lauzon stresses the move isn’t about money but the unique Fenway opportunity. He had previously pursued a UFC return against Donald Cerrone that fell through, and while still under UFC contract, he’s taking the chance to fight at the historic venue and will assess his future plans after the Aug. 29 event.
McGregor says Terence Crawford rejected a two-fight, $200 million deal, and confirms he has only two fights left on his UFC contract, with a July 11 showdown vs Max Holloway at UFC 329 and an April 2027 final UFC bout. The UFC didn’t attempt to extend his deal, opening the door to outside-the-UFC opportunities—boxing Jake Paul, bare-knuckle boxing with BKFC, or other MVP-promoted crossovers—though no deals are in place yet.
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn says he would triple UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall’s earnings and drop the Conor Benn legal issues if Dana White releases Aspinall from his UFC contract, calling Aspinall underpaid and describing his deal as one of the worst for a fighter at his level; the offer highlights tensions between boxing and MMA over fighter compensation.
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn publicly urged UFC boss Dana White to release heavyweight Tom Aspinall from his UFC contract, promising to pay Aspinall at least three times (potentially five times) more and arguing the current deal underpays a hard-working fighter. The move comes amid a broader Hearn–White feud that includes Conor Benn’s Zuffa Boxing deal, Aspinall’s sidelining eye injury from UFC 321, and past calls for him to fight Jon Jones.
Jon Jones attended MVP MMA on Netflix and used the broadcast to reiterate his frustration with UFC contract constraints, telling Jake Paul he wants to leave to pursue a fight with Francis Ngannou. Paul later disclosed a private backstage conversation in which Jones expressed being upset about not being a free agent, underscoring ongoing tensions over fighters’ autonomy and potential future crossovers.
Eddie Hearn, representing UFC heavyweight champ, blasted Tom Aspinall's UFC contract as a 'disgrace' and criticized pay levels as Aspinall prepares to return from a first‑round no‑contest with Ciryl Gane; he questioned why Aspinall would stay with a deal that under-mines potential rematches with Gane or Pereira, noting taxes and team costs erode earnings.
UFC president Dana White indicated there is no scheduled date for Conor McGregor’s return and that contract negotiations remain unsettled, leaving McGregor’s comeback and a potential big-money deal in limbo ahead of events such as International Fight Week.