Cory Sandhagen protests the idea of T.J. Dillashaw getting an immediate bantamweight title shot, Alistair Overeem reveals Alexander Volkov broke his nose at UFC Vegas 18 and much more UFC Vegas 18 fallout — this is your Fightful Fix Roundup.
Cory Sandhagen says it's "garbage" if T.J. Dillashaw gets a title shot before him
Cory Sandhagen will not be happy if T.J. Dillashaw skips the line for a UFC bantamweight title shot.
Sandhagen left no doubt that he is ready for a UFC bantamweight title shot. He bounced back remarkably from his 1:28 second submission loss to Aljamain Sterling in June. Since then, he has rattled off consecutive knockout finishes of Frankie Edgar (flying knee) and Marlon Moraes (spinning wheel kick and punches).
“I’m a different monster than before I fought Aljamain Sterling,” Sandhagen said in his post-fight interview at UFC Vegas 18 (h/t MMA Fighting). “He taught me some lessons. I know [Petr] Yan has been talking about fighting T.J. [Dillashaw] after [he fights Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259], and that’s if he even wins that fight. That’s garbage to me."
“Fight me, I’m the toughest guy next to Aljamain. If Aljamain wins, I owe him a nap. He’s gonna get that nap. The winner of those two gets knocked out by me in July," he asserted. “I’m coming for legacy, I’m coming for world titles. I’m coming to be the king. That’s why I’m here and I’m trying to hurt the people bad when I’m in there with them.”
Alexander Volkov is "looking to be a champion" after Alistair Overeem finish
Alexander Volkov is poised to make a run through the UFC heavyweight top five following his second-round TKO over Alistair Overeem at UFC Vegas 18.
“This was one of the best for me, for sure,” Volkov said on the ESPN+ post-fight show (h/t MMA Fighting). “I’m happy, but now I’m looking forward.”
“He punched me really hard, and he touched me with some punches,” he noted. “But I concentrated on my target and did what I wanted to do. The hard thing was that he blocked all my kicks. But he maybe didn’t think about my punches, and I could land punches and jabs to his face.”
“I’m looking to be a champion,” Volkov concluded. “I’m going to concentrate on the next camp [and] the next fight.”
Alistair Overeem says Alexander Volkov "broke my nose" in round one at UFC Vegas 18
Alistair Overeem was left a bloody mess at the hands of Alexander Volkov at UFC Vegas 18, and it appears he suffered a broken nose to boot.
Overeem took to Instagram following his loss on Saturday night. He revealed a broken nose he suffered in round one, gave credit to Volkov and promised to get back into the gym pronto.
"Yesterday wasn’t my night. I could not recover from that punch in the first round after I broke my nose," Overeem wrote on Instagram. "My highest priority right now is to heal up and spend some well deserved time with the family. I’ll be back in the gym soon though."
"Thank you all for your support!" the legendary heavyweight concluded. "I see the comments, you guys are the best."
Molly McCann clarifies retirement rumors after leaving gloves in the Octagon
Molly McCann fans do not fret because the "Meatball" is still rolling.
McCann left her gloves in the Octagon following her unanimous decision loss to Lara Procópio at UFC Vegas 18. McCann subsequently left her gloves in the center of the cage, fueling speculation that she is retiring. McCann revealed on Twitter that the act was not a signal of her retirement, but a tribute to her recently deceased father.
Before I get into it. I left the gloves in the cage for my dad. There’s still fight in this old dog yet. @dc_mma @DominickCruz
— Molly McCann (@MeatballMolly) February 7, 2021
“Before I get into it,” she wrote. “I left the gloves in the cage for my dad. There’s still fight in this old dog yet.”
Beneil Dariush apologizes for lashing out at UFC matchmakers
Beneil Dariush apologizes to UFC matchmakers after criticizing them in his post-fight interview at UFC Vegas 18.
Dariush earned an odd split decision win, one many believed should have been a unanimous decision nod, against Diego Ferreira on Saturday. Following the victory, he expressed his frustrations with his position on the UFC lightweight ladder, as well as his opponent's.
“I’ve got to say something, this is really bothering me,” Dariush told UFC commentator Daniel Cormier (h/t MMA Fighting). “Diego should have fought a top-five guy. I should have fought a top-five guy. We have tough win streaks. We fought everybody. We never say no to anybody."
“But instead of giving us a top-five guy, Diego I still think he deserves a top 10 guy," he continued. "I’d feel a little disrespected if I was Diego. I know I feel a little disrespected.”
Dariush apologized to UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby while speaking to reporters at the UFC Vegas 18 post-fight press conference.
“I didn’t elaborate properly,” Dariush said (h/t MMA Junkie). “My issue is with these guys looking at me as high risk, low reward. These top-10 guys look at me like I’m high risk, low reward and they want nothing to do with me. That’s just a little bit disappointing."
“I appreciate Sean Shelby," he assured. "He’s called me every time and he’s talked to me and he’s explained his situation. I was a little off about that, so I have to say sorry to Sean. Sorry, Sean.”
Alexandre Pantoja was "thinking Deiveson Figueiredo" during Manel Kape fight
Alexandre Pantoja has UFC flyweight champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, on the mind.
Pantoja rejected the advances of Rizin star Manel Kape in the latter's promotional debut at UFC Vegas 18. Afterwards, Pantoja told media that he was thinking about the flyweight kingpin during his fight with Kape.
“All the time I’m fighting with Manel, I’m thinking Deiveson Figueiredo,” Pantoja said at the UFC Vegas 18 post-fight press conference (h/t MMA Junkie). “If I want to fight Figueiredo, I want to beat that guy and that’s it. I want that guy. I want Deiveson Figueiredo.”
“[The] first fight with Figueiredo, he came to me and said, ‘Hey, let’s make that bulldog fight, like a street fight. Let’s go. I can strike with you.’ And in the first round he took me down,” Pantoja recalled. “Come on. What’s this? He played with me, and I’m not going to make that mistake again. I’m ready for Deiveson now.”
Timur Valiev still wants Julio Arce fight
Timur Valiev is still gunning for a fight with Julio Arce.
The two were originally set to scrap at UFC Vegas 18 on Saturday night; however, Arce was forced off the card and replaced by Martin Day on short notice. Valiev emerged with a dominant unanimous decision win. Afterwards, he told UFC commentator Daniel Cormier that he wants to finish business with Arce.
“I am going to be one of the fighters that fights at any weight class, but I prefer bantamweight. I want to compete there and I want to fight Julio Arce next," Valiev said (h/t MMA Junkie). "He is a tough opponent and he is the guy that makes sense next. I am excited for 2021 and I can’t wait for all the opportunities that I will have this year."
UFC spends $178,000 on UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay for UFC Vegas 18
UFC spent a total of $178,000 on UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay for UFC Vegas 18. MMA Junkie released the totals, which were actually $4,000 more than UFC 257. Scroll below the payouts for more information on how it works.
Alexander Volkov: $5,000
def. Alistair Overeem: $20,000Cory Sandhagen: $5,000
def. Frankie Edgar: $20,000Clay Guida: $20,000
def. Michael Johnson: $20,000Alexandre Pantoja: $5,000
def. Manel Kape: $3,500Beneil Dariush: $15,000
def. Diego Ferreira: $10,000Danilo Marques: $3,500
def. Mike Rodriguez: $5,000Devonte Smith: $4,000
def. Justin Jaynes: $4,000Karol Rosa: $3,500
def. Jocelyn Edwards: $3,500Lara Procopio: $3,500
Molly McCann: $5,000Seungwoo Choi: $4,000
def. Youssef Zalal: $4,000Timur Valiev: $3,500
def. Martin Day: $4,000Ode Osbourne: $3,500
def. Jerome Rivera: $3,500The 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.
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.
Devonte Smith will celebrate UFC Vegas 18 by "getting blazed" and watching "a lot of anime"
Devonte Smith (11-2) has plans to chill after swelling Justin Jaynes' (16-7) eye shut at UFC Vegas 18.
Smith told reporters at Saturday's post-fight press conference how he plans on recuperating.
“Shh. You really asked? Shh. What do I do? One, I’m about to, shh. Nah, they about to be mad if I say that," Smith chuckled. "Otherwise, a lot of anime, spend a lot of time with family, that’s the most important, getting blazed and chill, really relax, and play UFC while I’m chilling."
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