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USA Today
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Khalil Rountree grateful for custom UFC shorts, explains design inspiration
Khalil Rountree grateful for custom UFC shorts, explains design inspiration Show Caption Hide Caption Khalil Rountree talks custom fight gear for UFC Baku main event bout Khalil Rountree Jr. talks to MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn ahead of Saturday's UFC on ESPN 69 main event against Jamahal Hill in Baku, Azerbaijan. Khalil Rountree says a lot of thought and consideration went into his UFC on ABC 8 custom fight shorts. When Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) makes his walk to the cage Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan for his headlining bout vs. Jamahal Hill (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), he'll sport white and gray shorts with images that pay tribute to various aspects of his life and travels. "I got invited to design custom fight shorts, which was an absolute surprise, but I was so happy," Rountree told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. "The design inspiration, it's a lot about me." Featured perhaps most prominently is a design similar to Rountree's sak yant tattoos, which he got in Thailand, a place he trained extensively in order to craft his muay Thai abilities. His current home city of Las Vegas is also represented. "I wanted to put that representation of how much Thailand means to me and how much muay Thai means to me and my tattoos that I've got in honor of my martial arts journey, and that journey through Thailand," Rountree said. "Then I put some mountains on the legs that represent Las Vegas, my home. It's where I'm from. I wanted a piece of me and piece of Vegas on my shorts, but I didn't want slot machines and poker chips or Elvis Presley on my shorts. Vegas, to me, I love the mountain scenery. It's amazing. We've got the Red Rocks. We've got a lot of cool things there. That's just my way of kind of putting my Las Vegas stamp on there." Rountree said the two locations represent his duality. He is not the same person inside the cage as he is out of it. That's what he tried, and feels he succeeded in, doing during an extensive workshopping process with UFC apparel partner Venum. "A lot of people, when the talks about me, or the people who know about me, maybe my fighting style is known as violent or aggressive," Rountree said. "If people know me, they're like, 'Oh, you're such a different person than you are in the cage. I think that's just life. I do see a lot of contrasting things and duality of life and doing my best to find balance throughout my journey. That's why the shorts are split in half like yin and yang. I just think I did my best to make custom shorts that were just personal to me, and that really had some key things that just represent me as a person and as a fighter." Custom fight kits are rare and typically reserved for the creme de la creme of UFC talent. Rountree is honored to be included in the exclusive group and said it makes sense despite what the critics might say. "I'm really grateful," Rountree said. "It's nice because I do realize mostly champions or certain No. 1 contenders and stuff are usually the ones to get them. But I think the UFC knows exactly what they are doing. They are a billion-dollar business for a reason. I think that when it comes to me and just being with the business, I think that it's not a bad thing to do. I've been in the UFC now for 11 years. I finally got a fight to where my fanbase is now growing. But I don't think the UFC thinks I'm going anywhere anytime soon. I don't think I'm on the verge of getting cut or anything like that. I think it's a safe decision. It's a safe decision to make. I'll be around for a while. "I think I'll continue to connect with the fans for as long as I'm in the business. Maybe people who are new to this will think, 'Oh, this guy hasn't been around,' or blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But I've been here for a long time now. I've been here for a long time. Maybe I haven't been at the top for a long time, but I've been in the business for a long time now. I've been loyal and dedicated to the UFC and the staff, so I think it's just kind of their way of being OK with that."
USA Today
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
The Thrill and Agony: UFC on ESPN 69 winner and loser social media reactions
The Thrill and Agony: UFC on ESPN 69 winner and loser social media reactions Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums, and – perhaps most importantly – social-media platforms. Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of X, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper look into the minds of the athletes. Following Saturday's UFC on ESPN 69 in Atlanta, several of the winning and losing fighters, along with their coaches, training partners or family members, took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters. Check out some of those reactions. The defeated: Ange Loosa The defeated: Cameron Smotherman The defeated: Kris Moutinho The defeated: Court McGee The defeated: Oumar Sy The defeated: Cody Garbrandt The defeated: Miranda Maverick The defeated: Joaquin Buckley The no contest: Rodolfo Bellato The no contest: Paul Craig The victorious: Jamey-Lyn Horth The victorious: Phil Rowe The victorious: Ricky Simon The victorious: Jose Ochoa The victorious: Malcolm Wellmaker The victorious: Michael Chiesa The victorious: Alonzo Menifield The victorious: Raoni Barcelos The victorious: Edmen Shahbazyan The victorious: Rose Namajunas The victorious: Kamaru Usman
USA Today
16-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ESPN 69 salaries: Rose Namajunas tops 13 fighters with disclosed six-figure payouts
UFC on ESPN 69 salaries: Rose Namajunas tops 13 fighters with disclosed six-figure payouts Show Caption Hide Caption Who's next for Kamaru Usman after beating Joaquin Buckley? MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Kamaru Usman. Rose Namajunas was the biggest winner at UFC on ESPN 69 – at least from a financial standpoint. Namajunas, a former strawweight champion, led all fighters on the card in disclosed pay as she earned $500,000 for her unanimous decision win over Miranda Maverick in the UFC on ESPN 69 co-main event. On Monday, MMA Junkie obtained the list of disclosed fighter salaries from Matt Woodruff, executive director of the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission, which regulated this past Saturday's event at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Kamaru Usman earned the second most behind Namajunas as the former welterweight champion earned $300,000 for his unanimous decision win against Joaquin Buckley in the night's main event. In total, half the card (13 of 26 fighters) took home six-figure payouts. You can check out the full list below. It's important to note that the numbers reflect payouts disclosed to the Georgia commission and do not include any discretionary bonuses that might've been paid by the UFC.
USA Today
16-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ESPN 69's Alonzo Menifield wants to avenge prior loss to Azamat Murzakanov
UFC on ESPN 69's Alonzo Menifield wants to avenge prior loss to Azamat Murzakanov Show Caption Hide Caption UFC on ESPN 69: Alonzo Menifield post-fight interview UFC on ESPN 69 winner Alonzo Menifield talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight after his decision victory over Oumar Sy in Atlanta. ATLANTA – Alonzo Menifield came through as a massive underdog on the UFC on ESPN 69 main card, but wishes he didn't have to endure a few more eye pokes. Few gave Menifield (17-5-1 MMA, 10-5-1 UFC) a chance to win the main card light heavyweight fight at State Farm Arena against Oumar Sy, who came into the bout undefeated. The hard-hitting Menifield pulled off the victory on the scorecards to hand Sy (11-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) his first career loss. During the fight, Menifield received a few eye pokes, which caused visible damage. For whatever reason, this frequently happens to Menifield. "If affects me because I'm telling you, every fight I'm in, I'm seeing multiple people," Menifield told reporters at a post-fight news conference. "And it's like, sometimes it's a knuckle, and I'm like, 'Alright, it probably was a knuckle.' But when it's clear, it's clear. I'm yelling to you, 'finger.' Yeah, it's a problem because he's doing it more than once. That's why I started protesting. But I gamed through it, got the W, so it is what it is." Menifield told referee Blake Grice repeatedly that Sy had his fingers in his eye, but he managed to work through the fouls to get the victory and make it back-to-back wins. If Menifield gets his wish next, he wants to run it back with Azamat Murzakanov, the man who handed him his most recent loss last August.
USA Today
15-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Kamaru Usman no-sells Belal Muhammad callout after UFC on ESPN 59, wants next title shot
Kamaru Usman no-sells Belal Muhammad callout after UFC on ESPN 59, wants next title shot Show Caption Hide Caption UFC on ESPN 69: Kamaru Usman post-fight interview UFC on ESPN 69 winner Kamaru Usman talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight after his decision victory over Joaquin Buckley in Atlanta. ATLANTA – Kamaru Usman did not remember the name Belal Muhammad, or at least he pretended. Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) turned back the clock in a dominant display against Joaquin Buckley in the UFC on ESPN 69 main event at State Farm Arena. It was the first win for the former welterweight champion since November 2021. After looking like the unstoppable force on the ground for most of the fight against Buckley (21-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC), he drew the attention of another former titleholder, Belal Muhammad. "See you soon," Muhammad wrote on X after the fight. In his first attempt at defending, Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) dropped the welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, ending a 10-fight unbeaten run. The former champ called his shot for Usman, but it was a name and a shout that "The Nigerian Nightmare" completely dismissed. "Who is it?" Usman responded when asked at a post-fight news conference about Muhammad's callout. "Who is that? Next." Usman has his sights set on the winner of a potential title fight between Della Maddalena and former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. It's a fight that has not been officially announced, but one that has been rumored to be the direction the promotion intends to go after Makhachev vacated the 155-pound title. "Let's be honest, I'm the biggest in the division," Usman said. "This is about entertainment. The UFC is an entertainment company. You want to make the biggest fight. It's going to be the winner of JDM and Islam. If Islam pulls that one out, former pound-for-pound, current pound-for-pound – who doesn't pay for that?" Usman, 38, admits that he's in the twilight of his career, but he still has some gas left in the tank for one more title push. After ending a three-fight skid, which included a pair of title losses to Leon Edwards, and a narrow short-notice loss to Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight, Usman struggled to hold back the emotions of a big win. However, he is confident that the next time he steps in the cage, he should be fighting for gold, whether it be against Della Maddalena or Makhachev. "JDM's no slouch," Usman said. "I've said that in his last fight, and he went out there and showed you guys, don't look past him. He's very, very talented. Islam is extremely talented. I love Islam. I think him coming in makes the division a lot more interesting. If he's able to get in there and wrestle that belt away from JDM, former pound-for-pound, current pound-for-pound, I mean, I think everyone wants to watch that."
