UFC 294 post-event facts: Kamaru Usman hits uncharted territory with three-fight skid

Check out the post-event stats from UFC 294, including Kamaru Usman’s shift to a near-record winning streak to three straight losses.

UFC 294 on Saturday marked the promotion’s annual trip to Abu Dhabi, and although the card at Etihad Arena on Yas Island started slow, it ended with a bang.

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) put a bow on the evening when he emerged from his rematch with fellow champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) as the lightweight titleholder courtesy of a first-round head kick knockout.

For more on the numbers coming from the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 294.

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UFC 294 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Khamzat Chimaev gets $6,000 in return bout

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 294 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $237,000.

ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 294 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $237,000.

The 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.

UFC 294 took place at Etihad Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+ and YouTube.

The full UFC 294 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $11,000
vs. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ikram Aliskerov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Warlley Alves[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Trevor Peek[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mohammad Yahya[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Abu Azaitar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mike Breeden[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Anshul Jubli[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Viktoriia Dudakova[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jinh Yu Frey[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’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 $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

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.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,888,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,407,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

Sedriques Dumas def. Abu Azaitar at UFC 294: Best photos from Abu Dhabi

Check out the best photos from Sedriques Dumas’ unanimous decision win over Abu Azaitar at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]’ unanimous decision win over [autotag]Abu Azaitar[/autotag] at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. (Photos by Craig Kidwell, USA TODAY Sports; MMA Junkie; and UFC)

Abu Azaitar opens up on long layoff, why he ‘had to fight’ Sedriques Dumas at UFC 294

Abu Azaitar will return from an over two-year layoff at UFC 294.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Abu Azaitar[/autotag] will return from an over two-year layoff at UFC 294.

Azaitar (14-3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a middleweight bout Saturday.

Azaitar detailed the hardships during his time off, the tough camp he endured in his most recent loss to Marc-Andre Barriault, and his desire to fight Dumas in Abu Dhabi over Paris.

Azaitar talked about that and more at Wednesday’s UFC 294 media day in Abu Dhabi.

Check out the full interview in the video above.

UFC 294 takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 7-13)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from Aug. 7-13.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 20-26)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Feb. 20-26.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Nov. 28-Dec. 4)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Nov. 28-Dec. 4.

UFC 260 medical suspensions: Stipe Miocic potentially out two months following knockout loss

Stipe Miocic is facing two months on the shelf after his knockout at UFC 260.

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[autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] has received a two-month suspension as a result of his second-round knockout loss to [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] in the main event of UFC 260.

MMA Junkie obtained the full list of medical suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com for UFC 260, which took place this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Miocic, 38, is among eight fighters to receive a medical suspension of 60 days or greater. Five fighters, [autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag], [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag], [autotag]Fabio Cherant[/autotag], [autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag], and [autotag]Shane Young[/autotag], were handed 180-day suspensions as a result of their respective UFC 260 bouts.

Additionally, former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] faces 45 days away from competition. [autotag]Thomas Almeida[/autotag], who was knocked out by [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] on the pay-per-view main card, received a 60-day medical suspension.

Four fighters, [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag], [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag], [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag], and [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] received no suspension. All four fighters won their fights at UFC 260.

The full UFC 260 medical suspensions include:

  • Francis Ngannou: Suspended 30 days, with no contact for 21 days.
  • Stipe Miocic: Suspended 60 days, with no contact for 45 days.
  • [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days, with no contact for 14 days.
  • Tyron Woodley: Suspended 45 days, with no contact for 30 days.
  • Sean O’Malley: Suspended 21 days, with no contact for 14 days.
  • Thomas Almeida: Suspended 60 days, with no contact for 45 days.
  • Miranda Maverick: No suspension.
  • Gillian Robertson: Suspended 180 days or until right hand X-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 21 days with no contact.
  • Jamie Mullarkey: Suspended 180 days or until right hand and wrist X-ray is cleared by a doctor.
  • [autotag]Khama Worthy[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days, with no contact for 30 days.
  • Alonzo Menifield: No suspension.
  • Fabio Cherant: Suspended 180 days or until right ribs X-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact.
  • Abubakar Nurmagomedov: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days, with no contact for 21 days.
  • Michal Oleksiejczuk: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days, with no contact for 21 days.
  • Omar Morales: Suspended 180 days or until right tibia and right thumb X-rays are cleared by a doctor; also suspended 14 days with no contact.
  • Shane Young: Suspended 180 days or until left tibia/fibula X-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 28 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days, with no contact for 21 days due to right eyebrow cut.
  • [autotag]Abu Azaitar[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days, with no contact for 45 days.

UFC 260 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card streamed on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

Video: Marc-Andre Barriault opens UFC 260 with TKO, stops Abu Azaitar with 4 seconds left

Marc-Andre Barriault got his first official UFC win Saturday when he battered Abu Azaitar to a late stoppage at UFC 260.

[autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag] got his first official UFC win Saturday when he battered [autotag]Abu Azaitar[/autotag] to a late stoppage in the opening fight at UFC 260.

After an exhausting back-and-forth first two rounds to start the middleweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Barriault (12-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) took a commanding lead on Azaitar (14-3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in the third round.

Barriault rained down punches and elbows from various dominant top control positions, cut Azaitar open and had him teetering on the verge of a stoppage. It seemed it was going to go to the final bell, but Barriault poured it on until referee Jerin Velel finally stopped it at the 4:56 mark of Round 3, making it the second latest finish in UFC middleweight history.

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Check out the replay of the stoppage below (via Twitter):

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1375961405757784068

The victory was a crucial moment in Barriault’s career. He lost his first three UFC fights. Then after winning his fourth, he had the result overturned due to a positive drug test due to a tainted supplement.

He said he knew he had to put the foot on the gas pedal late to secure the nod, and that’s what he did.

“Between Round 2 and 3 I just said, ‘I have to take all I have and show what I’m made (of),” Barriault said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “Thank you everybody back home in Canada. … See you soon.”

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UFC 260 pre-event facts: Stipe Miocic aims to enhance GOAT resume

The best facts and figures about UFC 260, which features a Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou heavyweight title main event.

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The UFC’s fourth numbered event of the year takes place Saturday with UFC 260, which goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

A heavyweight championship rematch is featured in the event headliner. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) will once again look to defend the title against [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) after winning their first encounter by unanimous decision at UFC 220 in January 2018.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 45 pre-event facts about UFC 260.