Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Take a look inside Abubakar Nurmagomedov’s unanimous decision win over Gadzhi Omargadzhiev on Saturday at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] beat Gadzhi Omargadzhiev with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.
Take a look inside the fight with Nurmagomedov, who picked up his second straight UFC win after a loss in his promotional debut in 2019.
It looks like the beef between UFC standouts Khamzat Chimaev and Abubakar Nurmagomedov will be short-lived.
It looks like the beef between [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] and [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] will be short-lived.
And it appears the beef might have helped get quashed by Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic considered by many political analysts to be one of the world’s most brutal dictators.
Chimaev was cageside for Saturday’s UFC 280 lightweight title main event between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira. Nurmagomedov was there, as well, just a few hours after his win over Gadzhi Omargadzhiev on the preliminary card in Abu Dhabi.
The beef seems to have started in 2021. Nurmagomedov posted a lengthy message directed at Chimaev in a since-deleted Instagram post (h/t RT Sport). Nurmagomedov took exception to comments made by Chimaev about his cousin, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and warned him to “be careful.”
Things then got physical cageside and the fighters had to be separated by UFC and venue security. After the event, UFC president Dana White chalked it up to just a thing that happens when fighters are involved.
But Sunday, Abubakar Nurmagomedov posted on his Instagram account video of Khabib leading a group, including Chimaev and Abubakar, and said the disagreement between the two now is water under the bridge.
The translation, in part, says it was “a small misunderstanding that took place personally between me and Khlamzat. After that, we met with him in the Brotherhood circle, where we were gathered by the elders. As I said in an interview before my fight, Khlamzat is my brother in Faith and I always wish him health and success. I ask you, brothers, not to invent any kind of gossip and I hope our meeting will be beneficial between our brotherly peoples.”
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkENuCmPZpY
In addition, Kadyrov posted a screenshot on Instagram showing him having a video call with Chimaev and Abubakar Nurmagomedov, with accompanying text saying he helped mediate the issue between the two.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CkD0a9pMdb5/
Aljamain Sterling owns the longest winning streak in the history of the bantamweight division after his UFC 280 title defense.
The most anticipated UFC event of the year took place Saturday with UFC 280 from Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
In the main event, [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) became the new UFC lightweight champion when he seamlessly rolled through [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (33-9 MMA, 21-9 UFC) en route to a second-round submission that gave him the vacant strap.
The co-headliner saw [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) continue his run as bantamweight champion when he registered a second defense with a second-round TKO of [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC).
For more on the numbers to come out of the two title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 280.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 280 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $306,500.
ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 280 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $296,500.
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 280 took place at Etihad Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.
The full UFC 280 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gadzhi Omargadzhiev[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]AJ Dobson[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Malcolm Gordon[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lina Lansberg[/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 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $6,929,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $13,106,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.
Watch Khamzat Chimaev get restrained while trying to charge at Khabib’s cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov.
ABU DHABI – When the main event ended at UFC 280, the fights weren’t over.
UFC welterweight contender [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] and middleweight [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] were separated during Islam Makhachev’s in-cage interview at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
A video captured by MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun shows an army of UFC and venue security restraining an irate Chimaev, who is yelling at an off-camera Nurmagomedov.
While the spark of this specific altercation is not yet clear, Nurmagomedov posted a lengthy message directed at Chimaev in a since-deleted Instagram post in 2021 (h/t RT Sport).
Nurmagomedov took exception to comments made by Chimaev about his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov, and warned him to “be careful.”
Abubaker Nurmagomedov sends a message to khamzat chimaev after his comments about khabib
(translated from Russian) pic.twitter.com/1NV2BQm8oV
— Pablo_Escobar (@JM97_79) May 14, 2021
Neither Chimaev nor Nurmagomedov (who competed and won earlier on the card against Gadzhi Omargadzhiev) commented on the altercation at the time of publication.
Khamzat Chimaev just got into a cageside scuffle after the main event and had to be restrained by security. 😳#UFC280 | Results: https://t.co/ASgbZtcX37 pic.twitter.com/YGQ8Du1ebi
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) October 22, 2022
During the post-fight news conference, UFC president Dana White responded to Chimaev’s actions by saying, “It happens, especially with him.”
"It happens, especially with him."
Dana White wasn't surprised Khamzat Chimaev was involved in an altercation at #UFC280.
Full video: https://t.co/5NM1J42KFt pic.twitter.com/z4qyvu9JuY
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) October 22, 2022
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.
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Check out the best photos from Abubakar Nurmagomedov’s unanimous decision win over Gadzhi Omargadzhiev at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Gadzhi Omargadzhiev[/autotag] at UFC 280 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. (Photos by Craig Kidwell, USA TODAY Sports)
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 June 13-19.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin has withdrawn from what was scheduled to be his third UFC appearance.
Scheduled to fight in nine days, [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] is now opponent-less.
[autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] has withdrawn from their July 17 fight, which was previously expected to take place at UFC on ESPN 26 in Las Vegas. The promotion is currently seeking a replacement.
Rodriguez (14-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was first to announce the change in an Instagram story posted Wednesday. MMA Junkie later confirmed the news with a person close to the situation who asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Nurmagomedov (13-2-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has shown glimpses of brilliance in his UFC tenure to date but has struggled to stay active. Since his UFC signing in 2018, Nurmagomedov has only competed twice. However, this is the first fight he’s withdrawn from in his promotional tenure.
The updated lineup for UFC on ESPN 26 now includes:
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Cousin of Khabib, Abubakar Nurmagomedov has his third UFC fight booked.
[autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] have been paired up.
At a UFC Fight Night event on July 17, Nurmagomedov (16-3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Rodriguez (14-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) will square off in a three-round welterweight fight. The event does not currently have a publicly known location or venue.
Two people with knowledge of the booking recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Entre Rounds was the first to report the booking.
Nurmagomedov, 31, has split his UFC outings to date. After a loss to David Zawada in his promotional debut, Nurmagomedov picked up his first promotional victory at UFC 260 in March when he defeated Jared Gooden via unanimous decision.
Rodriguez, 34, will look to continue his winning ways. In his most recent outing, Rodriguez defeated Mike Perry via unanimous decision at UFC on ABC 2 in April. The win was a bounce-back for Rodriguez, who had been defeated by Nicolas Dalby in a controversial decision at UFC 255 in November.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for July 17 now includes:
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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:
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+.
