Sean Strickland explains why he’s fighting unranked Abus Magomedov in July 1 UFC headliner

When Sean Strickland’s next fight was announced by the UFC, it turned heads, but he seems happy with the matchup.

When top-ranked middleweight [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]’s next fight was announced by the UFC, it turned heads.

Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) was booked against [autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag] (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a UFC headliner on July 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Strickland is ranked No. 7 by the UFC at 185 pounds, whereas Magomedov has fought only once in the octagon. So why did Strickland accept to fight an unranked opponent? His answer was simple.

“They said, ‘Sean, you’re going to be waiting for a long time for a top 6+ guy to open up or we will pay you a lot of money to fight this guy” sooo here we are,” Strickland tweeted. “I just bought a new motorcycle and I’d like another one… thinking a sport bike if anyone has a hook up?!?!”

Magomedov needed just 19 seconds to spark Dustin Stoltzfus in his UFC debut last September. He hasn’t competed since but saw two fights against Gerald Meerschaert in February and Makhmud Muradov in March get scrapped.

Strickland was last seen in action in January when he defeated Nassourdine Imavov in a short-notice light heavyweight bout in the UFC Fight Night 217 headliner. The win snapped a two-fight losing skid, which came at the hands of former champion Alex Pereira and former title challenger Jared Cannonier.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (April 17-23)

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 April 17-23.

Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov set to headline UFC Fight Night event on July 1

Another key middleweight matchup is headlining a summer UFC event, as Sean Strickland is set to face Abus Magomedov.

Another key middleweight bout is headlining a UFC event this summer.

On July 1, [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) returns to action to take on [autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag] (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs live on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

UFC president Dana White officially announced the matchup Thursday on Instagram Live.

Strickland, 32, returned to the win column in his last outing in January with an impressive win over Nassourdine Imavov. Strickland racked up six-straight wins over 2018-22 that included wins over Brendan Allen, Krzysztof Jotko, and Uriah Hall, before a pair of setbacks against former champion Alex Pereira and title challenger Jared Cannonier.

The bout will be Strickland’s fifth UFC main event slot over his past six appearances.

Meanwhile, Magomedov, 32, enters his first UFC main event in just his second fight with the promotion. His debut in September was a 19-second first-round finish of Dustin Stoltzfus, which extended his current winning streak to three.

There are currently no other confirmed bouts for the July 1 event in Las Vegas.

Abus Magomedov left speechless by 19-second TKO win in UFC debut – but knows what he wants

UFC debuts don’t get much better than Abus Magomedov’s at UFC Paris.

PARIS – How’s this for a UFC debut?

[autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag] needed just 19 seconds to dispatch Dustin Stoltzfus on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 209, landing a front kick to the face and following up with punches for the quick TKO win in their middleweight bout.

Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) hadn’t competed since December 2020, and the way his UFC debut played out left him speechless.

“I’m very happy for my debut, that I finally get the chance to fight here,” Magomedov told reporters at Accor Arena. “I can’t say. I don’t have words to describe what I feel. I’m just happy.”

Magomedov, 32, isn’t a stranger to a big stage, having fought for both KSW and PFL. His dream, however, was always to get to the UFC.

“Of course, this is why I work all my life,” Magomedov said. “Everybody knows UFC is the biggest organization in the world. For me personally, it’s like Olympics. There is nothing more. I know around the world everyone look at the UFC, and it was a little bit pressure of course. But I’m a long time in this business, and I know how to manage it.”

After waiting for so long, Magomedov hopes he gets the opportunity for a quick turnaround. Specifically, he’d like to fight again in seven weeks at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi since he took zero damage Saturday night. Anyone in the top 15 would do.

“I hope UFC will call me and says, ‘Hey, Abus, let’s go Abu Dhabi,’ Magomedov said. “I am ready.”

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Looking down the line, Magomedov, who is on a three-fight winning streak, was asked about some day facing reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Magomedov’s answer would suggest that he certainly doesn’t lack confidence.

“I will wrestle him. I will smash him in wrestling, yeah. If he wants to stand up, I can also fight in the standup. It’s not something I’m afraid of. You have to be smart and know how to smash this guy.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.

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UFC Fight Night 209 post-event facts: Ciryl Gane rebounds on home soil

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 209, which saw Ciryl Gane knock out Tai Tuivasa in the main event.

The UFC’s debut event in France was nothing short of spectacular on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 209 at Accor Arena in Paris being a memorable show.

The hometown hero emerged with a stellar win in the main event, as [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) broke down and eventually finished [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) with a third-round knockout in the headlining act between heavyweight contenders.

For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 209.

UFC Fight Night 209 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Headliner Ciryl Gane nets $6k

UFC Fight Night 209 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

PARIS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 209 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $155,000.

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 Fight Night 209 took place at Accor Arena. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 209 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]William Gomis[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jarno Errens[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Michal Figlak[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gabriel Miranda[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Christian Quinonez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Khalid Taha[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Stephanie Egger[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $4,000

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 2097 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2091 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: $5,969,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $12,136,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.

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Abus Magomedov def. Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Fight Night 209: Best photos

Check out these photos from Abus Magomedov’s win over Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Fight Night 209 in Paris.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag]’s TKO win over Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Fight Night 209 in Paris. (Photos by Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC Fight Night 209 video: Abus Magomedov boots and bludgeons Dustin Stoltzfus for 19-second knockout

A wicked front kick to the face kicked off a one-sided beatdown.

PARIS – [autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag] arrived in the UFC in a big way Saturday.

After multiple debut cancellations, Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) finally debuted with a 19-second TKO victory over [autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 1-4 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 209 in Paris.

The finishing sequence began with a brutal front kick that snapped Stoltzfus’ head back. From there, Magomedov pursued and landed a right uppercut followed by a left hook. Stoltzfus collapsed to the canvas and was met by three hellacious right hands, which bloodied him and put him unconscious.

With the win, Magomedov moves to 12-1-1 in his most recent 14 outings. His only loss in that stretch was in the 2018 PFL middleweight championship against Louis Taylor. In 2021, Magomedov signed with the UFC but thrice had bouts canceled due to ongoing visa issues.

As for Stoltzfus, he returns to the loss column after a July win over Dwight Grant.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 209 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.

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