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Check out what the UFC Fight Night 218 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 218 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex.
You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 218 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 218.
Check out these photos of the UFC Fight Night 218 official weigh-ins and faceoffs at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Check out these photos of the UFC Fight Night 218 official weigh-ins and faceoffs at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Photos by Ken Hathaway, MMA Junkie)
Check out our staff members’ picks for UFC Fight Night 218, including the rebooked Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac heavyweight main event.
| Lewis vs. Spivac |
Clark vs. Jung |
Ivanov vs. Tybura |
Choi vs. Nelson |
Fugitt vs. Kinoshita |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 5-5 |
 Lewis (54%) |
 Jung (80%) |
 Tybura (82%) |
 Choi (86%) |
 Kinoshita (72%) |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 8-2 |
Lewis |
 Clark |
Tybura |
Choi |
Kinoshita |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 7-3 |
Lewis |
Jung |
Tybura |
Choi |
Kinoshita |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 7-3 |
Lewis |
Clark |
Tybura |
Choi |
Kinoshita |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 6-4 |
 Spivac |
Jung |
Tybura |
Choi |
 Fugitt |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 6-4  2017 Champion |
Spivac |
Clark |
 Ivanov |
Choi |
Fugitt |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 6-4 |
Lewis |
Jung |
Tybura |
Choi |
Kinoshita |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 5-5 2018, 2022 Champion |
Lewis |
Clark |
Tybura |
Choi |
Fugitt |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 5-5 |
Lewis |
Jung |
Tybura |
Choi |
Kinoshita |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 5-5 2014 Champion |
Lewis |
Jung |
Tybura |
Choi |
Kinoshita |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 4-6 |
Lewis |
Jung |
Tybura |
Choi |
Kinoshita |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 4-6/em> |
Lewis |
Jung |
Tybura |
Choi |
Kinoshita |
The UFC is back in its home base after a week off, and a rebooked heavyweight clash tops the card.
UFC Fight Night 218 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, two-time heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (26-10 MMA, 17-8 UFC) takes on [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC). The two were supposed to headline UFC Fight Night 215 in November, but Lewis became ill during the event and wasn’t cleared to fight.
Spivac is a modest favorite at -240 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Lewis is +180. But our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are going with him in an upset at a hefty 9-2 clip.
When our staff members first picked this fight this past November, Lewis also had a 9-2 lead in the picks. But oddly, the two pickers who took Spivac the first time switched to Lewis this week, and the two who are picking Spivac this time around had Lewis in November.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) meets [autotag]Da-un Jung[/autotag] (15-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) at light heavyweight. Jung is a -250 favorite at the betting window and has a 7-4 edge from our pickers.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Blagoy Ivanov[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) and [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) meet at heavyweight. Tybura only is a -135 favorite in the fight, but he’s a near-unanimous pick from our staff members at 10-1.
The only unanimous pick on the main card is [autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) in his featherweight bout against [autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 1-4 UFC). Choi is a betting favorite of nearly 2-1.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Adam Fugitt[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yusaku Kinoshita[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at welterweight. Kinoshita is the biggest favorite on the main card at -350, but three of our pickers are taking Fugitt in an upset.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Lewis (54 percent), Jung (80 percent), Tybura (82 percent), Choi (86 percent) and 72 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 218.
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With a full camp this time, Adam Fugitt is ready to show his true form in his second UFC appearance.
With a full camp for this fight, [autotag]Adam Fugitt[/autotag] is ready to show his true form.
Fugitt (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) replaced Ramiz Brahimaj to face Michael Morales on short notice in his promotional debut last July at UFC 277. Although he lost by TKO, he’s grateful for the opportunity.
Fugitt will now get a second chance in the octagon when he meets [autotag]Yusaku Kinoshita[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 218 main card opener at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
“Nine days’ notice, I know what I’m capable of, and that wasn’t totally it,” Fugitt told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “That was a version of it and a part of it. To come in here with everything now, I have had plenty of time to repair. I’ve got no excuses. As far as what I went in there with and what I delivered, I’m fine with it. It got me this next opportunity, and that’s what it’s about. I’m so thankful for the fight camp and the extra notice to give me the time to put everything I have into this opportunity.”
He continued, “If they’re judging me off of nine days’ notice, I can’t wait to jump in there. I like proving people wrong. Not just the bettors and the betting odds, but I like proving doubters wrong as well, so I’ll hop in there, and I’ll show them this is what I could do with the time and preparation.”
Fugitt takes on 22-year-old Japanese prospect Kinoshita, who has finished all his wins – including his UFC contract-winning stoppage of Jose Henrique Souza on Dana White’s Contender Series.
“He’s got a lot of talent,” Fugitt said of Kinoshita. “But what I see is somebody that’s kind of still figuring his game out, still completing his game. I don’t think he’s done growing by any means.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 218.
[listicle id=2612905]
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 Oct. 31-Nov. 6.
Japanese Dana White’s Contender Series signee is set to make his UFC debut in February.
Dana White’s Contender Series signee [autotag]Yusaku Kinoshita[/autotag] is set for his UFC debut.
MMA Junkie has confirmed with multiple sources that the Japanese welterweight will make his debut on Feb. 4, 2023, against [autotag]Adam Fugitt[/autotag] at the UFC Fight Night event taking place in Seoul, South Korea.
Kinoshita, 22, fought at DWCS 52 in August where he finished Jose Henrique in the third round with hard ground and pound. His performance impressed White and the UFC matchmakers, becoming the first fighter from Japan in DWCS history to earn a contract offer.
Kinoshita (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has only lost one fight in his career, a disqualification after grabbing the fence. All of his victories have been stoppages, five of which came in the first round, with the other in the third against Henrique.
[lawrence-related id=2583179,2582986]
Fugitt (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), 33, will look to pick up his first victory in what will be his second fight under the UFC banner. He debuted with the promotion at UFC 277, losing by third-round stoppage to Michael Morales.
With the addition, the current Feb. 4 lineup includes:
[listicle id=2593142]
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 277 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $313,500.
DALLAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 277 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $313,500.
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 277 took place at American Airlines Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
The full UFC 277 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag]: $42,000
[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Rafael Alves[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Hamdy Abdelwahab[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Michael Morales[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Adam Fugitt[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ji Yeon Kim[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Nicolae Negumereanu[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Orion Cosce[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Blood Diamond[/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 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: $5,253,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $11,420,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 277.
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At 23 years old, Michael Morales continues to build his reputation as powerful finisher.
[autotag]Michael Morales[/autotag] improved his finishing percentage once again Saturday when he stopped promotional newcomer [autotag]Adam Fugitt[/autotag] with punches at UFC 277.
The stoppage came at the 1:09 mark of the final round on the prelims at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Morales (14-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has two finishes in as many UFC appearances. This one played out in a similar method to his previous one. Morales tagged Fugitt (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a combination that sat his opponent down.
Fugitt briefly recovered back to his feet and tried to clinch Morales in range. However, Morales moved in and out of the pocket and dropped Fugitt again. Referee Herb Dean saw enough and dove in to save Fugitt, who still grabbed for a leg despite his disorientation.
THE BACKFLIP AFTER THE FINISH 💪
Stream #UFC277 tonight on @ESPNPlus 🔜 https://t.co/0GQpkhwBKG pic.twitter.com/WYGvD7nKEE
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 30, 2022
Morales now has 12 finishes in 14 professional fights. His other UFC win came by knockout against Trevin Giles in January.
Fugitt had a four-fight winning streak snapped. He was the biggest underdog on Saturday’s card. He took the UFC 277 bout on short notice after Ramiz Brahimaj withdrew due to injury.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 277 results include:
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Check out the best photos from Michael Morales’ TKO win over Adam Fugitt at UFC 277 in Dallas.
Check out these photos from the UFC 277 ceremonial weigh-ins in Dallas.
Check out these photos from the UFC 277 ceremonial weigh-ins which took place at American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Photos by Matthew Wells, MMA Junkie)
