Check out which veterans of the UFC are in combat sports action across the globe this weekend.
This week, the UFC returns to pay-per-view for UFC 291 in Salt Lake City.
The event at Delta Center features a lightweight rematch, this time for the BMF title, between [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag].
Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA and bareknuckle boxing this week from July 28-30.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 28, which took place in Brasilia, Brazil, and saw Charles Oliveira submit Kevin Lee.
The UFC returned to Brazil on Saturday for what turned out to be a historic event for multiple reasons. The card, which took place at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, was held behind closed doors because of concerns about the spread of coronavirus.
Those concerns didn’t prevent the athletes from stepping into the octagon, though, and in the main event [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 17-8 UFC) continued to prove himself as one of the best in the UFC right now when he scored a third-round submission of [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) to extend his winning streak and further etch his name in the record books.
For more on the numbers behind Oliveira’s win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 28.
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General
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UFC on ESPN+ 28 tied UFC on ESPN 4 for the most consecutive decisions on a single UFC card with nine.
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $209,500.
Debuting fighters went 1-0 at the event.
Oliveira, [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag], [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag] and [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 28 fight-night bonuses.
UFC did not provide a live gate or attendance figure due to the closed-door nature of the event.
Betting favorites went 7-4 on the card. One fight ended in a draw.
Betting favorites fell to 5-3 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:28:46.
Main card
Charles Oliviera
Oliveira improved to 8-1 since he returned to the UFC lightweight division April 2017. He’s 10-3 (with one no contest) in the organization at 155 pounds.
Oliveira’s seven-fight UFC winning streak at lightweight is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Tony Ferguson (12) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (11).
Oliveira’s seven-fight UFC stoppage streak is the longest active streak in the company.
Oliveira’s seven-fight UFC stoppage streak is tied with Chuck Liddell for second longest in company history behind Anderson Silva (eight).
Oliveira’s 16 stoppage victories in UFC competition are tied with Donald Cerrone for most in company history.
Oliveira’s 14 submission victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Oliveira’s eight submission victories in UFC lightweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Jim Miller (nine).
Oliveira’s five guillotine-choke victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Oliveira has been awarded 16 fight-night bonuses for UFC bouts, the second most in company history behind Cerrone (18).
Oliveira has been awarded 10 “Performance of the Night” bonuses, the most in company history.
Lee fell to 2-4 in UFC headline bouts.
Lee fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC lightweight division in November.
Lee has completed at least one takedown in 15 of his 17 UFC fights.
Lee’s 37 takedowns landed since 2014 in UFC lightweight competition are most in the division.
Lee has suffered four of his six career losses by stoppage.
Gilbert Burns
Burns (18-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) improved to 3-0 since he returned to the welterweight division in August 2019. He’s 4-0 when fighting at the weight class.
Burns has earned 14 of his 18 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his 11 UFC wins.
[autotag]Demian Maia[/autotag] (28-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) fell to 13-6 since he dropped to the UFC welterweight division in July 2012.
Maia’s total fight time of 6:34:40 in UFC competition is third most in company history behind Frankie Edgar (7:15:51) and Rafael Dos Anjos (6:43:11).
Maia suffered his first knockout loss since Aug. 29, 2009 – a span of 3,850 days (more than 10 years) and 26 fights.
Maia’s 67 takedowns landed in UFC competition are sixth most in company history.
Maia’s 253 takedown attempts in UFC competition are the most in company history.
Renato Moicano
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) was successful in his UFC lightweight debut.
Moicano has earned all three of his UFC stoppage victories by submission.
[autotag]Damir Hadzovic[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 3-4 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of his career.
[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] (26-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) improved to 2-2 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September 2018.
Krylov improved to 11-4 since he dropped to the light heavyweight division in March 2014.
Krylov earned the first decision victory of his career.
[autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2019.
Walker suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) has earned nine of his past 12 victories by decision.
Preliminary card
Brandon Moreno
[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (17-5-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) improved to 2-0-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September 2019.
[autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2019.
[autotag]Randa Markos[/autotag] (10-8-1 MMA, 6-7-1 UFC) fell to 3-4-1 in her past seven UFC appearance dating back to August 2017.
Markos’ seven losses in UFC competition are tied with Angela Hill for most by any female in company history.
Markos has suffered seven of her eight career losses by decision.
[autotag]Aleksei Kunchenko[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career on a 20-fight winning streak.
Kunchenko has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
Maryna Moroz
Moroz (10-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) improved to 2-0 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in March 2019.
Moroz’s 130 significant strikes landed set a new single-fight record for a three-round UFC women’s flyweight fight.
Moroz has earned four of her five UFC victories by decision.
Silva (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had her six-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
[autotag]Bea Malecki[/autotag] (4-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) earned the first decision victory of her career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN+ 28 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $209,500.
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 on ESPN+ 28 took place Saturday at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Brazil. The entire card aired on ESPN.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 28 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 event in Brasilia, Brazil – which featured no fans in attendance.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC on ESPN+ 28 went with as their backing tracks in Brasilia, Brazil.
Previewing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 fight between Elizeu dos Santos and Aleksei Kunchenko, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.
Elizeu dos Santos and Aleksei Kunchenko lock horns in a welterweight bout in the prelims of UFC on ESPN+ 28 — also called UFC Fight Night 170 — at the Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia. The card gets underway in Brazil’s capital Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
Elizeu dos Santos vs. Aleksei Kunchenko preview
Dos Santos (21-6-0) is four inches taller than his opponent, and he also has a three-inch reach advantage. He also holds a slight edge in Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute (LPM) at 4.18-3.62, while Kunchenko is slightly more accurate at 42.45% in Significant Strike Accuracy to 39.96%. While Kunchenko is also better in Takedown Accuracy, dos Santos holds a slight lead in Takedown Average while posting a 0.6 submission average to zero for Kunchenko.
Dos Santos, nicknamed “Capoeira”, saw his seven-bout winning streak come to a close when he was knocked out in the third round against Li Jingliang Aug. 31, 2019 on the Andrade-Zhang card. During his seven-bout win streak, he recorded three KO/TKO victories, a win by submission and a pair of unanimous decisions and a split-decision win.
Kunchenko (20-1-0) has won two of his three bouts since making his UFC debut with a win over Thiago Alves on Sept. 15, 2018. He is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Gilbert Burns, who is on this card in the main event. He was a knockout machine in his earlier days, but at the highest level of MMA, he has had mixed results. He’ll want to keep the fight upright, and dos Santos is likely to want to follow suit. This one could be a brawl.
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Aleksei Kunchenko betting odds
Place a sports bet on this mixed martial arts action or other events at BetMGM.
Per BetMGM, DOS SANTOS (-134) is a slight favorite on the 2-way line over Kunchenko (+110), and the favorite is the play. The Russian fell to a Brazilian fighter last time out, and he’ll be 0-for-2 in the past two bouts after this one. This is going to be the bout you want to see on the card, as it should be a toe-to-toe slugfest which the crowd really would have enjoyed if they were allowed to enter the arena. Unfortunately, Ginasio Nilson Nelson will be empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Betting DOS SANTOS BY KO/TKO OR DQ (+450) is worth a small-unit bet, too.
New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Dos Santos (-134) to win nets a profit of $7.50. A $1 wager on Dos Santos (+450) to win by KO/TKO or DQ secures a profit of $4.50.
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