Tag: Alen Amedovski

UFC Fight Night 210 post-event facts: Gillian Robertson takes submission record to new heights

Gillian Robertson’s name is all over the record books after another submission win at UFC Fight Night 210.

The UFC’s final event of September took place Saturday with UFC Fight Night 210, which went down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and featured 13 fights on the docket.

The last of those fights was an important showdown in the bantamweight division. [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) delivered a fourth-round TKO of [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (19-7-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC) after a bad cut forced a doctor’s stoppage, putting Sandhagen back on the winning track after consecutive losses.

For more ont he numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 210.

UFC Fight Night 210 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Andre Fili leads way with $16,000

UFC Fight Night 210 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 210 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $155,500.

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 Fight Night 210 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 210 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alen Amedovski[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Louis Cosce[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loma Lookboonmee[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Denise Gomes[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cameron VanCamp[/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 2107 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2101 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: $6,326,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $12,494,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 210.

UFC Fight Night 210 predictions: Is anyone riding Yadong against Sandhagen?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 210 main card in Las Vegas.

Sandhagen
vs.
Yadong		 Njokuani
vs.
Rodrigues		 Algeo
vs.
Fili		 Amedovski
vs.
Pyfer		 Boser
vs.
Nascimento		 Barriault
vs.
Hernandez
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
147-90		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen
(71%)		 njokuani2022
Njokuani
(66%)		 fili2022
Fili
(51%)		 pyfer2022
Pyfer
(89%)		 boser2022
Boser
(72%)		 hernandez2022
Hernandez
(64%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
160-82
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 algeo2022
Algeo		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 barriault2022
Barriault
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
155-87		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 barriault2022
Barriault
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
153-89
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 barriault2022
Barriault
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
150-92		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 nascimento2022
Nascimento		 barriault2022
Barriault
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
149-93		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 hernandez2022
Hernandez
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
149-93		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 barriault2022
Barriault
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
147-95		 yadong2022
Yadong		 rodrigues2022
Rodrigues		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 nascimento2022
Nascimento		 hernandez2022
Hernandez
Nolan King
@mma_kings
143-99		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 algeo2022
Algeo		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 hernandez2022
Hernandez
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
141-101
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 hernandez2022
Hernandez
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
130-112		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 nascimento2022
Nascimento		 hernandez2022
Hernandez
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
117-125		 sandhagen2022
Sandhagen		 njokuani2022
Njokuani		 fili2022
Fili		 pyfer2022
Pyfer		 boser2022
Boser		 hernandez2022
Hernandez

The UFC stays home in Las Vegas this week with a key bantamweight matchup at the top of the bill.

UFC Fight Night 210 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, former interim bantamweight title challenger [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (19-6-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC). Sandhagen is a 2-1 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Yadong is +150. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Sandhagen a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.

The co-main event is a middleweight bout between former Bellator fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series product [autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag] (22-7 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and [autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC). Njokuani is just a slight favorite at -125, but he’s got a huge lead from our pickers and is nearly unanimous at 10-1.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag] (21-9 MMA, 9-8 UFC) at featherweight. Fili is a -135 favorite and has an outsized 9-2 picks lead, despite the close odds.

The only unanimous pick on the card is Contender Series signee [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who is the event’s biggest favorite at -520 for his middleweight fight against [autotag]Alen Amedovski[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC). Pyfer has a shutout from our staff members at 11-0.

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a heavyweight tilt that has Boser a -180 favorite. He’s got a big 8-3 lead in the picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) meets [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at middleweight. Hernandez is a -210 favorite, but our pickers have it as the most contentious fight on the main card. Hernandez has the slimmest possible lead at 6-5.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Sandhagen (71 percent), Njokuani (66 percent), Fili (51 percent), Pyfer (89 percent), Boser (72 percent) and Hernandez (64 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 210.

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Alen Amedovski hopes wanting it more than 5-1 favorite Joseph Pyfer is difference-maker

It’s been nearly four years since Alen Amedovski has won a fight, and he is yet to get his hand raised in the UFC.

LAS VEGAS – It’s been nearly four years since [autotag]Alen Amedovski[/autotag] has won a fight, and he is yet to get his hand raised in the UFC.

Amedovski started his career 8-0, including a pair of first-round quick knockouts for Bellator, before he came to the UFC in 2019. But it’s been tough sledding for the Macedonian fighter.

After a decision loss to Krzysztof Jotko in his promotional debut in 2019, he was knocked out in 14 seconds by John Phillips in his follow-up. Then he took nearly three years off before a return in May – which also was a quick stoppage loss.

It won’t get much easier for Amedovski (8-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) on Saturday, either. He’s the biggest underdog on the UFC Fight Night 210 card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas when he takes on Joe Pyfer (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a 5-1 favorite, at middleweight.

Despite that, Amedovski thinks the tide is about to turn for him.

“I consider myself a little unlucky,” Amedovski said at Wednesday’s media day. “Even with the fight with Jotko, I made some wrong decisions. The day I saw (the UFC Apex), something changed. Of course, you have to work for that, and now I’m in my second (fight) here. I grew up a lot and I think I’m really prepared. I have more experience now.

“Destiny tried to stop my dream even before I stopped my career when I was 26 years old. With two children at 30 years old, I came back – from nobody, from nowhere, and I came to the UFC. I’ve (had) a lot of injuries. I consider myself a really natural guy, so for something like (my shoulder), you need three years. Something happened, but destiny brought me here again. After three losses, I’m still here, and I’m happy and grateful to everyone here … I want to let you see I’m for real. I’m not (just) a boxer.”

Pyfer made a big splash in July with a second-round knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series to get a UFC deal. It was his second Contender Series fight and a bit of a triumphant comeback nearly two years after an injury TKO against Dustin Stoltzfus in his first DWCS fight.

But even though Pyfer is such a big favorite on the main card Saturday, Amedovski thinks his need for a win might help push him over the top.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re better than the other guy,” he said. “Sometimes you have to want it more than him. It doesn’t matter who’s better. You have to want it more. I’m happy for the guy that he’s in the UFC. That’s his history. I’m just here for me. This is my legacy. I’m fighting for myself, for my people, for my family. We have to fight each other. I like the guy, and he’s OK. But everybody wants to win. We studied him enough. I think we have a good game plan against him – maybe even more than one. We’ll adjust to see how tough that guy is.

“Nobody in the UFC has seen me fighting how I am for real. I’m more than (what I’ve shown).”

Check out the full pre-fight interview with Amedovski in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 210.

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UFC Fight Night 210 pre-event facts: Can Cory Sandhagen snap his skid?

Check out the numbers behind UFC Fight Night 210, where Cory Sandhagen looks to avoid a three-fight skid in the main event.

The UFC hosts its final event of September on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 210, which goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams entirely on ESPN+.

A crucial bantamweight matchup serves as the main event. [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will attempt to snap his two-fight skid when he takes on the surging [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (19-6-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) in a showdown scheduled for five rounds.

For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 210.

DWCS winner Joe Pyfer gets quick UFC booking, fights Alen Amedovski

The UFC has booked Joe Pyfer less than one week after he earned a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series and fired up the UFC president.

“Be [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag].”

Those were the words spoken by UFC president Dana White this past Tuesday when he gave a fiery speech to the rest of the Dana White’s Contender Series talent pool. Pyfer (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was the only one of the episode’s winners to get a UFC deal – and now, he already has his promotional debut set.

First announced on the UFC 277 broadcast Saturday, Pyfer is set to face [autotag]Alen Amedovski[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-3) at the UFC Fight Night event Sept. 17 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Pyfer, 25, won his DWCS fight by second-round knockout against LFA middleweight champion Ozzy Diaz. It was his second appearance on DWCS. In 2021, Pyfer lost to Dustin Stoltzfus when his arm was dislocated on a slam. Pyfer then tested positive for prohibited metabolite modulators and was suspended nine months by the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Amedovski, 34, could be fighting for his job. Although he entered the UFC with an undefeated record, he has yet to win under the promotion’s banner. After a unanimous decision loss to Krzysztof Jotko, Amedovski was knocked out in 14 seconds by John Phillips. He returned for his most recent outing in May, but was submitted by Joseph Holmes in 64 seconds.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Sept. 17 includes:

  • Cory Sandhagen vs. Song Yadong
  • Giga Chikadze vs. Sodiq Yusuff
  • Andre Fili vs. Lando Vannata
  • Sijara Eubanks vs. Maryna Moroz
  • Chidi Njokuani vs. Gregory Rodrigues
  • Tanner Boser vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Trey Ogden vs. Daniel Zellhuber
  • Nikolas Motta vs. Cameron VanCamp
  • Louis Cosce vs. Trevin Giles
  • Damon Jackson vs. Pat Sabatini
  • Diana Belbita vs. Loma Lookboonmee
  • Melissa Gatto vs. Gillian Robertson
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Anthony Hernandez
  • Alen Amedovski vs. Joe Pyfer

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UFC Fight Night 206 post-event facts: Jailton Almeida delivers shutout in heavyweight debut

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 206, which saw six of 11 fights end in a finish including a shutout.

The UFC closed its May schedule on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 206, which went down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw six of 11 fights end in a finish.

The main event was among the bunch to go to the scorecards. [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) edged former UFC champ [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) by split decision in the women’s bantamweight headliner, marking her second consecutive win over a former UFC champion.

For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 206.

UFC 264 loses Yu Haozong vs. Alen Amedovski on fight day due to COVID-19

UFC 264 is down a fight at the last minute.

UFC 264 is down a fight at the last minute, but rest easy: It’s one you might not have realized was even happening.

UFC officials told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi on Saturday that the middleweight bout between [autotag]Alen Amedovski[/autotag] and [autotag]Hu Yaozong[/autotag] has been canceled. No details were given other than “COVID-19 protocols in Amedovski’s camp.”

Amedovski (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) vs. Yaozong (3-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) was scheduled to be the first preliminary bout on the card and featured a pair of fighters looking for their first UFC win after losing their first two promotional bouts.

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UFC 264, which takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, will proceed with 12 fights. The pay-per-view event is headlined by the trilogy between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.

The updated UFC 264 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Greg Hardy vs. Tai Tuivasa
  • Irene Aldana vs. Yana Kunitskaya
  • Kris Moutinho vs. Sean O’Malley

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Carlos Condit vs. Max Griffin
  • Michel Pereira vs. Niko Price
  • Ryan Hall vs. Ilia Topuria
  • Dricus Du Plessis vs. Trevin Giles

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)

  • Jessica Eye vs. Jennifer Maia
  • Omari Akhmedov vs. Brad Tavares
  • Jerome Rivera vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov

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

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken 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 May 17-23.

Dequan Townsend gets short-notice call, faces Bevon Lewis at UFC on ESPN+ 24

Bevon Lewis has a new opponent for his third UFC appearance.

[autotag]Bevon Lewis[/autotag] has a new opponent for his third UFC appearance.

Originally scheduled to fight [autotag]Alen Amedovski[/autotag], Lewis (6-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) now will face [autotag]Dequan Townsend[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 24.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking, but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The reason for Amedovski’s removal or withdrawal is unknown at this time.

UFC on ESPN+ 24 takes place Jan. 25 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The card is expected to stream on ESPN+.

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Lewis hopes a third time will be the charm, as he was unable to earn a victory in either of his two UFC outings to date. After being signed off of Dana White’s Contender Series, Lewis was knocked out by Uriah Hall in his debut in December 2018.

Lewis’ bad luck continued in June, when he lost an unanimous decision to Darren Stewart at UFC 238.

Like Lewis, Townsend also will be seeking his first UFC victory. Moving down from light heavyweight, Townsend takes his second short-notice fight in as many bouts with the promotion. Townsend made his UFC debut in June, losing to Dalcha Lungiambula at UFC on ESPN 3.

With the change, the current UFC on ESPN+ 24 lineup includes:

  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Junior Dos Santos
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Rafael dos Anjos
  • Frankie Edgar vs. Cory Sandhagen
  • Tony Gravely vs. Brett Johns
  • Hannah Cifers vs. Brianna Van Buren
  • Jordan Espinosa vs. Alex Perez
  • Lina Lansberg vs. Sara McMann
  • Justine Kish vs. Lucie Pudilova
  • Arnold Allen vs. Josh Emmett
  • Bevon Lewis vs. Dequan Townsend
  • Jamahal Hill vs. Darko Stosic
  • Felipe Colares vs. Montel Jackson
  • Herbert Burns vs. Nate Landwehr

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