Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 24 event.
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.
Herbert Burns got his UFC career off to a good start at UFC Raleigh.
[autotag]Herbert Burns[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag], [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag], and [autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag] each earned $50,000 bonuses Saturday after UFC on ESPN+ 24.
Burns and Perez each took “Performance of the Night” honors, while Johns vs. Gravely earned “Fight of the Night.” UFC officials announced the winners following the event at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.
Burns, making his UFC debut, kicked off the night’s action in the prelims opener with a devastating knockout of fellow promotional newcomer Nate Landwehr. Burns showed off his strong ground game before an exchange in the first round led to him landing a huge knee to the face that turned the lights out on Landwehr.
Perez, meanwhile, came away with a submission victory over Jordan Espinosa after 2:33 in the first round. Johns and Gravely put on an entertaining scrap before Johns won by rear-naked choke at the 2:53 mark of Round 3.
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UFC on ESPN+ 24: Alex Perez full post-fight interview
UFC on ESPN+ 24: Alex Perez full post-fight interview
Jordan Espinosa and Alex Perez battle during UFC on ESPN+ 24; we look at the fight odds and betting predictions around the matchup.
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Jordan Espinosa and Alex Perez square off in a flyweight bout on the main card at UFC on ESPN+ 24 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. Saturday evening. To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.
Espinosa (14-6-0) heads into this one at 1-1 since signing with the UFC. He picked up a victory against Eric Shelton by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night in Nashville on March 23, 2019, before being submitted by Matt Schnell at UFC Fight Night in Newark on Aug. 3, 2019. This will be a battle between two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu style fighters, so look for plenty of upright action, especially on Espinosa’s part. He has solid significant strike accuracy at 58.04% to 48.17% for Perez. Both land plenty per minute, too, as Espinosa is at 4.52 significant strikes landed per minute, and Perez lands 4.68 per minute.
Want some action on Jordan Espinosa vs. Alex Perez? Place a legal sports bet at BetMGM on this fight or other UFC on ESPN+ 24 matchups. Bet now.
Perez (22-5-0) is at a four-inch disadvantage in terms of reach (69.5″ to 65.5″), but what he lacks in that department he makes up for in terms of experience. He has five UFC fights under his belt, and he is 4-1 since joining the big time, including a win over common opponent Shelton back on Feb. 24, 2018. He is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Mark De La Rosa on March 30, 2019 on the Barboza-Gaethje card. Over his career he has won by a multitude of ways, picking up wins at the hands of the judges, with plenty of submissions and knockouts along the way. He also has been submitted on a handful of occasions, including twice by the guillotine. He might want to keep this one upright, but he can go to the mat, posting a 3.13 takedown average with a 47.62% takedown accuracy and 1.25 submission average.
Also see:
Per BetMGM, Perez (-278) is the heavy favorite, mainly due to his experience and overall success in the UFC. Espinosa (+200) has rather limited success, and he cannot be trusted on the 2-way line. He has just one path to victory, a knockout, while Perez can do it with his hands in an outright brawl, technical aspects to wow the judges if it goes the distance, or he can do it in the ground game. The possibilities are just more for Perez. Toss him in a two- or three-fighter parlay to get a better return, even if you bet the chalk in a few bouts.
New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Perez to win the fight returns $3.60 in profit. A $10 bet on Espinosa returns a profit of $20 with an upset victory.
If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
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[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]
Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN+ 24 main card in Raleigh, N.C., featuring Curtis Blaydes vs. Junior Dos Santos.
| Blaydes vs. Dos Santos |
Chiesa vs. Dos Anjos |
Espinosa vs. Perez |
Cifers vs. A. Hill |
J. Hill vs. Stosic |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 3-1 |
 Blaydes (62%) |
 Dos Anjos (62%) |
 Perez (85%) |
 Cifers (52%) |
 J. Hill (63%) |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 4-0  2017 Champion |
Blaydes |
Dos Anjos |
Perez |
 A. Hill |
J. Hill |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 4-0 |
 Dos Santos |
 Chiesa |
Perez |
A. Hill |
J. Hill |
| Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 3-1 2019 Champion* |
Blaydes |
Chiesa |
Perez |
A. Hill |
J. Hill |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 3-1 |
Dos Santos |
Dos Anjos |
Perez |
A. Hill |
J. Hill |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 3-1 |
Blaydes |
Dos Anjos |
Perez |
A. Hill |
J. Hill |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 3-1 |
Blaydes |
Chiesa |
Perez |
A. Hill |
J. Hill |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 3-1 |
Blaydes |
Chiesa |
Perez |
Cifers |
J. Hill |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 3-1 2014 Champion |
Blaydes |
Dos Anjos |
Perez |
A. Hill |
J. Hill |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 3-1 |
Dos Santos |
Dos Anjos |
Perez |
Cifers |
J. Hill |
| Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 3-1 |
Dos Santos |
Chiesa |
Perez |
A. Hill |
J. Hill |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 3-1 |
Blaydes |
Chiesa |
Perez |
A. Hill |
J. Hill |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 2-2 2018 Champion |
Blaydes |
Chiesa |
Perez |
A. Hill |
J. Hill |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 2-2 |
Dos Santos |
Chiesa |
Perez |
A. Hill |
J. Hill |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 2-2 |
Blaydes |
Chiesa |
Perez |
Cifers |
 Stosic |
The has touched down in a new North Carolina city for the first time, and a former heavyweight champion is atop the card.
UFC on ESPN+ 24 takes place Saturday at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. 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 heavyweight champ [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 15-5 UFC) will try to get back on track when he takes on [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC). Dos Santos lost to Francis Ngannou this past July and had a three-fight winning streak snapped. Blaydes has lost just twice in his career – both to Ngannou. But he’s working on a two-fight streak since his most recent setback to him, and he’s a fairly heavy favorite in the fight at around -260. Blaydes has a big 9-5 lead in the picks from our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.
In the co-main event, former lightweight champ [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (29-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) continues his run at welterweight when he takes on [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who is 2-0 since he moved to the division from 155 pounds. Although dos Anjos is a big favorite around -270, it’s Chiesa who has a 9-5 lead from our pickers.
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We have one unanimous pick on the main card. [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has the support of all 14 of our pickers in his flyweight bout against [autotag]Jordan Espinosa[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC).
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 5-7 UFC) has a heavy 11-3 picks lead over North Carolina local [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in their women’s strawweight bout – though Hill is just a slight favorite at the sports books, and our readers are picking Cifers.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) nearly is a unanimous pick in his promotional debut at light heavyweight against [autotag]Darko Stosic[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC). Only one picker is taking Stosic in what would be a mild upset.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Blaydes (62 percent), dos Anjos (62 percent), Perez (85 percent), Cifers (52 percent) and Jamahal Hill (63 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
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Alex Perez is putting the onus on Jordan Espinosa to bring the fight at UFC on ESPN+ 24.
RALEIGH, N.C. – [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] is putting the onus on [autotag]Jordan Espinosa[/autotag] to bring the fight at UFC on ESPN+ 24, because it could bring both some extra cash.
Perez (22-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) considers himself an action fighter, and said he sees Espinosa (14-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in the same light. Should both men live up to their reputations, Perez said they have good odds at getting an extra $50,000 each for “Fight of the Night” honors after Saturday’s card.
“He’s dangerous, a good wrestler, has good ground game,” Perez told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “If we come out to fight it could be ‘Fight of the Night’ for sure. If we come out there and what we’re supposed to do. If you guys watch his fights on (Dana White’s) Contender Series, he comes out swinging. I do, too, so wherever the fight goes we’ll be ready.”
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Perez’s flyweight matchup with Espinosa, which takes place at PNC Arena and streams on ESPN+, will mark his first action since March. He earned a victory in that fight to rebound from his TKO loss to Joseph Benavidez at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale in November 2018, an outcome which stands as his only octagon defeat.
With Benavidez favored in his fight for the vacant 125-pound belt against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC on ESPN+ 27 in February, the plan for Perez is to eventually get that rematch.
If he wants to make that happen, starting his 2020 campaign with a win over Espinosa is crucial.
“First goal is obviously to win this fight,” Perez said. “Win this fight and win two other fights this year. I want to get back to being active. I want to win two of three fights this year and go from there.”
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The best stats and figures about UFC on ESPN+ 24, which features a Curtis Blaydes vs. Junior Dos Santos main event.
The UFC makes its sixth trip to North Carolina on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 24. Its the promotion’s debut in Raleigh, and is set to stream on ESPN+ from PNC Arena.
In the main event, heavyweight contenders clash. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will attempt to extended his two-fight winning streak against former UFC champion [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 15-5 UFC), who looks to rebound from a loss in his most recent outing.
The matchup tops the 12-fight card, which also features one more former UFC titleholder as well as former title challenger.
* * * *
Blaydes absorbs 1.9 significant strikes per minute in UFC heavyweight competition, the best rate among active fighters in the weight class.
Blaydes’ 45 takedowns landed in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Blaydes completes 60 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the second-highest rate in divisional history behind Cheick Kongo (63.2 percent).
Blaydes’ takedown rate of 7.05 per 15 minutes of fighting is highest in UFC history.
Blaydes’ 10 takedowns landed against Mark Hunt at UFC 221 tied the record for second most in a single UFC heavyweight fight behind Cain Velasquez’s 11 takedowns landed at UFC 155.
Blaydes’ three knockout victories stemming from elbow strikes in UFC competition are tied with Paul Felder for most in company history.
Dos Santos competes in his 13th UFC headliner. He’s 8-4 in his previous main event bouts.
Dos Santos’ total fight time of 3:44:34 in UFC heavyweight competition is second most in company history behind Andrei Arlovski (4:33:42).
Dos Santos’ 15 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Arlovski (17) and Frank Mir (16).
Dos Santos’ 10 knockout victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Velasquez and Derrick Lewis for most in divisional history.
Dos Santos’ 14 knockdowns landed in UFC heavyweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Dos Santos has landed 1,068 significant strikes in UFC heavyweight competition, the most in divisional history.
Dos Santos and Ben Rothwell combined for 234 significant strikes landed at UFC Fight Night 86, the third most in a single UFC heavyweight fight behind Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier (304) at UFC 241 and Fabricio Werdum vs. Marcin Tybura (282) at UFC Fight Night 121.
Dos Santos’ 157 significant strikes landed against Rothwell are second most in a UFC heavyweight fight behind Miocic (181) at UFC 241.
Dos Santos’ 92 significant body strikes landed against Rothwell are the UFC heavyweight record for a single fight.
Dos Santos defends 80.5 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the fourth-best rate in divisional history behind Alexander Volkov (82.8 percent), Marcin Tybura (81.5 percent) and Arlovski (80.6 percent).
[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) is the only Brazilian lightweight champion in UFC history.
Dos Anjos is 4-3 since he moved up to the UFC welterweight division in June 2017.
Dos Anjos’ average fight time of 19:39 in UFC welterweight competition is the longest in divisional history.
Dos Anjos’ 18 UFC wins are tied for seventh most in company history. Donald Cerrone holds the all-time record with 23.
Dos Anjos lands 54.4 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC welterweight competition, the second-best rate in divisional history behind Gunnar Nelson (56.8 percent).
Dos Anjos became just the second fighter in history to challenge for a UFC title and win a 50-45 decision on all three judges’ scorecards when he beat Anthony Pettis at UFC 185. Randy Couture also accomplished the feat against Tim Sylvia at UFC 68.
Dos Anjos’ 66-second victory over Cerrone at UFC on FOX 17 is the fastest stoppage in UFC lightweight title fight history.
[autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is 2-0 since he moved up to the welterweight division in December 2018.
Chiesa’s five submission victories via rear-naked choke in UFC competition are tied for third most in company history behind Demian Maia (nine) and Kenny Florian (seven).
Chiesa has completed at least one takedown against 12 of his 13 UFC opponents.
[autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is one of 17 fighters in UFC history to earn a submission victory by anaconda choke. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 123.
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 5-7 UFC) competes in her 13th UFC strawweight bout, tied with Randa Markos for the most appearances in divisional history.
Hill is 4-5 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.
Hill’s two knockdowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Rose Namajunas (three).
Hill has landed 100 or more significant strikes in five separate UFC strawweight fights, the second most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (seven).
[autotag]Darko Stosic[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) is 1-2 since he dropped to the light heavyweight division in July 2018. He went 12-1 at heavyweight.
[autotag]Bevon Lewis[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career on a six-fight winning streak.
[autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag]’s (15-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is tied with Zabit Magomedsharipov and Alexander Volkanovski for the longest active streak in the division.
Allen is one of four featherweights in UFC history to open his career with six straight wins. Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor and Yair Rodriguez also accomplished the feat.
Allen absorbs 1.78 significant strikes per minute in UFC featherweight competition, the third best rate in divisional history behind Rani Yahya (1.05) and Mirsad Bektic (1.7).
[autotag]Nik Lentz[/autotag] (30-10-2 MMA, 14-7-1 UFC) returns to the featherweight division for the first time since May 2015. He went 4-2 during his first stint in the weight class.
Lentz’s 68 takedowns landed in UFC competition are tied for fourth most in company history behind Georges St-Pierre (90), Gleison Tibau (84) and Demetrious Johnson (74).
Lentz’s 20 guillotine choke attempts in UFC competition are the most in company history.
Lentz and Charles Oliveira are one of three pairs of fighters in UFC history to have a trilogy in which all three fights were not for a title. Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz and Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher also accomplished the feat.
[autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Jan. 27, 2018. It’s the third time in her career she’s had a layoff of at least 23 months.
Kish has suffered consecutive losses after starting her career on a six-fight winning streak.
[autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC), 25, is the youngest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Pudilova’s three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.
Pudilova is 0-2 since she dropped to the UFC women’s flyweight division in February.
[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) submission victory at 1:40 of Round 1 at UFC 232 is the second fastest D’Arce choke finish in UFC history. Only Chas Skelly’s 19-second win at UFC Fight Night 94 was faster.
[autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC), 39, is the oldest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
McMann returns to competition for the first time since Feb. 24, 2018. The 700-day layoff is the longest of her nearly nine-year career.
McMann competes in her 11th UFC women’s bantamweight bout, the third-most appearances in divisional history behind Amanda Nunes (12) and Raquel Pennington (12).
McMann’s two submission victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are tied for the second most in divisional history behind Ronda Rousey (three).
McMann’s 2017 victory over Gina Mazany at 1:14 of Round 1 marked the second fastest submission in UFC women’s bantamweight history behind Ronda Rousey’s 14-second finish of Cat Zingano at UFC 184.
[autotag]Lina Lansberg[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) enters the event on the first winning streak of her UFC career.
Lansberg lands 57.7 of her significant strikes in UFC women’s bantamweight competition, the best rate among active fighters in the weight class.
Lansberg has earned all four of her UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career on a 15-fight winning streak.
Johns has earned one of two calf-slicer submissions in UFC history. Charles Oliveira also accomplished the feat.
Johns’ 30-second submission of Joe Soto at the TUF 26 Finale was second fastest in UFC/WEC combined bantamweight history behind Patrick Williams’ 23-second finish at UFC 188.
Johns’ 11 takedowns landed at UFC Fight Night 99 are tied for the single-fight record for a UFC/WEC bantamweight bout.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN+ 24: Alex Perez full pre-fight interview
UFC on ESPN+ 24: Alex Perez full pre-fight interview
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 24 event in Raleigh, N.C.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 24 event in Raleigh, N.C.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN+ 24 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 24 takes place Saturday at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The card streams on ESPN+.
