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Check out the best photos from Jimmy Crute’s majority draw with Alonzo Menifield at UFC 284 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag]’s majority draw with [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] at UFC 284 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. (Photos by Jasmin Frank, USA TODAY Sports)
See our staff members’ picks for the Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez vs. Josh Emmett title fights in Australia.
| Makhachev vs. Volkanovski |
Rodriguez vs. Emmett |
Brown vs. Maddalena |
Porter vs. Tafa |
Crute vs. Menifield |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 9-8 |
 Makhachev (51%) |
 Rodriguez (62%) |
 Maddalena (80%) |
 Tafa (66%) |
 Crute (51%) |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 13-4 |
Makhachev |
 Emmett |
Maddalena |
Tafa |
Crute |
| Matt Erickson 12-5 |
Makhachev |
Rodriguez |
Maddalena |
 Porter |
Crute |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 12-5  2017 Champion |
Makhachev |
Emmett |
Maddalena |
Porter |
Crute |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 11-6 |
Makhachev |
Emmett |
Maddalena |
Porter |
 Menifield |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 11-6 |
Makhachev |
Rodriguez |
Maddalena |
Tafa |
Menifield |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 9-8 2018, 2022 Champion |
Makhachev |
Emmett |
Maddalena |
Tafa |
Crute |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 9-8 |
Makhachev |
Rodriguez |
Maddalena |
Porter |
Crute |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 8-9 |
Makhachev |
Emmett |
 Brown |
Tafa |
Menifield |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 8-9/em> |
Makhachev |
Rodriguez |
Maddalena |
Porter |
Crute |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 8-9 |
Makhachev |
Rodriguez |
Maddalena |
Porter |
Menifield |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 8-9 2014 Champion |
 Volkanovski |
Emmett |
Maddalena |
Tafa |
Menifield |
The UFC this week makes its second visit to the Australian city of Perth, and there are two title fights at the top of the bill.
UFC 284 takes place Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) meets featherweight titleholder [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC). Makhachev will put his title on the line for the first time; he hasn’t lost in more than seven years. Volkanovski, who will go after a second concurrent title, hasn’t lost in nearly 10 years.
Makhachev is big favorite at -380 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Volkanovski is +300. Only one of our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are going with him in an upset at a hefty 10-1 clip.
In the co-feature, the interim featherweight title is on the line between [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC). The two fight for the interim belt just ahead of featherweight champion Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) and his quest for a second belt at lightweight. Rodriguez nearly is a 2-1 favorite, but it’s Emmett who has a narrow 6-5 lead in the picks.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at welterweight. Maddalena is a big favorite at -330 and has a blowout at 10-1 from our staff members.
[autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 3-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in a heavyweight matchup. Tafa is a slight favorite at -130, but Porter has the smallest possible edge in the picks at 6-5.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in a light heavyweight fight. Crute nearly is a 2-1 favorite at the betting window, but he has just a slim 6-5 picks lead.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Makhachev (51 percent), Rodriguez (62 percent), Maddalena (80 percent), Tafa (66 percent) and Crute (51 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 284.
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Check out the photos from the UFC 284 official weigh-ins at the UFC host hotel in Perth, Australia.
Check out the photos from the UFC 284 official weigh-ins at the UFC host hotel in Perth, Australia. (Images by Jasmin Frank, USA TODAY Sports)
Alexander Volkanovski can make at all types of statistical history at UFC 284 vs. Islam Makhachev, including joining the double champ club.
The UFC returns to Australia for the first time in more than three years Saturday with UFC 284, which takes place at RAC Arena in Perth with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Two title fights will headline the card “Down Under.” In the main event, just the seventh champion-vs-champion fight in UFC history will unfold with [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) set to put his lightweight strap on the line against featherweight kingpin [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC), who moves up in pursuit of a second belt.
With Volkanovski doing business at 155 pounds, the promotion implemented an interim title at 145 pounds. The co-headliner of the card will see[autotag] Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) clash with [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) to determine who will get the right to face Volkanovski when he returns to the division.
For more on the numbers behind the entire card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 284.
Jimmy Crute vows to be coming back as a different fighter at UFC 284.
[autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] vows to be coming back as a different fighter at UFC 284.
Crute (12-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) returns from an over year-long layoff when he takes on [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 284 main card opener at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
The 26-year-old Aussie will look to snap a two-fight losing skid against Menifield, who has knocked out back-to-back opponents in Round 1. But Crute warns him that he’s in for a surprise.
“Alonzo’s got some great skills,” Crute told MMA Junkie Radio. “I think people underestimate his wrestling and his ability to string things together there. He’s more than just a big, heavy hitter, but just wait. All I’m gonna say is just wait, because I’m gonna blow him out the water. This is different this time. He’s preparing for the wrong person, I promise you.”
Crute’s past loss came to current UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill – a setback that has aged well over time.
“To be honest, I was just happy for Jamahal,” Crute said. “It’s his win, man. It’s his win to enjoy, and he’s a great person. It was just good to see him get what he deserves. He deserves to be a world champion. I don’t put myself selfishly into that situation. I’ll earn my own title shot and, yeah, it was just good to see that.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 284.
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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 Nov. 14-20.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from October 2022.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from October 2022: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for October.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
Following a brutal knockout at UFC Fight Night 212, Alonzo Menifield was concerned during its aftermath as Misha Cirkunov struggled.
LAS VEGAS – A knockout was his goal, but that doesn’t mean [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] felt comfortable once he pulled it off.
At UFC Fight Night 212, Menifield (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) brutally knocked out [autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 6-7 UFC) with a series of punches. The stoppage came 68 seconds into the bout.
“The feeling was great, but I was concerned about him,” Menifield told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at a post-fight news conference Saturday. “You hear him huffing and puffing, ‘Ahh … ahh.’ I’m looking, like, ‘OK, he’s not getting up.’ I was concerned. He got up, so I was able to enjoy fully that feeling.”
Menifield, 34, said he has nothing but respect for Cirkunov, who fell to 0-4 in his most recent four appearances. Health and wellbeing is paramount, Menifield emphasized.
“Misha, overall, is a great opponent as far as being in the sport,” Menifield said. “Any time you’ve got two warriors in there and one of them don’t get up, you should get concerned. I know I would. At the same time, this is the fight game. When he got up, yeah, I was relieved.”
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After the fight, Menifield elected to leave Cirkunov alone and let him regain his bearings. There was no sense in having a conversation that wouldn’t be remembered, Menifield said.
“He’s got to come to it, so as far as saying anything to him, it wouldn’t matter,” Menifield said. “If I can relay this message to him: Great fight. You caught me, man. I really had to dig deep and pull that out.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.
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UFC Fight Night 212 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 212 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $151,500.
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 212 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 212 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Mana Martinez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brandon Davis[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jacob Malkoun[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Nick Maximov[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Lucas Alexander[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Piera Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sam Hughes[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Pete Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mike Jackson[/autotag]: $4,500
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 2127 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2121 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: $6,642,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $12,810,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.
Alonzo Menifield didn’t need much time to end the UFC Fight Night 212 main card opener.
LAS VEGAS – The lone light heavyweight bout on Saturday’s card had an early finish written all over it and delivered on that promise.
Opening the main card of UFC Fight Night 212 at the UFC Apex was [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] taking on [autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag], who was returning to the division after a stint at middleweight. The bout aired on ESPN+.
Menifield (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) changed camps for this fight and walked out with one man in his corner, former UFC fighter Pat Barry. Always known to carry explosive power, Menifield was able to put the finishing touches on Cirkunov (15-9 MMA, 6-7 UFC) just 1:30 into the opening round.
It was a devastating knockout that left Cirkunov laying on the canvas for a few moments after the referee stepped in to stop Menifield from landing any more punches.
Check out video from the aftermath of the knockout below (via Twitter):
"ATOMIC" MENIFIELD LIVED UP TO HIS NAME 💥#UFCVEGAS62 pic.twitter.com/jwrkZu9UWM
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 15, 2022
With the win, Menifield makes it two in a row, entering on the heels of a first-round finish of Askar Mozharov in June. The hard-hitting light heavyweight now has 6 wins under the UFC banner, only one of which made it to the judges’ scorecards.
On the other side, Cirkunov has dropped four straight bouts. His two previous appearances were unsuccessful experiments in the middleweight division.
Up-to-the-minute results of UFC Fight Night 212 include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.
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