Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
All the UFC 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.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Nov. 27-Dec. 3.
UFC Fight Night 231 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.
SAO PAULO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 231 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $145,000.
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 231 took place at Ginasio Do Ibirapuera in Brazil. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 231 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Elves Brener[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kaynan Kruschewsky[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Denise Gomes[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Eudarda Moura[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Montserrat Conejo[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kaue Fernandes[/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 2311 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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $7,033,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,552,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.
Minutes before the walkouts, UFC Sao Paulo lost a fight – the third one canceled in 36 hours.
The UFC Fight Night 231 main card is even shorter than anticipated due to a last-minute cancellation.
Following the conclusion of the prelims Saturday at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald broke news on the broadcast the fight between [autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag] and [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] had been canceled. The main card, headlined by Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis, continues with five fights.
The reason is an illness with Petrosyan (8-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), revealed Fitzgerald. The cancellation marks the card’s third since the start of official weigh-ins Friday morning local time.
Neither Vieira (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) or Petrosyan have commented publicly on the matter at the time of publication, but Petrosyan’s manager said his client became ill at the arena.
Unfortunately our client Armen Petrosyan caught a virus or something back stage and has to pull out of his fight tonight in UFC São Paulo. UFC said they will look to get him back in right away as soon as he is cleared.
— Brian Butler-Au (@BrianButler_Au) November 5, 2023
With the cancellation, the UFC Sao Paulo lineup includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.
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 or officially announced by a promotion from Aug. 14-20.
Armen Petrosyan is ready to take on a ranked middleweight after UFC on ESPN 46.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag] is ready to take on a ranked middleweight after UFC on ESPN 46.
Petrosyan (8-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) defeated Christian Leroy Duncan by unanimous decision this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Since joining the UFC roster, Petrosyan is yet to finish a fight, but not without a lack of trying.
“To be honest I was planning to finish him, I thought I was going to do that,” Petrosyan told reporters, including MMA Junkie, through an interpreter post-fight at UFC on ESPN 46. “I almost did it, I almost got him out of there, but the reason why I didn’t is because of how tough he was. He’s very unorthodox, he’s very hard to figure out, and I think that because of that, he’s got a really big future ahead of him.”
The rising contender hopes to return in fall, and is eyeing a top 15 middleweight next for the UFC 294 card on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi.
“I would love to fight in Abu Dhabi in October,” Petrosyan said. “I’m going to be in great shape by then. It’s just that this camp ended up being quite long because the opponent switched, so it was hard by the end to keep getting prepared and keep on staying in shape. But other than that, Abu Dhabi in October, I would love to fight with anybody in the top 15.”
Petrosyan didn’t have a name in mind, but is confident that he can beat anyone in the division – including former title challengers Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori who headlined UFC on ESPN 46.
“Anybody in the top 15,” Petrosyan added. “I don’t see any kind of obstacles for me, I think I can pick any of those guys apart. Even everybody who is in the top 15 right now I don’t think possesses too much of a challenge for me.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 46.
The UFC on ESPN 46 main event between Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori set a new bar for strikes landed in a middleweight bout.
UFC on ESPN 46 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas proved to be a historic night.
The main event saw [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) emerge from a key matchup of former middleweight title challengers with a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] (19-7-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC) in which he set a new single-fight record for most significant strikes landed in a divisional contest.
The Fight of the Night delivered, but for more numbers on the entire card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 46.
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UFC on ESPN 46 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 on ESPN 46 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $140,000.
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 46 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 46 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Christian Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lucas Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,000
def [autotag]Jimmy Flick[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Cristian Quinonez[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Denys Bondar[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Tereza Bleda[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gabriella Fernandes[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Ronnie Lawrence[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Zac Pauga[/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 $46,000 while title challengers get $46,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-46 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $3,790,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $18,379,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 46.
Check out what the UFC on ESPN 46 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 46 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
You can hear from all the UFC on ESPN 46 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 46.
Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47 odds and lines between Armen Petrosyan vs. Christian Duncan with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a middleweight bout on the main card, Armen Petrosyan and Christian Duncan meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 47 — also known as UFC Vegas 75 — at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ESPN 47: Petrosyan vs. Duncan odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The prelims are on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET, with the main card on ESPN/ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET.
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
Petrosyan is 2-1 since making his UFC debut with a split-decision win over Gregory Rodrigues on Feb. 26, 2022. He has gone the distance in all 3 of his fights since landing with the company, including a unanimous-decision win over AJ Dobson last time out at UFC 280 in October and a unanimous-decision loss to Caio Borralho in July 2022. Petrosyan lands 5.99 significant strikes per minute but with just a 53.06% accuracy.
Duncan made a giant splash in his company debut when he knocked out Dusko Todorovic in the 1st round at UFC 286 in March. The Briton has won all 8 of his fights since turning pro, with 6 victories via KO/TKO and 1 submission by way of rear-naked choke. He went the distance just once, against Will Currie at CW 123. “CLD” lands fewer strikes per minute than Petrosyan at 4.82 but has a 73.68% accuracy.
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:42 a.m. ET.
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Records: Petrosyan (8-2-0) | Duncan (8-0-0)
DUNCAN (-155) appears to be on the fast track in the middleweight division, and the prospect was super impressive topping Todorovic last time out.
He has an overwhelming 8-inch reach advantage in this fight, so he’ll be able to keep the challenger at bay while picking and choosing his spots to get close and go for the kill.
Petrosyan won’t be a pushover by any means, but he is certainly beatable on this Armenian-heavy main card. He has gone the distance in all 3 of his UFC fights and won’t be able to slog his way through this one. Duncan is a heavy hitter who will be looking to deliver the big blow early.
NO (-135): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is a good play, even if Petrosyan has gone to the judges in all 3 of his UFC fights.
Duncan doesn’t play around, and he could potentially get the KO/TKO win in Round 1. In fact, on the Method of Victory 7-way line, a play of DUNCAN BY KO/TKO OR DQ (+175) is a sharp play, too, thanks mostly due to the ginormous reach advantage.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.
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Christian Leroy Duncan is back and will look to showcase his skills against Armen Petrosyan in Las Vegas.
Former Cage Warriors champion [autotag]Christian Leroy Duncan[/autotag] has his second UFC fight. He’ll take on [autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag].
The middleweight bout is scheduled for the UFC on ESPN 46 card June 17 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Duncan (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his highly-anticipated promotional debut at UFC 286. The bout ended in disappointing fashion after Dusko Todorovic suffered a fight-ending knee injury. Duncan was declared the winner by TKO just 92 seconds into the bout.
Petrosyan (7-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) most recently competed in October when he defeated AJ Dobson by unanimous decision. The victory came on the heels of a split decision win over Gregory Rodrigues and a unanimous decision loss to Caio Borralho.
With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 46 lineup for June 17 includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 46.
