Asu Almabayev just wants one shot at UFC flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja after win over Matheus Nicolau

Asu Almabayev won for the 17th straight time, even though Matheus Nicolau had an answer for his takedowns.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Asu Almabayev[/autotag] beat Matheus Nicolau with a unanimous decision Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 245 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Almabayev, who won for the 17th straight time.

Asu Almabayev def. Matheus Nicolau

Asu Almabayev

Result: Asu Almabayev def. Matheus Nicolau via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Almabayev (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC), Nicolau (19-6-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC)
Key stats: Almabayev has had more than 26 minutes of total control time over the 45 minutes of his past three decision wins. But after landing 15 combined takedowns his past two fights, he had just one against Nicolau.

Almabayev on the fight’s key moment

Asu Almabayev def. Matheus Nicolau, UFC Fight Night 245 (via UFC)

“I’m happy. It’s not easy to win the fight. Every opponent’s doing hard work and coming here to fight and to win, so I’m very happy that I won. (The game plan) was just to win. I wanted to wrestle, but (Nicolau) is tough – he’s No. 7 in the rankings. During the fight, I changed the game plan a little.”

Almabayev on Nicoalu’s takedown defense

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 19: (L-R) Matheus Nicolau of Brazil punches Asu Almabayev of Kazakstan in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 19, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

“I was not surprised (at his takedown defense) because every fighter knows that I’ll try to take them down. After the first and second, I saw that (he was good at stopping me). What can I do? So I tried to improve the positions all the time.”

Almabayev on what he wants next

May 4, 2024; Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BRAZIL; Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) fights against Steve Erceg (blue gloves) during UFC 301 at Rio Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports

“I will come back home and we’ll watch the fight again. We need to learn all the time. Give me one chance for the belt (against champion Alexandre Pantoja).”

To hear more from Almabayev, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

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UFC Fight Night 245 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Darren Elkins’ $21,000 leads card

The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program has now paid out more than $29 million to athletes since its deal began with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 245 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 245 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 245 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cameron Smotherman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Asu Almabayev[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jean Matsumoto[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Elise Reed[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melissa Martinez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alice Ardelean[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/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 2451 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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,644,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,381,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Asu Almabayev says he’s fighting Matheus Nicolau at UFC Fight Night in October

Not long after he moved to 3-0 in the UFC, Asu Almabayev says he’s got his next assignment.

Not long after he moved to 3-0 in the UFC, [autotag]Asu Almabayev[/autotag] says he’s got his next assignment.

Almabayev (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) on Monday posted on social media to say he’s fighting [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag] (19-4-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) this fall. Although UFC officials haven’t formally announced the flyweight fight, Almabayev posted that it’s set for Oct. 19 at an event expected to be a Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Almabayev, from Kazakhstan, in June won for the 16th straight time when he outworked Jose Johnson in Las Vegas. He was more than a 5-1 favorite in the fight. That win came on the heels of a decision over CJ Vergara in March in another fight in which he was heavily favored.

Those odds surged in the wake of his UFC debut in August 2023, a second-round submission of Ode Osbourne. The former Brave CF standout now will fight for the third time in 2024 in a flyweight division that is hurting for new contenders for Alexandre Pantoja’s title.

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 27: (L-R) Matheus Nicolau of Brazil punches Alex Perez in a flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on April 27, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Brazil’s Nicolau could have been one of those contenders not long ago when he was on a six-fight winning streak, including his first four in the UFC. But in his two most recent fights, he’s been knocked out by recent title challengers Brandon Royval and Alex Perez for the first skid of his career.

After his win over Johnson in June, which included a highlight-reel head kick that landed, but didn’t take Johnson out, Almabayev called out Kai Kara-France, but that matchup will have to wait. Kara-France meets recent title challenger Steve Erceg in three weeks in Perth, Australia, at UFC 305.

UFC on ESPN 58 winner Asu Almabayev: ‘I know that my level is top five’

Asu Almabayev is ready to take on the upper echelon of the flyweight division after UFC on ESPN 58.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Asu Almabayev[/autotag] is ready to take on the upper echelon of the flyweight division after UFC on ESPN 58.

Almabayev (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) extended his winning streak to 16 when he defeated Jose Johnson (16-9 MMA, 1-2 UFC) by unanimous decision Saturday at the UFC Apex.

Almabayev called out former title challenger Kai Kara-France, and thinks he deserves a top contender for his next fight.

“My record is 20-2, and I’m a very long time in this sport, and I was facing a lot of good fighters,” Almabayev told reporters through an interpreter at the UFC on ESPN 58 post-fight press conference. “I know that my level is top five. That’s why I’m ready.”

Despite his confidence, the 30-year-old Kazakh fighter was slightly critical of his performance vs. Johnson.

“Of course I had a lot of mistakes. I need to learn more,” Almabayev said. “So as they say, as long as you live, as long as you learn. I need to watch the fight and I don’t want to praise myself. That’s why I’m all the time not satisfied with my performance.”

You can watch Almabayev’s full post-fight news conference in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.

UFC on ESPN 58 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Lowest total payout of 2024

UFC on ESPN 58 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 58 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $116,000.

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 58 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 58 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Douglas Silva de Andrade[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Lucas Almeida[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Timmy Cuamba[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Garrett Armfield[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Asu Almabayev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jose Johnson[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Adam Fugitt[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Josh Quinlan[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jimmy Flick[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Carli Judice[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Gabriella Fernandes[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Westin Wilson[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jeka Saragih[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melquizael Costa[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Shayilan Nuerdanbieke[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Julia Polastri[/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 $4,580; 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 $58,000 while title challengers get $58,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-58 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,451,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,188,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.

UFC on ESPN 58 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC on ESPN 58 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 58 took place Saturday with 11 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 58 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 58.

Asu Almabayev wants to be in GSP mold, not concerned with well-rounded Jose Johnson at UFC on ESPN 58

Asu Almabayev thinks his style is evocative of one particular UFC Hall of Famer.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Asu Almabayev[/autotag] met the media Thursday ahead of his fight at UFC on ESPN 58.

Almabayev (19-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) takes on Jose Johnson (16-8 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a flyweight fight on the ESPN main card at the UFC Apex. At the event’s media day, Almabayev took questions from media members before his fight.

“I have good emotions,” Almabayev, who compared himself to Georges St-Pierre, told MMA Junkie. “It’s my third fight (in the UFC). But I’ll show all my emotions after the fight. I’m happy I’m on the main card and I believe in my abilities, but after this fight I hope I can fight someone from the top 10.

“(Johnson is) a good fighter. He has good striking and good wrestling, but I’ve been in this sport a long time and I always have a strategy for whoever I fight against.”

Check out Almabayev’s full media day interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.