Tag: Austen Lane

UFC on ESPN 55 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $25 million

UFC on ESPN 55 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 55 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $175,000.

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

The full UFC on ESPN 55 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bogdan Guskov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ariane Da Silva[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jhonata Diniz[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]David Onama[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Uros Medic[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michal Figlak[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Caio Machado[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ketlen Souza[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Marnic Mann[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chris Padilla[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]James Llontop[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ivana Petrovic[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Na Liang[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Hayisaer Maheshate[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag]: $11,000

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 $4,550; 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 $55,000 while title challengers get $55,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-55 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,640,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $25,377,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 55.

UFC on ESPN 55 video: Jhonata Diniz freezes Austen Lane with KO combination

Former Glory kickboxer Jhonata Diniz finished former NFL player Austen Lane with punches in Round 2 of their UFC bout.

[autotag]Jhonata Diniz[/autotag] has a striking background, and it was on full display again Saturday at UFC on ESPN 55.

On the main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Diniz (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) froze and face-planted former NFL player [autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) for a knockout stoppage at 2:12 of Round 2.

Diniz, 32, is a former Glory kickboxer who earned his UFC shot through a first-round knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. He maintains his 100 percent TKO rate and unblemished professional record.

Lane, 36, has lost back-to-back fights. With a no contest also under the UFC banner, Lane has yet to notch his first promotional win through three appearances.

The up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 55 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 55.

Jhonata Diniz vs. Austen Lane prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC on ESPN 55

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom takes a quick look at the UFC on ESPN 55 bout between Jhonata Diniz and Austen Lane.

[autotag]Jhonata Diniz[/autotag] and [autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag] meet Saturday on the UFC on ESPN 55 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

Jhonata Diniz vs. Austen Lane UFC on ESPN 55 preview

Diniz (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Lane (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) serve as the lone heavyweight bout on the UFC on ESPN 55 main card. … The undefeated Diniz makes his UFC debut following a first-round finish of Eduardo Neves in his Dana White’s Contender Series appearance in September. … Lane, a fellow DWCS veteran, steps into the octagon for the third time, looking for his first victory. His debut against Justin Tafa was ruled a no contest due to an eye poke, and Lane went on to lose the rebooking less than three months later.

Jhonata Diniz vs. Austen Lane expert pick, prediction

Last event’s results: 4-1

Overall picks for UFC main cards in 2024: 28-29-2

Death, taxes, and the current UFC matchmakers force-feeding us low-level heavyweights on Fight Night main cards.

Despite having solid bangers like Gabriel Benitez vs. Hayisaer Maheshate serving as the curtain-jerker on the prelims, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby seem to be continuing their trend of sullying Joe Silva’s memory with main-card bookings like Diniz and Lane (a fight that would’ve served as a dark match if the diminutive former matchmaker were still in charge).

Given the cult-like status that professional football holds in the North American sports space, I’m guessing that Lane is continually getting featured fights for the cup of coffee he had in the NFL.

Don’t get me wrong: Lane is a talented athlete and seems like a nice guy; I just find it funny that – at least promotionally – we keep treating former football players as some sort of ‘great white hope’ in MMA despite Brendan Schaub arguably being the best of that crop. But I digress.

I’m actually hoping that Lane has continued to improve and can extend this fight into deeper rounds in order to see more from both men. However, it’s hard not to give a decent edge to the former kickboxer in Diniz on the feet.

I definitely wouldn’t mind being wrong, but I’ll pick Diniz by first-round knockout.

Jhonata Diniz vs. Austen Lane odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Brazilian fighter this weekend, listing Diniz -265 and Lane +200 via FanDuel.

Jhonata Diniz vs. Austen Lane start time, how to watch

As the third fight on the main card, Diniz and Lane are expected to make their walk to the octagon around 8:20 p.m. ET (5:20 p.m. local time in Las Vegas). The fight airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 55.

For more detailed analysis from Dan Tom, check out his weekly show, “The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.”

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 29-Feb. 4)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 29-Feb. 4.

UFC 293 post-event facts: Sean Strickland starts a new era at 185 pounds

The best facts to come out of UFC 293, which saw Sean Strickland force a changing of the guard with his title win over Israel Adesanya.

The UFC’s return to Sydney after nearly six years produced one of the most shocking main event results of the year as the middleweight title changed hands at Qudos Bank Arena.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) closed out UFC 293 with a massive unanimous decision upset of [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) to take the belt and force a reset at the top of the middleweight rankings.

For more on the numbers from the title bout, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 293.

* * * *

UFC 293 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Sean Strickland gets $32,000 for title win

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 293 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $209,000.

SYDNEY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 293 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $209,000.

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 293 took place at Qudos Bank Arena in Australia. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 293 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Felipe dos Santos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tyson Pedro[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Chepe Mariscal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jack Jenkins[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Landon Quinones[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Charlie Radtke[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Blood Diamond[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gabriel Miranda[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shane Young[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kiefer Crosbie[/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 $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: $5,944,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $20,533,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.

UFC 293 results: Justin Tafa flattens Austen Lane after another eye poke scare

Justin Tafa got poked in the eye by Austen Lane again, but this time the fight went on to see a devastating first-round knockout at UFC 293.

It was deja vu for [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag] early at UFC 293, but this time he was able to continue and showcase his fight-finishing power.

On the main card of UFC 293 Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Tafa (7-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) stepped into the octagon to face NFL veteran Austen Lane (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) again, but unlike their first meeting, he would land a devastating punch, leading to a TKO at 1:22 of Round 1.

The pair first faced each other in June, but Tafa was poked in the eye just 29 seconds into the fight and was unable to continue. As a result, the fight was ruled a no contest.

This time, fight started off in a familiar manner from the first meeting, as Lane extended his hands and accidentally poked Tafa. Luckily, the poke wasn’t a bad, and the fight continued after a short pause.

But when the fight resumed, it wouldn’t last much longer.

Tafa pressed forward as Lane attempted to circle and find his own space to land a shot. Lane darted forward while offering a punch, but Tafa loaded up on a big left hand that caught Lane flush on the chin, sending him crashing to the canvas. After a few follow-up punches, referee Jim Perdios jumped in to stop the action, and it was time for Tafa to do his dance.

The result marked three straight knockout victories for Tafa, as he continues to prove a dangerous finisher in the heavyweight division.

On the other side, Lane, a former Jacksonville Jaguar, walks away with a loss in what was officially his UFC debut.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC 293 include:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.

UFC 293: Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 293 odds between Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round heavyweight bout on the main card, Justin Tafa and Austen Lane meet at UFC 293 on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC 293: Tafa vs. Lane odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

Records: Tafa (6-3-0) | Lane (12-3-0)

The early prelims can be viewed on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the prelims can be viewed on ESPNews/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-Per-View

Lane and Tafa run it back after their previous meeting lasted just 29 seconds before resulting in a No Contest when the 2 fighters met at UFC Fight Night on June 24 in Jacksonville, Fla. Lane’s fingers appeared to go into both eyes of Tafa in one of the worst eye pokes you’ll ever see.

Tafa had a pair of 1st-round KO/TKO victories against Parker Porter and Harry Hunsucker in his 2 fights prior to the NC. He has been rather up and down since arriving at the UFC level, going 3-3 with the No Contest. Tafa has finished inside the distance in 4 of his 6 last fights and 7 of 9 career professional bouts.

The 29-second No Contest was Lane’s debut at the UFC level. Prior to that, he knocked out Richard Jacobi in Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 6, Week 9. He also has a heavyweight strap to his name after topping Juan Adams at Fury FC 54 back in Nov. 2021.

Lane holds a 6-inch reach advantage but the southpaw Tafa enters the bout with 5.02 significant strikes landed per minute and lanads 58.38% of those strikes. Neither is particularly strong on takedowns or the wrestling game, so expect this fight to be entirely upright.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 293: Tafa vs. Lane odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 6:35 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Tafa -200 (bet $200 to win $100) | Lane +165 (bet $100 to win $165)
  • Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over +180 | Under -240)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +500 | No -1000)

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UFC 293: Tafa vs. Lane picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Tafa (-200) heads into this fight with a chip on his shoulder after the last meeting ended with a double-eye poke. He felt as if the right call wasn’t made in his fight against Lane, and that he deserved a win bonus and a disqualification for Lane (+165).

While Tafa comes in with a ton of energy, laying 2 times your potential return is just too risky.

PASS.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (+180) is a tremendous value. While neither of these fighters is keen to go the distance, and we likely are going to see a knockout, expect this bout to go past the middle of Round 2.

It’s worth the risk for a chance to nearly double up despite that Tafa’s past 2 finished fights have ended in Round 1.

Lane’s past 3 pro bouts (including the NC) have ended in Round 1 as well, and he hasn’t made it out of the 1st round in 7 of his past 8 professional bouts. So there are risks here, but these 2 should have quite a slugfest.

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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Justin Tafa says eye injury forced him to limit sparring for Austen Lane rematch at UFC 293

Justin Tafa had to make some adjustments in his training camp ahead of his Austen Lane rematch.

SYDNEY – [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag] had to make some adjustments in his training camp ahead of his [autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag] rematch.

Tafa (6-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) will run things back with Lane (12-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in a heavyweight bout Saturday, after their first fight at UFC on ABC 5 in June ended in a no contest just 29 seconds into the fight.

Lane accidentally poked Tafa in the eye, which caused him serious damage, and rendered him unable to continue. Although the fight didn’t even last 30 seconds, Tafa is confident that he was en route to having his way before the fight-ending sequence. The 29-year-old admits he wasn’t concerned about a rematch at first, but after Lane’s coach started talking, he’s now motivated to end their story.

Tafa talked about that and more at Wednesday’s UFC 293 media day in Sydney.

Check out the full interview in the video above. UFC 293 takes place Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 10-16)

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 July 10-16.