Tag: Azamat Murzakanov

Anthony Smith replaces ill Azamat Murzakanov to face Khalil Rountree at UFC Fight Night 233

Azamat Murzakanov is out of his scheduled fight against Khalil Rountree, who will now face Anthony Smith on short notice in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] lost his opponent and will no longer be competing at UFC on ESPN 52. However, a former title challenger has stepped up as a replacement for a fight to take place a week later.

Rountree (12-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) was scheduled to face Azamat Murzakanov at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas on Dec. 2. However, UFC CEO Dana White has announced the undefeated Murzakanov (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has pneumonia and will no longer be able to compete.

All is not lost for Rountree though, as former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith has stepped up as a replacement. The new matchup announced by White in a video posted to Instagram will now take place a week later at UFC Fight Night 233 on Dec. 9 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0DFRDYv6OL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Smith (37-18 MMA, 12-8 UFC) will compete for the third time in 2023. In his last outing, “Lionheart” picked up a split decision win in a rematch against Ryan Spann at UFC Fight Night 225. The result snapped a two-fight skid for the former title challenger, marking Smith’s first win since defeating Spann by submission in their first meeting.

Rountree gets to ensure a fight camp doesn’t go to waste by fighting a week later than originally planned. The fight will be Rountree’s second of 2023, following a knockout finish of Chris Daukaus at UFC on ESPN 51 in August.

With the change, the current lineup on Dec. 9 includes:

  • Song Yadong vs. Chris Guiterrez
  • Anthony Smith vs. Khalil Rountree
  • Andre Muniz vs. Junyong Park
  • Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jamie Mullarkey
  • Carlos Hernandez vs. Tatsuro Taira
  • Su Mudaerji vs. Allan Nascimento
  • Sung Hyun Park vs. Shannon Ross
  • Kevin Jousset vs. Song Kenan
  • Stephanie Egger vs. Luana Santos
  • Talita Alencar vs. Rayanne dos Santos

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 18-24)

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 the promotions from Sept. 18-24.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 7-13)

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. 7-13.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 19-25)

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 June 19-25.

Light heavyweights Volkan Oezdemir, Azamat Murzakanov booked for UFC Paris

Azamat Murzakanov will look to crack the light heavyweight top 10 when he takes on a perennial contender and former UFC title challenger.

[autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag] will look to crack the UFC light heavyweight top 10 when he takes on a perennial contender.

Murzakanov (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 6-6 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event Sept. 2 from Accor Arena in Paris, promotion officials announced Wednesday.

Undefeated in his professional career, Murzakanov has knocked out four of his past five opponents. The 34-year-old most recently defeated Dustin Jacoby by unanimous decision in April at UFC on ESPN 44.

Former title challenger Oezdemir has lost three of his past four to top-ranked light heavyweights, including former champion Jiri Prochazka. His lone win in that stretch came last July over Paul Craig, who was unbeaten in his previous six fights going into their bout.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup includes:

  • Ciryl Gane vs. Serghei Spivac
  • Nora Cornolle vs. Joselyne Edwards
  • Hailey Cowan vs. Zarah Fairn
  • Azamat Murzakanov vs. Volkan Oezdemir

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UFC on ESPN 44 medical suspensions: Three fighters get 60 days after KO losses

The Missouri commission issued medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN 44, the longest of which went to fighters who were knocked out.

Three fighters face 60-day medical suspensions as a result of stoppage losses by strikes at UFC on ESPN 44.

The event took place this past Saturday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The event was overseen by the Missouri Division of Professional Regulation, which suspended 13 of 28 fighters from the card for medical reasons after their bouts, according to a list published Wednesday by the commission.

It’s important to note fighters can return sooner than the expiration date of their medical suspension should they receive proper medical clearance from a doctor. In addition, the commission does not list reasons for medical suspensions – just durations.

Scroll below to see the full list of UFC on ESPN 44 medical suspensions.

Azamat Murzakanov says he broke his arm in UFC on ESPN 44 win, wants quickest path to title

Azamat Murzakanov had to push through while severely compromised to secure his UFC on ESPN 44 win.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag] had to push through with a broken arm to secure his UFC on ESPN 44 win.

Murzakanov (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) revealed that he broke his arm in Round 2 of his unanimous decision win over Dustin Jacoby (18-7-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC) this past Saturday at UFC on ESPN 44 at T-Mobile Center.

Murzakanov won the first two rounds. However, he appeared to slow down significantly in Round 3 due to his compromised arm, which he said he broke after dropping Jacoby late in Round 2.

“Jacoby is a great fighter,” Murzakanov told reporters, including MMA Junkie, through an interpreter. “To be honest, I was quite worried because I knew somewhere by the end of the second round that something is really wrong with my arm. I couldn’t attack with my arm at all. I couldn’t throw anything out, and in the third round I was worried because I wasn’t sure who was gonna win, because I could only work with my front hand. I even started throwing out some elbows because I couldn’t at all attack with my left.”

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The unbeaten fighter hopes to draw a top-ranked opponent next as he looks to storm through the light heavyweight ranks.

“I would love to fight somebody in the top 10, even possibly the top five,” Murzakanov said. “I want to do whatever I can to get myself as close and as fast to the title as possible. I’m not here to just stick around, to get some gold points for fighting more and more. I really want to get to the title. That’s what I’m here for. So that’s my goal, is to get to the top 10, top five as soon as possible.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

UFC on ESPN 44 post-event facts: Max Holloway joins 20-win club, sets other records

Check out the numbers from UFC on ESPN 44, where Max Holloway hit more milestones – including being the first to land 3,000 octagon strikes.

The UFC returned to Missouri after six years Saturday at UFC on ESPN 44, and the card delivered with half the fights ending by stoppage.

One of the bouts to go the distance was the main event, where former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 20-7 UFC) once again displayed his greatness in ending the winning streak of [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC) with a unanimous decision. In the process, “Blessed” made more history to add to his one-of-a-kind octagon resume.

For more on the numbers to come out of the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 44.

UFC on ESPN 44 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Four fighters get max non-title payout

UFC on ESPN 44 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 44 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $254,500.

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 on ESPN 44 took place at T-Mobile Center. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 44 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]T.J. Brown[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Zak Cummings[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ed Herman[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Piera Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Denise Gomes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bruna Brasil[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gaston Bolanos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Aaron Phillips[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/autotag]: $6,000

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 $44,000 while title challengers get $44,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-44 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,230,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,819,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

UFC on ESPN 44’s Azamat Murzakanov aims to establish himself as light heavyweight contender in 2023

Undefeated UFC light heavyweight Azamat Murzakanov hopes to be in the title picture by the end of the year.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Undefeated UFC light heavyweight [autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag] hopes to be in the title picture by the end of 2023.

After a first-round finish on his Dana White’s Contender Series appearance in 2021, Murzakanov (12-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) followed up with a pair of third-round finishes in his first two UFC fights in 2022.

In his first fight of 2023, Murzakanov faces skilled striker Dustin Jacoby (18-6-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) on the main card of UFC on ESPN 44.

“This isn’t going to be a kickboxing match,” Murzakanov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “I mean, this is MMA, we all know that. So, Jacoby for me, is just a regular opponent. Nothing much, nothing special.”

Jacoby is coming off a split decision loss to Khalil Rountree in October, which was the first loss of his second stint in the UFC. Jacoby hasn’t been stopped in an MMA fight since 2015, but Murzakanov hopes to change that as he looks to build a 2023 campaign that will place him in title contention by the end of the year.

“From the very first minute, I’m going to keep pushing forward,” Murzakanov said. “I’m going to make sure that I try to get a finish as fast as I can, but most important to me is the victory.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

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