Tag: Bernardo Sopaj

Bernardo Sopaj: Ricky Turcios just wanted to hug all fight, had nothing to offer at UFC 311

Bernardo Sopaj was supposed to fight Ricky Turcios this past November until a Turcios medical issue after his weight cut.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – [autotag]Bernardo Sopaj[/autotag] beat Ricky Turcios with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 311 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

Take a look inside the fight with Sopaj, who was supposed to fight Turcios this past November until a Turcios medical issue after his weight cut.

Bernardo Sopaj def. Ricky Turcios

Result: Bernardo Sopaj def. Ricky Turcios via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Updated records: Sopaj (12-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC), Turcios (13-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC)
Key stats: Sopaj stuffed eight of Turcios’ nine takedown attempts.

Sopaj on the fight’s key moment

Jan 18, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Benardo Sopaj (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Ricky Turcios (red gloves) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“I really like the fight. It was a war. I don’t think it was back and forth. He really tried to catch me, but I saw everything. It was very hard for him to catch me. He’s a tough fighter, but he did no damage. I knew he can take punches. So my plan is just to piece him up, pick him apart. I knew that whatever I give him, he’s hard to take out. So the plan was just give him two-three punches, some kicks, and then move. … He did no damage. I think that I did more damage than him. He just wanted to hug me.”

Sopaj on champ potential

“(It would be everything to be the first UFC champion from Albania). This is my goal. That’s why I came. I’m not here to play or just be part of the UFC. I’m here to become the champion and I will work my ass off to just become a champion.”

Sopaj on what he wants next

Jan 18, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Ricky Turcios (red gloves) fights Benardo Sopaj (blue gloves) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“I want to have as many fights as possible this year. I want three more this year. I want to be active because I want to take the belt very fast.”

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

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

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UFC 311 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Renato Moicano makes money with move up card

Renato Moicano made some extra cash under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program for stepping into a title fight at UFC 311.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 311 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $306,000.

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 311 took place at Intuit Dome. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews/Disney+/FX and ESPN+.

The full UFC 311 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: $6,000
def [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Payton Talbott[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Azamat Bekoev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Bogdan Guskov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Billy Elekana[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Rinya Nakamura[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Bernardo Sopaj[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Turcios[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Clayton Carpenter[/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 2025 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $479,500
2024 total: $8,280,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $31,497,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

Every UFC newcomer in 2024: Full list of over 100 debuting fighters

Check out the names and records of each fighter who made their UFC debut in 2024.

Every year, the UFC welcomes new faces to the promotion.

Some will become ranked fighters, future title challengers, and possibly champions. A couple of names have already made a significant impact in their debut year.

Kayla Harrison, who is ranked No. 2 by the promotion in the women’s bantamweight division, is likely next up for a title shot. Carlos Prates claimed No. 14 in the welterweight division after ripping through four opponents.

On the flip side, unfortunately, some of the names will fizzle out and look to continue their careers in other promotions.

In 2024, the new names and faces reached triple digits, totaling 103. Those fighters went 46-57. Debuting fighters who faced an opponent with at least one bout of UFC experience went 29-39.

Check out the full list of debuting fighters and their records below:

UFC debuting fighters in 2024

  • [autotag]Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]AJ Cunningham[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Alice Ardelean[/autotag] (9-7 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
  • [autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Angel Pacheco[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Antonio Trocoli[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
  • [autotag]Baergeng Jieleyisi[/autotag] (19-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Bekzat Almakhan[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Bernardo Sopaj[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Bolaji Oki[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Brendson Ribeiro[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
  • [autotag]Cameron Smotherman[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Carli Judice[/autotag] (3-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Carlos Leal[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 4-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Carlos Vera[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Changho Lee[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Charalampos Grigoriou[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
  • [autotag]Chris Padilla[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Cody Haddon[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Connor Matthews[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Cortavious Romious[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Danny Barlow[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Danny Silva[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Dariya Zheleznykova[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Dione Barbosa[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]DongHun Choi[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Dylan Budka[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
  • [autotag]Ernesta Kareckaite[/autotag] (5-1-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Fatima Kline[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Felipe Bunes[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Felipe Lima[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Feng Xiaocan[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Hyder Amil[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Ivan Erslan[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]James Llontop[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 0-3 UFC)
  • [autotag]Jean Matsumoto[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Jhonata Diniz[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Jordan Vucenic[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Jose Medina[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Jose Ochoa[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Julia Polastri[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Kaan Ofli[/autotag] (11-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Kai Asakura[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Kiru Sahota[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Klaudia Sygula[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Lone’er Kavanagh[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Lucas Rocha[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Luis Pajuelo[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Magomed Gadzhiyasulov[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Mairon Santos[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Mansur Abdul-Malik[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]MarQuel Mederos[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Mitch Ramirez[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Mitch Raposo[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Nathan Fletcher[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Navajo Stirling[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Nikolay Veretennikov[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Nyamjargal Tumendemberel[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Oban Elliott[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Oumor Sy[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Ozzy Diaz[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Pedro Falcao[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Puja Tomar[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Quang Le[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
  • [autotag]Rafael Cerqueira[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Ramazan Temirov[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Ramon Taveras[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Rei Tsuruya[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
  • [autotag]Robert Bryczek[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Robert Valentin[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Roberto Romero[/autotag] (8-4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Ryan Loder[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Sean Sharaf[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Serhiy Sidey[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Shi Ming[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Stephanie Luciano[/autotag] (6-1-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Steven Nguyen[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Stewart Nicoll[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]SuYoung You[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Thomas Petersen[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Timmy Cuamba[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
  • [autotag]Tom Nolan[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Tuco Tokkos[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
  • [autotag]Valter Walker[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Victor Hugo[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Wang Cong[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Xiao Long[/autotag] (27-9 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Yi Zha[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
  • [autotag]Zachary Scroggin[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
  • [autotag]Zhang Mingyang[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
  • [autotag]Zygimantas Ramaska[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC)

UFC Fight Night 247 loses another co-main event one day out

It was a rough day at the UFC Fight Night 247 weigh-ins.

LAS VEGAS – It was a rough day at the UFC Fight Night 247 weigh-ins.

Two fighters missed their marks on the scale. But even though he hit his mark, [autotag]Ricky Turcios[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was pulled from his bantamweight co-main event against [autotag]Bernardo Sopaj[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), it was announced after the official weigh-ins, for medical reasons.

That fight only had been elevated to the co-main event when an original matchup between former champion Cody Garbrandt and Miles Johns was scrapped when Garbrandt pulled out earlier in the week. Now the middleweight bout between UFC newcomer and former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Gerald Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC) presumably will get the esteemed second-billed spot, though the UFC has not yet made a formal announcement of the changes.

It is not yet known which fight from the prelims will move up to the planned five-fight main card, though all the fights stream on ESPN+, regardless. UFC Fight Night 247 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The new UFC Fight Night 247 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates
  • Reinier de Ridder vs. Gerald Meerschaert
  • Luana Pinheiro vs. Gillian Robertson
  • Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dusko Todorovic

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

  • Denise Gomes vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
  • Gaston Bolanos vs. Cortavious Romious
  • Zach Scroggin vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
  • Charlie Radtke vs. Matthew Semelsberger
  • Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Cody Stamann
  • Tresean Gore vs. Antonio Trocoli
  • Melissa Mullins vs. Klaudia Sygula

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 247.

Bernardo Sopaj: ‘No pressure’ with UFC Fight Night 247 bout elevated to co-main

Bernardo Sopaj has UFC title aspirations, so starting 0-2 in the octagon at UFC Vegas 100 is not an option.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Bernardo Sopaj[/autotag] has designs on one day being a UFC champion, so Saturday’s matchup with Ricky Turcios at UFC Fight Night 247 has a high degree of importance.

Sopaj (11-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a 24-year-old bantamweight out of Albania, stumbled in his octagon debut in March when he was on the receiving end of an all-time highlight reel flying knee knockout against Vinicius Oliveira after starting the fight strong.

It was an ugly way to be introduced to the UFC, but an important lesson and setback for Sopaj. It didn’t deter his goal of being champion, but starting 0-2 in the octagon would make his title trajectory that much longer, although it’s been done before.

“(A victory is) just one step closer to what I want, one step closer to the belt because I’m here to take the belt and nothing else,” Sopaj told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 247 media day. “I didn’t come here to celebrate a victory. I didn’t come here to say that I’m a UFC fighter. If I would come here for this it would be the wrong decision. When I started with MMA I said, ‘OK, if I want to do this, I have to be the best.’

“To be in the UFC, for me, is just the beginning. My goal is to be the best, my goal is to get the belt and be the greatest fighter.”

Sopaj will look to secure his first octagon triumph when he takes on Turcios (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at the UFC Apex (ESPN+). His opponent brings an unorthodox style to the cage, but it’s not an approach that breeds any concern from Sopaj.

“He’s a very good all-around fighter,” Sopaj said. “He has a little bit of a weird style. He’s like a street fighter. But I believe I’m better than him everywhere. I’m a more complete fighter than him, stronger than him and more technical.”

Originally, the matchup between Sopaj and Turcios was merely a piece of the six-fight main card on Saturday. Then former champion Cody Garbrandt withdrew from the co-main event against Miles Johns, and the lineup was shifted with Sopaj vs. Turcios now in the co-headliner.

That’s a bigger spotlight for Sopaj, but he said it’s only enhancing his motivation to deliver a spectacular performance.

“No pressure,” Sopaj said. “I feel very good, very confident. This gives me extra excitement. I feel very good. I learned about this (on Tuesday) and I feel very good about it. I’m happy. … I feel very good. I’m very grateful.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 247.

UFC Fight Night 238 post-event facts: Umar Nurmagomedov on the rise in bantamweight books

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 238, which saw Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Muhammad Mokaev and Umar Nurmagomedov make noise.

The UFC opened its March schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 238, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The main event saw [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) overcome a slow start to batter [autotag]Shamil Gaziev[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a referee TKO stoppage after the end of the fourth round, putting him back on the winning track.

For more on the numbers behind the card, which featured six finishes in 11 fights – and a couple of them unique – check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 238.

UFC Fight Night 238 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $24 million

UFC Fight Night 238 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 238 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $133,500.

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 238 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 238 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Shamil Gaziev[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tyson Pedro[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Bekzat Almakhan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bernardo Sopaj[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Aiemann Zahabi[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Christian Leroy Duncan[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Claudio Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]A.J. Cunningham[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady[/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 2381 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: $1,362,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,069,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 238.

UFC Fight Night 238 video: Vinicius Oliveira scores KO of the Year contender with vicious flying knee

Vinicius Oliveira scored one of the greatest knockouts by a debuting fighter in history with a brilliant flying knee at UFC Fight Night 238.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag] scored one of the greatest knockouts by a debuting fighter in history against [autotag]Bernardo Sopaj[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 238.

After getting beat up badly by Sopaj (11-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the first half of the bantamweight fight at the UFC Apex, Oliveira (20-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) flipped the script and dominated throughout the majority of the second and into the third and final round.

With just 19 seconds remaining, Sopaj stumbled away after taking a shot. Oliveira charged at him and flew into the air with a knee that landed flush across the jaw. Sopaj immediately folded to the canvas and was out cold for a good while at the 4:41 mark of Round 3, but he eventually regained consciousness and was helped out of the octagon by his team.

Check out the replay of the Knockout of the Year contender below (via X):

After the fight, Oliveira pleaded for a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus during his interview with Daniel Cormier. It would be nothing short of shocking if that didn’t come his way after an all-time highlight in his debut appearance.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 238 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 238.

Fresh Ink: Meet the 5 fighters the UFC signed in February 2024

Find out who joined the UFC in February and learn more about them here.

The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.

Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, “Dana White’s Contender Series” signees, or rare straight-up additions. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.

“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.

Check out the February 2024 list below.