Tag: Bolaji Oki

UFC Saudi Arabia loses another fight days prior to event

Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 250 in Saudi Arabia is down to 11 fights.

The UFC’s return to Saudi Arabia has lost another fight.

Six days prior to UFC Fight Night 250, [autotag]Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady[/autotag] announced his lightweight prelim bout is off due to a withdrawal by opponent [autotag]Bolaji Oki[/autotag]. The event takes place Saturday at ANB Arena in Riyadh.

Al-Selwady (15-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) announced the news on an Instagram story Monday and indicated there will be no replacement opponent. Bolaji (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has yet to comment publicly on the withdrawal.

The cancellation comes two days after Andre Muniz revealed his main card middleweight bout vs. Ikram Aliskerov was canceled due to passport issues. The card will proceed with 11 bouts, barring any further unforeseen cancellations.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 250 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, noon ET)

  • Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov
  • Shara Magomedov vs. Michael Page
  • Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira
  • Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli
  • Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 9 a.m. ET)

  • Damir Hadzovic vs. Terrance McKinney
  • Mike Davis vs. Fares Ziam
  • Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
  • Lucas Alexander vs. Bogdan Grad
  • Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 250.

Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady: Bolaji Oki’s aggressive style will help with bonus at UFC Saudi Arabia

Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady thinks Bolaji Oki will make for an exciting fight at UFC Fight Night 250.

[autotag]Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Bolaji Oki[/autotag] will make for an exciting fight at UFC Fight Night 250.

Originally scheduled to face Jordan Leavitt, Al-Selwady (15-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will now face Oki (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a lightweight bout Feb. 1 at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Al-Selwady sees Oki as an opponent who will bring out the best in him.

“I like the matchup. He’s an aggressive style kickboxer, striker,” Al-Selwady told MMA Junkie of Oki. “He’s very athletic, strong, but guess what? So am I. I think he’s going to help me get a UFC bonus because of his aggression and my aggression. We both don’t step back. We both don’t give up. So, one of us is going out, and I can tell you one thing: I’m really hungry for this, and it’s not going to be me.”

After upsetting former Cage Warriors champion George Hardwick to earn a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Al-Selwady lost his promotional debut to Loik Radzhabov by third-round TKO in March. It was a back-and-forth battle, where Al-Selwady was starting to rally before getting stopped.

The Fortis MMA fighter took many valuable lessons from that fight.

“I’m happy from everything that happened in that fight, except just frustrated at myself because I kind of let go,” Al-Selwady said. “I saw the finish line, and I knew I was winning the fight – even though it was scored 1-1 in rounds, the way he kept looking at the clock, the way that he was tired, I knew I had him. It let me let go of the gas just a little bit, just enough for him to catch me in that one exchange. It’s just another one of those really hard lessons that you just have to remind yourself that the fight isn’t over until it’s over.

“I’m really happy with the adversity that I had to overcome. It was back-and-forth in the beginning, and then the second round was all mine. Even the first round, he was being really aggressive, but I also rocked him towards the end of the first round. It was pretty back-and-forth, but me, mentally, I’m really happy with the things that I went through in that fight, and I just know that I can beat that guy again, and again, and again.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=420030788]

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

Bolaji Oki replaces Jordan Leavitt at UFC Saudi Arabia vs. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady

The UFC Saudi Arabia fight card has been hit with a change.

The UFC Saudi Arabia lineup has been tweaked.

With [autotag]Jordan Leavitt[/autotag] out, [autotag]Bolaji Oki[/autotag] steps in to face [autotag]Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 250 on Feb. 1 at ANB Arena in Riyadh. The reason for Leavitt’s withdrawal is not clear at this time.

Two people with knowledge of the change recently informed MMA Junkie of the new lightweight matchup but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Oki (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) won a split decision over Timmy Cuamba in his UFC debut in February. He returned in September when he was put to sleep by Chris Duncan in a bizarre sequence.

Al-Selwady (15-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) earned his UFC contract after an impressive upset victory over highly-touted George Hardwick on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. He debuted in March when he lost a second-round knockout to Loik Radzhabov.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 250 lineup includes:

  • Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov
  • Shara Magomedov vs. Michael Page
  • Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira
  • Damir Hadzovic vs. Terrance McKinney
  • Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Bolaji Oki
  • Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
  • Lucas Alexander vs. Bogdan Grad
  • Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli
  • Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues
  • Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen
  • Mike Davis vs. Fares Ziam

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 250.

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)

‘What the f*ck?’: Inside the mind of Chris Duncan during bizarre UFC Fight Night 243 submission

Chris Duncan recounts his thoughts during his UFC Paris submission in which he had to alert the referee that his opponent was asleep.

An unusual finishing sequence at UFC Fight Night 243 in Paris on Saturday that resulted in a fighter snoozing even baffled the bout’s winner.

[autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag], like most viewers, was stunned when he determined [autotag]Bolaji Oki[/autotag] was snoozing on his chest after popping out of a guillotine choke in their lightweight prelim clash at Accor Arena.

The submission itself was not unfamiliar territory. Duncan (12-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) adores the guillotine choke. As he squeezed Oki’s neck, however, the math didn’t add up. Something was off.

“I remember being in that moment,” Duncan told MMA Junkie on Monday. “I’ve trained with the best guys in the world. I went with them and tapped them and stuff like that. I’ve never had it in there and had it locked up and feeling how tight my hands were and where his chin was. I said to myself, ‘Why is this guy not tapping?’ I was like, ‘I have tapped every person I’ve ever trained with with this submission, and this guy is not tapping.'”

Duncan struggled to find answers and eventually aborted the attempt when he heard his coach and former UFC fighter Thiago Alves’ instructions to abandon.

“He said, ‘Chris, if it’s not on, you need to move on. You can’t just sit here and hold onto his neck,'” Duncan said. “So the next part was to let go, put my hand on the back of his neck, and slow down his posture so he can’t punch me straight away or elbow me. So I let go of his head, and I was ready for him to posture up.”

[lawrence-related id=2775136,2775041]

But Oki (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) didn’t posture up. He was limp. Duncan landed two short punches to Oki’s head before realizing his opponent was unconscious. Duncan notified the referee, who eventually waved the fight off, then scooted out from under the corpse-like weight of his unconscious foe.

“That’s why I was laughing,” Duncan said. “Because after the fight, I was like, ‘I can’t believe the guy went out like that. That’s f*cking insane.’ Obviously, people tap and people go out. But it was jut the way he was still on top of me. That’s why I was laughing. It was like, ‘Oh, he just went out. What the f*ck?'”

The laughs continued well into the night. Rather than stick around in the arena, Duncan elected to go stream teammate Robert Whiteford’s fight that was taking place in PFL, and then grab food.

Duncan and his team went for grub at a local kebab joint. When they walked in, his fight was being replayed, much to the delight of the other patrons eating there. They got to watch Duncan’s fight over with the man himself. Then, they watch Duncan break into tears when he was notified of his $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

“One of my mates is videoing me,” Duncan said. “I’m like, ‘No, 100 percent? Double check.’ He went on Wikipedia, all these different sites, Google, and it’s all coming up. I was just moved into tears in a kebab shop. All the people who were watching me laughing and cheering were watching me crying. It’s just such a mix of emotions and it’s in the middle of this kebab shop in the middle of nowhere in France which is insane. Yeah, these stories are a massive part of the journey and sometimes you’ve just got to take yourself back and enjoy these moments.”

For now, Duncan will continue to enjoy the moment – until he gets another assignment from UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby. Whether it’s a rebooking of a previously canceled matchup, such as Terrance McKinney and Nazim Sadykhov, or a totally new one, Duncan is ready for any challenge that awaits him next.

“These fights that have already been made are something I’d like to get back due to me pulling out and stuff like that,” Duncan said. “To be honest with you, man. I don’t think I really get a say being as low-level as I am. I’m right at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to fighting. I’m nowhere near the level of these guys in the top 10. I think just take the fights they put in front of me and do really well without being stupid and taking stuff on really late notice and cutting too much too early like I did earlier.”

Regardless of name, Duncan has an offer on the table to whomever he fights next.

“If anyone wants to take me down, feel free,” Duncan laughed.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

UFC Fight Night 243 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Renato Moicano’s $16,000 among top earners

UFC Fight Night 243 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $173,500.

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 243 took place at Accor Arena in Paris. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 243 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Benoit Saint Denis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]William Gomis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Morgan Charriere[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gabriel Miranda[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Ivan Erslan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Oumar Sy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Darya Zheleznyakova[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Daniel Barez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jacqueline Cavalcanti[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Bolaji Oki[/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 2431 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: $5,895,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $28,632,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

Bolaji Oki surprised by split decision win at UFC Fight Night 236: ‘For me it was obvious that I won’

Bolaji Oki thinks he clearly won his UFC debut.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Bolaji Oki[/autotag] thinks he clearly won his UFC debut.

Oki (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) defeated Tim Cuamba (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) by split decision this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 236 from the UFC Apex.

Oki, who extended his winning streak to nine, was stunned to hear the judges call the outcome a split decision.

“For me, it was obvious that I won the fight,” Oki told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC Fight Night 236. “He didn’t do anything except for the takedown in the second round, with the elbows maybe. So maybe he had the second round, but for me I had the first and the third for sure. So how is it a split decision? It has to be a unanimous decision.”

Oki punched his ticket to the UFC with a first-round TKO on Dana White’s Contender Series this past August. The 28-year-old was disappointed not to get the finish, but promises to deliver moving forward.

“I’m happy, but I know I could do better,” Oki said. “That’s not the best version of myself, but I am happy. It’s my first UFC win, but for sure I can do better. You’ve not seen the best ‘Zulu’ in there, but for sure you’re going to see with time.”

[lawrence-related id=2714101,2714290,2714298,2714296]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.

UFC Fight Night 236 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Multiple veterans net max non-title money

UFC Fight Night 236 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 236 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $236,500.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 236 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Robert Bryczek[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Darrius Flowers[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Bolaji Oki[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tim Cuamba[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Loma Lookboonmee[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bruna Brasil[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Marcin Prachnio[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jeremiah Wells[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bogdan Guskov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zac Pauga[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Hyder Amil[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Fernie Garcia[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Daniel Marcos[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Aori Qileng[/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 2361 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: $850,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,557,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.

UFC Fight Night 236 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 236 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 236 took place Saturday with 14 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 Fight Night 236 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.

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

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 Dec. 18-24.