Tag: Braxton Smith

UFC veterans in MMA, bareknuckle MMA and kickboxing action Sept. 7-9

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC travels to Australia for UFC 293.

The pay-per-view event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney features a middleweight title fight between champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA, bareknuckle MMA and kickboxing this week from Sept. 7-9.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

UFC heavyweight Braxton Smith suspended for exogenous testosterone administration

After a failed UFC debut, Braxton Smith also is dealing with a failed drug test that will keep him out of action for a long time.

UFC heavyweight [autotag]Braxton Smith[/autotag] failed in his attempt to capture his first promotional win – and now he’s failed a drug test, too.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency publicly announced a two-year suspension for Smith after a urine sample he submitted tested positive for exogenous administration of testosterone and its precursors in two out-of-competition tests on April 19 and May 4, and one in-competition test May 6.

“Smith’s urine sample was analyzed using a specialized test, known as Carbon Isotope Ratio (CIR) testing, that differentiates between anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) naturally produced by the body and prohibited anabolic agents of external origin,” USADA said in a statement. “The CIR test confirmed the presence of testosterone and/or its metabolites of external origin in Smith’s urine sample. All AAS are non-Specified Substances in the class of Anabolic Agents and prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and UFC Prohibited List.”

Since Smith was not notified of his failures until the third sample was already submitted, the three tests only count as one violation. The tests occurred in and around his May 6 bout vs. [autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag] at UFC 288. Since Smith lost by first-round TKO, no changes to the bout result are required.

Smith will be eligible to return to competition April 19, 2025 by USADA standards, but he could face different sanctions from the New Jersey State Athletic Commission, who has yet to publicly rule on the matter.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.

UFC 288 post-event facts: Aljamain Sterling takes sole possession of 135-pound wins record

Check out the statistics coming out of UFC 288, where Aljamain Sterling added to a resume that points to him being the bantamweight GOAT.

The UFC made its return to New Jersey after nearly four years Saturday with UFC 288, which took place at Prudential Center in Newark and featured a 12-fight lineup with six stoppage results.

One of the fights that went the distance happened in the main event when [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) retained the bantamweight title with a split decision win over former two-division champ [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC), who was returning from a three-year retirement.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 288.

UFC 288 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Aljamain Sterling nets biggest bag

Aljamain Sterling received the highest Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay for entering UFC 288 as champion.

NEWARK, N.J. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 288 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $267,500.

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 288 took place at Prudential Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 288 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kron Gracie[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Khaos Williams[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rolando Bedoya[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Braxton Smith[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ikram Aliskerov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Claudio Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Joseph Holmes[/autotag]: $4,500

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: $2,823,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $17,412,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.

Parker Porter def. Braxton Smith at UFC 288: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Parker Porter’s first-round TKO win over Braxton Smith at UFC 288 in Newark, N.J.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag]’s first-round TKO win over [autotag]Braxton Smith[/autotag] at UFC 288 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (Photos by Ed Mulholland, USA TODAY Sports)

Fresh Ink: Meet the 6 fighters the UFC signed in April 2023

Find out who joined the UFC in April 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 the increasingly 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 April 2023 list below.

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

Parker Porter expected to welcome newcomer ‘The Beautiful Monster’ Braxton Smith at UFC 288

Heavyweights will collide May 6 in New Jersey as Parker Porter welcomes Braxton Smith to the promotion.

A heavyweight bout has been added to the UFC pay-per-view event in May.

At UFC 288 on May 6 in Newark, N.J., [autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 3-3 UFC) is expected to welcome promotional newcomer [autotag]Braxton Smith[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), pending bout finalization.

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

Porter, 37, looks to rebound from back-to-back first-round finish defeats to Jailton Almeida and Justin Tafa. The two-fight skid snapped a three-fight winning streak that included victories over Josh Parisian, Chase Sherman, and Alan Baudot.

Smith, 33, is the Peak Fighting heavyweight champion. He has won five fights in a row all by first-round TKO or knockout. His only career loss was in 2014 against current UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman.

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo
  • Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush
  • Bryce Mitchell vs. Jonathan Pearce
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan
  • Rolando Bedoya vs. Khaos Williams

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Johnny Munoz vs. Daniel Santos
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Armen Petrosyan vs. TBA
  • Devin Clark vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain
  • Rafael Estevam vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
  • Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola
  • Joseph Holmes vs. Claudio Ribeiro
  • Ikram Aliskerov vs. Phil Hawes
  • Parker Porter vs. Braxton Smith

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.