Tag: Cameron Smotherman

Cameron Smotherman details wild short-notice UFC debut week after thoughts of quitting MMA

Cameron Smotherman was across the globe when he got a fight-week call to compete at UFC Vegas 99 for his debut.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cameron Smotherman[/autotag] was in Saudi Arabia to corner a teammate when he got a call that changed his life.

Just a few days ahead of UFC Fight Night 245, Smotherman (12-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) received a call from his manager asking him about his weight because Jake Hadley’s original opponent, Brady Hiestand, could no longer compete.

Smotherman did everything he could to ensure the opportunity wouldn’t pass him.

“I run to another hotel to check my weight, and then I’m like, “Oh, this sh*ts a little heavy,'” Smotherman said with a laugh during a post-fight news conference. “I’m not about to let this chance go to waste, and so I take a picture, but I grabbed the wall, and I just gave myself a little DC boost and took the picture, sent it.”

Smotherman said he immediately went to start cutting weight. A few minutes later, Smotherman received word he was in to face Hadley (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC), and needed to get on a plane immediately. He didn’t know who he would be facing, but he packed his bags and let his teammate know he was leaving.

“They were like, ‘Well, you know you’re not going to get here until Wednesday night?’ Smotherman said. “So, I’m like, ‘I don’t give a f*ck when I get here. I could get here Friday morning, and I’m going to f*cking make the weight.’ I got here Wednesday night and had to cut 20 pounds or some sh*t in a day and a half.”

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It was all worth it. Smotherman weighed in at 135.5 pounds for the bantamweight bout against Hadley and fought to an impressive unanimous decision win as a sizable short-notice underdog.

Everything moved so fast that things really didn’t start to hit Smotherman until he was in the middle of a post-fight interview in the octagon. It was then he could barely contain himself that he was now a winning UFC fighter, a dream that seemed bleak after being finished on Dana White’s Contender series last August.

That loss to Charalampos Grigoriou nearly sent Smotherman down a different path, but he stuck fighting, even though it was hard. He won his next three fights on the regional scene, stopping two of those opponents.

Despite winning three in a row, a path to the UFC didn’t seem realistic. So, how did he stay positive after the DWCS loss?

“Easy answer: You don’t stay positive,” Smotherman said. “I was negative as f*ck. I was about to quit every day. We were talking about this a few weeks ago. It was a running joke at the gym, ‘Oh, you know Cameron, he’s always about to quit.’ I’m like, because I am, motherf*cker! I’m not about to just – for me, I like fighting, but I don’t just love the sh*t to where I’m not about to just be fighting to fight.

“I’m fighting because I think I have a future in it, and I feel like I can do something with it. But yeah, it was hard as f*ck. I was depressed for a year and I didn’t even know it. … But I also realized in the back, that the reason I wanted to quit so much is because I was scared of failing.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

UFC Fight Night 245 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Darren Elkins’ $21,000 leads card

The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program has now paid out more than $29 million to athletes since its deal began with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 245 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $155,500.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 245 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cameron Smotherman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Asu Almabayev[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jean Matsumoto[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Elise Reed[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melissa Martinez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alice Ardelean[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/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 2451 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: $6,644,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,381,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Jake Hadley vs. Cameron Smotherman prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 245

Cameron Smotherman debuts on short notice in a UFC Fight Night 245 main card slot opposite Jake Hadley. Can he pull off a stunner?

[autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag] and [autotag]Cameron Smotherman[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 245 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-3
UFC main cards, 2024: 87-77-3

Jake Hadley vs. Cameron Smotherman UFC Fight Night 245 preview

Hadley (11-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) gets a late opponent change in a key spot as he looks to stay above .500 in the UFC. In his last outing, Hadley won a unanimous decision over Caolan Loughran, although a weight miss tainted it. This will be Hadley’s third fight of 2024. … Smotherman (11-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his UFC debut on very short notice. After being stopped on Dana White’s Contender Series last August, Smotherman has picked up three straight wins under Fury’s banner.

Jake Hadley vs. Cameron Smotherman UFC Fight Night 245 expert pick, prediction

Serving as an impromptu bout at bantamweight is a fight between Hadley and Smotherman.

Hadley was initially slated to face Brady Hiestand, who was forced to withdraw from the contest.

Smotherman, who was last seen in the Apex in a DWCS loss to Charalampos Grigoriou, is getting the short-notice call based on the strength of his current three-fight winning streak.

Smotherman can produce some fun moments if given the chance, but it’s hard to like said chances on this short of notice opposite a southpaw like Hadley.

Not only is Hadley a submission stud on the floor, but the Englishman can work at a high pace and loves to work the body (which I see being particularly effective in this contest).

The pick is Hadley to produce a stoppage by strikes in Round 2.

Jake Hadley vs. Cameron Smotherman UFC Fight Night 245 odds

The oddsmakers and the public favor the English fighter, listing Hadley -550 and Smotherman +390 via FanDuel.

Jake Hadley vs. Cameron Smotherman UFC Fight Night 245 start time, how to watch

Hadley and Smotherman are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 7:35 p.m. ET (4:35 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Dana White’s Contender Series 58 results: 5-for-5 on contracts for second week in a row

Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series continues Tuesday, and MMA Junkie will have live results from on-site at the UFC Apex.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reported live from Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 58 event.

Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.

The second episode of Season 7 saw 10 fighters compete for their shot at a UFC contract. A lightweight contest between George Hardwick (12-1) and Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (14-3) served as the featured bout of the five-bout lineup.

Although there were two decisions, all five winners received UFC contracts from White for the second week in a row.

Full results of Dana White’s Contender Series 58 below:

  • Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady def. George Hardwick via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Ibo Aslan def. Paulo Renato Jr. via knockout (punches) –  Round 1, 2:22
  • Hyder Amil def. Emrah Sonmez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Eduarda Moura def. Janaina Silva via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:00
  • Charalampos Grigoriou def. Cameron Smotherman via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:00

Continue reading below for more details about each fight.

Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 7 roster filling up for summer 2023 launch

Dana White’s Contender Series will return this summer. Check out the fighters and fights that have been booked thus far.

Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 7 is in the works.

DWCS debuted in 2017 with an eight-episode inaugural season. Season 2 was held in 2018 with eight episodes, followed by a three-episode DWCS: Brasil. In 2019, DWCS was extended to 10 episodes for its third season. The length was repeated in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Each season, the number of fighters signed has increased. Thus far, the show has produced UFC notables including Sean O’Malley, Maycee Barber, Geoff Neal, Ryan Spann, Sodiq Yusuff, Jamahal Hill, Taila Santos, Johnny Walker, Alex Perez, Bo Nickal, Jailton Almeida, Jack Della Maddalena, and Marina Rodriguez among others.

In recent weeks, the UFC matchmakers have been gearing up for a summer DWCS return, expected to launch Aug. 8. Athletes and matchups have slowly but surely been booked. The number of episodes for Season 7 is not yet known.

Scroll below to see the latest athletes and fights booked, which have been confirmed by MMA Junkie or posted about by the fighters involved. This list will be updated as more fighters and matchups come to light.