Tag: Cesar Almeida

Cesar Almeida responds to criticism of UFC 307 referee: ‘This is normal’

referee Dave Seljestad went under fire for questionable officiating – but fight winner Cesar Almeida says it’s all normal.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag] largely dominated his UFC 307 bout Saturday in Salt Lake City, but much of the narrative coming out of the bout was surrounding the non-fighter in the cage.

Throughout the 15 minutes that resulted in a unanimous decision win for Almeida (6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), officiating of the bout vs. Ihor Potieria (20-7 MMA, 2-5 UFC) was called into question by many viewers including commentator Jon Anik.

Referee Dave Seljestad, a veteran referee from the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission that regulated the event, witnessed and acknowledged several fouls throughout the bout and also quickly separated the fighters along the fence on multiple occasions.

For the victor, the officiating did not seem abnormal. Almeida acknowledged the two fighters were tired and said that could’ve lead to the judges’ decision.

“I think it’s because (we) were a little tired in the three rounds,” Almeida told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference at Delta Center. “He tried this, to stop the fight. He keep it brief, but this is normal. This is MMA. The guy can make this several times wrestling in the middle of the fight. … It’s normal. The fans say this, but in the cage it’s very hard this fight.”

A win is a win for Almeida, who controlled Potieira for much of their middleweight bout. The victory was hugely important for Almeida as it bounced him back into the win column after a June split decision loss to Roman Kopylov.

“I’m so happy today and this night because I’m back to the win,” Almeida said. “This is very important for me. I have my own strategy for the fight. I’m keeping this game and distance and connecting the hands, kicks, a lot of kicks, and the arm of the guy and it worked. It was very, very nice.

As he spoke to reporters backstage, Almeida sported a black wrap on his right hand. He was unsure the extent of the damage and said he needs to see a physician. Whenever it is that he’s ready to return, Almeida suggested a ranked opponent be next.

“I’m back to the gym Monday,” Almeida said. “(I’ll be back in) December or January. It depends on my hand. … I don’t know. Maybe in the top 15. I feel ready.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

 

UFC 307 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program cracks $29 million total paid since Venum deal

The UFC has now paid more than $29 million to its athletes under the Promotional Guidelines Compliance program following UFC 307.

SALT LAKE CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 307 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $407,500.

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 307 took place at Delta Center in Utah. The main card aired on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 307 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Tecia Pennington[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Court McGee[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: $21,000

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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,302,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,039,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Cesar Almeida def. Ihor Potieria at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Cesar Almeida’s unanimous decision win over Ihor Potieria at UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag] at UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. (Fight and venue photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA Today Sports)

UFC 302 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Islam Makhachev’s $42,000 tops card

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 302 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $218,500.

NEWARK, N.J. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 302 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $281,500.

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

The full UFC 302 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bassil Hafez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mitch Raposo[/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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,264,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,001,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

UFC 302 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC 302 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

NEWARK, N.J. – UFC 302 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

You can hear from all the UFC 302 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Roman Kopylov def. Cesar Almeida at UFC 302: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Roman Kopylov’s split decision win over Cesar Almeida at UFC 302.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]’s split decision win over [autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag] at UFC 302 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (Fight and venue photos by Joe Camporeale, USA Today Sports)

Cesar Almeida calls out ex-champ Chris Weidman after UFC debut win over Dylan Budka

Cesar Almeida knocked out Dylan Budka at UFC Fight Night 240 for a $50,000 bonus and called out a former champion.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag] beat Dylan Budka with a second-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 240 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Almeida, who called out former middleweight champion Chris Weidman after the win in his UFC debut.

UFC Fight Night 240 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2024 total passes $2 million

UFC Fight Night 240 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 240 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $162,500.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 240 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Chepe Mariscal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Morgan Charriere[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Charlie Campbell[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevor Peek[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Court McGee[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Lukasz Brzeski[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Valter Walker[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Victor Hugo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Falcao[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jean Matsumoto[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dylan Budka[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Melissa Mullins[/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 2401 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: $2,005,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,742,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC Fight Night 240 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 240 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 240 took place Saturday with 12 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 240 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 240.

UFC Fight Night 240 video: Cesar Almeida, who holds kickboxing win over Alex Pereira, shines with debut TKO

Kickboxing veteran Cesar Almeida, who has beaten Alex Pereira, finished his UFC Fight Night 240 debut by TKO, then called out Chris Weidman.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag] showed much more of his potential than he did on Dana White’s Contender Series during Saturday’s octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 240.

The powerful striking of kickboxing specialist Almeida (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who holds a win in that sport over current UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, was on full display. He thwarted key takedown attempts from opponent [autotag]Dylan Budka[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), then rattled off elbows, punches then ground-and-pound for the TKO at the 2:13 mark of Round 2 in the middleweight bout at the UFC Apex.

Check out the replay of the final sequence below (via X):

After the fight, Almeida hailed his growth in the grappling. He was frustrated he gave up an early takedown in the fight, but thinks he’s evolving where that’s not going to happen too often in the future.

“I trained a lot of jiu-jitsu in Brazil,” Almeida told Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview. “I’m ready for all the wresters in this division. I’m ready, motherf*ckers.”

Almeida wasn’t kidding, either. He called out former UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman after the fight and said he would happy to be tested on the mat.

“Weidman, I’m ready for you brother,” Almeida said. “Let’s see if you can stop me on the ground. Let’s go brother.”

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Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 240 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.