Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Ilia Topuria breaks down his highlight-reel knockout of Damon Jackson at UFC on ESPN 19.
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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag] with a brutal knockout combination during Saturday’s preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 19 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Topuria, as he reveals his gameplan entering Saturday, recaps his brutal knockout, and speaks on what’s next.
UFC on ESPN 19 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 19 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $120,000.
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 on ESPN 19 took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 19 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag]: $20,000
[autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Justin Jaynes[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]John Allan[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Louis Smolka[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Jose Quinonez[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Jordan Leavitt[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Matt Wiman[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Gian Villante[/autotag]: $20,000
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $6,153,000
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $37,207,500
Three main card fighters and one prelim fighter are facing lengthy suspensions.
Former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] is among four fighters facing potential 180-day medical suspensions as a result of damage sustained at UFC on ESPN+ 36 on Saturday.
Woodley suffered a rib injury in the fifth round of his main event fight against [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], which resulted in a TKO. Monday, Woodley revealed his ribs were broken earlier in the fight and shifted on a fifth-round guillotine choke submission attempt, which led to the finish.
On Tuesday, MMA Junkie obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.
Joining Woodley on the list of UFC on ESPN+ 36 fighters facing potential six-month suspensions is co-headliner [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag], who fought to a draw with [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]. Price may have suffered a serious injury to his right hand, according to the medical records.
[autotag]Randa Markos[/autotag], who was submitted by [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] via armbar in the first round of their main card fight, injured her elbow and will need clearance to compete before her 180-day term is up.
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Preliminary card fighter and UFC debutant [autotag]Sarah Alpar[/autotag] suffered a nasal fracture as a result of damage sustained against [autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag]. The finish garnered attention from many reporters and viewers alike, including UFC president Dana White. Midway through Round 3, referee Chris Tognoni stopped the fight for a legal knee. The action resumed, but Alpar was finished with strikes shortly thereafter.
Alpar has also been suspended 180 days – or until a doctor grants her clearance.
Below is the full list of UFC on ESPN+ 36 medical suspensions:
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UFC on ESPN+ 36 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 36 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $169,000.
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 on ESPN+ 36 took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 36 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]: $20,000
vs. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Randa Markos[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Darren Stewart[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]David Dvorak[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Jordan Espinosa[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mirsad Bektic[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Mara Borella[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sarah Alpar[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]TJ Laramie[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Randy Costa[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Journey Newson[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Andre Ewell[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Irwin Rivera[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jerome Rivera[/autotag]: $3,500
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $4,598,500
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $35,603,000
Damon Jackson spoke to the media following UFC on ESPN+ 36 in Las Vegas.
Damon Jackson spoke to the media following UFC on ESPN+ 36 in Las Vegas.
Damon Jackson’s return to the UFC on short notice led to the biggest moment of his career against Mirsad Bektic at UFC on ESPN+ 36.
[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]’s return to the UFC on short notice led to the biggest moment of his career as he upset [autotag]Mirsad Bektic[/autotag] on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 36.
After fizzling out of the UFC following a winless three-fight stint from 2014-2016, Jackson (18-3-1 MMA, 1-1-1 UFC) got his opportunity back on the big stage years later as a replacement opponent for highly touted featherweight Bektic (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC).
Bektic came in as the second-biggest betting favorite on the card, and for the first two rounds the odds made sense. He jumped on multiple submission attempts, but Bektic was able to cruise through them and keep positional and the striking control.
The tide turned in the third, though, when Jackson found an opportunity for a mounted guillotine choke that forced the tap at the 1:21 mark of the final frame.
Watch the video of Jackson’s sensational win below (via Twitter):
3️⃣ DAYS NOTICE.
Damon Jackson with sub No. 1️⃣4️⃣ in his UFC return.
[ Tune in – LIVE on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/qD349adm0j
— UFC (@ufc) September 19, 2020
Comeback Kid!
Jackson keeps coming for three straight rounds 😤 #UFCVegas11 pic.twitter.com/lsxcqR6W3f
— UFC (@ufc) September 19, 2020
Jackson, who is one of the founding member of the Dallas-based Fortis MMA team, was thrilled with his victory after the fact. It took him 10 fights and claiming and LFA belt between UFC stints, but it was well worth it for his huge first moment of triumph inside the octagon.
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Damon Jackson has gotten the call back to the UFC and will step in on short notice to face Mirsad Bektic at UFC on ESPN+ 36.
[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag] will get a second shot in the UFC.
[autotag]Eduardo Garagorri[/autotag] has been forced out of UFC on ESPN+ 36 due to a positive COVID-19 test and Jackson (17-3-1 MMA, 0-1-1 UFC) will step in on short notice to face [autotag]Mirsad Bektic[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) on Saturday.
MMA Junkie confirmed the booking after an initial report from Bloody Canvas.
Jackson, a UFC, Bellator, LFA and PFL veteran, has fought across all major MMA organizations. Since parting ways with the UFC in 2016, Jackson has won eight of his past 10 fights with all but one of his wins coming by finish.
Bektic has struggled of late, dropping two straight for the first time in his career. After picking up wins over Godofredo Pepey and Ricardo Lamas, Bektic has lost back-to-back to Josh Emmett and, most recently, Dan Ige at UFC 247 in February.
With the change, the current UFC on ESPN+ 36 includes:
MAIN CARD (8 p.m., ESPN+)
PRELIMINARY CARD (5 p.m., ESPN+)
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With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from March 2020.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from March 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Month” award for March.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
* * * *
Damon Jackson def. Mauro Chaulet at LFA 83
[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag] (17-3-1) rebounded from a winless 2019 when he quickly dispatched of an overmatched Mauro Chaulet (13-7) in their featherweight headliner.
Chaulet got in an advantageous position over Chaulet on the ground and managed to lock in a rear-naked choke a little more than two minutes in. Chaulet couldn’t escape, and Jackson secured his 13th career submission finish.
Gerald Meerschaert def. Deron Winn at UFC 248
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] (31-12 MMA, 6-4 UFC) got his first win of 2020 when he submitted American Kickboxing Academy’s Deron Winn (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in a fun fight that went down in the middleweight division.
Meerschaert took some big shots early in the fight but eventually found his range, rocked his opponent and finished with a rear-asked choke in the third round. The win saw “GM3” improve to 2-1 in his past three UFC outings.
WOW! It ain't over till it's over! 👏@The_Real_GM3 with a HUGE R3 to sink in the RNC for the victory! #UFC248 pic.twitter.com/AHfPC402Of
— UFC (@ufc) March 8, 2020
Rodolfo Vieira def. Saparbek Safarov at UFC 248
Rodolfo Vieira (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) likely was on his way to a doctor’s stoppage loss against Saparbeg Safarov (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC). Fortunately for him, he finished the fight before the doctor could intervene.
With his eye mangled and swollen shut, Vieira took care of business inside the first round against Safarov in their middleweight bout, securing an arm-triangle choke for the submission.
Renato Moicano def. Damir Hadzovic at UFC on ESPN+ 28
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) shined in his lightweight debut when he steamrolled Damir Hadzovic (13-6 MMA, 3-4 UFC) in the first round to put a fresh coat of paint on his career.
The former featherweight contender needed just 44 seconds to dispatch of Hadzovic with a rear-naked choke. He quickly got the fight to the ground, took the back and then finished the job to conclude a short night at the office.
Charles Oliveira def. Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN+ 28
[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 17-8 UFC) picked up his first UFC main event win when he defeated Kevin Lee (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) to extend his winning streak to seven.
Oliveira extended his streak with a third-round submission win over Lee courtesy of a guillotine choke. The Brazilian waited for his moment to attack with the choke, and when he got it tied the UFC’s all-time stoppage record.
* * * *
Oliveira’s day finally has come, even if it came on a strange day.
“Do Bronx” has long been a talented competitor, but never quite put it all together over a sustained period of time.
Those days are over, though. Unfazed by the strange setting of an empty Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Brazil, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Oliveira put on a masterful show in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 28.
Oliveira finished former interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee with a guillotine choke 28 seconds into the third round. The bout was contested at a catchweight of 158.5 pounds after Lee missed weight the previous day.
With that, Oliveira won his seventh straight bout. They’ve all come by way of finish. He added to his UFC submission record at 14 and tied Donald Cerrone’s company mark for finishes at 16.
It didn’t take long to figure how the fight was going to flow. Lee’s base is wrestling, and he scored an early takedown, but Oliveira immediately went for heel hooks and leg locks. Lee’s wrestling is crafty enough that he managed to scramble bad spots, but as often as not, he’d wander into another submission attempt.
The second proved to be bad news for Lee, too, as Oliveira showed off his much-improved stand-up game, stalking Lee down and landing uppercuts. Lee went for a takedown, but that once again simply got him tangled in a spider web of submission attempts.
JUST THAT QUICKLY! 👀
🇧🇷 Oliveira ends the night from #UFCBrasilia. pic.twitter.com/m8uJShU4kc
— UFC (@ufc) March 15, 2020
Lee did manage his best offense of the fight at the end of Round 2, when he got top control and landed solid right hands and elbows. But in the third, he once again had to land a defensive takedown, and from there, it was a mere matter of second before Oliveira finished him with the choke.
Lee, who may have gone out with the choke, protested that he didn’t tap, but the replay made it clear he did on several occasions.
[opinary poll=”submission-of-the-month-for-march_mmajun-JPhSBM” customer=”mmajunkie”]
A former champion will return to LFA in March to try to climb his way back to title contention.
A former champion will return to LFA in March to try to climb his way back to title contention.
Ex-featherweight champ [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag] (16-3-1) is set to headline LFA 83 against Brazil’s [autotag]Mauro Chaulet[/autotag] (14-6), the promotion announced Wednesday. In the co-feature, [autotag]Matt Dixon[/autotag] (8-0) puts his unbeaten record on the line in a welterweight bout against [autotag]Justin Patterson[/autotag] (11-5).
Plus, acrobatics All-American [autotag]Hailey Cowan[/autotag] (4-1) will be on the card against a bantamweight opponent still to be announced, [autotag]Emeka Ifekandu[/autotag] (6-3) meets [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] (7-0) at featherweight, and [autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag] (6-2) takes on [autotag]Vernon Lewis[/autotag] (7-4) in a heavyweight bout.
LFA 83 takes place March 6 at The Bomb Factory in Dallas. The card streams on UFC Fight Pass.
“Damon Jackson is our former featherweight champion and he will be looking to gain a record-setting seventh LFA win in front of his home crowd, while Mauro Chaulet is looking to build off the momentum of his debut win for us in September by winning the biggest fight of career,” LFA CEO Ed Soares stated. “This is an exciting main event with a lot on the line for both men.”
Jackson vacated his featherweight title to take a shot at the PFL’s $1 million 2019 season. But that experiment lasted just 10 seconds. Jackson’s five-fight winning streak – all finishes – was snapped by Movlid Khaybulaev with a jumping knee in May 2019. The 10-second KO was the only PFL appearance for Jackson, who also had three fights in the UFC.
Chaulet has three straight wins. This past September, he made his promotional debut with a split call over Samson Phommabout in the LFA 75 co-main event. That was the Brazilian’s first fight in more than five years.
The LFA 83 card includes:
