Tag: Daniel Pineda

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.

UFC Fight Night 245 bonuses: 9 decisions + 11 fights = Only 3 $50,000 checks

The UFC handed out three bonuses after Saturday’s card – one less than is customary.

The UFC handed out three bonuses after Saturday’s card – one less than is customary.

After UFC Fight Night 245, three fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

Performance of the Night: Anthony Hernandez

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 19: (R-L) Anthony Hernandez punches Michel Pereira of Brazil in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 19, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Anthony Hernandez def. Michel Pereira via TKO (strikes) – Round 5, 2:22

[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) absolutely destroyed Michel Pereira (31-12 MMA, 9-3 UFC) and eventually finished him with a fifth-round TKO. But the fight really could’ve been stopped well before that. Hernandez landed 10 takedowns for more than three full rounds of control time. He set a new record for takedown attempts and called for fights at the next level at middleweight.

Fight of the Night: Darren Elkins def. Daniel Pineda

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 19: (L-R) Daniel Pineda knees Darren Elkins in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 19, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Darren Elkins def. Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag] (29-11 MMA, 19-10 UFC) and [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] (28-17 MMA, 5-8 UFC) put on a classic Elkins fight, with blood all over the canvas by the time things were done. This time, most of it was Elkins’ opponent and not his own, though. Elkins and Pineda had a grinder of a scrap, and after 15 back-and-forth minutes, Elkins had his third win in four fights – and Pineda hung up his gloves.

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

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 245

Will hardened veteran Darren Elkins be able to grind out a win over Daniel Pineda in the UFC Fight Night 245 main card opener?

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/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

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda UFC Fight Night 245 preview

Elkins (28-11 MMA, 18-10 UFC) has traded wins and losses over his last four fights, and enters his first fight in a year after a third-round submission win over TJ Brown.  The 40-year-old grizzled veteran last put together back-to-back wins when he finished Eduardo Garagorri in November 2020 and Darrick Minner in July 2021. … Pineda (28-16 MMA, 5-7 UFC) has dropped back-to-back fights against Nathaniel Wood and Alex Caceres. The 39-year-old’s last victory was a second-round submission of Tucker Lutz last March.

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda UFC Fight Night 245 expert pick, prediction

Kicking off the main card is a proper featherweight action between Elkins and Pineda that would make Joe Silva proud.

Elkins, who reminds me of the Matt Damon doll in “Team America,” is a fan favorite to all for the blood and guts wars he’s graced us with.

And though he’s not as popular as a name, Pineda deserves similar distinctions due to his fan-friendly style of prioritizing finishes over winning rounds.

Both men are toward the tail end of their careers given their age, yet each fights with the fervor of a 20-year-old trying to prove their manhood.

But that aside, the dynamic of this fight is fairly clear: either Pineda will finish his foe early, or Elkins will come on strong to drag things out late.

Despite tending to side with the latter part of that equation, I find myself liking the Pineda side in this spot.

Not only is Pineda’s striking too potent to overlook opposite an aging Elkins, but “The Pit” is quietly one of the most dangerous submission grapplers in that division – so don’t be surprised to see a submission win this Saturday.

The pick is Pineda to score a club-and-sub win via guillotine in Round 2.

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda UFC Fight Night 245 odds

Although the oddsmakers opened the slightly younger fighter as a slight favorite, public money pushed this contest to pick’em odds, listing Pineda -106 and Elkins -114 via FanDuel.

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda UFC Fight Night 245 start time, how to watch

As the main card opener, Elkins and Pineda are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 7:05 p.m. ET (4:05 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.

Darren Elkins returns, books 29th UFC fight vs. Daniel Pineda on Oct. 19

Darren Elkins still has fight left in him.

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag] still has fight left in him.

Elkins (28-11 MMA, 18-10 UFC), 40, returns to face fellow featherweight veteran [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] (28-16 MMA, 5-7 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 19, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Elkins confirmed the news on his social media after an initial report from Pineda’s management Iridium Sports Agency.

Winner of four of his past six, Elkins hasn’t competed since a third-round submission of T.J. Brown in October 2023. Two months later he suffered a break in his right tibia and fibula in a freak accident during jiu-jitsu class, which required surgery.

After submitting Tucker Lutz to earn a Performance of the Night bonus in March 2023, Pineda has lost two straight to Alex Caceres, then Nathaniel Wood at UFC 304 in July.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Oct. 19 includes:

  • Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira
  • Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips
  • Asu Almabayev vs. Matheus Nicolau
  • Robelis Despaigne vs. Austen Lane
  • Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji
  • Brad Katona vs. Jean Matsumoto
  • Jessica Penne vs. Elise Reed
  • Jake Hadley vs. Brady Hiestand
  • Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda

UFC 304 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Leon Edwards, Tom Aspinall lead with $42,000

Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall fetched maximum $42,000 payouts under the Promotional Guidelines Compliance for entering UFC 304 with belts.

MANCHESTER, England – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 304 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $307,500.

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 304 took place at Co-op Live. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 304 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]King Green[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Christian Leroy Duncan[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Bruna Brasil[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Caolan Loughran[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Oban Elliott[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Preston Parsons[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Marcin Prachnio[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Sam Patterson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kiefer Crosbie[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mick Parkin[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Lukasz Brzeski[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Shauna Bannon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alice Ardelean[/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: $4,575,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $27,312,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Nathaniel Wood def. Daniel Pineda at UFC 304: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Nathaniel Wood’s unanimous decision win over Daniel Pineda at UFC 304.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] at UFC 304 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. (Photos by Ben Roberts, Getty Images; UFC; MMA Junkie)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 14-20)

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 or officially announced by a promotion from Aug. 14-20.

UFC books Daniel Pineda vs. Khusein Askhabov for October

Featherweights are set for the UFC Apex in Las Vegas as Khusein Askhabov battles Daniel Pineda.

A featherweight fight has been booked for the UFC Fight Night event Oct. 7.

One-fight UFC alum [autotag]Khusein Askhabov[/autotag] will face 12-fight veteran [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] a the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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

Askhabov (23-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) came up short in his solo UFC bout to date, a unanimous decision loss to Jamall Emmers in February. The biggest struggle for the Chechen has been making it to the cage. Three times he’s withdrawn from UFC matchups due to injury or visa issues.

Pineda (28-15 MMA, 5-6 UFC) is a seasoned veteran with UFC, Bellator, and PFL experience. Since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in 2020, Pineda is 2-2 with one no contest in five appearances. He most recently competed in June when he lost to Alex Caceres in a three-round Fight of the Night brawl.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Oct. 7 includes:

  • Drew Dober vs. Ricky Glenn
  • Chris Gutierrez vs. Montel Jackson
  • Bill Algeo vs. Alexander Hernandez
  • Vanessa Demopolous vs. Kanaka Murata
  • Johnny Munoz vs. Aori Qileng
  • Nate Maness vs. Mateus Mendonca
  • Khusein Askhabov vs. Daniel Pineda

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for June: Middleweight title contenders go to war

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from June 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from June 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for June.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Nominees

UFC on ESPN 45 post-event facts: Is Jim Miller’s record resume UFC Hall of Fame worthy?

Check out the facts and stats to come out of UFC on ESPN 45, where Jim Miller continued to stack historic figures on his resume.

The UFC opened a non-stop schedule of summer events on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 45, which took place at the promotion’s home base of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The main event saw [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) remain undefeated inside the octagon and take the next step as a flyweight contender when he edged [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (24-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC) by split decision.

There were a number of other noteworthy results on the card. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 45.

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