Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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.
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 Three times he’s withdrawn from UFC matchups due to injury or visa issues.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:
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.
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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UFC on ESPN 45 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 on ESPN 45 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $199,500.
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 on ESPN 45 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card aired on ESPN following prelims streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 45 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Jesse Butler[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ketlen Souza[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Daniel Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Johnny Munoz[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Elise Reed[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jinh Yu Frey[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Luan Lacerda[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Maxim Grishin[/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 $45,000 while title challengers get $45,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-45 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $3,414,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $18,003,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.
Check out what the UFC on ESPN 45 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 45 took place Saturday with 13 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 224 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.
Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 45 odds and lines between Alex Caceres vs. Daniel Pineda with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a featherweight bout on the main card, Alex Caceres and Daniel Pineda meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 45 — also known as UFC Vegas 74 — at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ESPN 45: Caceres vs. Pineda odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The prelims are on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET, with the main card on ESPN/ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET.
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
Caceres got back on track with a 1st-round KO/TKO of Julian Erosa in December after suffering a unanimous decision setback against Sodiq Yusuff in mid-March 2022. “Bruce Leeroy” is now 6-1 across his last 7 bouts, including 3 unanimous-decision wins, the KO/TKO victory and a pair of submission wins.
Pineda has had an interesting recent history. Since arriving at the UFC level, he has a pair of stoppage wins, a KO/TKO loss to Cub Swanson and a No Contest against Andre Fili. The title winner from Fury FC back in 2018, Pineda hasn’t gone the distance in any of his 4 UFC bouts.
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:34 a.m. ET.
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Records: Caceres (20-13-0) | Pineda (28-14-0)
CACERES (-175) on the 2-way line is the safe play, as the veteran takes on a relative UFC newcomer that’s had a roller coaster start to his career with the company.
The favorite has managed finishes in 3 of his past 5 fights, with a KO/TKO win and a pair of submission victories.
CACERES BY KO/TKO OR DQ (+250) on the 7-way Method of Victory line is worth a roll of the dice for a chance to multiply your initial wager by 2 1/2 times.
If you don’t want to declare a winner, but still want action on the fight, taking KO/TKO/DQ (+175) for the method of victory, regardless of who gets their hand raised, is also a solid wager.
NO (-175): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE? is a little on the steep side, but it’s worth a play. I believe Bruce Leeroy gets the knockout victory. In addition, Caceres knocked out Erosa in Round 1 last time out, and 2 of his 3 KO/TKO results at the UFC level came in the first 3-plus minutes.
As a result, I like UNDER 1.5 ROUND (+145) at plus money for a solid value.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.
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Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 45 main card in Las Vegas, featuring Kai Kara-France vs. Amir Albazi at flyweight.
| Kara-France vs. Albazi |
Caceres vs. Pineda |
Altamirano vs. Elliott |
Silva vs. Souza |
Nurmagomedov vs. Zaleski dos Santos |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 77-52 |
 Kara-France (56%) |
 Caceres (75%) |
 Elliott (60%) |
 Silva (74%) |
 Nurmagomedov (59%) |
| Matt Erickson @MattE 86-43 |
 Albazi |
Caceres |
 Altamirano |
 Souza |
Nurmagomedov |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 81-48 |
Albazi |
Caceres |
Altamirano |
Souza |
Nurmagomedov |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 81-48 |
Albazi |
Caceres |
Altamirano |
Silva |
Nurmagomedov |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 78-51 |
Albazi |
 Pineda |
Altamirano |
Silva |
Nurmagomedov |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 78-51 |
Albazi |
Caceres |
Elliott |
Silva |
Nurmagomedov |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 76-53  2014 Champion |
Kara-France |
Caceres |
Altamirano |
Silva |
Nurmagomedov |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway -74-55 2018, 2022 Champion |
Albazi |
Caceres |
Altamirano |
Silva |
 Zaleski dos Santos |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 72-57 |
Albazi |
Caceres |
Elliott |
Silva |
Nurmagomedov |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 70-59 |
Albazi |
Pineda |
Altamirano |
Silva |
Nurmagomedov |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 70-59 |
Albazi |
Caceres |
Altamirano |
Silva |
Nurmagomedov |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 68-61 2017 Champion |
Albazi |
Caceres |
Altamirano |
Silva |
Zaleski dos Santos |
Editor’s note: The main card fight between Jim Miller and short-notice replacement Jesse Butler was added too late for our picks deadline and is not included.)
After a week off, the UFC is back in Las Vegas with a key flyweight fight at the top of the bill.
UFC on ESPN 45 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (24-10 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will try to bounce back into contention after an interim flyweight title loss to Brandon Moreno in July 2022 when he meets [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who has yet to lose in the UFC.
Although the odds at most sportsbooks are a pick’em, it’s Albazi who is our closest thing to a unanimous pick on the main card this week. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have it as a 10-1 blowout for Albazi.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag] (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) meets [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] (28-14 MMA, 5-5 UFC) in a featherweight bout. Caceres has won six of his past seven fights, is a -175 favorite at the betting window, and has a big 9-2 picks lead.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) takes on former flyweight title challenger [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] (18-12-1 MMA, 7-10 UFC). Elliott nearly is a 2-1 betting favorite, but our pickers have Altamirano in a 9-2 blowout.
[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Ketlen Souza[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in an all-Brazil women’s flyweight scrap. Silva is more than a 2-1 favorite and has a big 9-2 lead from our staff members.
And to open the main card at welterweight, [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-3-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 9-3 UFC). The fight has nearly even odds with Nurmagomedov at -115, but our staff members have him with a huge 9-2 picks win, as well.
In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Kara-France (56 percent), Caceres (75 percent), Elliott (60 percent), Silva (74 percent) and Nurmagomedov (59 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.
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Daniel Pineda tempers any Fight of the Night expectations for his UFC on ESPN 45 showdown with Alex Caceres.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] wants to temper any Fight of the Night expectations for his UFC on ESPN 45 showdown with Alex Caceres right now.
For anyone who is looking at Saturday’s featherweight co-headliner at the UFC Apex, which airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN, and thinks it’s going to be competitive, Pineda (28-14 MMA, 5-5 UFC) said that’s not part of the plan for Caceres (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC).
“I don’t plan on making it back and forth,” Pineda told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 45 media day. “I plan on finishing him in one or two rounds. It’s going to suck for a lot of people, but I will finish him.
“I think this opponent, we make a perfect matchup. He’s a veteran. I’m a veteran. I’ve been in the game a long time. I think he pushed forward at the right times. I push forward all the time. I think we’re going to give a hell of a fight.”
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After taking a 21-month hiatus from competition, Pineda returned to the octagon on March 25 and scored a second-round submission of Tucker Lutz at UFC on ESPN 43. It was the final fight on his UFC contract, and he made it clear he wanted a new and better deal before returning.
He said he got what he wanted, and that’s why he’s back just over two months later. If things go according to plan, Pineda said he’s seeking one more bout before 2023 wraps so he can make it a 3-0 year.
“That’s why I said yes,” Pineda said. “A good contract, a better contract with a ranked opponent? Let’s do it. … I do want to take at least one more fight before the end of the year.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.
Before UFC on ESPN 45 arrives, eight athletes from the main card are scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday at media day.
LAS VEGAS – The UFC schedule for June kicks off Saturday with UFC on ESPN 45, which takes place at the UFC Apex with a card that airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
A flyweight bout serves as the main event, with [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] taking on [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] in a matchup between two men looking to help their case toward a future 125-pound title shot.
Before fight night arrives, though, eight athletes spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.
If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream above, check below for the archived videos of each media day session.
