UFC on ESPN 43 post-event facts: Charles Oliveira’s longstanding record under threat

Charles Oliveira hasn’t competed at featherweight in six years, and someone is finally closing in on his record after UFC on ESPN 43.

The UFC made its return to Texas on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 43, which took place at AT&T Center in San Antonio and, after a number of fight week fallouts, saw a 10-bout card unfold.

The most high-profile result came from the main event, where [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) proved his worth as a bantamweight contender with a split decision victory over the streaking [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 14-7 UFC) after five rounds.

For more on the numbers behind Sandhagen’s win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 43.

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UFC on ESPN 43 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: ‘Chito’ tops card with $21k

UFC on ESPN 43 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

SAN ANTONIO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 43 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $137,000.

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 43 took place at AT&T Center. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 43 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Yana Santos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Albert Duraev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Tucker Lutz[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Lucas Alexander[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Steven Peterson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Preston Parsons[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Daniel Lacerda[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Vinicius Salvador[/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 $43,000 while title challengers get $43,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-43 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,771,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,290,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.

UFC on ESPN 43 play-by-play and live results

Get live play-by-play and official results from Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN 43 in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO – UFC on ESPN 43 took place Saturday at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The main card aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, Marlon Vera (20-8-1 MMA, 14-7 UFC) takes on Cory Sandhagen (16-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) in a fight between bantamweight contenders. In the co-feature, former women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) met Yana Santos (14-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC).

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC on ESPN 43 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Danny Segura (@dannyseguratv ) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

Daniel Pineda def. Tucker Lutz at UFC on ESPN 43: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Daniel Pineda’s second-round submission win over Tucker Lutz at UFC on ESPN 43 in San Antonio.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag]’s second-round submission win over [autotag]Tucker Lutz[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 43 at AT&T Center in San Antonio. (Photos by Aaron Meullion, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC on ESPN 43 pre-event facts: Marlon Vera is the best finisher at 135 pounds

The numbers show no bantamweight in UFC history has finished more fights than Marlon Vera going into the UFC on ESPN 43 main event.

The UFC’s road trip outside of Las Vegas continues Saturday with UFC on ESPN 43, which takes place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio with a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

A marquee bantamweight fight is featured in the main event. After their original date was postponed from February, contenders [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (20-7-1 MMA, 14-6 UFC) and [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will finally share the octagon in a matchup that will push the winner near the forefront of the title conversation at 135 pounds.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 43.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 2-8)

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 from Jan. 2-8.

UFC on ESPN 43 adds Tucker Lutz vs. Daniel Pineda to San Antonio lineup

UFC featherweights Tucker Lutz and Daniel Pineda look to reenter the win column when they square off in San Antonio.

A featherweight bout is the newest addition to the upcoming UFC card in San Antonio.

[autotag]Tucker Lutz[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will square off with Texas’ own [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] (27-14 MMA, 4-5 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 43, which takes place March 25 at AT&T Center.

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.

Lutz, 28, split his UFC appearances to date. Following a debut win over Kevin Aguilar at UFC 262 in May 2021, Lutz lost to Pat Sabatini in November 2021. The defeat snapped a 12-fight winning streak that dated back to his second pro fight.

Pineda, 37, returns for his first MMA fight since June 2021 when he suffered a fight-ending inadvertent eye poke vs. Andre Fili. He was briefly linked to a matchup against Jamall Emmers in May, but the bout was canceled. In his second UFC stint, Pineda is 1-1 with a no contest across three bouts.

With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 43 lineup includes:

  • Maycee Barber vs. Andrea Lee
  • Albert Duraev vs. Chidi Njokuani
  • Holly Holm vs. Yana Kunitskaya
  • Sean Brady vs. Michel Pereira
  • Daniel da Silva vs. CJ Vergara
  • Manel Kape vs. Alex Perez
  • Tucker Lutz vs. Daniel Pineda

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Daniel Pineda vs. Jamall Emmers scrapped from UFC on ESPN 36

The May 14 event is down to 10 fights.

UFC on ESPN 36 is one fight the lesser.

The featherweight bout between [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] (27-14 MMA, 4-5 UFC) and [autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has been scrapped from the upcoming May 14 card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for undisclosed reasons.

Two people with knowledge of the cancellation recently informed MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. One source added the matchup may remain in tact and be moved to a later date.

Both Pineda and Emmers sought returns to the win column after recent winless outings. Pineda is 0-1 with three no contests in his most recent four bouts. Meanwhile, Emmers has lost two of his most recent three.

With the cancellation, the UFC on ESPN 36 lineup includes:

  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Katlyn Chookagian vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Ion Cutelaba vs. Ryan Spann
  • Michael Johnson vs. Alan Patrick
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Andrea Lee
  • Frank Camacho vs. Manuel Torres
  • Angela Hill vs. Virna Jandiroba
  • Nick Maximov vs. Andre Petroski
  • Davey Grant vs. Louis Smolka
  • Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento

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UFC targets Jamall Emmers, Daniel Pineda for May 14 showdown

Two featherweight finishers have agreed to fight.

Two UFC featherweight finishers are lined up for a May 14 showdown.

A bout between [autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] (27-14 MMA, 4-5 UFC) is being finalized for a UFC Fight Night event at a location and venue yet-to-be-announced.

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

Emmers, 32, made his promotional debut on short notice at UFC 248 in March 2020 when he took on rising star Giga Chikadze. In that outing, Emmers lost a close split decision. His second time out for the UFC, his result was more positive. He dominated Vince Cachero en route to a unanimous decision. In his most recent outing, Emmers was submitted via a gruesome heel hook by Pat Sabatini.

Pineda, 36, will compete for the first time following a nine-month NAC suspension for amphetamine that stemmed from his June bout against Andre Fili. The fight was declared a “no contest” after Fili inadvertently poked Pineda in the eye. Since the start of 2018, Pineda has gone 5-1 with three “no contest” results.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for May 14 includes:

  • Lauren Murphy vs. Miesha Tate
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Andrea Lee
  • Frank Camacho vs. Manuel Torres
  • Jamall Emmers vs. Daniel Pineda

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Three UFC fighters suspended by NAC for positive drug tests including amphetamine, marijuana, more

Three UFC fighters have been suspended and fined following positive drug tests.

Three UFC fighters have been suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) following recent drug tests surrounding bouts that took place at the UFC Apex.

On Wednesday, the NAC handed out disciplinary action to the three fighters, who all tested positive for different banned substances. The suspensions and fines varied for each fighter.

Fighters suspensions will only terminate on the basis that all fines and fees are paid – and the fighter followed and passed all additional required drug testing procedures.