Tag: David Onama

Jonathan Pearce vs. David Onama prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC on ESPN 55

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom takes a quick look at the UFC on ESPN 55 bout between Jonathan Pearce and David Onama.

[autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag] and [autotag]David Onama[/autotag] meet Saturday on the UFC on ESPN 55 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

Jonathan Pearce vs. David Onama UFC on ESPN 55 preview

Pearce (14-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Onama (11-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) represent the lone featherweight fight on the UFC on ESPN 55 card. Both compete in their first fight of 2024… Pearce will seek to rebound from a submission loss to Joanderson Brito in November. The loss snapped a five-fight winning streak that included three finishes. … Onama looks to keep the momentum going from a knockout win over Gabriel Santos last June. The victory put him over .500 for his UFC Career, having split his first four octagon bouts.

Jonathan Pearce vs. David Onama expert pick, prediction

Last event’s results: 4-1

Overall picks for UFC main cards in 2024: 28-29-2

The fight between Pearce and Onama serves as a solid offering at featherweight. Unfortunately, Onama missed weight for this contest (and will subsequently be fined 20 percent of his purse), but the fight is thankfully still on.

Despite Onama having the higher ceiling and finishing potential between the two, I suspect that Pearce’s pressure-grappling style could prove to be extra problematic in the smaller octagon of the UFC Apex.

I still want to see more improvements from Pearce, but I believe that Onama’s lack of defensive hand-fighting and reliance on athletic scrambling will get him stuck in quicksand.

Even though it’s “dog or pass” from a betting perspective, I’ll reluctantly take Pearce to grind out a decision win.

Jonathan Pearce vs. David Onama odds

The odds makers and the public are favoring the younger fighter, listing Jonathan Pearce (-170) and David Onama (+138) via FanDuel.

Jonathan Pearce vs. David Onama start time, how to watch

As the second fight on the main card, Pearce and Lane are expected to make their walk to the octagon around 7:40 p.m. ET (4:40 p.m. local time in Las Vegas). The fight airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 55.

For more detailed analysis from Dan Tom, check out his weekly show, “The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.”

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 18-24)

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 the promotions from Sept. 18-24.

MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month for June: Sadibou Sy wheel kicks his way to PFL playoffs

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

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

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

UFC on ABC 5 medical suspensions: Josh Emmett out indefinitely from damage sustained

Josh Emmett and Justin Tafa suffered graphic injuries at UFC on ABC 5 and are among those suspended indefinitely by the Florida commission.

UFC on ABC 5 took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. and featured 13 fights.

There were back-and-forth battles, knockouts, an eye gouge, and a submission. Through these fights, the athletes involved sustained injuries that will put them on the shelf for some time, unless cleared by a doctor.

Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of athlete medical suspensions from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), the sanctioning body that oversaw the event. The DBPR does not disclose injury specifics, but does show the durations of the suspension.

Atop the card, [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] proved he’s a premiere contender when he dominated [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] en route to a unanimous decision, including a rare 10-7 scorecard. The two headliners were suspended indefinitely by DBPR afterward.

Seven fighters total were handed indefinite suspensions, while two were handed terms of specific durations and the rest of the card was cleared on fight night. Fighters are permitted to return prior to the end of their assigned durations if they are cleared by a doctor.

Scroll below to see the suspensions for the full UFC on ABC 5 card.

David Onama explains why he chose to ‘celebrate like Izzy’ after UFC on ABC 5 knockout

David Onama’s knockout win at UFC on ABC 5 came just seven seconds earlier on the clock of the same round to Israel Adesanya’s title win.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – [autotag]David Onama[/autotag]’s recreation of Israel Adesanya’s famous celebration following his UFC on ABC 5 knockout win was not a spur of the moment thing.

Onama (11-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) plotted all along to pay homage to the UFC middleweight champion on Saturday after he put away Gabriel Santos (10-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) with a devastating second-round knockout at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

After Onama halted Santos, he copied Adesanya’s celebration from his UFC 287 title win over Alex Pereira in April by pulling out an imaginary bow and shooting arrows into his downed opponent.

“That’s my guy, Izzy,” Onama told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC on ABC 5 post-fight news conference. “Izzy fought a Brazilian and I was like, ‘I’m going to do what Izzy did. I’m going to knock this kid out then I’m going to celebrate like Izzy.’ And it showed, so.”

[lawrence-related id=2654847,2652934]

The victory was an important one for Onama, who received Performance of the Night honors. Following a loss to Nate Landwehr in August, Onama was one of the fighters who had his career uprooted by the investigation into Glory MMA coach James Krause. He was forced to relocate gyms, and opted to go to Factory X in Denver.

Although there were challenges, Onama said the switch has paid dividends in his career. He’s excited for what’s ahead, and the 29-year-old thinks the team will allow him to reach his full potential.

“I’m going to go back to the gym on Monday and just keep sharpening my tools and get better,” Onama said. “I’m not rushing anything at all. My time is going to come, and I’m going to keep getting better when that time comes.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 5.

UFC on ABC 5 post-event facts: Ilia Topuria’s main event beatdown makes history

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ABC 5, where Ilia Topuria’s main event win was boosted by a rare achievement.

The UFC returned to Florida for the second time this year on Saturday with UFC on ABC 5, which took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville and saw eight of 13 bouts go to a decision.

The main event was one of those bouts to go to the judges, but it was a clear result with [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) defeating [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in historic fashion in the form of a lopsided unanimous decision in the matchup between featherweight contenders.

For more on the numbers to come out of the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ABC 5.

UFC on ABC 5 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Neil Magny’s $21,000 tops card

UFC on ABC 5 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ABC 5 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $174,000.

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 ABC 5 takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The main card airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ABC 5 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]David Onama[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Gabriel Santos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jose Mariscal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevor Peek[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jack Jenkins[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $6,000

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 $40,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-40 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,964,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $18,553,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 5.

UFC on ABC 5 video: David Onama brutally KOs Gabriel Santos, copies Israel Adesanya’s celebration

David Onama recreated Israel Adesanya’s bow-and-arrow celebration after a brutal knockout win at UFC on ABC 5.

[autotag]David Onama[/autotag] added a devastating highlight to his reel on Saturday when he dispatched of [autotag]Gabriel Santos[/autotag] at UFC on ABC 5.

After fending off some near-submissions from Santos (10-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in the first round, Onama (11-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) got into a striking groove in the second frame of the featherweight contest at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

He found a clean combination late in the second round, planting Santos on the mat before recreating Israel Adesanya’s famous bow-and-arrow celebration from when he beat Alex Pereira in April.

Check out the replay of the finish below (via Twitter):

After the win, a thrilled Onama said this is just the beginning of his run at 145 pounds.

“Just let it happen,” Onama said of his more tactical approach during his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “Don’t rush things. Just let it happen. And tonight it showed.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 5.

David Onama def. Gabriel Santos at UFC on ABC 5: Best photos

Check out the best photos from David Onama’s second-round knockout win over Gabriel Santos at UFC on ABC 5 in Jacksonville.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]David Onama[/autotag]’s second-round knockout win over [autotag]Gabriel Santos[/autotag] at UFC on ABC 5 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. (Photos by David Yeazell, USA TODAY Sports)

New gym, new fighter: David Onama excited to show evolution at UFC on ABC 5

UFC’s David Onama now trains at Factory X, and can’t wait to display his new techniques against Gabriel Santos in Jacksonville, Fla.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – UFC featherweight [autotag]David Onama[/autotag] has been frustrated with the start of the year, but is excited to get things started in his first fight with a new camp.

Onama (10-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC), the first UFC fighter from Uganda, takes on Gabriel Santos (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on the main card of UFC on ABC 5, which takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and airs live on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

A pair of opponents have fallen through for Onama, which has made it tough to erase the sting of a majority decision loss in a wild Fight of the Night against Nate Landwehr last August at UFC on ESPN 41. Now just days away from his first fight of 2023, Onama is excited to get things rolling in the right direction with his new camp at Factory X in Denver.

“It’s something new, something different, just trying out a new gym,” Onama told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I love it out there. I feel welcome and I feel good training there. … I’ve learned a lot just being there for almost five months now. Everybody there is skilled.

“So, I’m going to come out a different fighter this weekend. I’m going to put everything together, everything I’ve worked on – a different style, everything’s more techniques. This weekend’s going to be a lot of me being a techniques fighter and not just brawling, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Onama, 29, previously trained at Glory MMA & Fitness under James Krause, who came under fire due to a huge betting scandal that included concerns of fight fixing.

After a pair of UFC victories in 2022 that both came by impressive stoppages, Onama will now look to get back into the win column Saturday. He has respect for his opponent Santos, but feels a level above the 26-year-old Brazilian who lost his UFC debut in March.

“I think I’m going to be his biggest, toughest fight this weekend,” Onama said. “I’m going to come out and just do me and have fun.”

[lawrence-related id=2652142,2652070,2651949]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 5.