Photos: UFC, Bellator stars throw out first pitch at MLB games

Check out these photos highlighting UFC stars past and present who threw out the first pitch at MLB games – and hopefully didn’t embarrass themselves.

Check out these photos highlighting UFC and Bellator stars past and present – including Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Francis Ngannou, Stipe Miocic, Paige VanZant, and more – who threw out the first pitch at MLB games … and hopefully didn’t embarrass themselves.

UFC announces Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento as St. Louis event headliner

The UFC has tabbed a couple of big men to headline the promotion’s first event in St. Louis since 2018.

The UFC has tabbed a couple of big men to headline the promotion’s return to St. Louis.

On Saturday, the UFC announced that [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag] will serve as the main event for UFC Fight Night on May 11 at Enterprise Center. The event marks the UFC’s first in St. Louis since Jan. 14, 2018.

Lewis (27-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) vs. Nascimento (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is a matchup of two top-15 heavyweights headed in different directions.

Lewis, 39, has been on a downswing ever since his interim title-fight loss to Ciryl Gane in August 2021 at UFC 265. Including that result, Lewis is 2-5 since then. He most recently lost a five-round unanimous decision to Jailton Almeida last November.

Nascimento, 31, hasn’t been very active, competing just five times since joining the UFC in 2020, but he’s on a three-fight winning streak. He defeated Tanner Boser and Ilir Latifi by split decision before most recently taking a unanimous decision from Don’Tale Mayes last November.

With the addition, below is the updated lineup for UFC St. Louis:

  • Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Alonzo Menifield vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Jared Gooden vs. Kevin Jousset
  • Tabatha Ricci vs. Tecia Torres
  • Matt Frevola vs. Michael Johnson
  • Alex Caceres vs. Sean Woodson
  • Jake Hadley vs. Charles Johnson
  • Terrance McKinney vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Chase Hooper
  • Billy Goff vs. Trey Waters
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Robelis Despaigne

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UFC in 2023: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

Check out a full recap of 2023’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2023’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

UFC veterans in MMA, boxing, and bareknuckle MMA action Nov. 8-12

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC returns to New York for a big pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden.

UFC 295 features a pair of title fights in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. In the co-feature, [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] for the interim heavyweight title, while [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] meets [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] for the vacant light heavyweight crown in the main event.

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA, bareknuckle MMA and boxing Nov. 8-12.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 231: Positive reviews for Jailton Almeida and Derrick Lewis

Analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 231, including positive words for Jailton Almeida and Derrick Lewis.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 231 at Ginasio Do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo? Here are a few post-fight musings …

UFC Fight Night 231 post-event facts: Jailton Almeida sets ground control time record

Check out all the facts from UFC Sao, which saw Jailton Almeida log a record amount of ground control time over Derrick Lewis in the main event.

The UFC’s return to Sao Paulo after more than four years proved to be a forgettable one on Saturday, with UFC Fight Night 231 seeing six of 10 bouts go the distance with three canceled fights in the 48 hours leading up.

One of the fights go to the scorecards was the main event, [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) earned a lopsided but somewhat underwhelming unanimous decision over [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (27-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) to remain undefeated in heavyweight competition.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 231.

UFC Fight Night 231 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2023 total passes $7 million

UFC Fight Night 231 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

SAO PAULO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 231 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $145,000.

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 Fight Night 231 took place at Ginasio Do Ibirapuera in Brazil. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 231 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Elves Brener[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kaynan Kruschewsky[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Denise Gomes[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Eudarda Moura[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Montserrat Conejo[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kaue Fernandes[/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 2311 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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,033,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,552,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.

Social media reacts to Jailton Almeida’s one-sided win over Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night 231

The MMA community reacted to Jailton Almeida’s one-sided but underwhelming win over Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night 231.

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]’s rise through the heavyweight division took another step forward on Saturday when he dominated perennial contender [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] in the UFC Fight Night 231 headliner.

Almeida (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) added to his perfect octagon start with a one-sided unanimous decision victory over former two-time title challenger Lewis (27-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) in the headlining bout, which took place at Ginasio Do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Almeida’s victory over Lewis at UFC Fight Night 231.

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UFC Fight Night 231 results: Jailton Almeida top-controls Derrick Lewis for 21 of 25 minutes

It was rinse and repeat for Jailton Almeida, who dominated Derrick Lewis in the UFC Fight Night 231 main event slot.

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] dominated [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] for a long duration Saturday in Brazil, but there wasn’t much damage.

Regardless of the excitement level, Almeida (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) dominated a former heavyweight title challenger in Lewis (27-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) to win a unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-45).

The heavyweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 231 main event at Ginasio Do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo.

According to UFC Stats, Almeida controlled Lewis for 21:10 of the fight. On the flip side, Lewis controlled the fight for 57 seconds.

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The tempo was set in the opening minute as Almeida grabbed hold of Lewis, drove with a double leg, and lifted “The Black Beast” off his feet. Almeida took the mount and worked for submissions, particularly an arm-triangle choke, but Lewis displayed defense capable of danger-avoidance.

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The entirety of the 25-minute fight was pretty much on a loop with minimal variety. Almeida maintained control from one dominant position or another. Lewis would occasionally power out, but would swiftly end up where he just escaped from.

At the beginning of each round, Lewis tried his best to land bombs. Coach Bob Cook called for the uppercut, but it never landed in any significant manner. The best flurry of the fight came in the waning seconds of Round 3 from Almeida, who appeared to stun a rising Lewis.

Lewis found more success with his takedown defense in the championship rounds, but not enough. Almeida cruised to a unanimous decision and then called for a fight vs. former interim champion Ciryl Gane.

With the victory, Almeida maintains his perfect UFC record and moves to 4-0 in the promotion at heavyweight. Lewis, who signed a lucrative new eight-fight promotional deal in September, falls to 1-4 in his most recent five.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 231 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.

Jailton Almeida def. Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night 231: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Jailton Almeida’s unanimous decision win over Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night 231 in Sao Paulo.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 231 at Ginasio Do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. (Photos by Jason da Silva, USA TODAY Sports)