UFC 306 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: O’Malley, Grasso net $42,000 for entering as champs

Sean O’Malley and Alexa Grasso got the biggest checks from the Promotional Guidelines Compliance program fro UFC 306, which paid $239,500.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 306 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $239,500.

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 306 took place at Sphere. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 306 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ketlen Souza[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Aori Qileng[/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 $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: $5,721,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $28,458,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Joshua Van def. Edgar Chairez at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Joshua Van’s unanimous decision win over Edgar Chairez at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag] at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA Today Sports)

Joshua Van steps into UFC 306 vs. Edgar Chairez after Kevin Borjas withdraws

A UFC fighter has pulled out of the Sphere event for the first time since the lineup was announced.

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag] has raised his hand once again. But this time as a result, he’ll fight in potential once-in-a-lifetime UFC venue at Sphere in Las Vegas.

With [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag] off the Sept. 14 card for undisclosed reasons, Van (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) steps in to face [autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a flyweight undercard bout at UFC 306.

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

The change is the first one the UFC 306 card at Sphere has encountered. The card is set to be the promotion’s annual Noche UFC event, a tribute to Mexican Independence Day.

Van has remained incredibly active since his amateur debut in December 2020. The fight will mark his 18th over that 46-month period. Van signed with the UFC in 2023 and quickly racked up wins over Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Kevin Borjas, and Felipe Bunes. In July, Van was finished with strikes by Charles Johnson for his first UFC loss.

Chairez has had mixed results in the UFC. After a loss to Tatsuro Taira in his promotional debut, Chairez fought Daniel Lacerda in back-to-back fights. The first was a no contest due to a premature stoppage. Chairez won the rematch by first-round triangle choke submission.

The updated UFC 306 fight card includes:

  • Champ Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili – for bantamweight title
  • Champ Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko – for women’s flyweight title
  • Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega
  • Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber
  • Ode Osbourne vs. Ronaldo Rodriguez
  • Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
  • Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Manuel Torres
  • Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza
  • Edgar Chairez vs. Joshua Van
  • Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aori Qileng

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Edgar Chairez hopes to avenge frustrating short-notice loss to Tatsuro Taira: ‘I’ll make it look easy’

UFC flyweight Edgar Chairez is hoping to eventually avenge his frustrating loss to Tatsuro Taira.

[autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag] knows a rematch with [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] is not within immediate reach. However, he’s confident he’ll eventually work himself into a position where a second meet with the Japanese contender makes sense.

Chairez (11-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to Taira (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in July 2023. It was a fight he took with less than two weeks’ notice. The result left a bad taste in Chairez’s mouth, as he felt he had all the tools to get his hand raised, just not the time to sharpen them.

“It’s all words, but all say it and have it be on the record here,” Chairez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “You’ll see how quickly I can finish someone (Taira) in the top five of the world. I’ll make it look easy, so I can make it clear that I’m worthy of a title shot.

“If I’m being honest, Taira wasn’t a hard fight for me. I just had cardio difficulties, and I’m just a bit frustrated because I wasn’t fully prepared. I didn’t have the cardio to get up and keep hitting him. But anyway, all that frustration I’ve taken it out on my most recent fights. Right now, I’m prepared, and you guys will see the day at the Sphere.”

Chairez returns to the cage on Sept. 14, as he takes on Peru’s Kevin Borjas at UFC 306 in Las Vegas. He’s determined to put away Borjas and make a big statement so he can get matched up with someone in the rankings and eventually get closer to a potential rematch with Taira.

“People forget I debuted against No. 5 in the world, and I put it on him,” Chairez said. “That’s what I’m pushing for and that’s why I’m hoping to get, maybe not him, but a top 15. Then after that, it’s a lot easier to ask for a top 7 or 6. I just need to stay on course, keep working hard, and stay focused.

“For that fight (against Taira), I didn’t even prepare. Just with my experience I was able to do a lot. Right now, Taira will fight against No. 1, Brandon Royval, and I’m sure if he wins he’ll fight for the title. … I think if I finish Kevin Borjas in impressive fashion, I’ll get a good name for the end of the year or maybe even for UFC Mexico because I’ve heard that in February they return to Mexico.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Kevin Borjas vs. Edgar Chairez added to Noche UFC at Sphere in Las Vegas

A fun flyweight matchup between Kevin Borjas and Edgar Chairez has been added to Noche UFC at Sphere in Las Vegas.

Noche UFC at Sphere in Las Vegas continues to take shape with the addition of a fun flyweight matchup.

On Sept. 14, [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/autotag] will meet [autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag] at UFC 306, the event also known as Riyadh Season Noche UFC. The one-off event at the unique venue in Las Vegas will be a celebration of Mexican Independence Day. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with multiple sources, although the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Peru’s Borjas (9-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) will look for his first victory under the UFC banner. After his unanimous decision win on Dana White’s Contender Series, Borjas was signed to the UFC but has struggled in his first two appearances, losing a unanimous decision to Joshua Van at UFC 295 in November and a TKO loss to Alessandro Costa at UFC 301 in May.

Mexico’s Chairez (11-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) aims to keep the momentum going after his first win in the promotion. In his first outing of the year in February, Chairez submitted Daniel Lacerda with a triangle choke. It was the second meeting between the two after the first was declared a no contest in September due to a premature referee stoppage.

With the addition, current Noche UFC lineup includes:

  • Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
  • Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira
  • Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza
  • Kevin Borjas vs. Edgar Chairez

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

UFC Fight Night 237 post-event facts: Yair Rodriguez hits unprecedented career slump

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 237, which saw Yair Rodriguez hit the first losing skid of his career.

The UFC’s final event of February took place Saturday with UFC Fight Night 237 at Mexico City Arena in Mexico.

A flyweight contender re-emerged in the main event, when replacement headliner [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) exacted revenge on former UFC champ [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (21-8-2 MMA, 9-4-2 UFC) with a split decision victory in their rematch from November 2020.

For more on the numbers to come out of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 237.

* * * *

UFC Fight Night 237 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Headliners get combined $17,000

UFC Fight Night 237 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

MEXICO CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 237 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $135,500.

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 237 took place at Mexico City Arena. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 237 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Fransisco Prado[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Sam Hughes[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Cristian Quinonez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jesus Aguilar[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mateus Mendonca[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Lacerda[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Claudio Puelles[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Denys Bondar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Felipe dos Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Erik Silva[/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 2371 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: $1,228,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,935,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

UFC Fight Night 237 video: Edgar Chairez ends Daniel Lacerda saga with slick off-back triangle

The matchup seemed cursed at times, but Edgar Chairez ended his ongoing UFC saga with Daniel Lacerda in Mexico City.

The matchup seemed cursed at times, as if business never would get settled. But at UFC Fight Night 237 on Saturday, [autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag] finally got the best of [autotag]Daniel Lacerda[/autotag] – without issue.

In a flyweight prelim at Mexico City Arena, Chairez (11-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) pulled off a slick triangle choke from his back to submit Lacerda (11-6 MMA, 0-5 UFC) at the 2:17 mark of Round 1.

The fight marked the end of a months-long saga of Chairez and Lacerda being aligned. The two initially fought in September. The bout was ruled a no contest after referee Chris Tognoni erroneously deemed Lacerda unconscious during a standing submission attempt. The fight was rebooked for October, but canceled again due to a medical issue with Lacerda. Ahead of Saturday’s bout, both fighters missed weight. Chairez weighed 131 pounds and Lacerda tipped the scale at 127.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 237 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

Edgar Chairez comes full circle at UFC Mexico after going last time as a fan

The last time the UFC was in Mexico, things were a lot different for Edgar Chairez.

MEXICO CITY – The last time the UFC was in Mexico, [autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag] was there. But he had to go as a fan.

Now Chairez (10-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) gets to fight Saturday on UFC Fight Night 237 (ESPN+) at Mexico City Arena – but in the cage he was looking down at from the rafters just a few years ago. Chairez takes on Daniel Lacerda (11-5 MMA, 0-4 UFC) in a rematch from a 2023 fight that was deemed to be an early stoppage and ruled a no contest after referee Chris Tognoni mistakenly thought Lacerda was put to sleep from Chairez’s standing guillotine choke.

Now Chairez might feel like a win is his second over Lacerda, but what he’s really excited about is just the opportunity to come full circle from fan to fighter in just a few short years.

“I’m really happy because the last (UFC event) in Mexico, I bought my ticket way over the top of the building. Now I’m happy that I’m going to be on the card and I’m going to fighting with some of my friends,” Chairez told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day.

Check out Chairez’s full media day interview in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Nov. 13-19)

All the UFC 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.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Nov. 13-19.