Tag: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

UFC 267 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jan Blachowicz gets biggest bag at $42,000

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 267 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $298,000.

ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 267 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $298,000.

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 267 took place at the Etihad Arena in Yas Island. The card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC 267 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Zubaira Tukhugov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Albert Duraev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Shamil Gamzatov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Hu Yaozong[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Allan Nascimento[/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 $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 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $4,787,000
Program-to-date total: $4,787,000

UFC 267 broadcast team irate over Vyacheslav Kiselev’s officiating in Dos Santos vs. Saint-Denis

The odds that Vyacheslav Kiselev is back as a referee for a UFC bout any time soon likely are pretty slim.

The odds that Vyacheslav Kiselev is back as a referee for a UFC bout any time soon likely are pretty slim.

Kiselev was the third man in the cage for [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]’ (23-7 MMA, 9-3 UFC) unanimous decision win over promotional newcomer [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC 267 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Dos Santos won the fight with a trio of 29-26 scores and was dominant.

But the story of the fight was not how dominant dos Santos was. It was not how much heart Saint-Denis had. It was Kiselev’s officiating – or perhaps, arguably, his lack of officiating.

In the second round, a little more than two minutes in, dos Santos wobbbled Saint-Denis with a big right hand. With the Frenchman backed to the fence, dos Santos landed punches and bunches, then knees on the canvas and more punches. Somehow, Saint-Denis got back to his feet and the punishment continued.

With about two minutes left in the round, Saint-Denis started to retreat with his head turned away from dos Santos – and the Brazilian even looked at Kiselev and gestured with his hands, as if to ask, “When are you going to stop this?”

Analysts Daniel Cormier and Paul Felder literally yelled from their cageside broadcast table for the Kiselev to stop the fight in a rare moment of outside interjection, and Cormier reported that longtime referee Marc Goddard was looking on from cageside with a befuddled look on his face wondering why the fight wasn’t stopped.

But because Saint-Denis kept throwing a few punches, maybe one for every 20 dos Santos landed, the fight continued. And miraculously, Saint-Denis, who was bleeding all over the face, stayed in the fight.

In between the second and third rounds, Cormier said he hoped Saint-Denis’ corner would stop the fight. But his corner’s advice to him was “You’ve got to stop getting hit.”

Saint-Denis came out for the third round after what was an obvious 10-8 second frame. But the madness of odd officiating wasn’t over yet.

A little more than 30 seconds into the final round, Saint-Denis took an accidental poke in the eye and appealed to Kiselev for a time out. Kiselev stopped the fight – and Felder chimed in that “he stops it for some things, huh?”

Play-by-play voice Jon Anik reported that Saint-Denis said he couldn’t see out of his left eye. Kiselev checked on him after 45 seconds – without bringing a doctor into the cage – and even though Saint-Denis signaled to him that he couldn’t see out of his eye, the fight was restarted.

With 51 seconds left, dos Santos landed a low knee – and Kiselev stopped the fight so Saint-Denis could recover. But even though Kiselev didn’t stop the fight for all the damage Saint-Denis took in the second round, and even though it was the first low blow of the fight, Kiselev took a point from dos Santos without warning.

Kiselev was scheduled to officiate the Magomed Ankalaev vs. Volkan Oezdemir fight that opens the UFC 267 main card, but it was reported by UFC broadcast partner ESPN that he was pulled from that assignment after his performance in the dos Santos vs. Saint-Denis bout.

With Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos out, Alex Oliveira steps in to face Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 254

Alex Oliveira will step in on short notice to face Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 254.

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] continues to live up to his “Cowboy” moniker.

[autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag] has been forced out of UFC 254 and Oliveira (21-8-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) will step in on short notice to face [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. MMA Junkie confirmed the replacement with multiple people with knowledge of the booking following an initial report from Ag Fight.

After dropping three straight for the first time in his career, Oliveira rebounded with back-to-back wins over Max Griffin at UFC 248 and most recently Peter Sobotta at UFC on ESPN 14 in July.

Rakhmonov will finally get to make his octagon debut after his first three UFC fights were canceled. The undefeated Kazakhstani fighter last competed in June 2019, when he defended his M-1 Challenge welterweight title by stopping Tiago Varejao in the first round. All 12 of his pro wins have come via finish.

With the change, the UFC 254 lineup includes:

  • Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje – for lightweight title
  • Jared Cannonier vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Walt Harris vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Islam Makhachev
  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lauren Murphy
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba
  • Phil Hawes vs. Jacob Malkoun
  • Stefan Struve vs. Tai Tuivasa
  • Alex Oliveira vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
  • Sam Alvey vs. Da Un Jung
  • Liana Jojua vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Sergey Morozov vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

[vertical-gallery id=497728]

UFC 251 medical suspensions: Kamaru Usman facing longer sit than Jorge Masvidal

Kamaru Usman won at UFC 251, but he didn’t walk away unscathed.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] won at UFC 251, but he didn’t walk away unscathed.

Retaining his title against challenger [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in the pay-per-view headliner, Usman (17-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) received a longer medical suspension than his opponent.

On Friday, MMA Junkie obtained the full list from MixedMartialArts.com, the ABC’s official recordkeeper. Fighters can return sooner than the duration of their suspension if cleared by a doctor.

According to the list, Usman suffered a potentially broken nose during the 25-minute duration of his unanimous decision victory. The injury could mean he’ll need to take 180 days off in between fights.

As for Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC), “Gamebred” received a much shorter suspension: 30 days off due to a facial laceration.

UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag], former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag], and UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] all received 30-day suspensions, while former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] received a mandatory TKO-loss suspension of 45 days.

UFC 251 took place Saturday at the Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The main card streamed on pay-per-view after prelims simulcasted on ESPN and ESPN+.

The complete list of UFC 250 medical suspensions:

  • Kamaru Usman: Suspended 180 days or until nasal X-ray is cleared by doctor; also suspended 21 days with no contact.
  • Jorge Masvidal: Suspended 30 days for forehead laceration with no contact for 21 days.
  • Alexander Volkanovski: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “a hard bout.”
  • Max Holloway: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “a hard bout.”
  • Petr Yan: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “a hard bout.”
  • Jose Aldo: Suspended 45 days (mandatory due to TKO) with no contact for 30 days.
  • [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: Suspended 7 days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: Suspended 7 days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag]: Suspended 7 days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: Suspended 7 days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days due to knockout with no contact for 45 days.
  • [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]: Suspended 7 days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: Suspended 7 days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag]: Suspended 7 days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Danny Henry[/autotag]: Suspended 7 days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days for “hard bout” with no contact for 30 days.
  • [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: Suspended 7 days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Maxim Grishin[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until nasal X-ray is cleared by doctor; also suspended 21 days with no contact.
  • [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact.
  • [autotag]Zhalgas Zhamagulov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: Suspended 7 days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Vanessa Melo[/autotag]: Suspended 7 days (mandatory rest).
  • [autotag]Davy Grant[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until cleared by oral and maxillofacial doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact.
  • [autotag]Martin Day[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days due to knockout with no contact for 45 days.

[vertical-gallery id=533809]

[vertical-gallery id=533806]

UFC 251 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $34 million

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 251 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $305,500.

ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 251 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $305,500.

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 251 took place at Flash Forum in Yas Island. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

The full UFC 251 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $40,000
def. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]: $30,000

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $40,000
def. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]: $30,000

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $30,000
def. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $30,000

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Danny Henry[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Roman Bogatov[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Maxim Grishin[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zhalgas Zhamagulov[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Vanessa Melo[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Martin Day[/autotag]: $3,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.

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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,026,000
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $34,030,500

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC 251 with Elton John, Men At Work, Chili Peppers

Check out the complete list of fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 251 event.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

Inside, see what the fighters from UFC 251 went with as their backing tracks in Abu Dhabi.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12, Page 13, Page 14

UFC 251: Best parlay bets to cash in on at UFC 251

Highlighting Saturday’s UFC 251 with a three-fight parlay, with odds, analysis and picks.

[jwplayer y6b1Rkk1]

UFC 251 takes place Saturday at the UFC’s Fight Island facility on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The prelims kick off at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 10 p.m. ET on Pay-Per-View.

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 1:15 p.m. ET.

Jiri Prochazka will be making his UFC debut on this card, fighting Volkan Oezdemir in a light heavyweight bout in the feature match of the prelims. Oezdemir has seen five of his past seven fights finish inside the distance, while 13 of his 21 fights as a professional have been KO/TKO results. He has won 12 of those fights.

For Prochazka, he picked up a KO/TKO win in Round 1 last time out against CB Dolloway at Rizin FF: Rizin Fighting Federation 20 on New Year’s Eve 2019. Prochazka has ventured into the octagon 30 times as a pro, with 24 of those outings ending in a KO/TKO. He has won 22 of those fights, although it’s obvious he’ll see a huge jump in the quality of competition at the UFC level. Still, the books love KO/TKO/DQ (-143) as the leading method of how this fight will finish.

UFC 251 special betting line in CO, IN, NJ and WV: Bet $1 at BetMGM.com, WIN $100 in free bets if Kamaru Usman wins at UFC 251. Place your bets now! Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions.

Looking to the Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Muslim Salikhov welterweight bout – also on the prelims card – here are two fighters who do not see the judges get involved very often.

For dos Santos, he has posted an 8-2 record at the UFC level, winning eight of his past nine. Four of the past five outings have finished inside the distance, although seven of his 10 fights have lasted into at least Round 3. As far as Salikhov is concerned, he is 3-0 over the past three fights, with three of his four bouts at the UFC level finishing inside the distance. In 18 pro fights he has posted 12 wins by KO/TKO with no losses. As such, go with NO (-118): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE?

Lastly, target the Makwan Amirkhani–Danny Henry bout for your third end of this parlay. Amirkhani, a.k.a. “Mr. Finland,” will be looking to rebound after a KO/TKO loss in the third round against Shane Burgos at UFC 244. Each of Amirkhani’s past two bouts have finished inside the distance. His opponent, Henry of Scotland, has seen five of his past six pro fights finish inside the distance. Each of Henry’s past two bouts at the UFC level haven’t even seen the bell to end Round 1. As a result, go with NO (-141): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE?

A $10 bet on this three-way parlay (+436) featuring KO/TKO/DQ (-143) in the Oezdemir-Prochazka fight, NO (-118) on the dos Santos-Salikhov fight going the distance, and NO (-141) on the Amirkhani-Henry bout going the distance will fetch a net profit of $43.66.

To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.

If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]

‘Capoeira vs. kung fu’: UFC 251’s Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos relishes challenge of Muslim Salikhov

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos is looking forward to testing his striking against the stand-up skills of “The King of Kung Fu.”

[autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag] is looking to test striking skills against the man known as “The King of Kung Fu.”

Zaleski (22-6 MMA, 8-2 UFC) faces [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] on July 11 at UFC 251 in an intriguing stylistic matchup that is expected to primarily play out standing.

Zaleski, who goes by the nickname “Capoeira,” started training the Brazilian martial art at a very young age before transitioning to MMA. His striking style has seen him score an array of creative finishes, including a wheel-kick knockout of Sean Strickland at UFC 224 in 2018, followed by a flying-knee KO of Luigi Vendramini later that year.

Most of Salikhov’s wins have come on the feet, too, with three of his last four wins coming by emphatic knockouts.

“Muslim Salikhov is an equally-skilled striker,” Zaleski told MMA Junkie. “He has a ton of stand-up experience. He’s a wushu sanda (Chinese kickboxing) champion, which is huge in China and Russia. I’m truly happy to be facing such a high-quality opponent. I have to push myself every day during my training camp, so I can give my best on fight night. I’ve studied him. I know where he’s good. I also see gaps I can explore. It’s going to be a war of styles – capoeira vs. kung fu.”

Winner of eight of his last nine, Zaleski saw his seven-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Li Jingliang last August before rebounding with a win over Alexey Kunchenko in March. It was a pivotal win for Zaleski, who is looking to embark on another run in hopes of breaking his way into the UFC’s official welterweight rankings.

“Once we were booked to face each other, I knew it was an important fight and that I would have to give my best effort,” Zaleski said of his fight with Kunchenko. “After my setback in China, I used that knowledge to further mature, to go back to my winning ways. That’s how it played out when I faced Kunchenko. I was able to prove that I can always hang with the best.

“I think a lot about getting into the top five. I work hard to make that happen. But I always say that it’s one step at a time and that the most important fight is always the next one. What happens after, that’s after. I expect, as I keep winning, that the UFC will have no choice but to rank me among the best.”
[vertical-gallery id=389674]

UFC announces full ‘Fight Island’ lineup, includes 47 bouts in 15 days

“Fight Island” is real, and now the four cards that will take place there are real, as well.

“Fight Island” is real, and now the four cards that will take place there are real, as well.

UFC president Dana White today announced the complete lineup for the four cards that will take place next month in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The unique setup has been necessitated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has made it difficult to get international fighters into the U.S. to compete.

“I think this is going to be a really unique experience, not just for the fighters, but for us,” UFC president Dana White said during the announcement. “It’s going to be cool. It’s going to be something different. It’s never been done before, and however long this thing goes on, and however long it’s hard to get people in from other countries, we will have these fights at ‘Fight Island’ – Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.”

First up, it’s UFC 251 on July 11, which features a trio of title fights.

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] – for welterweight title
  • Champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] – for featherweight title
  • [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] – for vacant bantamweight title
  • [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Danny Henry[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Roman Bogatov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Alexander Romanov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Vanessa Melo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Martin Day[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]
Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige

The promotion then returns on July 15 with an event headlined by featherweight contenders [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

The complete lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (10 p.m. ET)

  • Calvin Kattar vs. Dan Ige
  • [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Chris Fishgold[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY (7 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vinicius Moreira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Taila Santos[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]
  • [autotag]John Phillips[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag]
Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo

Three days later, on July 18, the promotion hosts its third card in eight days, when top flyweight contenders [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) meet for a second time with the vacant UFC flyweight title on the line.

The full card includes:

MAIN CARD (9 p.m. ET)

  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez – for vacant flyweight title
  • [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD (6 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khadis Ibragimov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nad Narimani[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Joe Duffy[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksander Doskalchuk[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Davi Ramos[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Carlos Felipe[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]
Darren Till and Robert Whittaker

Finally, the UFC’s run in Abu Dhabi ends on July 25 with a much-anticipated middleweight contest between former champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) and former welterweight title challenger [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC).

That night’s full lineup includes:

MAIN CARD

  • Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till
  • [autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag]

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Raphael Pessoa[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag]

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Muslim Salikhov added to UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi

A welterweight matchup between Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Muslim Salikhov is the latest addition to UFC 251.

A welterweight matchup is the latest addition to UFC 251.

[autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag] will take on [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] on July 11 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi – also known as “Fight Island.”

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Combate was first to report the news.

After having his seven-fight winning streak snapped against Li Jingliang last August, Zaleski (22-6 MMA, 8-2 UFC) rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Alexey Kunchenko in March.

Since dropping his UFC debut, Salikhov (16-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has won his last three in a row, two by knockout. He is coming off a unanimous decision win over Laureano Staropoli last October in Singapore.

With the addition, the UFC 251 lineup includes:

  • Champ Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns – for welterweight title
  • Champ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway – for featherweight title
  • Jose Aldo vs. Petr Yan – for vacant bantamweight title
  • Amanda Ribas vs. Paige VanZant
  • Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Ciryl Gane
  • Volkan Oezdemir vs. Jiri Prochazka
  • Raulian Paiva vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
  • Makwan Amirkhani vs. Danny Henry
  • Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Muslim Salikhov

[vertical-gallery id=389674]

[vertical-gallery id=456747]