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

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UFC on ESPN+ 28 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Multiple veterans net maximum money

UFC on ESPN+ 28 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $209,500.

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 on ESPN+ 28 took place Saturday at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia, Brazil. The entire card aired on ESPN.

The full UFC on ESPN+ 28 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Demian Maia[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Damir Hadzovic[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Randa Markos[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Aleksei Kunchenko[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag]: $20,000
vs. [autotag]Enrique Barzola[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]David Dvorak[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Bea Malecki[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Veronica Macedo[/autotag]: $4,000

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: $1,293,000
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: $32,297,500

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC Brasilia, where no fans heard Jay-Z or Macklemore

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 event in Brasilia, Brazil – which featured no fans in attendance.

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 on ESPN+ 28 went with as their backing tracks in Brasilia, Brazil.

UFC on ESPN+ 28: Elizeu dos Santos vs. Aleksei Kunchenko odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 28 fight between Elizeu dos Santos and Aleksei Kunchenko, with MMA betting odds, picks, tips and bets.

Elizeu dos Santos and Aleksei Kunchenko lock horns in a welterweight bout in the prelims of UFC on ESPN+ 28 — also called UFC Fight Night 170 — at the Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia. The card gets underway in Brazil’s capital Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.

Elizeu dos Santos vs. Aleksei Kunchenko preview

Dos Santos (21-6-0) is four inches taller than his opponent, and he also has a three-inch reach advantage. He also holds a slight edge in Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute (LPM) at 4.18-3.62, while Kunchenko is slightly more accurate at 42.45% in Significant Strike Accuracy to 39.96%. While Kunchenko is also better in Takedown Accuracy, dos Santos holds a slight lead in Takedown Average while posting a 0.6 submission average to zero for Kunchenko.

Dos Santos, nicknamed “Capoeira”, saw his seven-bout winning streak come to a close when he was knocked out in the third round against Li Jingliang Aug. 31, 2019 on the Andrade-Zhang card. During his seven-bout win streak, he recorded three KO/TKO victories, a win by submission and a pair of unanimous decisions and a split-decision win.

Kunchenko (20-1-0) has won two of his three bouts since making his UFC debut with a win over Thiago Alves on Sept. 15, 2018. He is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Gilbert Burns, who is on this card in the main event. He was a knockout machine in his earlier days, but at the highest level of MMA, he has had mixed results. He’ll want to keep the fight upright, and dos Santos is likely to want to follow suit. This one could be a brawl.

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Aleksei Kunchenko betting odds

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 11 a.m. ET.


Place a sports bet on this mixed martial arts action or other events at BetMGM.


Per BetMGM, DOS SANTOS (-134) is a slight favorite on the 2-way line over Kunchenko (+110), and the favorite is the play. The Russian fell to a Brazilian fighter last time out, and he’ll be 0-for-2 in the past two bouts after this one. This is going to be the bout you want to see on the card, as it should be a toe-to-toe slugfest which the crowd really would have enjoyed if they were allowed to enter the arena. Unfortunately, Ginasio Nilson Nelson will be empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Betting DOS SANTOS BY KO/TKO OR DQ (+450) is worth a small-unit bet, too.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Dos Santos (-134) to win nets a profit of $7.50. A $1 wager on Dos Santos (+450) to win by KO/TKO or DQ secures a profit of $4.50.

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 and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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

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Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Alexey Kunchenko added to UFC on ESPN+ 28

A welterweight matchup between Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Alexey Kunchenko is the latest addition to UFC Brasilia.

A welterweight matchup is the latest addition to UFC Brasilia.

[autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag](21-6 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will face [autotag]Alexey Kunchenko[/autotag] (20-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 28. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup after an initial report from Combate.

The event takes place March 14 at Ginasio Nilson Nelson in Brasilia. The card will stream live on ESPN+.

Zaleski had his seven-fight winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he suffered a late third-round TKO to Li Jingliang in August. It was his first loss since his UFC debut in May 2015.

After a 20-0 start to his pro MMA career, Russia’s Kunchenko had a streak of his own stopped, when Gilbert Burns knocked him off the ranks of the unbeaten, defeating him via unanimous decision in August.

With the addition to the card, the UFC Brasilia lineup now includes:

  • Amanda Ribas vs. Paige VanZant
  • Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Brad Tavares
  • Nikita Krylov vs. Johnny Walker
  • Carlos Felipe vs. Jeff Hughes
  • Maryna Moroz vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
  • Alexey Kunchenko vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos