Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Gabriel Bonfim got back in the win column after the first loss of his pro career this past November.
[autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag] beat Ange Loosa with a unanimous decision Saturday on the main card at UFC on ESPN 59 at Ball Arena in Denver.
Take a look inside the fight with Bonfim, who got back in the win column after the first loss of his pro career this past November.
The UFC has now issued more than $4 million in Promotional Guidelines Compliance to its fighters in 2024 after UFC Denver.
DENVER – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 59 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $180,500.
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 59 took place at Ball Arena in Colorado. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 59 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag]: $11,000
vs. [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Fatima Kline[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Luana Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Evan Elder[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Darrius Flowers[/autotag]: $4,500
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 $31,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-59 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $4,129,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,866,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.
UFC on ESPN 59 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.
Check out the best photos from Gabriel Bonfim’s unanimous decision win over Ange Loosa at UFC on ESPN 59.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 59 at Ball Arena in Denver. (Fight and venue photos by Ron Chenoy, USA Today Sports)
Will Gabriel Bonfim score another fast finish at UFC Denver against Ange Loosa?
[autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag] and [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC on ESPN 59 from Ball Arena in Denver. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Last event: 2-2
UFC main cards, 2024: 54-51-2
Bonfim (15-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) enters his first fight of 2024, looking to rebound from the first loss of his professional career in a TKO loss to Nicolas Dalby in November. The Dana White’s Contender series veteran won his fight on the show in the first round, and then went on to finish his first two UFC opponents, Mounir Lazzez and Trevin Giles, by first-round submission. … Loosa (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will seek his first win/loss result of the year after an accidental eye poke from Bryan Battle led to a no contest in their March bout. After dropping a decision in his UFC debut to Mounir Lazzez, Loosa then went on to win back-to-back decisions over AJ Fletcher and Rhys McKee.
Filling out the main card on ESPN is a welterweight bout between Bonfim and Loosa.
Considering both fighters have, to differing degrees, struggled with stamina and pacing, it’s a classic diabolical move by the matchmakers to pit these two against each other at high elevation.
Loosa appears to have the superior staying power between the two, but I’m not sure this battle bodes well for him from a stylistic perspective.
Not only will Bonfim’s lead-hand length and kicks provide problems for the shorter stature of his foe, but Loosa’s recent trend of mixing in takedowns for shelter could cost him badly considering his Brazilian counterpart’s dangerous proclivity for front chokes.
For that reason, I’ll side with Bonfim to finish what Bryan Battle started by finishing Loosa in round 2.
The oddsmakers and the public have this fight at a pick’em, listing Dober -110 and Silva -110 via FanDuel.
As the featured bout, Bonfim and Loosa are expected to make their walks to the cage at approximately 11:05 p.m. ET (9:05 p.m. local time in Denver). The fight airs on ESPN and streams live on ESPN+.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.
Check out the top 10 MMA betting upsets of 2023, according to the oddsmakers, across Bellator, the UFC, PFL and more.
Who doesn’t love a good upset?
In 2023, MMA saw its fair share of underdogs who defied the odds in the UFC, Bellator, PFL, and beyond. While everyone has an opinion of who should win and who should lose, the oddsmakers (and how the betting public responds) largely get the final say on what history reflects.
This year, with the help of MMA database Tapology, MMA Junkie has compiled the top 10 betting upsets of 2023. Fights that were eligible were those that multiple major online sportsbooks recognized, and that Tapology recorded before the close of the betting line.
Promotions eligible include UFC, Bellator, PFL, KSW, DWCS, Road to UFC, and ONE Championship.
Check out the top 10 MMA betting upsets of 2023 below. Only major MMA promotions were included in the tally.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from November 2023.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from November 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for November.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
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 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:
* * * *
[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.
Check out which fighters took home an extra $50,000 for their performances at UFC Fight Night 231 in Sao Paulo.
The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including rewards for a few devastating finishes.
After UFC Fight Night 231, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Sao Paulo. Check out the winners below.
Nicolas Dalby walked into hostile territory at UFC Fight Night 231 and stopped Gabriel Bonfim for one of the biggest upsets of 2023.
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] walked into hostile territory at UFC Fight Night 231 and ended the undefeated streak of the heavily hyped [autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag].
Dalby (23-4-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC) brought a tough and tenacious background of never being finished into the welterweight co-headliner at Ginasio Do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. He was a sizeable underdog against Bonfim (15-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who had finished every opponent he’s previously faced in MMA competition.
The fight got off to a hot start for Bonfim, who landed hard shots and controlled the opening frame with dominant grappling. Dalby came out undeterred in the second frame, however, and pressured his opponent with punches, elbows and knees until he badly stunned the Brazilian for the TKO at the 4:33 mark of Round 2.
Check out the replay of Dalby’s thrilling upset below (via X):
Dalby hands Bonfim the first loss of his career 😳 #UFCSP pic.twitter.com/HAox22gqv9
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 5, 2023
After his fourth straight win, Dalby asked for a ranked name at 170 pounds, and perhaps even a live event in his native Copenhagen, Denmark.
“When my mind is set to something, nothing can stop me,” Dalby said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “Sean (Shelby), Mick (Maynard), Dana (White), give me a top-15 (opponent).”
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.
