Tag: Geoff Neal

20 fighters who could become stars in the 2020s

A new decade is upon us, and these 20 fighters could take a step to greatness within it.

Well, another decade of mixed martial arts action is in the books.

The 2010s featured the emergence of superstars such as Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, and Ronda Rousey. For the first time in UFC history, a simultaneous double champion was crowned in McGregor. And then it happened again (Daniel Cormier, and again (Amanda Nunes, and again (Henry Cejudo).

The next decade is almost guaranteed to provide us with the next generation of UFC, Bellator, and PFL champions. But who are the likely candidates to become future stars?

From hot UFC and Bellator prospects, to fighters on the regional scene, to athletes yet to compete in MMA, the up-and-comer harvest is plentiful. Who could be the next McGregor? The next Israel Adesanya? The next Zhang Weili?

Let’s take a look into MMA Junkie’s crystal ball and see who could cross the threshold into stardom over the span of the next decade.

Two parameters were set for this list:

  1. Fighters must be younger than age 30.
  2. Fighters have yet to hold a major organization’s title.

Fighters who fit the criteria but have seemingly already achieved stardom were not considered.

Without further ado …

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Maycee Barber

Record: 8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC
Age: 21
Weight class: Flyweight
Height: 5’5″
Birthplace: Greeley, Colo.
Next Fight: Jan. 18 vs. Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246 in Las Vegas

Nicknamed “The Future,” [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] is just that. The strawweight has proven her worth in a short period of time, competing for LFA and on Dana White’s Contender Series prior to her UFC debut. Three fights into her promotional tenure, Barber sports a 100 percent finishing rate. In her most recent outing in October, Barber blitzed and TKO’d fellow top prospect Gillian Robertson. The win moved Barber one step closer to her publicly set goal of becoming the youngest UFC champion ever. She’ll look to continue her climb when she takes on her highest-ranked opponent to date, Roxanne Modafferi, at UFC 246 on Jan. 18.

Paulo Costa

Record: 13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC
Age: 28
Weight class: Middleweight
Height: 6’1″
Birthplace: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Next Fight: TBA

It almost seems like a misprint that [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] can qualify for this list – but he does. It’s easy to forget his age and relatively brief UFC tenure when looking at his accomplishments. A physical specimen, the Brazilian middleweight Costa has quickly risen through the ranks en route to title contention. Costa went the distance for the first time in his career in August. In doing so, he defeated his most notable opponent to date, two-time title challenger Yoel Romero. The victory presumably has set Costa up for a title shot against champion Israel Adesanya. However, a shoulder injury has delayed “Borrachinha’s” return – but the rivalry with Adesanya is continuing to build in the meantime.

Mike Davis

Record: 8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC
Age: 27
Weight class: Lightweight
Height: 6’0″
Birthplace: South Cairo, N.Y.
Next Fight: TBA

With an 80 percent winning percentage, [autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag] doesn’t have a bad record by any means. But still, it isn’t representative of the skills he possesses. The Florida-based lightweight has only lost two top-tier talents in Sodiq Yusuff and Gilbert Burns. With crisp boxing and a strong ground game, Davis is a scary matchup for any member of the UFC’s 155-pound division. Just imagine how good he could become. The man hasn’t even hit the dozen-fight mark of his pro MMA career. In his most recent bout, Davis administered one of the year’s biggest beatdowns, pummeling Thomas Gifford at UFC on ESPN+ 19 in October.

Ciryl Gane

Record: 6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC
Age: 29
Weight class: Heavyweight
Height: 6’5″
Birthplace: France
Next Fight: TBA

It’s been a long time since MMA has seen a heavyweight prospect with the upside of [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]. Working under esteemed MMA coach Fernand Lopez, France’s Gane has served as a main training partner for Francis Ngannou. Now, it’s his time. Possessing many of the same skills as Ngannou, Gane also brings some differences to the table. His athleticism and quickness is unusual for a heavyweight. Possessing a strong kickboxing background, Gane has shown he’s evolved past being a one-dimensional competitor. In two out of his three UFC outings, Gane has won by submission.

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 17: Welcome to the pound-for-pound list, Alexander Volkanovski

UFC 245 featured three title fights, so some of the biggest names in the sport were in action, but many of them were already at the top.

UFC 245 featured three massive title fights, so some of the biggest names in the sport were in action this past weekend, but many of them were already at the top of their divisions.

UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and women’s double champ [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] were already ranked No. 1 in the world, so their victories simply kept them in position. But [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] was not in the same situation.

Entering the card at No. 3 in the featherweight division, Volkanovski upset Max Holloway en route to claiming the UFC featherweight title with a fantastic five-round performance. As an added bonus, he now moves up to No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie featherweight rankings, while also debuting on the pound-for-pound list at No. 11.

Volkanovski wasn’t the only one making moves, though. Check out the updated list to see where names like [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag], [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag], [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] and others sit following their UFC 245 performances.

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UFC 245 salaries: Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington top list of disclosed paydays

A total of 12 fighters made north of six figures Saturday at UFC 245, and that number increases when post-fight bonuses are factored in.

Main event combatants [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] each pocketed $500,000 for their respective efforts at UFC 245.

MMA Junkie recently obtained the list of the disclosed paydays for Saturday night’s card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas from the Nevada Athletic Commission, which oversaw the event.

UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovksi[/autotag], who won the belt in the evening’s co-main event, earned $250,000 for his performance. Former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag], who lost the belt, took home a $350,000.

UFC women’s double champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] pocketed $450,000 for her bantamweight title defense against [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag]. Dutch challenger de Randamie earned $100,000.

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Former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] was the fourth highest-paid athlete on the card. Despite losing to [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] in his drop to bantamweight, Aldo earned $400,000.

The total disclosed payroll for the event was $4,096,000.

The full list of disclosed UFC 245 paydays included:

  • Kamaru Usman: $500,000 (no win bonus)
    def. Colby Covington: $500,000
  • Alexander Volkanovski: $250,000 (no win bonus)
    def. Max Holloway: $350,000
  • Amanda Nunes: $450,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus)
    def. Germaine de Randamie: $100,000
  • Marlon Moraes: $220,000 (includes $110,000 win bonus)
    def. Jose Aldo: $400,000
  • [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $122,000 (includes $66,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag]: $250,0000
  • [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $62,000 (includes $31,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]: $90,000
  • [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]: $80,000 (includes $40,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]: $33,000
  • [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag]: $110,000 (includes $28,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag]: $50,000
  • [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]: $160,000 (includes $80,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Ben Saunders[/autotag]: $35,000
  • [autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: $48,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Daniel Teymur[/autotag]: $18,000
  • [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $62,000 (includes $31,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: $25,000
  • [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag]: $96,000 (includes $48,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $45,000
  • [autotag]Puna Soriano[/autotag]: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Oskar Piechota[/autotag]: $20,000

The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, including the official UFC 245 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special discretionary bonuses the UFC sometimes pays. They also do not include pay-per-view cuts that some top-level fighters receive.

For example, UFC officials handed out additional $50,000 UFC 245 fight-night bonuses to Yan and Aldana for “Performance of the Night,” and Usman and Covington for “Fight of the Night.”

In other words, the above figures are simply base salaries reported to the commission and do not reflect entire compensation packages for the event.

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UFC 245 medical suspensions: Colby Covington, Kamaru Usman, others face potential lengthy layoffs

As you might expect, Colby Covington is going to be out awhile after UFC 245. But Kamaru Usman could be on the shelf as well.

Seven fighters are facing lengthy medical suspensions after a hard-hitting night of action at UFC 245.

Both main event combatants, [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag], face 180-day suspensions for injuries sustained in their back-and-forth main event.

Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) retained his welterweight championship, but not without sacrificing his well-being. “The Nigerian Nightmare” has been suspended 180 days or until X-ray of left thumb is cleared by physician.

Meanwhile, Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has been suspended 180 days or until his nondisplaced midline mandibular fracture is cleared by oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

Additionally, newly crowned UFC featherweight champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] is up for a potential 180 days suspension as well, for a potentially broken hand suffered against Max Holloway in the evening’s co-main event.

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Four other fighters could see 180-day suspensions for various injuries, including bantamweight contender [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag], [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag], [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag], and [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag].

MMA Junkie acquired the full list of medical suspensions from the Nevada Athletic Commission, which you can read below:

  • [autotag]Puna Soriano[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Oskar Piechota[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
  • [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days or until eye injury is cleared by physician; no contact for 21 days due to cut on left cheek
  • [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray/MRI of right hand and x-ray of right foot and left tibia/fibia are cleared by physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Daniel Teymur[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
  • [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to cut on left eyebrow
  • [autotag]Ben Saunders[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
  • [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Ian Henisch[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]: No Suspension
  • [autotag]Ketlen Viera[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
  • Geoff Neal: Suspended for 180 days or until x-ray of left ribs is cleared by physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • Mike Perry: Suspended 180 days or until nasal x-ray is cleared by physician; also suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
  • Petr Yan: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray of right foot is cleared by an orthopedic physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 21 days due to cut on left eyelid
  • [autotag]Jose Aldo/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • Alexander Volkanovski: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray of right hand is cleared by orthopedic physician; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
  • [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to leg pain
  • Kamaru Usman: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray of left thumb is cleared by physician; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
  • Colby Covington: Suspended 180 days or until nondisplaced midline mandibular fracture is cleared by oral and maxillofacial surgeon; also suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days

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Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Usman, Volkanovski, Nunes after UFC 245?

See who champs Kamaru Usman, Alexander Volkanovski, Amanda Nunes and UFC 245’s other big winners should fight next.

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.

With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 245’s key winning fighters.

Those wins including [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC), who defended his welterweight title for the first time against Colby Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, as well as champs [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC), [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 12-1 UFC) and big winners [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (23-6-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC), [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC).

* * * *

Geoff Neal

Should fight: [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]

Santiago Ponzinibbio

Why they should fight: Neal continued to thrive to begin his UFC tenure when, in his most high profile fight to date, he turned in his most impressive performance with a 90-second TKO of Mike Perry.

Neal destroying the fan favorite opened a lot of eyes in the MMA world, and now he is very much deserving a big fight in the welterweight division. He’s the first fighter in the weight class to start 5-0 in the octagon since Usman, and that should say a lot about his potential.

On the broadcast, commentator Daniel Cormier suggested a matchup with Ponzinibbio (27-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who is on a seven-fight winning streak but has been out of action since November 2018. It appears he’s back training now, though, and if healthy, a showdown against Neal has the potential for dazzling results.

Petr Yan

Should fight: Marlon Moraes

Marlon Moraes

Why they should fight: Yan added a signature win to his resume when he picked UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber apart for more than two rounds before ending it with strikes in the third to improve to 6-0 inside the octagon.

It has seemed like Yan’s basically been in cruise control for most of his octagon tenure. He’s yet to have an opponent to push him to the brink, and usually when that happens, a title shot is in order.

Unfortunately for Yan, though, he still lacks the name value of other bantamweight contenders, and with Henry Cejudo holding both the 135-pound and flyweight titles, Yan’s chances of being selected to challenge for the title out of all the possible options seems grim. That’s just reality.

Yan is a fighting machine, though, and there’s no question he’ll take another fight to strengthen his profile. Moraes is the perfect top contender.

Marlon Moraes

Should fight: Petr Yan

Petr Yan

Why they should fight: Moraes got the split decision nod over Jose Aldo just minutes after Yan got his victory. Right then, the stars seemingly aligned for a matchup.

Moraes is trying to get back to a bantamweight title shot after losing to Cejudo in his first opportunity at UFC 238 in June. He was doing extremely well in that matchup, but then Cejudo made a brilliant strategic adjustment and got himself back in the fight.

It’s not unfathomable to think Moraes could beat Cejudo, he just needs to make his argument for that rematch. There would be few better ways to do that than hand Yan his first octagon loss.

Amanda Nunes

Should fight: [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]

Irene Aldana

Why they should fight: It’s kind of hard to figure out what you do with Nunes at this point. She has trucked every title challenger available across two divisions, and the potential contenders for her look like names who would merely be rushed into that spot.

That’s ultimately what the UFC will have to be forced to do, though, following Nunes’ one-sided decision over Germaine de Randamie. But, the promotion is left in a real pickle if Nunes wants to defend her featherweight belt, because there’s simply just nobody there outside of Megan Anderson coming off a win.

It would be in Nunes’ best interest to wait around and see if an interesting contender emerges. She likes to stay active, though, and that means the UFC will have to cobble something together. It might have to come at 135 pounds, and if that’s the case, Aldana (12-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) seems like the natural next available contender following her stunning knockout
of Ketlen Vieira.

Alexander Volkanovski

Should fight: [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]

Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski

Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Volkanovski should rematch Holloway (21-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC) next for his first title defense.

Kamaru Usman

Jorge Masvidal

Should fight: [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]
Why they should fight: 

Watch the video above to see why Usman should fight Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) next for his second title defense.

After UFC 245, Geoff Neal welcomes callouts from any top-10 opponent

“If somebody wants to call me out in the top 10, feel free to do that.”

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

A product of the rising powerhouse Fortis MMA gym, Neal (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) picked up arguably his biggest victory when he defeated Mike Perry by first-round knockout at UFC 245.

“I feel great about it,” Neal told reporters backstage after the fight. “He’s known as the warrior, the tough guy. I put him away in a minute and 30 (seconds). That should say something about me. People should open their eyes up like, ‘Hey, this dude Geoff, he might be for real.”

After the victory, Neal said he wanted a top 10 opponent. However, the 29-year-old welterweight didn’t want to call anyone out. Neal flipped the script, asking any UFC-ranking member to mention his name if they want to be next in line.

“I want somebody in the top 10,” Neal said. “I don’t know who. That’s one of those things I’m going to sit down and talk to my coaches about. I don’t want to just spread out a name, you know? I got people in mind. I’ve got ideas. But right now, anybody in the top 10. And if somebody wants to call me out in the top 10, feel free to do that.”

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Regardless of the next opponent the UFC throws his way, Neal indicated he’ll feel comfortable taking on anyone – even if it’s a top-five fighter.

“I’m ready to face anybody, honestly,” Neal said. “Whoever is put in front of me, I’m confident in my coaches and my team. They’ll prepare me for any fight.”

With the victory, Neal has won seven straight fights. Undefeated in the UFC, Neal has only gone to the judges’ decision once in his promotional tenure. In addition to Perry, Neal holds wins over Belal Muhammad and Niko Price among others.

The welterweight bout between Neal and Perry closed out the preliminary card at T-Mobile Arena. It aired on ESPN2 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

Check out Neal’s full UFC 245 post-fight media scrum in the video above.

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5 biggest takeaways from UFC 245: Usman’s reign, Covington’s character, Holloway’s humility

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn with some thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC 245.

What mattered most at UFC 245 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …

* * * * *

1. Kamaru Usman’s championship potential

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] got his welterweight championship reign off to a memorable start with his first title defense being a fifth-round TKO of [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]. It was a huge fight, and for Usman to win it with those style points had to feel pretty sweet.

What also must be sweet is knowing he got through arguably his toughest test in the division his first time putting up the belt. There are a lot of great welterweights out there, but Covington wasn’t an easy stylistic matchup, as we saw in the fight.

The likes of Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz, Leon Edwards, Stephen Thompson, Santiago Ponzinibbio, and more all have more glaring flaws Usman can take advantage of, and that must have “The Nigerian Nightmare” pretty excited about what he can make of this run as champion.

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UFC 245 post-event facts: Max Holloway makes history, even in defeat

The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 245, which saw Kamaru Usman beat Colby Covington in the main event.

The UFC’s final numbered event of the year took place Saturday at UFC 245 went down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

Three championship bouts were featured on the card, but it was Kamaru Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) who closed the show in dramatic fashion when he stopped Colby Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) by fifth-round TKO to defend his welterweight title for the first time in the main event.

It was a memorable finish to close a memorable card, and for more on the numbers, check below for 60 post-event facts to come out of UFC 245.

* * * *

General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $369,500.

Usman, Covington, [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] and [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC 245 fight-night bonuses.

Debuting fighters went 2-0 on the card.

UFC 245 drew an announced attendance of 16,811 for a live gate of $4,041,119.14.

Betting favorites went 8-5 on the card.

Betting favorites improved to 22-17 (one fight had even odds, one ended in a no contest) in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 2:49:00.

Main card

Usman extended his winning streak to 15 fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since May 2013.

Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Usman became the fourth fighter in UFC history to start 11-0 with the promotion. Anderson Silva, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Royce Gracie also accomplished the feat.

Usman is the only welterweight in history to start his UFC career with 11 consecutive victories.

Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak is the third longest active streak in the company behind Nurmagomedov (12) and Tony Ferguson (12).

Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is the second longest in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (12).

Covington suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) became the fourth undisputed featherweight champion in UFC history.

Volkanovski became the first Australian-born champion in UFC history.

Volkanovski’s six-fight UFC winning streak at featherweight is tied with Arnold Allen and Zabit Magomedsharipov for the longest active streak in the division.

Volkanovski extended his winning streak to 18 consecutive fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since May 2013.

Volkanovski has earned five of his eight UFC victories by decision.

Volkanovski has outlanded his eight UFC opponents by a 650-301 margin in total strikes.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC) has suffered four of his five career losses by decision.

Holloway landed 100+ significant strikes for the 10th time in UFC competition, the most in company history. No other fighter has more than seven such performances.

Holloway became the third fighter in UFC history to complete 22 octagon appearances without suffering a knockdown.

[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]’ (19-4 MMA, 12-1 UFC) five consecutive UFC title defenses are most among current champions.

Nunes’ seven victories in women’s UFC title fights are most in company history.

Nunes’ 12 victories in UFC competition are most for any female in company history.

Nunes’ 11 victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Nunes’ 10-fight UFC winning streak in women’s competition is the longest in company history.

Nunes’ nine-fight UFC winning streak at women’s bantamweight is the longest active streak in the division.

[autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) fell to 2-1 since she returned to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in September 2017.

De Randamie suffered her first decision loss since June 24, 2011 – a span of 3,115 days and nine fights.

[autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (23-6-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) improved to 18-2 in his past 20 fights dating back to December 2011.

[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) was unsuccessful in his bantamweight debut.

Aldo fell to 3-5 in his past eight fights after going undefeated for more than a decade.

Yan’s (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Yan has earned all three of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.

[autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (35-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC) suffered just the fourth knockout loss of his career.

Preliminary card

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]’s (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Usman (11), Leon Edwards (eight) and Santiago Ponzinibbio (seven).

Neal has earned 10 of his 12 career victories by stoppage. That includes four of his five UFC wins.

Neal became the first welterweight since Usman to start 5-0 in the UFC.

[autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) fell to 2-5 in his past seven fights dating back to December 2017.

Perry suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

Aldana’s (12-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) five victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Nunes (11), Raquel Pennington (eight) and Ronda Rousey (six).

[autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) had her 10-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.

[autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (19-4-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) improved to 3-0-1 since he returned to the UFC middleweight division in December 2017. He’s 4-0-1 in the weight class overall under the UFC banner.

Akhmedov’s five-fight UFC unbeaten streak at middleweight is tied with Paulo Costa for the second longest active streak in the division behind Israel Adesanya (seven).

[autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May.

Heinisch has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision.

[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]’s (22-16 MMA, 15-10 UFC) 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (16).

Brown has earned 20 of his 22 career victories by stoppage. That includes 13 of his 15 wins under the UFC banner.

Brown’s 13 stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Brown’s 11 knockout victories in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Vitor Belfort (12).

Brown’s 11 knockout victories in welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.

[autotag]Ben Saunders[/autotag] (22-13-2 MMA, 8-10 UFC) fell to 5-7 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in August 2014; it includes one win in an outside promotion.

Saunders’ four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since June 2018.

Saunders is 1-6 in his past seven UFC appearances dating back to May 2017.

[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag] (7-0-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned five of his seven career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Daniel Teymur[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 1-4 UFC) fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to December 2016.

Teymur suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (16-5-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) improved to 1-0-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September.

Moreno snapped his three-fight winless skid in UFC competition for his first octagon victory since April 2017.

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of her career.

[autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned six of his seven career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Oskar Piechota[/autotag] (11-3-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has suffered three consecutive losses after starting his career on a 12-fight unbeaten streak.

Piechota suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

UFC 245 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Second highest event payout in program history

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 245 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $369,500.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 245 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $369,500.

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 245 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

The full UFC 245 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $40,000
def. [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]: $30,000

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

[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]: $40,000
def. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag]: $30,000

[autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Ben Saunders[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Daniel Teymur[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Oskar Piechota[/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 2019 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,249,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $30,883,500

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC 245 with Billie Eilish and a ‘Game of Thrones’ appearance

Check out the complete list of fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 245 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 245 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

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