With all the UFC fight announcements, it’s been hard to keep up. Check out five under-the-radar fights at the Jacksonville events.
With three short-notice UFC cards being booked in lightning-quick fashion, it’s been hard to keep up with all of the fight announcements.
Over the next eight days, the UFC will be holding three events: UFC 249 (Saturday), UFC on ESPN+ 29 (Wednesday) and UFC on ESPN 8 (May 16). All three events will be held at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Sure, everyone knows Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje will fight, right after Henry Cejudo battles Dominick Cruz. Yes, Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira will slug it out four days later, followed by a Saturday night heavyweight rumble between Walt Harris and Alistair Overeem.
But what about the rest of the fights? With close to 40 fights happening in eight days, chances are some are being overlooked.
Check out five UFC fights that are flying under-the-radar for the upcoming Jacksonville events.
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5. Anthony Hernandez vs. Kevin Holland
Two of the UFC middleweight division’s brightest up-and-comers, [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] will face off May 16 at UFC on ESPN 8.
When the May 16 event was slated to take place in San Diego, Hernandez (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was expected to face Puna Soriano. However, Soriano was removed from the card and Holland (16-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) stepped in.
Both fighters are extremely fun to watch. Hernandez is well-rounded, though submissions are his bread and butter. Nicknamed “Big Mouth,” by UFC president Dana White, Holland doesn’t shy away from yapping at his opponents from bell to bell. Luckily for him, his talents back up his chatter.
Hernandez, 26, is coming off his first UFC victory. After he lost his promotional debut against Markus Perez in February, Hernandez rebounded in August when he defeated Jun Yong Park by submission.
As for Holland, the 27-year-old Texas-based fighter lost his most recent fight to Brendan Allen in October. Prior to the second-round submission defeat, Holland had defeated John Phillips, Gerald Meerschaert, and Alessio Di Chirico back-to-back-to-back.
Hernandez vs. Holland is currently penciled in as the featured preliminary card fight.
Check out the best highlights from this day in history with MMA Junkie’s “Combat Rewind.”
There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?
“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year. It’s a look back at history, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives, featuring stellar finishes and classic moments in MMA and beyond on their anniversaries.
So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:
GLORY 21: [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ashley Epps[/autotag] – May 8, 2015
GLORY 21: [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ken Tran[/autotag] – May 8, 2015
GLORY 21: [autotag]Chi Lewis Parry[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Demoreo Dennis[/autotag] – May 8, 2015
GLORY 21: [autotag]Raymond Daniels[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Baesman[/autotag] – May 8, 2015
Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.
Israel Adesanya is one of six fighters in need of further evaluation after UFC 248.
[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] is one of six fighters in need of further evaluation after UFC 248.
The UFC middleweight champion Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who defended his title in a unanimous decision over Yoel Romero (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in Saturday’s headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, needs X-rays on both of his feet before obtaining clearance to fight again.
Monday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of medical suspensions from the Nevada Athletic Commission, the body that oversaw the event.
Complete UFC 248 medical suspensions include:
* * * *
Israel Adesanya: Needs X-rays of both feet. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until April 9; minimum suspension no contact until April 29.
[autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag]: Suspended until May 5; no contact until April 22.
[autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag]: Suspended until May 5; no contact until April 22.
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: Needs MRI on right knee. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until April 9.
[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag]: Needs MRI on left shoulder. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until Sept. 4; minimum suspension with no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: Needs X-ray on left foot. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until Sept. 4; minimum suspension with no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Jose Quinonez[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag]: Needs X-ray on left foot. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until Sept. 4; minimum suspension with no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: Needs X-ray on left ankle. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until Sept. 4; minimum suspension with no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag]: Suspended until April 7; no contact until March 29.
[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Danaa Batgerel[/autotag]: Needs X-ray on right foot. If injury discovered, must have doctor’s clearance or no contact until Sept. 4; minimum suspension with no contact until April 7.
[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]: Suspended until April 22; no contact until April 7.
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was the highest earner at UFC 248, taking home more than double that of the card’s other champ.
Middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] was the highest earner at UFC 248, taking home more than twice as much disclosed pay as the card’s other defending champ.
Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) made $500,000 with no win bonus for his main event title defense against challenger [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Romero made $350,000 in defeat.
The other defending champion on the card, Zhang Weili (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) netted $200,000 for beating [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who got $106,000 in the memorable title contest.
The total disclosed payroll for the event was $2.086 million.
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Complete disclosed salaries for UFC 248:
Israel Adesanya: $500,000 (no win bonus)
def. Yoel Romero: $350,000
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 248 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 248 fight-night bonuses to Dariush and O’Malley for “Performance of the Night,” and Weili and Jedrzejczyk 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.
The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 248, which saw Israel Adesanya beat Yoel Romero in the main event.
The UFC returned to Las Vegas for the second time this year on Saturday with UFC 248, which took place at T-Mobile Arena with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
Two title fights sat atop the card, and neither champion was unseated. [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) kept ahold of his middleweight strap with a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in the main event, while [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) managed retain her strawweight title by edging out [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in a split decision.
For more on the numbers to come out of the title bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 40 post-event facts from UFC 248.
Betting favorites improved to 5-2 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 2:16:14.
Main card
Israel Adesanya
Adesanya’s 19-fight winning streak is third longest among active UFC fighters behind Khabib Nurmagomedov (28) and Zhang (21).
Adesanya’s 19-fight winning streak is the longest among active UFC middleweights.
Adesanya’s eight-fight UFC winning streak at middleweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
Romero’s three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.
Romero fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to July 2017.
Romero has suffered all four of his UFC losses by decision.
Zhang Weili
Weili extended her winning streak to 21 fights. She hasn’t suffered a defeat since her MMA debut in November 2013.
Weili’s 21-fight winning streak is the second longest among all fighters on the UFC roster behind Nurmagomedov (28).
Weili’s five-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is with Tatiana Suarez and Yan Xiaonan for the longest active streak in the division.
Weili and Jedrzejczyk combined for 351 significant strikes landed, the third most in UFC title-fight history. Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega hold the record with 400 total at UFC 231.
Jedrzejczyk fell to 2-4 in her past six fights dating back to when she lost the UFC strawweight title in November 2017.
Jedrzejczyk is one of two fighters UFC history to land 100 or more significant strikes in eight separate fights. Max Holloway also accomplished the feat.
Jedrzejczyk has suffered three of her four career losses by decision.
Dariush’s (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) 12 UFC lightweight victories since 2014 are the most in the division.
[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] (11-2-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Neil Magny
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]’s (22-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (16).
Magny’s 15 victories since 2013 in UFC competition are second most among active fighters in the company behind Donald Cerrone (17).
Magny has earned nine of his 15 UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has suffered five of his six career losses by decision.
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) improved to 8-5 (with one no contest) in UFC welterweight competition.
[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 3-6 UFC) fell to 1-4 in his past five UFC appearances dating back to July 2018.
Griffin has suffered seven of his eight career losses by decision.
Preliminary card
Sean O’Malley
O’Malley (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned eight of 11 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision. That includes both of his UFC defeats.
[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned all seven of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished both of his UFC wins by submission.
[autotag]Saparbek Safarov[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) was unsuccessful in his middleweight debut.
Safarov has suffered all of his career losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has earned 28 of his 30 carer victories by stoppage. That includes all six of his UFC wins.
[autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 6-0.
Winn suffered the first submission loss of his career.
[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by (split) decision.
[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) 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.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 248 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $257,000.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 248 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $257,000.
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 248 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
The full UFC 248 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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:
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 248 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 248 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.
With Movsar Evloev out, Giga Chikadze has stepped in on 10 days’ notice against Jamall Emmers.
[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag] accepted a UFC 248 opportunity on short notice. Now, he won’t be the only one with less than a full training camp competing in the matchup.
Emmers’ original opponent, [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] is off the card for unknown reasons. However, [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] has stepped in on short notice to fight Emmers (17-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the targeted bout Wednesday. The people asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
UFC 248 takes place March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Emmers, 30, competed for more than a dozen regional promotions en route to the UFC. In 2016, Emmers appeared on an episode of “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” and impressed the UFC president despite putting forth a losing effort.
After losing on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, Emmers went back to the regional scene. Over the span of his next four fights, he finished all four of his opponents, including UFC veteran Jay Cucciniello.
As for Chikadze (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), the Georgian fighter has won three straight bouts, including his UFC debut over Brandon Davis in September. Chikadze was supposed to compete at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 27 card in Norfolk, Va., but his opponent Mike Davis withdrew from the card and no replacement was sought.
With the switch, the latest UFC 248 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Champ Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero – for middleweight title
Champ Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk – for strawweight title
An undisclosed injury has forced Mike Davis out of his fight vs. Giga Chikadze at UFC Norfolk.
[autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag]’ much anticipated return will have to wait.
Davis (8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has been forced out of his UFC on ESPN+ 27 fight vs. [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) because of an undisclosed injury, MMA Junkie has learned from sources close to the situation. A replacement opponent has yet to be found.
After dropping his UFC debut to Gilbert Burns on short notice, Davis turned things around emphatically by stepping in on short notice once again, delivering a one-sided beating against Thomas Gifford at UFC on ESPN+ 19. The “Dana White’s Contender Series” veteran finished the fight with a brutal shot to Gifford’s body with just 15 seconds remaining.
Former Glory kickboxer Chikadze also failed to secure a win on DWCS, but after notching two finishes at Gladiator Challenge he was signed to the UFC. He made good on his UFC debut, narrowly defeating Brandon Davis at UFC on ESPN+ 18.
UFC on ESPN+ 27 takes place Feb. 29 at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. The card will stream on ESPN+.
With the change, the current UFC on ESPN+ 27 lineup includes:
Joseph Benavidez vs. Deiveson Figueiredo – for vacant flyweight title
The UFC on ESPN+ 27 lineup continues to grow in Norfolk, Va.
The UFC on ESPN+ 27 lineup continues to grow.
The newest additions include a heavyweight bout between [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (10-4-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC); a lightweight fight between [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and [autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC); and a light heavyweight matchup between [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC). The promotion announced the trifecta of additions to the card Thursday.
UFC on ESPN+ 27 takes place Feb. 29 at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. The card will stream on ESPN+.
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The event is headlined by a flyweight title fight between longtime contender Joseph Benavidez and Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo. The belt up for grabs was recently vacated by then-double champion Henry Cejudo. A women’s featherweight fight between Megan Anderson and Norma Dumont is also on tap for the event.
With the additions, the UFC on ESPN+ 27 lineup now includes:
Joseph Benavidez vs. Deiveson Figueiredo – for vacant flyweight title
