Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 30 event at “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.
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+ 30 went with as their backing tracks in Abu Dhabi.
Grant Dawson spoke to the media following his win at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
Grant Dawson spoke to the media following his win at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Abu Dhabi.
“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)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)
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)
PRELIMINARY (7 p.m. ET)
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)
PRELIMINARY CARD (6 p.m. ET)
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
PRELIMINARY CARD
A featherweight matchup between Grant Dawson and Nad Narimani is the latest addition to the UFC’s July 18 event.
A featherweight matchup is the latest addition to the UFC’s July 18 event.
[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] will take on [autotag]Nad Narimani[/autotag] at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi – also known as “Fight Island.”
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking Monday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Dawson (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), a contract winner on “Dana White’s Contender Series,” has won his first three UFC fights and is coming off a second-round submission over Darrick Minner in February.
After making good in his first two octagon appearances, Narimani (12-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) suffered a second-round stoppage loss to Mike Grundy last March. The former Cage Warriors featherweight champion was scheduled to face Nik Lentz at UFC on ESPN+ 24 in January, but was forced out due to injury.
With the addition, the current July 18 lineup includes:
[vertical-gallery id=495434]
All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 27, which saw Deiveson Figueiredo beat Joseph Benavidez in the main event.
The UFC returned to Virginia for the fifth time in company history on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 27, which went down at Chartway Arena in Norfolk and streamed on ESPN+.
A new flyweight champion should’ve been crowned in the main event. However, despite knocking out [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) in the second round of the headliner, [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was ineligible to take home the gold because he missed weight.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 27.
* * * *
[vertical-gallery id=494983]
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $119,500.
Debuting fighters went 2-5 at the event.
[autotag]Megan Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Jordan Griffin[/autotag], [autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag] and [autotag]Gabriel Silva[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 27 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 27 drew an announced attendance of 7,098 for a live gate of $402,958.
Betting favorites went 6-6 on the card.
Betting favorites fell to 4-2 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 1:36:08.
Figueiredo has earned 15 of his 18 career victories by stoppage.
Figueiredo has earned four of his five UFC stoppage victories by knockout.
Benavidez became the seventh fighter in UFC history to go 0-3 in title fights.
Benavidez has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
[autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned six of her eight career victories by stoppage. That includes both of her UFC wins.
[autotag]Zarah Fairn[/autotag] (6-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of her career.
[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]’s (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is tied with Jon Jones for the longest active streak in the division.
Ankalaev has earned all three of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.
[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Anderson’s (11-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) three victories in UFC women’s featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Cris Cyborg (four).
Anderson’s three stoppage victories in UFC women’s featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
Anderson’s two knockout victories in UFC women’s featherweight competition are tied with Cyborg for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had her four-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.
[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned 14 of his 15 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered 10 of his 11 career victories by stoppage.
Silva (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 8-0.
Silva has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned 13 of his 14 career victories by stoppage. That includes both of his UFC wins.
[autotag]Tom Breese[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in May 2018.
Breese suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision.
[autotag]TJ Brown[/autotag] (14-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered six of his seven career losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned eight of his nine career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Aalon Cruz[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has suffered all three of his career losses by stoppage.
Cruz suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Ismail Naurdiev[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Thoughts and analysis on the biggest storylines to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 27, where Deiveson Figueiredo won the main event by TKO.
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN+ 27 in Norfolk, Va.? Here are a few post-fight musings …
* * * * *
The UFC flyweight division endured its worst-case scenario with [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) stopping [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) with strikes in the second round of the main event, thus keeping the title vacant because the Brazilian missed weight by 2.5 pounds for the contest, making him ineligible to claim the belt.
Figueiredo is a good fighter and went out there and performed as he needed to under the circumstances, but his win puts the weight class in a troublesome state going forward. From Day 1, when one of the inaugural 125-pound bouts between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall was improperly scored, the weight class has not gotten off the ground in a way anyone had hoped.
From Johnson’s inability to get over with the casual audience, to Henry Cejudo’s decision to relinquish the strap, to this situation with Figueiredo, it’s been challenge after challenge. The UFC has as good an excuse as ever now to put the death blow on the weight class and dissolve it all together, but I don’t think that will happen just yet. Only time will tell, though.
[vertical-gallery id=495544]
Take a look inside Grant Dawson’s submission win over Darrick Minner at UFC on ESPN+ 27 in Norfolk, Va.
NORFOLK, Va. – [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] beat Darrick Minner with a second-round submission Saturday to open up the main card at UFC on ESPN+ 27 in Norfolk, Va.
Take a look inside the fight with Dawson, who ran his winning streak to six fights – five of which have been stoppages.
Result: Grant Dawson def. Darrick Minner via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:38
Updated records: Dawson (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Minner (24-11 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: Dawson has 11 of his 15 pro wins by submission, many of which have come by rear-naked choke, which is what he finished Minner with.
“It was weird, I thought he would come out and start swinging right off the gate, but he stepped back and took his time, so I knew I could pressure. I can move forward. Once he started getting after it, we started grappling and I knew what to do.”
“There’s always things I can take away from a fight to get better, but I think that was a pretty flawless performance. He got me in a guillotine real quick and I felt that squeeze, but I’m not a quitter and I got out of there. I’m in those chokes all the time. My gym is a guillotine gym. It was tight, but not nearly as tight as what I usually deal with.”
“There’s no performance that I could have that could make up for missing weight like I did. There’s no excuse there. I will be back, I will be at (1)45, and I will make weight next time. It’s in the past. There’s no excuse. I felt like I got a lot better in this camp. I have the best training partners and we’re all advancing so much. I want to get back in there and really show off what I can do.”
To hear more from Dawson, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
[vertical-gallery id=495434]
[vertical-gallery id=494983]
UFC on ESPN+ 27 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
NORFOLK, Va. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 27 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $119,500.
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+ 27 took place Saturday at Chartway Arena. The entire card streamed ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 27 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag]: $30,000
[autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Zarah Fairn[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Megan Anderson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Gabriel Silva[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Tom Breese[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Luis Pena[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Jordan Griffin[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]TJ Brown[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Aalon Cruz[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Ismail Naurdiev[/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: $826,500
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: $31,831,000
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 27 event in Norfolk, Va.
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+ 27 went with as their backing tracks in Norfolk, Va.
Grant Dawson talks to media after his UFC on ESPN+ 27 victory.
Grant Dawson talks to media after his UFC on ESPN+ 27 victory.
