Gustavo Lopez – Syndication Server

UFC veterans in MMA action Oct. 4-7

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC returns to action with UFC Fight Night 229 in Las Vegas.

Last week, the promotion took a week off after 17 consecutive weekends with a fight card. At the UFC Apex, lightweights [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] and [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] will collide in the main event.

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA Oct. 4-7.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

UFC veterans in MMA action April 14-15

Check out which UFC veterans are in MMA and boxing action across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC travels to Kansas City, Mo. for UFC on ESPN 44 following UFC 287 in Miami. Former featherweight king [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] in the main event.

Elsewhere, many other MMA events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

This weekend, there are a total of 14 veterans of the global MMA leader competing in MMA and boxing this week from April 14-15.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

MMA Junkie’s 2021 Gym of the Year: Xtreme Couture

Xtreme Couture took home two UFC titles and a host of other major promotion wins.

Xtreme Couture is MMA Junkie’s 2021 Gym of the Year.

In a year filled with ups and downs for the majority of high-profile MMA gyms, Xtreme Couture quietly built up a strong 2021 resume with two UFC titles and assisting numerous other fighters to go undefeated over the 12-month stretch.

Heavyweight [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] and bantamweight [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] both captured UFC titles in 2021 with lead-up preparation at Xtreme Couture.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] emerged as a top middleweight contender with back-to-back wins over Krzysztof Jotko and Uriah Hall, and [autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag] skyrocketed up the women’s flyweight rankings with three straight victories. In addition, [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] won MMA Junkie’s 2021 Comeback Fighter of the Year for his improbable 6-0 run including two wins in the UFC.

In Bellator, top contenders [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] and [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag] called Xtreme Couture their training home and each went 2-0 in the calendar year with wins against some of the promotion’s finest.

Other notable fighters include [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag], [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag], [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag], [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag], [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag], [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag], [autotag]Cheyanne Buys[/autotag], [autotag]Kai Kamaka III[/autotag], [autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag], [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag], [autotag]Tim Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag], [autotag]Roman Dolize[/autotag], [autotag]Gustavo Lopez[/autotag], [autotag]Dalcha Lungiambula[/autotag], [autotag]Puna Soriano[/autotag], [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag], and more.

Headed by coach Eric Nicksick, the staff also includes Eddie Barraco, Jimmy Gifford, Jake Shields, Dennis Davis, Roman Isabell, Rich Castro, Chad Lyman, Bryce Harley, Montel Williams, Jamie Huey, Nate Pettit, Tim Lane, Danny Davis, Gil Guardado, Ryan Couture, Clinton Treadway and more, as well as team captains Randy Couture and Ray Sefo (according to the gym’s official website).

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UFC Fight Night 192 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Anthony Smith’s $16k tops card

UFC Fight Night 192 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 192 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $162,000.

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 192 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 192 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Mandy Bohm[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Antonio Arroyo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rong Zhu[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brandon Jenkins[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]JP Buys[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sarah Alpar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Gustavo Lopez[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Emily Whitmire[/autotag]: $6,000

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 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 $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 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

“UFC Fight Night 192: Smith vs. Spann” – $162,000
“UFC Fight Night 191: Brunson vs. Till” – $120,000
“UFC on ESPN 30: Barboza vs. Chikadze” – $171,000
“UFC on ESPN 29: Cannonier vs. Gastelum” – $154,500
“UFC 265: Lewis vs. Gane” – $278,000
“UFC on ESPN 28: Hall vs. Strickland” – $113,500
“UFC on ESPN 27: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw” – $135,000
“UFC on ESPN 26: Makhachev vs. Moises” – $126,000
“UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3” – $218,000
“UFC Fight Night 190: Gane vs. Volkov” – $196,500
“UFC on ESPN 25: Korean Zombie vs. Ige” – $160,000
“UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2” – $362,500
“UFC Fight Night 189: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai” – $174,000
“UFC Fight Night 188: Font vs. Garbrandt” – $158,000
“UFC 262: Oliveira vs. Chandler” – $236,500
“UFC on ESPN 24: Rodriguez vs. Waterson” – $143,000
“UFC on ESPN 23: Reyes vs. Prochazka” – $146,500
“UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2” – $362,000
“UFC on ESPN 22: Whittaker vs. Gastelum” – $142,500
“UFC on ABC 2: Vettori vs. Holland” – $182,500

Year-to-date total: $3,592,500
Program-to-date total: $3,592,500

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 19-25)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from July 19-25:

UFC on ESPN 21 post-event facts: Derek Brunson climbs all-time wins list

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 21, which saw Derek Brunson beat Kevin Holland in the main event.

The UFC continued its busy March run on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 21, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a main card that aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]’s (22-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) resurgence as a middleweight contender continued in the main event when he largely dominated [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision, moving him into a tie for the third most wins in 185-pound history.

For more on the numbers behind Brunson’s win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 30 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 21.

UFC on ESPN 21 video: Adrian Yanez picks apart Gustavo Lopez for slick walk-off KO

Adrian Yanez continued to build hype as the next bantamweight prospect at UFC on ESPN 21.

[autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag] continued to build hype as a bantamweight prospect to watch when he stopped [autotag]Gustavo Lopez[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 21.

Yanez’s (13-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) sophomore octagon appearance lived up to the stoppage victory of his “Performance of the Night” debut in October. He hit Lopez (12-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) with slick shots all night.

Lopez showed good durability in making it through the first and second rounds, but his chin failed to hold up to a shot from Yanez in the third, and the fight at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas was stopped with Yanez turning away for the walk-off KO.

Check out the replay of the finish below (via Twitter):

THIS KID!

Put @YanezMMA on the top of your prospect lists 🤯

[ #UFCVegas22 on @ESPN & #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/6MkpRaAWmA

— UFC (@ufc) March 21, 2021

Yanez, who fights out of Houston, said in his post-fight interview he wants to fight on the UFC 262 card on May 15 at Toyota Center in his hometown.

“I’m just out here living my dream,” Yanez said. “I’ve been dreaming of this for so long. I came out unscathed. … Help me live my dream that I told my dad I was going to be a part of. All I want is a chance to fight on that (UFC 262) card.”

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UFC on ESPN 21 predictions: Who’s picking Derek Brunson to upset Kevin Holland?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 21 main card, featuring Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland.

	Brunson vs. Holland	Gillespie vs. Riddell	Buys vs. Ruiz	Lopez vs. Yanez	Griffin vs. Kenan	Hunsucker vs. Tuivasa
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 23-19	Holland (72%)	Gillespie (78%)	Buys (64%)	Yanez (78%)	Kenan (62%)	Tuivasa (88%)
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 27-15 2020 Champion	Holland	Gillespie	Buys	Lopez	Kenan	Tuivasa
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 26-16 2018 Champion	Holland	Gillespie	Buys	Yanez	Griffin	Tuivasa
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 25-17	Brunson	Gillespie	Buys	Yanez	Griffin	Tuivasa
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 25-17	Holland	Gillespie	Buys	Lopez	Griffin	Tuivasa
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 25-17	Holland	Gillespie	Ruiz	Yanez	Kenan	Tuivasa
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 24-18	Holland	Gillespie	Buys	Yanez	Griffin	Tuivasa
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 24-18 2017 Champion	Brunson	Gillespie	Buys	Lopez	Griffin	Tuivasa
Simon Head @simonhead 2021: 23-19 2019 Champion*	Holland	Gillespie	Buys	Yanez	Griffin	Tuivasa
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 23-19	Holland	Gillespie	Buys	Yanez	Griffin	Tuivasa
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 22-20 2014 Champion	Holland	Gillespie	Buys	Yanez	Kenan	Tuivasa
Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 21-21	Holland	Gillespie	Buys	Yanez	Griffin	Tuivasa
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 21-21	Holland	Gillespie	Buys	Yanez	Kenan	Tuivasa
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 20-22	Brunson	Gillespie	Buys	Yanez	Kenan	Tuivasa
BetMGM Betting Favorites Bet now!	Holland -175	Gillespie -250	Buys -350	Yanez -225	Griffin -200	Tuivasa -400

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The UFC is back in Las Vegas this week with a middleweight showdown leading at the top of the card.

UFC on ESPN 21 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

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In the main event, [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC) takes on [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC) at middleweight. Holland is a -175 favorite at BetMGM, and he has a 10-3 lead in the picks from our 13 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Gregor Gillespie[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) meets [autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in a lightweight bout. Gillespie is a -250 favorite and one of two unanimous picks from our staff members on the main card.

In a women’s strawweight fight between promotional newcomers, [autotag]Cheyanne Buys[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is a big favorite at -350 against [autotag]Montserrat Ruiz[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), and she’s got a hefty 12-1 lead in the picks.

[autotag]Gustavo Lopez[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at bantamweight. Yanez is a -225 favorite and has a big 10-3 picks lead.

[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 4-6 UFC) is a 2-1 favorite against [autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC), but their fight is our closest from a picks perspective with just an 8-5 lead for Griffin.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Harry Hunsucker[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) steps up on less than a week’s notice at heavyweight against 4-1 favorite [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC). Tuivasa is our other unanimous pick on the main card at 13-0.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Holland (72 percent), Gillespie (78 percent), Buys (64 percent), Yanez (78 percent), Kenan (62 percent) and Tuivasa (88 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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5 burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN 21: Can Kevin Holland surge into title contention?

MMA Junkie’s Simon Head looks at five key storylines to follow at UFC on ESPN 21 in Las Vegas.

Two middleweight finishers will go head to head at UFC on ESPN 21 in a bid to gatecrash the title picture at 185 pounds.

Middleweight stalwart [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] and rising contender [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] will look to thrive under the main event spotlight on Saturday night. Both are on solid winning streaks and both have eyes on the division’s top men, with victory likely to propel one of them toward a bout against one of the 185-pound elite.

The co-headliner will see the return to action of [autotag]Gregor Gillespie[/autotag], who will look to bounce back from his first career defeat following his knockout loss to Kevin Lee at UFC 244 in November 2019. He’s set to face surging Kiwi [autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag], who will be keen to extend his winning run under the UFC banner after winning his first three bouts on the big stage.

UFC on ESPN 21 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

Ahead of the event, we take a look at five burning questions we’ll be seeking answers to when the fighters take to the cage.

Adrian Yanez unfazed by pre-UFC on ESPN 21 tension: ‘Where is all this hostility coming from?’

Adrian Yanez admits he was a little surprised to hear some very strong pre-fight talk from Gustavo Lopez ahead of UFC on ESPN 21.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag] admits he was a little surprised to hear some very strong pre-fight talk from [autotag]Gustavo Lopez[/autotag] at Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex.

While Yanez has opened his UFC run in impressive fashion, Lopez labeled the hype as unwarranted and promised to end it all at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event, which airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

While he was a little taken aback by Lopez’s claim that he hasn’t fought top competition just yet, Yanez said he didn’t take it personal.

“At first, I was just a little bit shocked, like, ‘Where is all this hostility coming from?'” Yanez told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “Every single time I’m talking about him in an interview, it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s a tough fighter,’ but people have to get themselves fired up. Honestly and truly, I do respect the guy.”

Yanez (12-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Lopez (12-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) meet in a bantamweight clash on Saturday’s main card. Both are early in their UFC careers, but Yanez said he makes a habit of scouting all potential opponents and said he’s been impressed by Lopez’s career thus far. However, he also warns about sending a message that Yanez hasn’t fought anybody notable yet, because Lopez could end up as part of that list very soon.

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“I’ve been watching him for a very good time,” Yanez said. “He’s a tough guy. I know he was up here just kind of being very like – he was real fired up, and I get it. Sometimes you have to get like that if you’re fighting, and you’re a fighter, of course, but me, I’m cool, calm and I’m very collected. I think before I speak, and it’s going to bite him in the mouth.

“When he goes in there like, ‘Who has he fought? Who has he fought?’ Like, OK, once I knock you out, everybody is going to be like, ‘Well who have you fought?'”

In the end, a little pre-fight rivalry never seems to be a bad thing, perhaps even especially when it’s a little unexpected. But Yanez said it doesn’t really bother him too terribly much. Sure, there’s some hype around his career after securing a “Performance of the Night” bonus in his UFC debit, but Yanez said that doesn’t change anything about has to be done each and every time he steps in the cage.

“He’s reading too much into it,” Yanez said. “All this can be gone one day, so look, enjoy it while you’re here. You’re getting fired up over people’s opinions. We’re going to go out there at the end of the day, and we’re still going to have to fight, so it doesn’t matter to me whether I’ve got the hype or not.”

To see the full availability with Yanez, check out the video above.

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