Newcomer Pedro Falcao steps into UFC Fight Night 240 on three days’ notice

UFC Fight Night 240 was down a man, but the math is even once again as Pedro Falcao is set for his promotional debut.

[autotag]Pedro Falcao[/autotag] will make his UFC debut on three days’ notice Saturday in Las Vegas.

After [autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag] fell ill days before UFC Fight Night 240 at the UFC Apex, Falcao (16-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was signed to fight fellow Brazilian [autotag]Victor Hugo[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the promotion announced Wednesday. MMA Mania was first to report the new booking.

Falcao, 31, is a member of Xtreme Couture, and he competed on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 when he finished James Barnes with ground-and-pound. Despite the win and finish, Falcao was not signed. After the fight, he went on a hiatus from MMA but remained active in other combat sports competition. In November, he returned at Tuff-N-Uff 134 and submitted UFC alum Leonardo Morales.

“(I) haven’t lost a fight since 2015,” Falcao told MMA Junkie for “On The Doorstep” in November. “I am always working to get better. I know I can not only compete, but win, at a high level in the UFC. I believe I can compete in the top 15 of the UFC right now.”

Hugo, 31, has won 13 fights in a row. He earned his UFC contract with a submission of Eduardo Matias Torres Caut in 2023. Hugo was expected to debut vs. Daniel Marcos in November, but the fight was canceled after he missed weight.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

Heili Alateng out of UFC Fight Night 240 fight vs. Victor Hugo

Saturday’s UFC event is down a man – as the promotion seeks a replacement.

Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 240 is down a man.

With [autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag] out due to illness, the promotion is seeking a replacement bantamweight to fight [autotag]Victor Hugo[/autotag] on four days’ notice at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the withdrawal informed MMA Junkie of it Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Alateng (16-9-2 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) most recently competed in October when he lost a unanimous decision to Chris Gutierrez. The defeat snapped a two-fight winning streak that included victories over Kevin Croom and Chad Anheliger.

Hugo (24-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has won 13 fights in a row. He earned his UFC contract with a submission of Eduardo Matias Torres Caut in 2023. Hugo was expected to debut vs. Daniel Marcos in November, but the fight was canceled after he missed weight.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 240 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis
  • Alexander Hernandez vs. Damon Jackson
  • Morgan Charriere vs. Chepe Mariscal
  • Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Christos Giagos
  • Lukasz Brzeski vs. Valter Walker
  • Charlie Campbell vs. Trevor Peek

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET)

  • Court McGee vs. Alex Morono
  • Germaine de Randamie vs. Norma Dumont
  • Victor Hugo vs. TBA
  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Piera Rodriguez
  • Dan Argueta vs. Jean Matsumoto
  • Cesar Almeida vs. Dylan Budka
  • Nora Cornolle vs. Melissa Mullins

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 22-28)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights that were first reported 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, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 22-28.

UFC Fight Night 230 post-event facts: Edson Barboza sets record for Fight of the Night bonuses

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 230, where Edson Barboza set a new record for most Fight of the Night bonuses.

The UFC’s second event of October got off to a slow start, but UFC Fight Night 230 closed with one of the best fights of the year.

The main event saw [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC) rally from a vicious first-round beatdown to secure a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a thrilling Fight of the Night matchup of ranked featherweights.

Check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from that fight and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 230 card from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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UFC Fight Night 230 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $21 million

UFC Fight Night 230 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 230 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $167,500.

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 Fight Night 230 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 230 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]TJ Brown[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tainara Lisboa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. autotag]Ravena Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brendon Marotte[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melissa Dixon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Irina Alekseeva[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ashley Yoder[/autotag]: $11,000

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 2301 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: $6,651,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,170,00

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 2-8)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported 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 or officially announced by the promotions from Oct. 2-8.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 14-20)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported 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 or officially announced by a promotion from Aug. 14-20.

Heili Alateng eyes ‘well-known, ranked fighter’ after UFC 279 win over Chad Anheliger

“I think now I’ve shown I should be ranked, or to at least fight a well-known ranked fighter.”

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag] is ready to take on the upper echelon of the bantamweight division after UFC 279.

Alateng (16-8-2 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) scored a lopsided unanimous decision over Chad Anheliger (12-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, rocking the Canadian fighter on multiple occasions.

Although he didn’t get the finish, he was able to show off his hands once again, and now wants to test them against some ranked opposition.

“I think now I’ve shown I should be ranked, or to at least fight a well-known ranked fighter,” Alateng told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at the post-fight news conference. “I’m really highly anticipating my next fight.”

Alateng is currently riding a two-fight winning streak, and “The Mongolian Knight” welcomes anyone in the top 15 as soon as he can get booked.

“As you can see, I’m not hurt. I’m not even injured,” Alateng said. “So any time they call my name, I’ll be ready. Also, as far as the top 15, I couldn’t care less who it is. As long as they’re ranked, I’ll be there.”

Check out Alateng’s full post-fight interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.

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UFC 279 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Khamzat Chimaev nets $6,000

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 279 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $202,000.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 279 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $202,000.

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 279 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 279 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Macy Chiasson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Hakeem Dawodu[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Denis Tiuliulin[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Chris Barnett[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Danyelle Wolf[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Chad Anheliger[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Elise Reed[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Melissa Martinez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Yohan Lainesse[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Darian Weeks[/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 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.

Year-to-date total: $6,171,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $12,338,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.

Heili Alateng def. Chad Anheliger at UFC 279: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Heili Alateng’s unanimous decision win over Chad Anheliger at UFC 279 in Las Vegas.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Chad Anheliger[/autotag] at UFC 279 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports)