Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Ignacio Bahamondes picked up a $50,000 bonus for his first-round head-kick finish of Christos Giagos at UFC Fight Night 240.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] beat Christos Giagos with a first-round TKO Saturday on the main card at UFC Fight Night 240 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Bahamondes, who picked up a $50,000 performance bonus for the finish.
UFC Fight Night 240 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 240 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $162,500.
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 240 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 240 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Chepe Mariscal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Morgan Charriere[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Charlie Campbell[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevor Peek[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Court McGee[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Lukasz Brzeski[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Valter Walker[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Victor Hugo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Falcao[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Jean Matsumoto[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dylan Budka[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Melissa Mullins[/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 2401 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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $2,005,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,742,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.
Ignacio Bahamondes didn’t even need to spin this time in order to notch another crushing head kick knockout.
[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] continues to expand his highlight reel.
On the UFC Fight Night 240 main card Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Bahamondes (15-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) finished [autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag] (20-12 MMA, 6-8 UFC) with a crisp head kick at the 3:34 of Round 1.
Giagos toppled to the canvas against the cage and covered up. Rather than whack him again, Bahamondes saw his downed opponent was in trouble and strolled off in walk-off fashion.
THIS KICK FROM BAHAMONDES 💥 #UFCVegas90 pic.twitter.com/57uQNIPXJT
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 6, 2024
Bahamondes bounced back from a loss to Ludovit Klein. The win was his fourth in five fights. He didn’t call for a specific matchup after the victory Saturday, but campaigned for a spot on UFC 306 in September, the event expected to take place at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Giagos, 34, has lost four of his most recent five outings.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 240 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.
UFC lightweight Ignacio Bahamondes opens up about his struggles in and out of the cage.
[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] has been through a lot in recent months, personally and professionally.
The UFC lightweight prospect feels he’s a new version of himself in and out of the octagon ahead of his return this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 240. Bahamondes (14-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) takes on veteran Christos Giagos (20-11 MMA, 6-7 UFC) on the event’s main card, which goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Bahamondes is eager to show the world how far he’s come in the last few months.
“Everything has been working out in preparation for this fight,” Bahamondes told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “After my last fight, I went through a tough time, some difficult things. I thought everything was crashing down, but thank God I was able to get myself together, and everything started working out.
“These last three months have been a blessing for me and my family. I’ve been feeling great at the gym, and I’ve never felt better. I’m a completely different person and ready to give it my all this Saturday.”
Bahamondes is coming off a decision loss to Ludovit Klein in August, which snapped a three-fight winning streak that included a highlight-reel KO of Roosevelt Roberts. It was a missed opportunity for the 26-year-old, and soon after his defeat, tragedy hit.
“I had the fight, and everyone knows I lost,” Bahamondes said. “Then two weeks after the fight my wife was pregnant, and she lost the baby, it was our first baby, so they were things that made me hit rock bottom. I didn’t want to train. I didn’t want to go to the gym. I was feeling horrible for like two months.
“God sent me those tests, and they made me stronger. They made me better and helped me improve as a person and a fighter. God does everything for a reason, so now I’m back stronger than ever, and I’m on the right path. Perhaps I wasn’t doing things well before. Everything I went through made me look at my life retrospectively and see what I was doing wrong because things can’t be going bad if I’m doing everything well. I changed my life completely, and these last few years, I’ve never felt better. I’m my best version, and I’m reaching my peak. I feel like this fight is going to catapult me.”
Bahamondes is happy to draw a veteran name like Giagos for his return. He’s hoping to make a big statement and show the world that he’s bound for big things in the UFC’s lightweight division.
“I see this as a test that UFC is putting me to see if I’m going to keep rising or plateau,” Bahamondes said. “I’m very excited about this fight and happy to have gotten such an experienced name like Giagos because it’s a test that forced me to improve and get better in all aspects. I think after this fight, more difficult things will come, and that makes me very excited and happy.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.
There were 35 UFC 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.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 8-14.
UFC on ESPN 50 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 50 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $170,500.
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 50 took place at Bridgestone Arena. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 50 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jeremiah Wells[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dennis Buzukja[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Asu Almabaev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/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 $50,000 while title challengers get $50,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-50 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $5,222,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $19,811,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.
Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 50 in Nashville, Tenn.
UFC on ESPN 50 took place Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
In the main event, Cory Sandhagen (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) took on Rob Font (20-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in a key bantamweight fight. In the co-feature, former women’s strawweight champion Jessica Andrade (24-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC) meets unbeaten contender Tatiana Suarez (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC).
Check out round-by-round updates below.
Enjoy the fights, everyone.
Check out the best photos from Ludovit Klein’s unanimous decision win over Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC on ESPN 50 in Nashville.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 50 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. (Photos by Christopher Hanewinckel, USA TODAY Sports)
Ignacio Bahamondes is ready to contend with the best in the UFC’s lightweight division.
[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] is confident he’ll get a number next to his name before the year ends.
Putting together quite the streak and with a chance to extend it this Saturday, Bahamondes (14-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is determined to work his way into the UFC’s official lightweight rankings in 2023. This campaign to get ranked continues with his fight against veteran Ludovit Klein at UFC on ESPN 50 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
“I think the people want it, the Latin American people want it, I want it, my team wants it,” Bahamondes told MMA Junkie in Spanish when asked about his desire to enter the rankings. “We want to be in the top 15. We want to compete against the top 15, and if this victory is not enough, that doesn’t matter. I’ll return in December and do another one.
“Next year I’m going to be there. You will see Ignacio “La Jaula” Bahamondes in the top 15. That’s for sure, I’ll sign on that right now.”
On a three-fight winning streak, Bahamondes, 25, is one of the most promising fighters coming up at 155 pounds.
Although he’s young, Bahamondes feels ready to make a statement against Klein (19-4-1 MMA, 3-2-1 UFC) and then fare against the ranked fighters in the division.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” Bahamondes said. “With the team I have and the people around me supporting and working with me, I’m so confident that I could fight against anyone tomorrow. I trust my team completely. I trust the work that I do every day. I wake up every morning and I train. I might be tired, but I still get up and train. I feel like right now we might not be ready to fight for the title, but we will be. We’re not rushing. We’re taking things step by step. We’ll be ready for whatever the UFC throws our way. There’s no rush.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.
Check out the stats behind UFC on ESPN 50 in Nashville, where Jessica Andrade becomes the first female to join UFC’s 25-fight club.
The UFC returns to Nashville, Tenn., for the sixth time in company history on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 50, which takes place at Bridgestone Arena with a card that airs entirely on ESPN.
Two bantamweight contenders will meet in a 140-pound catchweight main event when [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) takes on replacement opponent [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (20-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC), who stepped in for the injury Umar Nurmagomedov.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC on ESPN 50.
* * * *
