Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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 June 5-11.
UFC lightweights Ignacio Bahamondes and Ludovit Klein are expected to collide at an event targeted for Nashville, Tenn.
A lightweight bout is near finalization for the first UFC fight card in August.
At a UFC Fight Night event Aug. 5, lightweights [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] and [autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag] will collide. While not formally announced, the card is expected to take place in Nashville, Tenn.
Two people with knowledge of the booking recently informed MMA Junkie that bout agreements have been issued and are expected to be signed in the coming days. The people asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Bahamondes (14-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) rides the wave of momentum from a three-fight winning streak into the matchup. Victories in the stretch include Roosevelt Roberts, Zhu Rong, and most recently, Trey Ogden in April.
Klein (19-4-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) was expected to fight Jim Miller at UFC on ESPN 45 on June 3, but withdrew due to an illness. He enters the bout 2-0-1 in his most recent three outings with wins over Mason Jones and Devonte Smith during that stretch.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Aug. 5 includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night card Aug. 5.
At UFC 287 in Miami, Ignacio Bahamondes beat an opponent who took the fight on three weeks’ notice in Trey Ogden.
MIAMI – [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] beat Trey Ogden with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 287 at Kaseya Center in Miami.
Take a look inside the fight with Bahamondes, who beat an opponent in Ogden who took the fight on three weeks’ notice when his previous matchup fell off on weigh-in day.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 287 took home the second-highest UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout of the year thus far.
MIAMI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 287 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $274,500.
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 287 took place at Kaseya Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
The full UFC 287 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $42,000
[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Luana Pinheiro[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Shayilan Nuerdanbieke[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Sam Hughes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jaqueline Amorim[/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.
Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $2,045,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,564,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
Check out the best photos from Ignacio Bahamondes’ unanimous decision win over Trey Ogden at UFC 287 in Miami.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]’ unanimous decision win over [autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag] at UFC 287 at Kaseya Center in Miami. (Photos by Rich Storry, USA TODAY Sports)
Check out what the UFC 287 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
MIAMI – UFC 287 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner and guest fighter interviews from Kaseya Center in Miami.
You can hear from all the UFC 287 winners and more by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
Ignacio Bahamondes promises much improved version at UFC 287.
MIAMI – [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag], one of the brightest prospects at 155 pounds, is finally making his return to the cage.
The Chilean fighter returns to the octagon this Saturday on the preliminary card of UFC 287, where he takes on Trey Ogden in a 160-pound catchweight bout. Bahamondes (13-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) hasn’t fought since February 2022 when he submitted Rong Zhu, due to visa issues that prevented him from competing in the U.S.
It’s safe to say “La Jaula” is relieved to be back.
“Finally, finally,” Bahamondes told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for over a year. I’m anxious to finally return to the cage and show people that I’m ready and that there’s a new version of the ‘Jaula’ as well. All this time I haven’t been sleeping, hanging out. I’ve been working. You’re going to see a ‘Jaula’ in all aspects.”
Bahamondes respects Ogden (16-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and is thankful Ogden took the fight on short notice, allowing him to stay on the card. However, he’s convinced that he’s getting a highlight reel win on Saturday, as he’s improved a ton over the last year.
“You get better when you’re not getting ready for a fight,” Bahamondes said. “You get ready when you’re just out there training and training, and that’s why I’m better. This time around, you’re going to see a ‘Jaula’ much stronger, faster, with a way better ground game. I’m just so much better than the last time. My wrestling is better, and my striking too. But beyond that, it’s my mind. My mind is better than ever.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
Check out the numbers behind UFC 287 in Miami, where Jorge Masvidal faces the danger of a four-fight losing skid against Gilbert Burns.
The UFC returns to Miami for the first time in more than 20 years Saturday with UFC 287, which takes place at Miami-Dade Arena with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
A highly anticipated middleweight championship rematch receives top billing on the card. Reigning titleholder [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will once again meet his rival [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in the main event in what will be their fourth career combat sports meeting. The Brazilian currently holds a 3-0 lead in the overall series.
For more on the numbers behind both headliners, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 287.
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 from March 27-April 2.
Ignacio Bahamondes will remain on UFC 287.
[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] will remain on UFC 287.
[autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag] has been forced out of the April 8 fight due to an injury and [autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will step in on short notice to face Bahamondes (13-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in Miami.
Two people with knowledge of the booking told MMA Junkie of the new matchup Tuesday. They asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Since he lost his UFC debut to John Makdessi in April 2021, Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Bahamondes has won two straight: a spinning wheel kick knockout of Roosevelt Roberts, followed by his first career submission over Rong Zhu in February 2022.
Ogden has split his first two octagon appearances. After he was edged out by Jordan Leavitt in his UFC debut, Ogden rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Daniel Zellhuber this past September.
With the change, the UFC 287 lineup now includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
