With his back potentially up against the wall, Villanueva (16-11 MMA, 1-2 UFC) landed a massive overhand right early in Round 2 that floored Moreira. The knockout was so devastating, Moreira spun around because of the punch. Still, and perhaps surprisingly, it wasn’t enough to earn a bonus.
UFC officials announced the winners following the event. Check out the list below.
Watch Ike Villanueva’s violent one-punch knockout of Vinicius Moreira.
[autotag]Ike Villanueva[/autotag] picked up his first UFC win Wednesday – and it was one for the highlight reel.
With his back potentially up against the wall, Villanueva (16-11 MMA, 1-2 UFC) landed a massive overhand right early in Round 2 that floored and disoriented opponent [autotag]Vinicius Moreira[/autotag].
As Moreira (9-5 MMA, 0-4 UFC) hit the canvas and the referee analyzed the situation, Villanueva blessed himself and pointed to the sky. In case there was any doubt the fight was over, referee Jason Herzog waved off the bout 39 seconds into the second round.
Villanueva, 37, punched his ticket into the win column after back-to-back losses to kick off his UFC tenure. The former Fury FC champion was signed to the UFC in early 2020 and was finished twice by TKO – once by Chase Sherman and once by Jordan Wright.
Moreira’s woes continued. In all four of his UFC outings, Moreira has been finished with strikes. UFC on ESPN 20 was the first time Moreira made it to the second round.
Check out the violent knockout in the video below:
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 20 event in Abu Dhabi.
We want your predictions for Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 20 event in Las Vegas.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Monday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN 20 event staff predictions we release Tuesday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN 20 takes place Wednesday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The card airs on ESPN.
Make your picks for the six main card fights below.
UFC on ESPN 15 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 15 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $88,000.
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 on ESPN 15 took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 15 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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:
All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 29, which saw Glover Teixeira beat Anthony Smith in the main event.
The middle event in the UFC’s three-card return from the coronavirus pandemic went down Wednesday with UFC on ESPN+ 29, which streamed on ESPN+ from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
In the main event, [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (31-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) delivered a drubbing of [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (32-15 MMA, 8-5 UFC), battering him until a fifth-round TKO to take a step further up the UFC light heavyweight pecking order.
Teixeira has made quite a mark on the divisional record books over the years but had a particularly special accomplishment against Smith. For more on the numbers behind his fight and the rest of the card, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 29
Teixeira, [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag] and [autotag]Hunter Azure[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 29 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 29 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 4-6 on the card.
Betting favorites fell to 5-5 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 10-bout card was 2:05:23.
Main card
Glover Teixeira def. Anthony Smith
Teixeira’s four-fight UFC winning streak in light heavyweight competition is tied with Jon Jones, Ryan Spann and Magomed Ankalaev for the longest active streak in the division.
Teixeira became the second fighter in UFC history to earn a four-fight winning streak at 40 or older. Dan Henderson also accomplished the feat.
Teixeira’s 14 victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Jones (20) and Ryan Bader (15).
Teixeira’s 11 stoppage victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Teixeira’s victory at 1:04 of Round 5 marked the second latest stoppage in a UFC light heavyweight bout behind Teixeira’s loss to Alexander Gustafsson (1:06 of Round 5) at UFC Fight Night 109.
Smith fell to 4-2 since he moved up to the UFC light-heavyweight division in June 2018.
Smith fell to 8-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2016.
Smith has suffered 13 of his 15 career losses by stoppage.
Ben Rothwell def. Anthony Smith
[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] (38-12 MMA, 8-6 UFC) improved to 2-2 since he returned to competition in March 2019 after a nearly three-year layoff.
Rothwell earned his first decision victory since June 12, 2010 – a span of 3,623 days (nearly 10 years) and 12 fights.
[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (24-14 MMA, 12-9 UFC) was unsuccessful in his heavyweight debut.
Saint Preux fell to 2-4 in his past six fights dating back to February 2018.
Saint Preux has suffered nine of his 14 career losses by decision.
Dober (23-9 MMA, 10-4 UFC) has earned six of his nine UFC victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered both of his UFC losses by knockout.
[autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC flyweight division in February 2019. He fell to 6-4 in the weight class under the UFC banner.
Borg has suffered four of his five career losses by decision.
Andrei Arlovski def. Philipe Lins
[autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (29-19 MMA, 18-13 UFC) improved to 8-9 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in June 2014.
Arlovski’s 18 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Arlovski’s total fight time of 4:48:42 in UFC heavyweight competition is the most in divisional history.
[autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned nine of his 13 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] (19-16 MMA, 11-12 UFC) fell to 0-2 since he returned to the lightweight division in October 2019. He hasn’t earned a victory in the weight class since September 2016.
Johnson fell to 3-8 in his past 11 fights dating back to August 2015.
Johnson suffered the ninth submission loss of his career. He’s been tapped out in all but one of his career stoppage losses.
Preliminary card
Sijara Eubanks def. Sarah Moras
[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag] (5-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) improved to 1-2 since she moved up to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in May 2019.
Eubanks has earned all three of her UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Sarah Moras[/autotag] (6-6 MMA, 3-5 UFC) fell to 2-5 in her past seven fights dating back to July 2015.
Moras has suffered five of her six career losses by decision.
[autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
Kelleher (21-10 MMA, 5-3 UFC) has earned 17 of his 21 career victories by stoppage.
Azure (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his eight-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
[autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 3-5 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC for a second stint. He earned his first victory with the promotion since July 2017.
Sherman has earned 13 of his 14 career victories by stoppage.
Sherman’s two knockout victories stemming from standing elbows in UFC competition are tied with Travis Browne and Alan Jouban for most in company history.
[autotag]Ike Villanueva[/autotag] (16-10 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered nine of his 10 career losses by stoppage.
Villanueva suffered his first knockout loss since Sept. 16, 2011 – a span of 3,162 days (nearly nine years) and 14 fights.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Glover Teixeira and Anthony Smith are facing months-long medical suspensions as a result of their UFC on ESPN+ 29 headlining clash.
[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] are facing months-long medical suspensions as a result of their UFC on ESPN+ 29 headlining clash.
Teixeira (31-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC), who defeated Smith by fifth-round TKO, will not fight for 180 days unless he’s cleared by a physician. He will be mandated to serve 45 days of that suspension regardless of doctor’s clearance.
The Florida State Boxing Commission, which oversaw the event, has suspended Smith (33-15 MMA, 8-5 UFC) a minimum of 60 days. MMA Junkie obtained a list of the UFC 249 athletes’ medical suspensions from the Florida Boxing Commission on Thursday.
Other fighters facing potential 180-day layoffs include [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag], [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag], [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag] and [autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag].
UFC on ESPN+ 29 took place Wednesday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
The complete list of UFC on ESPN+ 29 medical suspensions included:
Glover Teixeira: Suspended 180 days unless cleared by physician; minimum suspension 45 days.
Anthony Smith: Suspended minimum 60 days; additional suspension to be determined pending test results.
Ovince Saint Preux: Suspended 180 days unless cleared by physician; minimum suspension 30 days.
[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days.
Alexander Hernandez: Suspended 180 days unless cleared by physician; minimum suspension 60 days.
Ricky Simon: Suspended 180 days unless cleared by physician; minimum suspension 30 days.
Five fighters made north of six figures Wednesday at UFC on ESPN+ 29, not including several who earned post-fight bonuses.
Veteran fighters [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag], [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] walked away from UFC on ESPN+ 29 having pocketed a solid chunk of change Wednesday.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Arlovski (29-9 MMA, 18-13 UFC) led all fighters with a disclosed payout of $325,000 for his win over [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]. As a result of his split decision win over [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag], Rothwell (38-12 MMA, 8-6 UFC) earned $260,000. For his fifth-round TKO win over [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag], Teixeira (31-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) earned $230,000.
Two other victorious fighters also took home six-figure disclosed paydays: including the aforementioned Smith, as well as UFC lightweight [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag].
The disclosed UFC on ESPN+ 29 salaries from the Florida State Boxing Commission, which oversaw the event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., first were reported by MMA Fighting.
The full list of UFC on ESPN+ 29 salaries included:
Glover Teixeira: $230,000
def. Anthony Smith: $130,000
Ben Rothwell: $260,000
def. Ovince Saint Preux: $95,000
The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, including the official UFC on ESPN+ 29 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special discretionary bonuses the UFC sometimes pays. They also do not include pay-per-view cuts that some top-level fighters receive.
Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the octagon the first time – so how did the two newcomers perform on Wednesday?
Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For two athletes, Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 event marked that special moment in their career.
Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
* * * * *
Ike Villanueva
Division: Heavyweight Result: Chase Sherman def. Ike Villanueva via TKO (elbows) – Round 2, 0:49 Record: (16-10 MMA, 0-1 UFC) Grade: D
[autotag]Ike Villanueva[/autotag] arrived in Jacksonville for his UFC debut riding a four-fight win streak and a host of first-round knockouts to his name, but against the returning Chase Sherman he was dragged out of the first round, then finished early in the second as he experienced a tough introduction to life on the big stage.
Villanueva came out looking calm and composed as he tried to assess Sherman’s timing, but Sherman’s size and reach advantage paid off early with some nasty leg kicks. Villanueva did a decent job of stepping inside Sherman’s range and landing, especially wih his counter left hook. But while his offense looked solid, it was Sherman who threw, and landed, the more significant shots as he lit up the debutant in the final two minutes of the round left Villanueva with a battered leg. To his credit, Villanueva took the shots well and showed a solid chin.
After shipping a ton of leg kicks in the first round, Villanueva wasn’t quite as mobile as he came out of his corner for the start of Round 2, and Sherman connected some solid punches, followed by a knee. Again, Villanueva took them well, but when Sherman loaded up again and hurt him with a big right hand, the debutant visibly wilted and backed away to the cage, where Sherman closed the show with a nasty elbow.
It was a tough start to life in the UFC for Villanueva as he faced an experienced fighter who returned to the octagon looking rejuvenated. His size may prove to be an issue against the UFC’s heavyweights, as he’s likely to concede height and reach to many of them, but his toughness and impressive knockout record means he’s likely to get another shot or two on the preliminary card.
UFC on ESPN+ 29 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fighters from Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $166,000.
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 on ESPN+ 29 took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The entire card streamed ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 29 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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:
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 event in Jacksonville, Fla.
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+ 29 went with as their backing tracks in Jacksonville, Fla.
