Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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 Feb. 5-11.
There were a number of fighters who turned in solid performances at UFC 286, but who stood out among the rest down the card?
London was treated to a number of exciting moments and competitive battles throughout UFC 286.
The main event title fight rematch that saw [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] turn away [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] for the second straight time closed the show on a high note for the local audience. In the fight prior, the always-exciting [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] won another gritty bout against a top lightweight, outpointing [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag].
But aside from the top two bouts on the card, who stood out among the others?
Was it [autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag] and his spectacular armbar finish against Bryan Barberena? How about [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag]’s submission win over Makwan Amirkhani in his featherweight debut, or maybe a promotional debut knockout from [autotag]Yanal Ashmoz[/autotag], who flattened Sam Patterson in the first round?
Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Farah Hannoun, and Brian “Goze” Garcia weigh in with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. Check out their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.
“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.
Jack Shore had plenty on his mind that was bigger than fighting during the training camp for us UFC 286 win over Makwan Amirkhani in London.
LONDON – [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag] beat Makwan Amirkhani with a second-round submission Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC 286 at The O2 in London.
Take a look inside the fight with Shore, who got back in the win column after a loss to Ricky Simon in July 2022 halted the perfect start to his career.
Check out the numbers to come out of UFC 286, where Justin Gaethje made more history with another Fight of the Night effort.
The UFC hosted its fourth numbered event of the year on Saturday with UFC 286, which took place at The O2 in London and saw home country hero [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] compete in the main event.
Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) registered his first welterweight title defense when he edged rival [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) by majority decision in their trilogy bout, giving him a 2-1 lead in their series.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 286.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 286 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $266,500.
LONDON – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 286 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $266,500.
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 286 took place at The O2. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.
The full UFC 286 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]: $42,000
[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Gunnar Nelson[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Yanal Ashmoz[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Sam Patterson[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Jafel Filho[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Gabriel Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Christian Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Malcolm Gordon[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Joanne Wood[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Juliana Miller[/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: $1,634,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,153,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.
Jack Shore was successful in his featherweight debut at UFC 286.
LONDON – [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag] was successful in his featherweight debut at UFC 286.
Shore (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) submitted Makwan Amirkhani (17-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) in Round 2 of their featured prelim bout at The O2. In a back-and-forth grappling affair, Shore was eventually able to fend off Amirkhani’s takedowns, before submitting him with a rear-naked choke at the 4:27 mark of the second frame.
Check out the replay of Shore’s finish below (via Twitter):
Jack Shore makes his featherweight debut in style 😤 #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/ACYLIa257i
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 18, 2023
With the finish, Shore was able to rebound from his first-career loss to Ricky Simon last July. Meanwhile, Amirkhani has now dropped four of his past five.
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Up-to-the-minute UFC 286 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.
Check out the best photos from Jack Shore’s second-round submission win over Makwan Amirkhani at UFC 286 in London.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag]’s second-round submission win over Makwan Amirkhani at UFC 286 at The O2 in London. (Photos by Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)
Jack Shore is confident wherever the fight goes against Makwan Amirkhani at UFC 286 in London.
LONDON – [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag] is confident wherever the fight goes against [autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] at UFC 286.
Shore (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) meets Amirkhani (17-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in a featherweight bout in Saturday’s featured prelim at The O2 in London. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.
Amirkhani has lost four of his past five, and while Shore thinks he’ll beat him everywhere, he knows not to let his guard down against the submission specialist.
“I expect him to bring what he always brings,” Shore said at Wednesday’s UFC 286 media day. “If you let him in the fight and give him an opportunity, he’ll take it and put you away. He’s a dangerous guy in areas, but as long as I go out there and perform how I know I can to kind of outclass him in all areas, (I’ll win). I’m not underestimating him. I know he’s coming off a loss, but I’ve seen him be down two rounds and pull out a choke out of nowhere.
“He’s got a decent little boxing style on the feet. But I think in terms variety of tools, I think I outmatch him there. I’m a lot more well-rounded in terms of striking IQ.”
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Shore will move up to featherweight for the first time since 2017. Although he’s never missed the bantamweight mark, Shore says the cut down had been taking a toll on him.
“The last probably three or four weight cuts have been really tough,” Shore said. “It’s no secret: I always look like death on the scale. My old man and my other coaches have probably been at me for the past 12-18 months to consider the move, and it’s easy to forget about a tough weight cut when you’re winning all the time.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.
The UFC’s March return to the United Kingdom has added a featherweight bout between a pair of fan favorites.
The UFC’s March return to the United Kingdom has added a featherweight bout between a pair of fan favorites.
[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] (17-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) is set to take on [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) at UFC 286. The promotion made the previously reported fight official Tuesday. UFC 286 takes place March 18 at The O2 in London. The main card will air on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Amirkhani has struggled the past few years with four losses in his past five fights and five in his past seven. After a three-fight skid, he picked up a $50,000 bonus when the UFC returned to London in March 2022 when he submitted Mike Grundy. But in the London follow-up in July 2022, he was knocked out by Jonathan Pearce in the second round.
Shore will be looking to bounce back after the first loss of his pro career, which came this past July with a second-round submission setback to Ricky Simon. The Welsh fighter, who will turn 28 next month, was scheduled to return against Kyler Phillips this past November, but had to pull out with a knee injury. The former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion came to the UFC in 2019 and rattled off five straight wins before his loss to Simon.
With the official addition, the UFC 286 lineup now includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.
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 Jan. 16-22.
