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 the promotions from Sept. 18-24.
Friday night will mark a special moment for Aggie football legend Jake Matthews, who will be inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame.
Friday night will mark a special moment for one of the best to ever wear the Maroon and White. Aggie football legend Jake Matthews will be inducted as a member of the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Matthews is the son of Hall of Fame offensive tackle Bruce Matthews, and he would go on to become one of the top linemen to play for the Aggies in the 2010s. As a four-year starter, he finished as a two-time first-team All-American and a finalist for the Outland Trophy during his senior year.
While Matthews proved impactful in all four seasons, fans will remember how he helped Texas A&M reach unrivaled success in 2012, their first season in the SEC. He would be a fulcrum in blocking for Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. That year, A&M became the first SEC program to finish with over 7,000 yards of total offense (7,261 yards) in a single season.
Matthews’ collegiate success would lead him to the NFL, where he was selected No. 6 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2014. He has been the epitome of consistency, currently holding the longest starting streak among offensive linemen, with 145 consecutive games played.
One of the best to ever wear the Maroon & White 🐐
Celebrating @jakematthews70 tonight as a member of the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023 pic.twitter.com/qEmydIbHM9
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) September 15, 2023
The 45th Burgess Banquet will be held at the Ford Hall of Champions at Kyle Field, with the event starting at 7 p.m. CT. A well deserved congratulations to Jake Matthews, and best of luck throughout the rest of the NFL season!
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee.
Former Aggie Offensive lineman Jake Matthews named to the 2023 Athletics Hall of Fame
If you have been following Texas A&M football, then you know that Matthews’s name has been synonymous with protecting Aggie quarterbacks for almost two decades. So, with Jake Matthews being named one of the eight inductees into the 2023 Athletics Hall of Fame, it further enshrines his family name in the Texas A&M record books.
The former Aggie offensive lineman was a four-year starter during one of the most exciting eras in Texas A&M history. Having played during 2010-2013, Matthews helped lead the team to one of its best statical seasons in 2012, breaking school records for passing, scoring, and total offense. That memorable run also produced the legend of Johnny Manziel, who went on to run away with the Heisman Trophy as a freshman behind Jake and the rest of the offensive line.
One of the best traits everyone looks for is being available. While in college, he had 46 consecutive starts, and since entering the NFL, he is one of two people to start every game since 2015.
Jake Matthews and Jason Kelce are the only players in the #NFL to start every game since 2015 pic.twitter.com/9dywNZlRYh
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) August 6, 2023
He is a pros pro and a great ambassador for Texas A&M, providing a blueprint for any young offensive lineman. Below you can find a few of his accomplishments.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.
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Jake Matthews beat short-notice replacement Darrius Flowers at UFC 291, but a run-in with Kevin Holland could lead to a fight.
SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] beat Darrius Flowers with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 291 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Take a look inside the fight with Matthews, whose most recent two wins are by stoppage after a stretch of three straight by decision.
The best facts to come out of UFC 291, which saw Justin Gaethje add to his bonus run and Derrick Lewis retake the octagon knockout record.
UFC 291 arguably was the event of the year on paper coming in, and the fights lived up to the hype with nine finishes in 11 bouts at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
The main event delivered perhaps the best knockout of the year so far when [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) got revenge on [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) in their lightweight “BMF” title rematch courtesy of a brutal second-round head kick finish.
A number of historic feats occurred throughout the lineup. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 291.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 291 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $271,500.
SALT LAKE CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 291 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $271,500.
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 291 took place at Delta Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.
The full UFC 291 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Gabriel Bonfim[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Vinicius Salvador[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Claudio Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Darrius Flowers[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Uros Medic[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/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 $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: $5,051,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $19,640,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
Check out what the UFC 291 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event in Salt Lake City.
SALT LAKE CITY – UFC 291 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
You can hear from all the UFC 291 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
Jake Matthews landed a controversial low kick that folded Darrius Flowers, but ended up winning by submission on the prelims of UFC 291.
[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] returned to the win column in impressive fashion, but the victory was not without some drama.
On the prelims of UFC 291 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Matthews (19-6 MMA, 12-6 UFC) was engaged in a hotly contested battle with Darrius Flowers (12-6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who made his debut on short notice. After a controversial kick landed in the second round, Matthews ended up submitting Flowers at 2:37.
In the opening moments of Round 2, Matthews landed a front kick just above Flowers’ shorts that folded him to the canvas. The top of Matthews’ foot appeared to land clean, but the bottom half also appeared to make contact below the belt line. That’s the story Flowers told to the referee who treated the kick as a low blow.
UFC commentators Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier believed the kick should have been legal considering where the foot first made contact. Regardless of the legality of the strike, the fight continued after Flowers was given a few minutes of time to recover. Ultimately, the contentious moment would not matter for the outcome of the fight.
Soon after the fight resumed, Matthews took top position on the canvas, transitioned to full mount, and submitted Flowers with a rear-naked choke.
THE CELTIC KID GETS THE TAP! @JakeMatthewsUFC secures the submission over Flowers in Round 2! #UFC291 pic.twitter.com/dcf9eMaQoe
— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2023
During his post-fight interview, Matthews acknowledged the front kick he landed was lower than what he typical aims for, but had to go with how the referee ruled the strike.
The win marked a return to the win column for Matthews, who competed in his first bout of 2023 after a pair of prior cancellations. On the other side, Flowers, who made his debut on short notice, sees his four-fight win streak come to an end.
The up-to-the-minute UFC 291 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
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Check out the best photos from Jake Matthews’ second-round submission win over Darrius Flowers at UFC 291.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag]’ second-round submission win over [autotag]Darrius Flowers[/autotag] at UFC 291 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. (Photos by Jeffrey Swinger, USA TODAY Sports)
The best facts about UFC 291, which includes the historic resumes of Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson, Derrick Lewis, and more.
The UFC returns to Salt Lake City on Saturday for the third time in company history with a loaded UFC 291 event, which takes place at Delta Center with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.
The main event will see the reintroduction of the “BMF” title, with former interim UFC lightweight champs [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (29-7 MMA, 21-6 UFC) and [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) set to meet in a rematch of their 2018 Fight of the Year, which Poirier won by fourth-round TKO.
In addition to the pair of fan favorites colliding in the headliner, a number of notables are slated for the rest of the lineup. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 291.
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