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 July 17-23
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 26-July 2.
Welterweights Jake Matthews and Miguel Baeza will throw down in July at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City.
Welterweights [autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] and [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] will throw down in July.
Matthews (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) takes on Baeza (10-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) at UFC 291 on July 29 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City with the main card on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+, promotion officials announced Thursday.
🚨 BOUT DROP 🚨
🇦🇺@JakeMatthewsUFC makes his way to Utah to face 🇺🇸Baeza at #UFC291! pic.twitter.com/Egu8n2dtVu
— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) June 30, 2023
Matthews hasn’t competed since dropping a unanimous decision to Matthew Semelsberger at UFC Fight Night 216 in December. Prior to that, the 28-year-old Aussie scored a Performance of the Night knockout of Andre Fialho at UFC 275.
Baeza will also look to rebound. After an unbeaten start to his professional MMA career – including three UFC finishes, Baeza has lost three in a row to Santiago Ponzinibbio, Khaos Williams, and most recently Fialho in April 2022.
With the addition, the UFC 291 lineup includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
Speaking on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast, Paris Johnson Jr. listed the Bears as one of his top places he would like to play.
Offensive tackle is one of the biggest needs for the Chicago Bears heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. Fortunately for them, they should have options with their first pick at No. 9 overall to improve the position and one player is already expressing his desire to play in the navy and orange.
Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson Jr., one of the consensus top options at the position, was a guest on Barstool Sports’ “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast and was asked which teams he would most like to play for if he had the choice.
Johnson hemmed and hawed for a minute, first saying the Tennessee Titans but then named the Bears as well as the Atlanta Falcons as his top preferences.
.@ParisJohnsonJr gives his Top 3 teams he wants to play for in the NFL
Presented by @chevrolet #ad #chevyEV pic.twitter.com/pmqazPrEtZ
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) April 5, 2023
“For me personally, the first thing I look at is state taxes,” Johnson admitted when talking about his preferences, which led him to the Titans who are picking with the No. 11 overall pick. It’s also worth noting the show’s hosts Taylor Lewan and Will Compton are both former Titans and the show itself is based out of Nashville.
He also mentioned the Miami Dolphins, but figures they don’t need a tackle and also do not have a first-round pick. Johnson then pivoted to teams he would like to play for that also would be in need of his services.
“I would say realistically who like needs a tackle, I would say Chicago,” Johnson said. “I would also say the Falcons, to be in Atlanta too that would be huge.”
The Falcons pick one spot ahead of the Bears but aren’t likely to be in demand for a tackle early in the draft. They still have former Pro Bowler Jake Matthews anchoring the left side and recently re-signed Kaleb McGary at right tackle. That would put the Bears as Johnson’s best option if he gets his wish.
Ever since general manager Ryan Poles traded down from No. 1 to No. 9 with the Carolina Panthers in early March, Johnson has been a popular pick amongst draft experts for the Bears. The Ohio State standout has met with the Bears on multiple occasions and their front office had a front row seat at his pro day in Columbus.
Johnson started two seasons as a Buckeye, playing guard in 2021 before moving to left tackle in 2022 where he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, helping Ohio State reach the College Football Playoff. He’s projected to be one of the first offensive linemen off the board when the draft gets underway in a few weeks.
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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 Feb. 20-26.
The #Falcons have accelerated $7M of Jake Matthews’ bonus to create more cap space for 2023
The Atlanta Falcons have spent the past five seasons in salary cap hell, but they are set to have over $70 million this offseason after restructuring left tackle Jake Matthews’ contract.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Falcons accelerated $7 million of Matthews’ 2023 roster bonus into the current league year, freeing up $4.2 million for the upcoming offseason.
On the final day to do so to take advantage of 2022 cap space, the Falcons accelerated $7M of OT Jake Matthews’ 2023 roster bonus onto this league year.
The Falcons created $4.2M in 2023 space as a result, per source.
Atlanta is poised to have ~$70M in cap space this offseason.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 10, 2023
According to Over The Cap, the Falcons would have $69.8 million in salary cap space in 2023 before Matthews’ accelerated bonus, and would be closer to $74 million afterwards.
The Falcons have needs at several key positions, and some even think the team could target a big-name free agent like Ravens QB Lamar Jackson.
We’ll see what general manager Terry Fontenot can do with this extra cash when the offseason officially rolls around.
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Drew Dober tied Dustin Poirier for the most knockout wins in UFC lightweight history with his finish of Bobby Green at UFC Vegas 66.
The UFC closed out its 2022 schedule on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 216, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The main event of the 42nd and final fight card of the year saw [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) squeak out a split decision win over [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) in a matchup of middleweight contenders.
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 Fight Night 216.
UFC Fight Night 216 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 216 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $204,500.
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 216 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 216 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cheyanne Vlismas[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Saidyokub Kakhramonov[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Hayisaer Maheshate[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]David Dvorak[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Sergey Morozov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Journey Newson[/autotag]: $4,500
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 2167 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2161 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 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $8,351,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,529,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.
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Check out what the UFC Fight Night 216 winners had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 216 takes place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex.
You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 216 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
Check out the numbers behind UFC Fight Night 216, the promotion’s 2022 finale where Drew Dober could tie Dustin Poirier’s record for most lightweight knockouts.
The UFC will put a bow on its 2022 calendar Saturday with UFC Fight Night 216, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.
A matchup of middleweight contenders will mark the final UFC bout of the year. [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) and [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) will attempt to rebound from their July losses when they meet in a five-round bout that will put the winner back on the title path.
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 Fight Night 216.
