The best facts and figures about UFC 259, which features the seventh championship triple-header in company history.
The UFC’s third pay-per-view event of the year takes place Saturday with UFC 259, which goes down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and features the most loaded lineup of the year.
For just the seventh time in company history, three championship fights are on the docket at a single event, meaning the landscape of the sport has the potential to alter significantly by the end of the weekend.
Check below for all the pre-fight facts behind UFC 259, which features [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (27-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC) vs. [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (20-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) for the light heavyweight title in the main event; [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 13-1 UFC) vs. [autotag]Megan Anderson[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) for the women’s featherweight strap in the co-main event; and an [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) vs. [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) bantamweight title grudge match in the featured bout.
UFC 259 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
We want your predictions for UFC 259, which features title fights at light heavyweight, women’s featherweight and bantamweight.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 259 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 Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC 259 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC 259 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Diego Sanchez reveals he was not at 100 percent going into his UFC 253 loss to Jake Matthews.
“The Ultimate Fighter, Season 1” winner [autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag], says he wasn’t at 100 percent in his losing effort against [autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] at UFC 253 last Saturday.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, Sanchez (30-13 MMA, 19-13 UFC) revealed he competed in his fight against Matthews (17-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) with a torn labrum in his left hip.
“Warriors don’t always win they do however always survive! I took a fight on the other side of the world on a months notice, fought my fourth primed 26 year old out of the last five opponents. With a torn labrum in my left hip! I positively pressed the fight with a streaking 5-1 welterweight prospect. Had a face to face with @danawhite with not one negative word only respect and love. I might have some haters but that’s only a accurate identification of successfulness. Made it my 36 trip to the octagon. Today I will get treatment on my torn labrum.”
Though he hung with Matthews for the full 15 minutes, Sanchez was on the losing end of a lopsided unanimous decision. All three judges scored the contest 30-26.
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After the fight, UFC president Dana White voiced uncertainty about Sanchez’s future. Though Sanchez has won three of his past five outings, he’s 38 years old and has fought for the promotion since 2005.
“I love Diego Sanchez, and I don’t know,” White said at the UFC 253 post-fight news conference. “It’s something I’ve got to think about, and it’s obviously something that I’ve got to talk to the guys about back when we get home in the office and see what everybody thinks. I got these guys now – you got Diego Sanchez, who fights his heart out every time he fights, he was part of ‘TUF 1,’ everybody knows how I feel about those guys, and he’s just a great person.
Check out Diego Sanchez’s full Instagram post below:
Jake Matthews was not going to allow Diego Sanchez to continue having late career success at his expense at UFC 253.
[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] was not going to allow [autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag] to have late-career success at his expense at UFC 253 on Saturday.
Matthews (17-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) lived up to expectations as the favorite and beat UFC Hall of Famer Sanchez (30-13 MMA, 19-13 UFC) by unanimous decision, using his more precise striking and top control to win by scores of 30-26 across the board.
The welterweight bout was part of the UFC 253 preliminary card at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It aired on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+ ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.
Sanchez opened the fight by charging after Matthews with a combination, but to little effect. Matthews tagged Sanchez with number of hard right hands to set the tone. Sanchez struggled to find his range as he winged wild shots while rapidly changing stances and showing awkward movements. “The Ultimate Fighter 1” winner remained persistent, and started to touch Matthews, who answered with a takedown in the final 30 seconds followed by ground-and-pound to close the frame.
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The second round saw similar tactics from Sanchez, who pushed forward with multi-strike combinations, most of which fell short of the target. Matthews remained methodical in picking his shots, but his output was significantly lower than the opening round. Sanchez upped the pressure with more combinations, and while he was able to lull Matthews into a bit of a brawl, Matthews didn’t get too wild and countered with some clean hits at the tail end of the round.
The final frame saw Sanchez open with a flying knee that was met with a counter. Matthews clinched up with Sanchez shortly thereafter and scored a nasty right hand that staggered Sanchez and put him on his backside. Matthews jumped down on top of Sanchez, who was split open with a bad, bad cut. Blood quickly covered the octagon canvas, and Matthews continued to chip away from on top. Matthews did his best to finish the fight on top, avoiding a Sanchez armbar in the process, but couldn’t get the veteran out before the final round.
“I just beat Diego Sanchez,” an ecstatic Matthews said in his post-fight interview with Jon Anik. “It hasn’t set in yet.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC 253 results include:
Jake Matthews def. Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision
Jake Matthews first saw Diego Sanchez win “The Ultimate Fighter” when he was in Grade 5. Now he fights his “idol” at UFC 253.
ABU DHABI – Ahead of UFC 253, [autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] spoke with reporters Wednesday during media day.
Matthews (15-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) discussed his welterweight bout with Diego Sanchez (30-12 MMA, 19-12 UFC), how he watched Sanchez win “The Ultimate Fighter 1” when he was in Grade 5, hoping to elevated himself in the division with a win, being a flag-bearer for Australian MMA and more.
You can watch the full interview in the video above.
UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Diego Sanchez is set to make his return to the octagon.
The UFC 253 lineup appears to be nearly complete.
On Tuesday, the promotion announced three more fights, including a welterweight matchup between [autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag] and [autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag], a featherweight fight between [autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex da Silva[/autotag], and a lightweight bout between [autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag] and [autotag]Shane Young[/autotag].
The Landwehr (14-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs. Young (13-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) booking was first reported by Cageside Press.
The lone member of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Season 1 still competing in the UFC, Sanchez (30-12 MMA, 19-12 UFC) has won three of his last four fights. He most recently competed in February, winning via disqualification due to an illegal knee landed by opponent Michel Perreira.
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Matthews (16-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has won five of his last six fights. He’s riding back-to-back wins over Rostem Akman and Emil Meek. His only loss since November 2016 came against Anthony Rocco Martin.
When Riddell (8-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) takes on da Silva (21-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), he will join City Kickboxing teammates Israel Adesanya and Shane Young on the card.
With the addition, the UFC 253 lineup includes:
Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa – UFC middleweight title
The Atlanta Falcons were active players when the NFL’s free agency period began last week, bringing in Dante Fowler Jr. (three years, $48 million) and Todd Gurley (one year, $6 million).
The Atlanta Falcons were active players when the NFL’s free agency period began last week, bringing in Dante Fowler Jr. (three years, $48 million) and Todd Gurley (one year, $6 million) despite having little cap space.
Releasing Desmond Trufant and Devonta Freeman gave the Falcons some wiggle room, but not enough to make it all work. According to ESPN’s Vaughn McClure, the team restructured the contracts of quarterback Matt Ryan and left tackle Jake Matthews, clearing nearly $14 million in cap space for 2020.
Matt Ryan’s 2020 base salary goes from $8 million to $1,050,000 as a result of the contract restructuring to save cap space. Jake Matthews’ 2020 base goes from $10.55 million to $3.55 million. Money converted to signing bonus in both cases. Saves now but accumulates later.
So, Matt Ryan’s 2020 cap number went from $24.175 million to $$18.96 million, according to records. Jake Matthews’ cap figure went from just over $16 million to $10.76 million. Falcons‘ signings of Dante Fowler Jr. (3 years, $48 mil), Todd Gurley (1 year, $6 mil) not official yet
The team also gave a one-year extension to defensive lineman Allen Bailey, which Vaughn reports is worth $4.5 million:
Falcons DL Allen Bailey signed a one-year extension with Falcons, agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed to ESPN. Deal reportedly worth $4.5 million with a $3.25 million signing bonus, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero. Falcons maneuvering for cap space… https://t.co/UawwThCfLM
Currently, Over The Cap lists Atlanta with just over $14 million, but that’s before the contracts of Fowler and Gurley are accounted for. The cap space is good news for this season, but again kicks the can down the road by restructuring with Ryan and Matthews.
All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC Auckland, which saw Dan Hooker beat Paul Felder in the main event.
The UFC made its third visit to New Zealand on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 26. The 12-fight card took place at Spark Arena in Auckland and streamed entirely on ESPN+.
In the main event, [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 10-4 UFC) elevated his status as a lightweight contender when he edged out a memorable “Fight of the Night” clash with [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) by split decision in front of his hometown fans.
The headliner wasn’t the only fight to produce notable results, though. For more, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 26.
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General
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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $137,000.
Debuting fighters went 0-1 at the event.
Hooker, Felder, [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] and [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 26 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 26 drew an announced attendance of 10,025 for a live gate of $1,239,625.
Betting favorites went 8-4 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 4-1 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 1:59:19.
Main card
Dan Hooker
Hooker improved to 7-1 since he moved up to the UFC lightweight division in June 2017.
Felder has suffered four of his five career losses by decision.
Crute (11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned eight of his 11 career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.
Crute became the fifth fighter in UFC history to earn multiple submission victories by Kimura. Krzysztof Soszynski, Rani Yahya, Frank Mir and George Sotiropoulos also accomplished the feat.
[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career.
Oleksiejczuk has suffered both of his UFC losses by submission.
Yan Xiaonan
[autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) improved to 9-0 (with one no contest) since returning from a nearly five-year layoff in July 2015.
Xiaonan’s five-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is tied with Tatiana Suarez for the longest active streak in the division.
Xiaonan has earned all five of her UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]’s (12-6 MMA, 5-6 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since April 2018.
[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past nine fights.
De Lima improved to 3-1 in the UFC at heavyweight.
De Lima has earned 15 of his 17 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 14 of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Ben Sosoli[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Magomed Mustafaev[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Preliminary card
Zubaira Tukhugov def. Kevin Aguilar
[autotag]Kevin Aguilar[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career.
Aguilar has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
[autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished both of his UFC wins by knockout.
[autotag]Joshua Culibao[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his eight-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) improved to 5-1 since he moved up to the UFC welterweight division in November 2017.
Matthews has earned four of his five UFC welterweight victories by decision.
[autotag]Emil Meek[/autotag]’s (9-5-1 MMA, 1-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since December 2016.
Meek has been taken down 21 times in his four UFC appearances.
Meek has suffered all three of his UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Callan Potter[/autotag] (18-9 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered all nine of his career losses by stoppage.
Song Kenan has earned 13 of his 15 career victories by stoppage. That includes three of his four UFC wins.
[autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (21-8 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag] (18-11-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered eight of his 11 career losses by decision. That includes both of his UFC defeats.
Angela Hill
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) became the first to earn two UFC victories in 2020.
Hill improved to 6-5 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.
Hill’s seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Jessica Andrade for second most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (nine).
[autotag]Loma Lookboonmee[/autotag] (4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of her career.
[autotag]Cachoeira[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) snapped her three-fight losing skid for her first victory since September 2017.
Cachoeira’s 40-second knockout marked the fastest stoppage in UFC women’s flyweight history.
[autotag]Shana Dobson[/autotag]’s (3-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since December 2017.
Dobson suffered the first knockout loss of her career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN+ 26 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $130,000.
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+ 26 took place Saturday at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The entire card streamed ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 26 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:
