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Geoff Neal has a murderer’s row of grapplers ahead in the rankings after his knockout of Vicente Luque at UFC on ESPN 40.
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 40 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
UFC on ESPN 40 was a historic card with all finishes, but Sam Alvey left with a dubious record attached to his name.
UFC opened its August schedule in historic fashion on Saturday. UFC on ESPN 40 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas featured a finish in all 10 fights.
The main event needed the additional rounds, however, because [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) battled with [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (22-11 MMA, 14-10 UFC) in the fourth frame before securing a TKO stoppage that continued to his rise in the light heavyweight division.
For more on the numbers behind the record-setting event, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 40.
Jamahal Hill is looking to take a big step next.
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] wants a big matchup next.
The UFC light heavyweight contender is itching to take a big step-up in competition following his most recent win in the octagon. Hill (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) defeated former title challenger Thiago Santos by fourth-round TKO during their main event clash at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 40.
And now on a three-fight wining streak and his second consecutive headlining bout, Hill wants a title shot against champion Jiri Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), but he’s willing to settle for the former champion Jan Blachowicz (29-9 MMA, 12-6 UFC).
“Everybody interests me at the top, but I want the shot at Jiri,” Hill told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 40 post-fight press conference. “I’ve been calling for Jiri for two years now. I want him. I don’t care if he’s the champion. I got twice as many wins as he does in this organization.
“So I want him. I can’t get him? Give me the man that used to sit on that throne. I’ll take Jan. I’m hungry. I want gold. The lion is hungry for gold.”
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Prior to UFC on ESPN 40, Hill won back-to-back bouts against Jimmy Crute and Johnny Walker, each by first-round knockout. Seven of Hill’s 12 professional bouts have ended by either knockout or TKO.
Although he kept his finishing rate high, Hill is not entirely satisfied with his performance against Santos.
“I’m happy with the win, but I’m not happy with the performance,” Hill explained. “I need to go back to the drawing board and do a much, much better job, and yeah, that’s what I’m going to do.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.
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UFC on ESPN 40 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 on ESPN 40 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $140,000.
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 40 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 40 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zac Pauga[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Juliana Miller[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brogan Walker[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Erick Gonzalez[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Takashi Sato[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Miranda Granger[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Stephanie Egger[/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 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 $40,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-40 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $5,393,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $11,560,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.
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Things got a bit wild at times at UFC on ESPN 40, but Jamahal Hill once again had his hand raised when the smoke cleared.
LAS VEGAS – It wasn’t easy, but [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] got the job done Saturday in Las Vegas.
In the UFC on ESPN 40 main event, Hill (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) defeated [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (22-11 MMA, 14-10 UFC) via TKO at 2:31 of Round 4 at the UFC Apex.
The TKO solidified a 100 percent finishing rate for the event as a whole, marking only the second time in UFC history the feat has occurred. The other card that needed no judges was UFC 199 in June 2016.
The first round was methodical and measured by Santos. He utilized kicks of all levels to chip away at the mobility and aggression of Hill, who is usually a strong starter. A brief tie-up against the fence by Santos was the extent of the grappling in Round 1.
From the opening bell of Round 2, the tempo increased tremendously. Both men winged punches as Hill baited Santos into wild exchanges. Santos faired well in them, however. Cardio seemed to be the biggest issue, more so of the damage from Hill, who looked fresh despite the hard punches thrown and landed by both men.
After some heavy admonishing by his corner for getting into a “bar fight,” Santos mixed it up in Round 3 and scored a takedown. He only controlled Hill on the canvas briefly, before a scramble led to both men on the feet again. Santos tested his luck with another takedown attempt. It was successful again. Santos utilize some light ground-and-pound before Hill rose back up. Wild exchanges led to another Santos takedown, but not before he ate a big knee from Hill.
In the corner just before the championship rounds, Hill sported some a noticeable swell above his left eye. More damage came before all was said and done as Hill and Santos traded punch-for-punch in the pocket midway through Round 4. In a wild exchange, Hill toppled Santos who covered up and attempted to survive.
Santos, tired and stunned, visibly tried to stay in the fight. He crawled to the side of the cage, but there was no escape. Elbows and punches from Hill rained down over and over until referee Herb Dean saw enough.
After the fight, an audibly and visibly winded Hill told commentator Michael Bisping in the cage that people need to stop mentioning experience as a diss toward him and his rise toward the top as a relatively fresh face in the division.
HILL CALLED BEDTIME 😤 #UFCVegas59 pic.twitter.com/YGYDlM4zPP
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 7, 2022
Hill extends his winning streak to three with the victory. Prior to UFC on ESPN 40, Hill won back-to-back bouts against Jimmy Crute and Johnny Walker, each by first-round knockout. Seven of Hill’s 12 professional bouts have ended by either knockout or TKO.
As for Santos, his woes to win continue. He is 1-5 in his most recent six with his only a unanimous decision over Johnny Walker in October. He has now lost back-to-back bouts, also including a March loss to Magomed Ankalaev.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 40 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.
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See the top Twitter reactions to Jamahal Hill’s win over Thiago Santos in the UFC on ESPN 40 main event.
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] further elevated himself as a contender on Saturday when he defeated [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 40 main event.
Hill (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) kept his momentum rolling with a fourth-round TKO over former title challenger Santos (22-11 MMA, 14-10 UFC) in the light heavyweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Hill’s victory over Santos at UFC on ESPN 40.
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Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 40 bout odds and lines between Thiago Santos vs. Jamahal Hill, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a light heavyweight bout in the main event, Thiago Santos and Jamahal Hill meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 40 — also known as UFC Vegas 59 — at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. Below, we analyze the UFC on ESPN 40 Santos vs. Hill odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The card can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+ with the prelims starting at 7 p.m. ET and the main card at 10 p.m. ET.
Santos limps into this bout with a 1-4 record across his last 5 showings, including a unanimous-decision (UD) loss to Magomed Ankalaev last time out in the main event at UFC Vegas 50 in mid-March.
The lone victory for Santos during the 5-fight stretch was a UD win over Johnny Walker in the main event in early Oct. 2021. Each of his last 3 fights, and 4 of his last 5, have resulted in decisions.
The 31-year-old Hill has been on a more upward trajectory, winning his last 2 fights via first-round KO/TKOs, including last time out in mid-February against Walker. Four of his last 5 bouts have finished in the 1st round, and his last fight to go the distance came in Jan. 2020 against Darko Stosic, a win via UD.
Hill takes the walk to the octagon with a 2-inch height advantage and a 3-inch advantage in reach. The southpaw also holds a big 7.06-to-3.77 significant strikes landed per minute advantage.
Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:44 a.m. ET.
[tipico]
Records: Santos (22-10-0) | Hill (10-1-0)
Hill (-340) will cost you nearly 3.5 times your potential return, and that’s just too risky. Instead, let’s get specific.
First off, Hill doesn’t go very deep into matches. His UFC debut went the distance against Stosic in Jan. 2020, and he has been to Round 2 just once in the past 5 outings since. Look for HILL BY TKO/KO (-165) to cash.
No (-380): Fight to go the distance is just too expensive, so avoid it. If you really have your heart set on playing an Over/Under, look to UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-180), although I don’t love it, as that’s still a lot of chalk for my liking.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
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Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 40 main card, which includes two “Ultimate Fighter” finals.
| Santos vs. Hill |
Luque vs. Neal |
Pauga vs. Usman |
Miller vs. Walker |
Sakai vs. Spivac |
Cachoeira vs. Lipski |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 127-74 |
 Hill (77%) |
 Luque (86%) |
 Pauga (56%) |
 Walker (57%) |
 Spivac (78%) |
 Lipski (73%) |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 136-70  2018 Champion |
Hill |
Luque |
Pauga |
 Miller |
Spivac |
 Cachoeira |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 132-74 2014 Champion |
Hill |
Luque |
Pauga |
Miller |
Spivac |
Lipski |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 132-74 |
Hill |
Luque |
 Usman |
Walker |
Spivac |
Lipski |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 128-78 |
Hill |
 Neal |
Usman |
Miller |
Spivac |
Lipski |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 127-79 |
Hill |
Neal |
Pauga |
Walker |
 Sakai |
Lipski |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 126-80 |
 Santos |
Luque |
Usman |
Miller |
Spivac |
Lipski |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 125-81 |
Hill |
Luque |
Pauga |
Walker |
Spivac |
Lipski |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 123-83 |
Santos |
Luque |
Pauga |
Miller |
Sakai |
Lipski |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 121-85 2017 Champion |
Hill |
Luque |
Pauga |
Walker |
Spivac |
Cachoeira |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 114-92 |
Hill |
Luque |
Usman |
Walker |
Sakai |
Cachoeira |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 101-105 |
Hill |
Luque |
Pauga |
Walker |
Sakai |
Lipski |
The UFC is back in its Las Vegas home base this week with a key light heavyweight bout, plus a pair of finals for Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
UFC on ESPN 40 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, former light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (22-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC). Hill is a big -340 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Santos is +250. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers largely are taking Hill with a big 9-2 picks lead.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 14-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at welterweight. Luque is a 2-1 favorite at the betting window and like Hill has a 9-2 lead from our pickers.
In the heavyweight final of Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” [autotag]Zac Pauga[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the brother of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Pauga is the biggest favorite on the main card at -290, but he has just a 7-4 lead in the picks.
In the “TUF 30” women’s flyweight final, it’s a close fight at the sportsbook between [autotag]Juliana Miller[/autotag] (2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and [autotag]Brogan Walker[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC). Miller is a slight favorite at -125, but Walker has a 6-5 picks edge.
[autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag] (15-4-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) takes on -280 favorite [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at heavyweight. But despite the big odds in Spivac’s favor, he has just a 7-4 picks lead.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) meets [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] (14-7 MMA, 3-4 UFC) in a women’s flyweight bout. Lipski nearly is a 2-1 favorite and has an 8-3 lead from our staff members.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Hill (77 percent), Luque (86 percent), Pauga (56 percent), Walker (57 percent), Spivac (78 percent) and Lipski (73 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.
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Watch Thiago Santos and Jamahal Hill make weight for their light heavyweight main event at UFC on ESPN 40 in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – The main event for Saturday’s UFC event is set.
Ranked light heavyweight contenders [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] and [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] had no issue making the 206-pound limit for their light heavyweight clash at UFC on ESPN 40.
The Friday weigh-ins took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The same venue hosts Saturday’s card, which airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
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Hill (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is coming off arguably the best win of his career in his first UFC headliner when he flattened Johnny Walker with a violent right hand. The win put his streak at two, joining a 48-second knockout win over Jimmy Crute in December. His only loss came by TKO due to injury against Paul Craig in June 2021.
Santos (22-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC), a former UFC title challenger, is looking to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss to Magomed Ankalaev in March. The defeat was his fourth in five fights. The lone win in that stretch was a unanimous decision over Walker in October 2021.
Check out the video above for Santos and Hill’s trips to the scale.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.
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Sean O’Malley, Kevin Holland, and Alex Perez have been good – but not as good – according to Jamahal Hill.
LAS VEGAS – When [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] looks over the fighters who came off Dana White’s Contender Series, one name sits atop the list – his own.
Ahead of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 40 and what will be his second main event, Hill (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) voiced his confidence he is the best alumnus from the series, which is currently in the midst of Season 6.
“I just put it out there because I feel like, to me, it’s true,” Hill told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 40 media day. “I don’t think anybody that’s come of the Contender Series has beat the level of competition repeatedly that I have in the fashion that I have, or have the trajectory that I have. … I don’t know anybody off Contender Series who got (two main events).”
The claim Hill made Wednesday wasn’t the first time. He recently expressed his self-ranking on Twitter, and entered Sean O’Malley into the conversation. While Hill still thinks he’s a step above, O’Malley is on his short-list behind him.
“Outside of myself, the top three Contender Series alums I’d say would be Sean O’Malley, Kevin Holland, and Alex Perez,” Hill said. “… Not so much in that order, but just like that.”
What is your definition of success ?
— Sean O'Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) July 30, 2022
When the DWCS 🐐 is in the building the fights have to be great!!! https://t.co/QauSDHSgsM
— Jamahal Hill (@JamahalH) August 3, 2022
Regardless if he’s the best, worst, or most middle DWCS alum of all time, Hill has a task in front of him Saturday in the form of former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos (22-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC).
The spot is big and it’s possible Hill could set himself up to be in the title discussion with a victory. Even though Santos is 1-4 in his most recent five, Hill is preparing for the best version of his opponent yet.
“I feel like he is a dangerous guy,” Hill said. “I feel like he still possesses that danger and he’s still to be respected. People always talk about the Paul Craig thing (with me). I learned to respect the game. He’s going to get that respect. Know with that respect comes with a lot of f*cking pain and punishment.
“… I don’t give a f*ck, for the simple fact of I’m not going to sit here and be like… what do you think I’m in the gym training like, ‘Oh, he’s not who he used to be, so I don’t have to worry.’ No. I train for him to be the best fighter in the world. It goes with that respect for the game. I’ve heard people say, ‘Oh, he’s not the Thiago he used be, the old Thiago.’ Even if he was still the Thiago Santos that stepped in front of Jon Jones, I’d still whoop his ass. Period. It’s not going to change what’s going to happen – at all.”
UFC on ESPN 40 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.
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