After every event, fans wonder whom the losing fighters will be matched up with next.
With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 248’s most notable fighters.
Those fighters include [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 15-2 UFC), who suffered a fifth-round TKO loss to Justin Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) for the interim lightweight title in the main event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who was stopped by Henry Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the co-headliner for bantamweight gold, as well as [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-15 MMA, 23-12 UFC).
* * * *
Donald Cerrone
James Krause
Should fight: [autotag]James Krause[/autotag] Why they should fight: Although he put on a much stronger effort than his previous three fights, Cerrone took another loss in a unanimous decision to Anthony Pettis and now finds himself in uncharted territory with four consecutive defeats.
There are sure to be requests for Cerrone to give it up at this stage, after an incredibly storied career. That doesn’t seem likely, though, especially given this skid.
Cerrone’s level of competition has been utterly ridiculous in recent years, and perhaps it’s time for a step back to see if he can regain is mojo. Krause (27-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) is by no means a guaranteed win for “Cowboy,” but he’s someone who would likely come in as an underdog. There’s great upside for him, though, because even with his current woes, Cerrone is still a meaningful win.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Aleksei Oleinik
Should fight: [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] Why they should fight: After a red-hot start to his UFC career, Rozenstruik was brought crashing back down to earth courtesy of Francis Ngannou and a 20-second knockout loss.
It marked the first defeat of Rozenstruik’s career, and now he’ll go back to the drawing board. Fortunately, there still are many heavyweights for him to fight, with Oleinik (59-13-1 MMA, 8-4 UFC) being one of them.
Oleinik produced one of his biggest career wins earlier in the night when he upset former champ Fabricio Werdum by split decision. The submission ace showed some good striking, but it seems unlikely he’d want to stand with Rozenstruik, who is just the challenge “Bigi Boy” needs. Rozenstruik has faced a string of striker since his UFC debut, and now it’s time to find out what he’s all about on the mat.
Dominick Cruz
Cory Sandhagen
Should fight: [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Cruz should fight Sandhagen (12-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) next if he decides to continue with his MMA career.
Tony Ferguson
Conor McGregor
Should fight: [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Ferguson should fight McGregor (21-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) next.
After filing an appeal, Manager Jason House is confident that James Krause’s loss to Trevin Giles at UFC 247 gets overturned.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]James Krause[/autotag]’s manager is confident that his client’s most recent loss will be overturned.
Krause stepped in on just 24 hours’ notice to face [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] at February’s UFC 247 in Houston in a middleweight bout, losing a controversial split decision.
But it wasn’t losing a tightly-contested bout that Krause’s team had an issue with; it was the fact that one of the Texas judges, Joe Soliz, had a potential conflict of interest in the bout.
Soliz previously trained at Elite MMA under Eric Williams, who cornered Giles in the fight. Soliz earned a black belt at the academy before leaving in 2010.
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Soliz scored the bout in favor of Giles and was the only judge who awarded him Round 1, which saw Krause control much of the action on the floor. Giles won the bout 29-28 on two of the judges’ scorecards.
Krause’s manager, Iridium Sports CEO Jason House, decided to file an appeal and said he’s confident it will result in the fight getting overturned.
“I’m very confident that we will get this fight overturned,” House told MMA Junkie. “The conflict of interest that existed between the judges and our opponent is pretty crystal clear, and I’m hoping that once the Texas commission takes the time to review all the facts and evidence regarding the situation that they will see that it should be a no contest.”
The loss snapped Krause’s six-fight winning streak.
To hear more from House, check out the video above.
No holding back from James Krause on how he feels about Diego Sanchez’s coach, Joshua Fabia.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]James Krause[/autotag] sees himself going one of two directions next.
Winner of six of his last seven fights, Krause (27-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) saw his streak come to a halt when he lost a razor-thin split decision to Trevin Giles last month at UFC 247, in a middleweight bout that he accepted on just one day’s notice.
And while his team is appealing the loss due to judge Joe Soliz’s potential conflict of interest, Krause is ready to move on. He sees himself either taking on an established veteran or a top-ranked welterweight next.
One name comes to mind, and it’s for a specific reason.
“There’s a couple of different routes I could go,” Krause told MMA Junkie. “I feel like the two routes are like fighting some legends of this sport. A couple of names come to mind like [autotag]Diego Sanchez[/autotag], Carlos Condit. I have a thing for Diego for some reason. I can’t stand his coach (Joshua Fabia). I feel like they’re selling wolf tickets to the sport of MMA, to the fans of MMA.
“Just some of that stuff, that guy says is ridiculous to me. I just can’t seem to get behind it, and I think he’s got Diego manipulated, and I think – I’m not a fan of the man. You have to put some real work into this sport to become a coach of a high-level athlete, and I feel like this guy has short-cut that and hasn’t done those things.”
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Fabia, Sanchez’s coach and founder of the School of Self-Awareness, has received heavy criticism from the MMA community, but this topic hits home for Krause considering he’s not just a fighter but a successful head coach and gym owner.
“There’s a difference between a motivator and a coach,” Krause said. “If you need motivation to fight at this level, you’re probably not in the right place. Is he a good motivator? I’m not sure, maybe he is. At the end of the day, it takes more than motivation to win at this level, and I just think he’s a master manipulator, and he’s got somebody like Diego, who’s got some real skills, and I think he’s holding him back because of it. And there’s no shortcuts in this sport, and it’s really hard for me to respect somebody that tries to shortcut the process to get to the high level especially in coaching, especially coaching high-level athletes.”
If not a notable name like Sanchez, Krause had his eye on a specific matchup that took place last weekend at UFC 248.
“The other route would be going for top-15 guys,” Krause said. “I’m really going to watch close the Magny vs. Li Jingliang fight. I personally don’t care about the rankings to be honest with you. I want fights that interest me, that intrigue me, get me out of bed. So the fights like Diego, I’m not necessarily saying Diego, but guys like that interest me more.”
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2020.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from January 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for February.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
* * * *
The Nominees
Trevin Giles def. James Krause at UFC 247
A wild turn of events saw [autotag]James Krause[/autotag] (27-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) go from not being booked to fight in Houston to winning “Fight of the Night” in an entertaining middleweight affair with [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, .
Krause, who typically fights at welterweight, stepped up a weight class and onto the card on roughly 30 hours notice. He went one to war with Giles, and while many believed he won, the split decision went in favor of Giles after a back-and-forth 15-minute affair.
[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] did it again successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight title against challenger [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag], earning an unanimous decision nod by scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.
It wasn’t without controversy, though, because many believe Reyes did enough to win. He pushed who many consider the sport’s all-time great to the limit over five rounds, but in the end the judges didn’t score it in his favor and Jones gave Reyes his first career loss.
[autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] (31-14 MMA, 20-13 UFC) is one of the most durable competitors in the history of MMA. If you doubt that, consider that his fight with [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was his 33rd in the UFC and that he holds the company’s record for lightweight wins at 19.
Holtzman, however, is starting to demonstrate that he, too, has staying power – and that here in his fifth UFC year, he’s coming into his own. “Hot Sauce” scored an impressive win, figuring out the pace in the opening round and then turning things on over the final two to earn a unanimous decision.
[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) delivered on their promise to deliver a memorable bout when fighting on a main event stage for the first time, producing the “Fight of the Night” in Auckland.
The pair of lightweight contenders went back-and-forth over the course of five rounds, battering each other with every ounce of their fiber. Hooker got the split decision nod in the end, but Felder certainly made a strong case that he was deserving, as well. Both men earned each other’s respect, though, and shared a post-fight moment in the hospital.
Deiveson Figueiredo def. Joseph Benavidez at UFC on ESPN+ 27
[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) earned the biggest victory of his career when he scored a second-round technical knockout of [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) in a bout that was supposed to crown a new 125-pound champion.
But Figueiredo missed weight, coming in at 127.5, two-and-a-half pounds over the championship weight limit. As such, while Benavidez, who made weight, would have won the title with a victory, Figueiredo earned the victory, but not the belt, as the title remained vacant.
Hooker is a lanky lightweight who uses his range to maximum efficiency. Felder is a buzzsaw who likes to bite down on his mouthpiece, close the distance and throw down.
That’s what made the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 26 in Auckland, New Zealand, so intriguing on paper, and the fight delivered exactly what it promised.
For five grueling rounds, the duo put on a display that was equal parts skill and grit, as the duo pieced each other up.
In the end, Hooker, who trains out of Auckland’s City Kickboxing, earned the hometown victory at Spark Arena via split decision. Hooker got the better end of two out of three 48-47 scorecards in a fight every bit as close as the scores indicate.
After the fight, Felder indicated retirement might be in the cards.
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“I knew it was close,” he said. “I feel like I hurt him a lot in the fight, but he got the takedowns, which is smart. He busted me up pretty good. That might be it for me.”
The opening round saw Hooker, who had a four-inch reach advantage, utilize his range. He kept Felder at bay with front kicks and kicks to the lead leg. When Felder landed, however, he did so with authority, as he rocked Hooker with a pair of left hooks during the round, portending things to come.
By Round 2, Felder’s right eye was swollen shut, but he pressed forward. Hooker continued to play matador, continued to land kicks, and left Felder flustered.
In the third round, however, Felder managed to figure out how to close the distance and engage, even with one eye closed, and the fight’s momentum changed. Hooker never did have an answer for Felder’s powerful, well-placed lefts, and the damage started to add up.
In the fourth, the Roufusport standout continued to turn up the heat, and there was a sense Felder could win the fight after all. What had been a rowdy crowd at the fight’s outset grew nervous as the two exchanged, with Felder getting the best of things.
Both competitors went for the win in the fifth. What might have been the deciding moment came late, when Hooker parried a charging Felder and turned it into a takedown. Felder did his best to break free, but Hooker’s poise in the last-minute scrambles spelled the difference.
Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!
On Episode No. 3,028 of the podcast, the guys have plenty of events to look ahead to this weekend, and they react to the latest MMA news and notes.
THE RUNDOWN
It’s fight week, all right, especially in Las Vegas, where a a highly anticipated heavyweight boxing rematch will take place between Deontay Wilder and [autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag]. We go over what’s so different in promoting boxing and MMA.
UFC women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag], who defended her belt less than two weeks ago, already is booked to take on [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] this summer at UFC 251. It’s pretty clear that Shevchenko has a clear goal in mind, and we think we know what that is.
[autotag]James Krause[/autotag] is furious about his loss to Trevin Giles at UFC 247 in light of a report that controversial judge Joe Soliz had a conflict of interest. We think Krause has every reason to be upset. It’s actually a situation we can personally relate to.
UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag], the self-proclaimed “King of Cringe,” probably took things too far this week when he called Aljamain Sterlin “Aljamima” on Twitter. That earned him some backlash from ESPN anchor Karyn Bryant. Did he cross the line?
Could the UFC take an NBA All Star Game type of approach to International Fight Week? Max Holloway would like to see it, and we have some ideas.
We preview the trio of events this weekend between the UFC and Bellator, with Bellator 239 on Friday, and UFC Auckland and Bellator Dublin on Saturday.
Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.
A TSN report revealed judge Joe Soliz has a connection to the fighter he ruled a winner over James Krause, and Krause is having none of it.
A judge in a controversial decision at UFC 247 had potential conflict of interest issues with one of the fighters involved, and the competitor on the wrong end of the scorecard is none too pleased.
Controversial Texas judge Joe Soliz scored the bout on Feb. 8 in Houston between [autotag]James Krause[/autotag] and [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] in favor of Giles, helping sway a split decision in Giles’ favor.
Tuesday, TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter reported that Soliz had a connection with Giles’ gym, Elite MMA. Soliz trained under Eric Williams — who cornered Giles at UFC 247 — and earned a black belt at the academy before leaving in 2010.
While all three judges scored the second round in Giles’ favor, Soliz was the only one who scored a first round widely believed to be all Krause in Giles’ favor.
That made the difference as Giles won the middleweight fight by split decision, getting the better end of two out of three 29-28 scores.
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The appearance of bias was enough to enrage Krause, who accepted the bout on a single day’s notice due to a late fallout by Antonio Arroyo.
If this isn’t the most frustrating (expletive) for me in the world I don’t know what… how is this not a conflict of interest?
Training at someone’s gym for 10+ years and receiving a black belt from the coach corner my opponent.
Jason House, Krause’s manager, informed TSN they plan on appearing the decision with the Texas commission.
“I was informed that one of the judges of the James Krause versus Trevin Giles bout had a close previous relationship with one of Giles’ coaches,” House told TSN. “If true, this is deeply concerning. These athletes risk and sacrifice too much for there not to be a fair playing field. As we are currently in the appeals process, we are withholding further comment. It is our hope that the appeals process will work as designed and uphold the integrity of our sport.”
Giles vs. Krause was far from the only fight for which Soliz was criticized: His 49-46 score in favor of Jon Jones over Dominick Reyes in the evening’s main event was also the subject of much discussion.
Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes are facing short suspensions. Valentina Shevchenko, on the other hand, could be out for a while.
[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] battled for five rounds at UFC 247, but it seems they’ve come out relatively unscathed.
The pair of headliners each received a 31-day suspension, according to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation document obtained Tuesday. The Texas commission was responsible for regulating UFC 247, which took place at Toyota Center in Houston.
Conversely, UFC women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] is facing a potentially lengthy suspension after her third-round TKO victory over [autotag]Katyln Chookagian[/autotag] in the evening’s co-main event. According to the TDLR, Shevchenko is facing a 181-day suspension, while Chookagian was handed a potential 45-day term.
Two other winners, [autotag]Journey Newson[/autotag] and [autotag]Andre Ewell[/autotag], are also facing potential 181-day suspensions.
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Check out a full list of the UFC 247 medical suspensions below.
(Note: No specific injury details were given. It’s also important to note that, due to the lack of specific information, it’s unclear if any fighters have the ability to have their suspensions shortened if cleared by a doctor.)
[autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag]: Suspended 31 days
[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag]: Suspended 10 days
[autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: Suspended 61 days
[autotag]Khaos Williams[/autotag]: Suspended 31 days
[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: Suspended 31 days
Andre Ewell: Suspended 181 days
[autotag]Domingo Pilarte[/autotag]: Suspended 61 days
Journey Newson: Suspended 181 days
[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: Suspended 61 days
[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: Suspended 31 days
[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]: Suspended 31 days
[autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag]: Suspended 31 days
[autotag]James Krause[/autotag]: Suspended 31 days
[autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag]: Suspended 10 days
[autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]: Suspended 31 days
[autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag]: Suspended 10 days
[autotag]Mirsad Bektic[/autotag]: Suspended 31 days
“It was a good opportunity for me to make some more money and redo my contract.”
[autotag]James Krause[/autotag] has no regrets.
Yes, he lost – but Krause’s 24-hour notice UFC 247 bout against Trevin Giles became a thing of legend. His stock rose through the roof.
The whirlwind 24-hour stretch kicked off last Friday when Krause (27-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) heard rumblings about middleweight Antonio Arroyo having to withdraw from the Saturday bout. Krause spoke up but assumed it was impossible the fight could come to fruition.
“When I said it, I meant it,” Krause told MMA Junkie on Monday. “I threw out my name, and I meant that, but I didn’t think it would actually come to.”
A number of factors played into Krause’s decision to lobby for and accept the 185-pound fight. Generally speaking, Krause deemed it overall a “good business play.”
“It wasn’t a big deal to me either way,” Krause said. “If I got it, I got it. If I didn’t, I didn’t. I just said, ‘Hey, I’ll fight him.’ For me, it was more of a business play. It was a good opportunity for me to make some more money and redo my contract.
“… I don’t really care who it is, to be honest with you. It’s not a big deal, and I don’t mind fighting. I’ll fight anybody. I’m not afraid to fight anybody. Obviously I jumped up to 170. I’m not afraid to fight middleweights either. It’s not as big of a deal as everybody is making it out to be.”
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The fight was back-and-forth. The first round saw Krause control a bigger, stronger Giles on the ground. Giles took control of the second round, before the two tired competitors fought out a close Round 3.
Krause said his cardio was not up to par with what it could have been with a full camp. Additionally, Krause felt the noticeable strength difference fighting up a weight class.
“He’s got welterweight hand speed with middleweight power,” Krause said. “That makes for a fun recipe when you’re a small welterweight or a big lightweight, however you want to look at it. His hips were really heavy.”
[jwplayer t17Jen5v-RbnemIYZ]
When the decision was read, Giles was named the victor.
At a post-fight news conference immediately following the event, UFC president Dana White praised Krause – but also said the fighter likely regretted taking the fight. However, Krause said White is mistaken. If he had the chance, he’d do it again.
“(Dana) told me that after the fight,” Krause said. “He pulled me in his back room and told me the same thing. I said, ‘No, you’re wrong. I’d do it again.’ I don’t regret it at all. I’d do it over again. I think that’s a fight that I won. I think that’s a fight I should’ve won. I think it’s a fight I can win if we do it again.
“… I feel like it was a good career move on my part, overall. Once again, I’d do it all over again given the chance. And hell, who knows? I may do it again. I could’ve made welterweight on damn near the same notice.”
UFC 247 took place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 247, which saw Jon Jones defeat Dominick Reyes in the main event.
The UFC returned to Texas on Saturday with UFC 247, which took place at Toyota Center in Houston with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
Two championship fights topped the card. In the main event, [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) defended the UFC light heavyweight title by the skin of his teeth with a ultra-competitive unanimous decision win over [autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), while [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) utterly dominated [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) en route to a third-round TKO in the co-main event.
Both fights for the gold provided some historic footnotes, but that’s not all the card had to offer. For more on the numbers, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC 247.
* * * *
General
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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $243,000.
UFC 247 drew an announced attendance of 17,401 for a live gate of $3,549,418.
Betting favorites went 6-5 on the card. One fight had even odds.
Betting favorites improved to 3-0 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:10:48.
Main card
Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes
Jones’ 14 victories in UFC championship fights are most in company history.
Jones’ 20 victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Jones’ 18-fight UFC unbeaten streak is the longest among active UFC fighters.
Jones 18-fight UFC unbeaten streak is the longest in company history.
Jones’ 18-fight UFC unbeaten streak in light-heavyweight competition is the longest active streak in the weight class and longest in divisional history.
Jones’ four-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is tied with Corey Anderson for the longest active streak in the division.
Jones’ 1,835 total strikes landed in UFC light heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Jones’ 1,473 significant strikes landed in UFC light heavyweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Jones’ 42 takedowns landed in UFC light heavyweight competition are fourth-most in divisional history behind Anderson (53), Rashad Evans (50) and Ryan Bader (46).
Jones’ total fight time of 5:40:15 in UFC light heavyweight competition is most in divisional history.
Reyes had his 12-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
Valentina Shevchenko
Shevchenko’s two consecutive UFC women’s flyweight title defenses are most in divisional history.
Shevchenko improved to 5-0 since she dropped to the UFC flyweight division in February 2018.
Shevchenko’s five-fight UFC winning streak at women’s flyweight is the longest active streak in the division.
Shevchenko’s five victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Shevchenko’s three stoppage victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Gillian Robertson (four).
Shevchenko’s two knockout victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are tied with Maycee Barber for most in divisional history.
Shevchenko earned the eighth knockout in UFC history to stem from the crucifix position. Gary Goodridge, Matt Hughes, Dong Hyun Kim, Paul Kelly, Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier and Tyson Pedro also accomplished the feat.
Shevchenko has completed at least one takedown against nine of her 10 UFC opponents.
Chookagian fell to 4-2 since she dropped to the UFC flyweight division in January 2018.
Chookagian suffered the first knockout loss of her career.
Justin Tafa
[autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned all four of his career victories by knockout.
[autotag]Juan Adams[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) has suffered three consecutive losses after starting his career on a five-fight winning streak.
Adams has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]’s (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is the fourth longest active streak behind Arnold Allen (seven), Zabit Magomedsharipov (six) and Alexander Volkanovski (six).
[autotag]Mirsad Bektic[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career.
Bektic suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Derrick Lewis
[autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) 14 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are fourth-most in divisional history behind Andrei Arlovski (17), Frank Mir (16) and Junior Dos Santos (15).
[autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]’s (14-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.
Latifi was unsuccessful in his UFC heavyweight debut.
Preliminary card
Trevin Giles
Giles (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) improved to 2-2 since he dropped to the UFC middleweight division in December 2017.
Krause (27-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) has suffered three of his four UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) improved to 3-1 since she dropped to the UFC flyweight division in December 2017.
[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in her career.
Lee has suffered both of her UFC losses by split decision.
[autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) has suffered all three of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his 10-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
[autotag]Domingo Pilarte[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Andre Ewell[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) earned the first decision victory of his career.
[autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his seven-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 247 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $243,000.
HOUSTON – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 247 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $243,000.
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 247 took place at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
The full UFC 247 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:
