Tag: Jamie Pickett

Video: UFC on ESPN 51 media day interviews

Before UFC on ESPN 51 on Saturday, 12 athletes from the card spoke to reporters Thursday at media day.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC schedule for August continues Saturday with UFC on ESPN 51, which takes place at the UFC Apex with a card that airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

A welterweight bout serves as the main event, with [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (21-9-1 MMA, 14-5 UFC) set to take on former lightweight titleholder [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (33-14 MMA, 21-12 UFC).

Before fight night arrives, though, 12 athletes from this weekend’s card spoke to reporters Thursday at media day.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream above, check below for the archived videos of each media day session.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.

UFC on ESPN 51 pre-event facts: Cub Swanson hits landmark record in featherweight return

The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 51, where Cub Swanson makes history with his return to the featherweight division.

The octagon returns to the confines of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday for the first time in nearly one month with UFC on ESPN 51, which airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

Brazilian welterweight veterans collide in a five-round main event. [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (21-9-1 MMA, 14-5 UFC) returns to action from a nearly yearlong layoff and the hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid when he meets former lightweight titleholder and MMA legend [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (33-14 MMA, 21-12 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s

* * * *

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 5-11)

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 5-11.

Bo Nickal’s UFC 285 win to stand after Jamie Pickett’s appeal fails to materialize

Jamie Pickett won’t appeal his UFC 285 loss to Bo Nickal after all following a conversation between his manager and the commission.

[autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag] will no longer appeal his UFC 285 loss to [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag], according to his manager.

LaMont Chappell of LCA Sports Management, the agency that represents Pickett, informed MMA Junkie shortly after the March 4 fight that he was firm on appealing a perceived missed groin strike prior to the finish.

Circumstances have changed, however, as Chappell informed MMA Junkie on Friday that an appeal won’t be filed. According to Chappell, Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Jeff Mullen recently indicated to him that there are not grounds to qualify for an appeal. As a result, Chappell did not follow through with filing one.

NAC spokesperson Frankie Mason confirmed to MMA Junkie that Pickett’s team was recently notified of the qualifications of the appeal process and that the commission did not receive an official appeal.

Mason pointed to NAC 467.770, the statute that states a result can be overturned following a decision for one of three reasons, with only one relevant to the challenge at hand.

  1. The Commission determines that there was collusion affecting the result of the contest or exhibition
  2. The compilation of the scorecards of the judges discloses an error, which shows that the decision was given to the wrong unarmed combatant; or
  3. As the result of an error in interpreting a provision of this chapter, the referee has rendered an incorrect decision.

Chappell told MMA Junkie that he’s disappointed and hopes the bylaws of the appeal process can be revisited and revised for future instances.

“While disappointed with the rules that govern appeals, I still remain hopeful that cases like ours will continue to shape future conversations regarding judging and officiating that are called into question,” Chappell said in a written statement. “After speaking to a representative of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, we as a combat sports community should be more diligent in pushing for the tough conversations to better advocate for our fighters.”

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Nickal, a former Dan Hodge Trophy winner in wrestling, needed just 2:54 to win the bout by submission. However, prior to the fight hitting the mat, Nickal kneed Pickett in the midsection along the fence. Pickett visibly grimaced once it landed, but referee Keith Peterson allowed the action to continue.

After the fight, the two sides disagreed whether or not the strike should’ve been deemed a foul.

“I hit him in the leg, in the thigh,” Nickal said. “I had him in a bad position along the wall. He wanted to get off the wall, and he wanted the ref to stop it. If I were to have actually hit him low, I would feel bad, because I don’t want to win that way. I’m not a cheater. I’m not somebody who tries to take short cuts. If I did hit him low, I would’ve just relaxed probably or let the ref stop it. But I didn’t hit him low at all, so it’s a weird move, bro.”

Mullen recently told MMA Fighting that the commission, including Peterson, reviewed the foul shortly after it occurred inside the cage but found no conclusive evidence it was illegal.

“The review official cannot overturn the in-cage referees decision without indisputable video evidence,” Mullen said.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.

UFC 285 post-event facts: Jon Jones enters a class of his own with heavyweight title win

The numbers show Jon Jones stands in rarified air after making it 15-0 in title fights when he claimed heavyweight gold at UFC 285.

The biggest UFC event of 2023 thus far delivered in spades Saturday with UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The 14-fight lineup featured eight finishes and two new champions crowned.

In the main event, [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) returned from a 37-month layoff and joined an exclusive club of two-division titleholders. The former longtime light heavyweight champion captured heavyweight gold with a first-round submission of [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC).

The co-headliner saw [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) pull off one of the biggest title-fight upsets in recent memory when she dethroned [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC) with a fourth-round submission to capture the women’s flyweight title.

For more on the numbers coming out of both championship contests, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 285.

UFC 285 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jon Jones nets $32,000 in octagon return

Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane both received an equal $32,000 in UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay for their UFC 285 title fight.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 285 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $282,500.

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 285 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 285 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Trevin Jones[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $6,000
def.[autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mana Martinez[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tabatha Ricci[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag]: $4,000

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: $1,440,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $15,959,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.

‘I’m not a cheater’: Bo Nickal denies foul after Jamie Pickett’s manager reveals UFC 285 result appeal

Bo Nickal’s promotional debut Saturday at UFC 285 was swift, but his victory will be formally appealed by opponent Jamie Pickett’s team.

[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s promotional debut Saturday at UFC 285 was swift, but his victory will be formally appealed by opponent [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]’s team.

Saturday, shortly after his fighter was submitted by Nickal in the first round at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, MMA manager LaMont Chappell, of LCA Sports Management, informed MMA Junkie of a plan to file an appeal with the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) to overturn the result to a no contest.

The basis of the appeal revolves around a knee to the midsection by Nickal against the fence that occurred moments before a takedown that led to the finish. Pickett and his team think the shot was to the groin, and illegal.

“It’s very important that like all other major sports (including collegiate sports) replays are necessary to manage fair play,” Chappell said in a written statement. “It seems these types of issues from judges and officials are becoming more and more common in MMA. At the end of the day they (officials) are human; however a fighter who trains his ass off should not be penalized for mistakes by individuals who are paid to make the best judgments for the integrity of the sport.”

MMA Junkie asked Nickal for his reaction at a UFC 285 post-fight news conference, to which the former Penn State University wrestling standout denied the strike was a foul and was puzzled by Pickett’s team’s appeal proclamation.

“I hit him in the leg, in the thigh,” Nickal said. “I had him in a bad position along the wall. He wanted to get off the wall and he wanted the ref to stop it. If I were to have actually hit him low, I would feel bad because I don’t want to win that way. I’m not a cheater. I’m not somebody who tries to take short cuts. If I did hit him low, I would’ve just relaxed probably or let the ref stop it. But I didn’t hit him low at all, so it’s a weird move, bro.”

While MMA result appeals are accepted by many regulatory bodies, overturns seldom occur. Often times, review processes and rulings for missed fouls are done behind closed doors.

NAC 467.770 states that a result can be overturned following a decision for one of three reasons, with only one relevant to the challenge at hand.

  1. The Commission determines that there was collusion affecting the result of the contest or exhibition
  2. The compilation of the scorecards of the judges discloses an error which shows that the decision was given to the wrong unarmed combatant; or
  3. As the result of an error in interpreting a provision of this chapter, the referee has rendered an incorrect decision.

Video replay is available in Nevada and could’ve been used by referee Keith Peterson. However, it was not utilized during or immediately after Saturday’s bout.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.

UFC 285 results: Bo Nickal chokes out Jamie Pickett in first round to win debut

Bo Nickal has officially arrived in the UFC.

One of the most highly touted prospects in UFC history has his first promotional victory under his belt.

On Saturday, former Penn State University wrestling standout [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] (4-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) defeated [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag] (13-9 MMA, 2-5 UFC) by submission at 2:54 of Round 1. The middleweight bout opened up the UFC 285 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Nickal, 27, dragged the fight to the canvas in the opening seconds. For the fight’s remainder, Nickal sought a submission until he found it. Pickett tried to defend an arm-triangle choke but eventually Nickal made the minor adjustments necessary to tap him out.

The fight was more in-cage time (2:54) for Nickal than all of his previous professional fights combined (2:27). Nickal trucked CFFC champion Donovan Beard en route to a 52-second, UFC contract-earning submission at Dana White’s Contender Series in September.

Spotlighted long before his MMA career kicked off, Nickal was a three-time Division I national wrestling champion and three-time Big Ten conference champion for Penn State. He won a national championship and an under-23 world championship, both in 2019 in the 92kg (202.8-pound) weight class. He finished college with a 120-3 record, including a combined 61-0 record in his junior and senior years.

In 2019, Nickal earned the 2019 Dan Hodge Trophy, an accolade awarded to the nation’s best wrestler. He also twice won the Schalles Award, an honor given to the nation’s best pinner. In addition, he was named 2019 Big Ten Athlete of the Year.

Nickal is a blue belt in jiu-jitsu and trains at American Top Team in South Florida.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 285 results include:

Photos: UFC 285 ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs

Check out these photos from the UFC 285 ceremonial weigh-ins in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos from the UFC 285 ceremonial weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs, ahead of the pay-per-view event taking place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie)

UFC 285 predictions: Jones or Gane, Shevchenko or Grasso in title fights?

Check out our picks for the UFC 285 main card, including Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane and Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso title fights.

Jones
vs.
Gane		 Shevchenko
vs.
Grasso		 Neal
vs.
Rakhmonov		 Gamrot
vs.
Turner		 Nickal
vs.
Pickett
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
19-13		 jones2023
Jones
(68%)		 shevchenko2023
Shevchenko
(87%)		 rakhmonov2023
Rakhmonov
(85%)		 gamrot2023
Gamrot
(64%)		 nickal2023
Nickal
(90%)
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
24-11		 jones2023
Jones		 shevchenko2023
Shevchenko		 neal2023
Neal		 turner2023
Turner		 nickal2023
Nickal
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
24-11		 gane2023
Gane		 shevchenko2023
Shevchenko		 rakhmonov2023
Rakhmonov		 gamrot2023
Gamrot		 nickal2023
Nickal
Nolan King
@mma_kings
22-13/em>		 jones2023
Jones		 shevchenko2023
Shevchenko		 rakhmonov2023
Rakhmonov		 gamrot2023
Gamrot		 nickal2023
Nickal
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
22-13
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion		 jones2023
Jones		 shevchenko2023
Shevchenko		 rakhmonov2023
Rakhmonov		 turner2023
Turner		 nickal2023
Nickal
Matt Erickson
22-13		 gane2023
Gane		 grasso2023
Grasso		 rakhmonov2023
Rakhmonov		 gamrot2023
Gamrot		 nickal2023
Nickal
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
21-14		 gane2023
Gane		 shevchenko2023
Shevchenko		 rakhmonov2023
Rakhmonov		 gamrot2023
Gamrot		 nickal2023
Nickal
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
21-14		 gane2023
Gane		 shevchenko2023
Shevchenko		 rakhmonov2023
Rakhmonov		 gamrot2023
Gamrot		 nickal2023
Nickal
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
21-14		 gane2023
Gane		 shevchenko2023
Shevchenko		 rakhmonov2023
Rakhmonov		 gamrot2023
Gamrot		 nickal2023
Nickal
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
20-15		 jones2023
Jones		 shevchenko2023
Shevchenko		 rakhmonov2023
Rakhmonov		 turner2023
Turner		 nickal2023
Nickal
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
19-16
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 jones2023
Jones		 shevchenko2023
Shevchenko		 rakhmonov2023
Rakhmonov		 gamrot2023
Gamrot		 nickal2023
Nickal
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
19-16
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 gane2023
Gane		 shevchenko2023
Shevchenko		 rakhmonov2023
Rakhmonov		 gamrot2023
Gamrot		 nickal2023
Nickal

The UFC stays home in Las Vegas this week, but shifts to a big venue with a pair of title fights atop the bill.

UFC 285 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, former longtime light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) for the vacant heavyweight title, which became available when Francis Ngannou and the promotion parted ways earlier this year. Jones will fight for the first time in more than three years and will be making his debut at heavyweight.

Jones is slight favorite at -170 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Gane is +145. But our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers slight underdog Gane with the narrowest possible edge at 6-5.

In the co-feature, dominant women’s flyweight champ [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) puts her title on the line against [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC). Shevchenko is a huge favorite of more than 7-1, but she’s not a unanimous pick. One of our pickers is taking Grasso in a major upset.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) finds himself a big underdog against unbeaten welterweight [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who is more than a 5-1 favorite. Rakhmonov has a whopping 10-1 picks lead.

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is more than a 2-1 favorite in his lightweight bout against [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC), and he has a big 8-3 lead from our staff members.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is a favorite of historic proportions at 19-1 in his middleweight fight against [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC). Nickal, a highly touted wrestling standout, will make his UFC debut.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Jones (68 percent), Shevchenko (87 percent), Rakhmonov (85 percent), 64 percent) and Nickal (90 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 220.

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