UFC Fight Night 218 post-event facts: Derrick Lewis’ struggles continue

Derrick Lewis, the UFC’s all-time knockout record holder, is on a personal worst losing skid after UFC Fight Night 218.

The UFC opened its February schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 218, which went down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The main event saw [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) continue his climb as a heavyweight contender when he halted former title challenger [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] (26-11 MMA, 17-9 UFC) with a first-round submission.

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 218.

UFC Fight Night 218 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Derrick Lewis’ $21,000 tops card

UFC Fight Night 218 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 218 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $136,000

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 Fight Night 218 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 218 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Da-un Jung[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Blagoy Ivanov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag]: $6,000
vs. [autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Adam Fugitt[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yusaku Kinoshita[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Anshul Jubli[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jeka Saragih[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jeong Yeong Lee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yi Zha[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rinya Nakamura[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Toshiomi Kazama[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Sung Hyun Park[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Seung Guk Choi[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Junyong Park[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Denis Tiuliulin[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jesus Santos Aguilar[/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 2187 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2181 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: $632,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $15,151,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.

Rising Japanese star Tatsuro Taira set to welcome Jesus Santos Aguilar to UFC at February event

Tatsuro Taira is set for his third UFC bout, which will take place in South Korea.

Rising Japanese flyweight [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] has passed both of his UFC tests with flying colors and now he’ll have a chance to make it three for three.

Standing in the way of Taira (12-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will be Dana White’s Contender Series signee [autotag]Jesus Santos Aguilar[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC). The bout is scheduled for Feb. 4 as part of a UFC Fight Night event expected to take place in Seoul, South Korea.

A person with knowledge of the booking Thursday confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie after an initial report by ESPN, but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Taira, 22, made his promotional debut in May when he dominated Carlos Candelario en route to a unanimous decision. In October, he returned for his sophomore UFC outing and picked up his first finish in the promotion when he submitted C.J. Vergara with a second-round armbar. After the fight, Taira estimated he’s three wins away from a UFC title shot.

Aguilar, 26, enters his UFC debut with a head full of steam after a boss-impressing performance that earned him a UFC contract. Known for his guillotine choke, Aguilar put it on display when he used it to submit Erisson Ferreira in August.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night event for Feb. 4 includes:

  • Devin Clark vs. Da Un Jung
  • Mandy Bohm vs. Ji Yeon Kim
  • Adam Fugitt vs. Yusaku Kinoshita
  • Jesus Santos Aguilar vs. Tatsuro Taira

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Fresh Ink: Meet the 32 fighters the UFC signed in August 2022

The UFC added 32 fighters to its roster last month. Find out who joined and learn more about them here.

The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.

Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, Dana White’s Contender Series signees, or the increasingly rare straight-up additions. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.

“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.

Scroll below to check out the 32 fighters the promotion inked in August 2022.

DWCS 51 winner Jesus Santos Aguilar: I wanted UFC contract more than Erisson Ferreira da Silva

“It was a fruit of our work, and I want it more, and I want it for my family, and that’s why it happened.”

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jesus Santos Aguilar[/autotag] says he won the battle of wills against [autotag]Erisson Ferreira da Silva[/autotag] at Dana White’s Contender Series 51.

Aguilar (8-1) earned a UFC contract by submitting da Silva in Round 3 on Tuesday. The flyweights exchanged positions in what was a back-and-forth battle, but ultimately it was Aguilar who was able to finish the fight with a guillotine choke.

“Very well prepared from my team, they talk about the mentality. That’s a very important thing,” Aguilar told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “I understand that he’s a good fighter, I’ve watched his fights before, but this is a team effort, and it didn’t just happen. It was a fruit of our work, and I want it more, and I want it for my family, and that’s why it happened.”

Aguilar doesn’t have a date or opponent in mind for his UFC debut but wants to go back to the drawing board before he fights again.

“I want to fight when my coach says I’m ready to go,” Aguilar said. “I would like to fine tune a couple of things. I would like to maybe give it to December and stay with the family, so I will be completely focused on the fight at hand, but you know what, my coach has this covered.”

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Dana White’s Contender Series 51: Best photos from Las Vegas

Check out these photos from Dana White’s Contender Series 51 in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos from the fights at Dana White’s Contender Series 51 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Photos courtesy of Joshua Hedges, UFC)