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UFC on ESPN+ 26 post-event facts: Angela Hill sets the bar for 2020

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

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.

[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

[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.

[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.

Jimmy Crute sees himself as ‘the No. 1 prospect’ after UFC on ESPN+ 26 win

Serving as UFC Auckland co-main event, Jimmy Crute defeated Michal Oleksiejczuk by first-round Kimura submission.

[autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] is back in the win column.

Serving as the UFC on ESPN+ 26 co-main event, Crute (11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) defeated Michal Oleksiejczuk (14-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) by first-round Kimura submission. The win served as a rebound for Crute, who was coming off a loss to Misha Cirkunov in September.

“I was super happy,” Crute said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “I was just happy to be able to stick to the gameplan. My last fight, I obviously didn’t. So it was nice to just go out there and show that I can keep a level head under pressure. …

“I just try to do to him what Misha (Cirkunov) was able to do to me. I had a little more success in my loss, but the pressure that was put on me was what made me want to go in. That’s why I took that and tried to utilize that. Also, bringing Daniel Kelly on full time – being able to use that judo and do it well.”

Crute has been a member of the UFC roster only since July 2018, but in a short time he’s made a name for himself. In just his fourth promotional fight, Crute was entrusted with co-main event responsibilities at home. He made the most of the opportunity.

“It was a whirlwind,” Crute said. “I can’t pinpoint moments. It was a flash. It’s what I’m trying to do now. Especially after my last fight, I just tried to slow everything down and take everything as it comes.

“It’s very easy to get caught up and try to be everyone’s best man – try and be everything. When it comes to fighting, it’s what you do in training and what you do in there.”

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Seemingly pleased with his progress, Crute expressed his opinion. He thinks he’s the best 205-pound prospect in the UFC. He wants to keep it that way and said he thinks mental strength will allow that to happen.

“I see myself as the No. 1 prospect. There’s a few other really good guys that are laying claim to that, so we’ll sort that out,” Crute said. “… The biggest thing for me is to keep doing what I’m doing. Keep a level head.

“It’s always mental for me. Just being able to switch on mentally. Sometimes, I switch on too much. I just need to find a happy medium. I can kickbox with the best. I can wrestle with the best. I can grapple with the best. The thing that lets me down is sometimes I think too much. … I think when I perfect the mindset is the day.”

UFC on ESPN+ 26 took place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The event streamed on ESPN+.

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UFC on ESPN+ 26 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Top earners net $10,000

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:

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[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Ben Sosoli[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Magomed Mustafaev[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Zubaira Tukhugov[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Aguilar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Joshua Culibao[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Emil Meek[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Callan Potter[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Loma Lookboonmee[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shana Dobson[/autotag]: $4,000

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:

“UFC on ESPN+ 26: Felder vs. Hooker” – $130,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 25: Anderson vs. Blachowicz 2” – $186,500
“UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes” – $243,000
“UFC on ESPN+ 24: Blaydes vs. Dos Santos” – $169,000
“UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cowboy” – $165,000

Year-to-date total: $707,000
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $31,711,500

UFC on ESPN+ 26 bonuses: Dan Hooker vs. Paul Felder an obvious ‘Fight of the Night’

Dan Hooker and Paul Felder took home hard-earned $50,000 bonuses for their well-contested bout.

Ten months from now, when “Fight of the Year” lists are compiled, [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]’s five-round thriller against[autotag] Paul Felder[/autotag] is likely to merit consideration.

But while the notion of where the fight might ultimately rate is up for conjecture, there’s little doubt Hooker’s split-decision victory was the best fight on Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 card.

The UFC agreed, too, as it awarded Hooker and Felder “Fight of the Night” for the card at Spark Arena in Auckland New Zealand, meaning both fighters will go home with an extra $50,000 for their tremendous effort.

For Felder, the award marks the fifth postfight bonus in a UFC stint which dates back to 2014. For Hooker, who has also been with the company since 2014, it was his fourth.

“Performance of the Night” went to a pair of worthy competitors as well.

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[autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] got the job done in the evening’s light heavyweight co-feature fight, using a Kimura to finish Michał Oleksiejczuk in the opening round of their bout. And [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag] made a big statement that she belongs in the UFC. Cachoeira, who lost her first three bouts in the company, opened the card by knocking out Shana Dobson in 40 seconds.

They also take home $50,000 apiece in what was the first career bonus for both.

The UFC announced a sellout crowd of 10,025 paying a gate of $1,239,625 USD, both of which are Spark Arena records.

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UFC on ESPN+ 26 predictions: Is it Paul Felder or Dan Hooker in New Zealand?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN+ 26 main card in Auckland, featuring Paul Felder vs. Dan Hooker.

	Felder vs. Hooker	Crute vs. Oleksiejczuk	Kowalkiewicz vs. Xiaonan	De Lima vs. Sosoli	Mustafaev vs. Riddell	Aguilar vs. Tukhugov
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 16-10	Felder (53%)	Crute (63%)	Xiaonan (63%)	Sosoli (63%)	Mustafaev (66%)	Tukhugov (64%)
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 20-6	Hooker	Oleksiejczuk	Xiaonan	De Lima	Mustafaev	Aguilar
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 20-6 2017 Champion	Felder	Crute	Xiaonan	De Lima	Mustafaev	Tukhugov
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 19-7	Felder	Crute	Xiaonan	De Lima	Mustafaev	Tukhugov
Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 19-7	Hooker	Crute	Xiaonan	De Lima	Mustafaev	Tukhugov
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 19-7	Hooker	Crute	Xiaonan	De Lima	Mustafaev	Tukhugov
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 19-7	Hooker	Crute	Xiaonan	Sosoli	Mustafaev	Tukhugov
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 19-7	Hooker	Crute	Xiaonan	De Lima	Mustafaev	Tukhugov
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 19-7 2014 Champion	Felder	Crute	Xiaonan	De Lima	Mustafaev	Tukhugov
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 18-8	Felder	Crute	Xiaonan	De Lima	Riddell	Aguilar
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 18-8	Hooker	Crute	Xiaonan	Sosoli	Riddell	Tukhugov
Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 18-8 2019 Champion*	Hooker	Crute	Xiaonan	De Lima	Mustafaev	Tukhugov
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 17-9 2018 Champion	Hooker	Crute	Xiaonan	De Lima	Mustafaev	Aguilar
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 16-10	Hooker	Oleksiejczuk	Kowalkiewicz	De Lima	Mustafaev	Tukhugov
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 12-14	Felder	Crute	Kowalkiewicz	Sosoli	Mustafaev	Aguilar

The UFC is back in New Zealand this week with a local standout in a lightweight showdown atop the card.

UFC on ESPN+ 26 takes place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The event streams on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) takes on New Zealand’s own [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (19-8 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in a lightweight fight that is a couple years in the making. Hooker is just a slight favorite from the oddsmakers, but he has a fairly substantial 9-5 lead in the picks from our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.

In the co-main event, [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is a -150 favorite in his light heavyweight fight against Australia’s [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC). But it’s Crute who has a whopping 12-2 lead in our picks.

[autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is the biggest favorite on the main card in her women’s strawweight bout against [autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC). Xiaonan has a big 12-2 picks lead.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] (16-6-1 MMA, 5-4 UFC) is a mild favorite against Australia’s [autotag]Ben Sosoli[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at heavyweight. The Brazilian has an 11-3 edge in the picks.

[autotag]Magomed Mustafaev[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is a -150 favorite in his lightweight bout against [autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), and he’s got a 12-2 blowout picks lead.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Kevin Aguilar[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Zubaira Tukhugov[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) in a featherweight fight. Aguilar is a slight favorite at the sportsbooks, but it’s Tukhugov who has a heavy 10-4 lead in the picks from our staff members.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Felder (53 percent), Crute (63 percent), Xiaonan (63 percent), Sosoli (63 percent), Mustafaev (66 percent) and Tukhugov (64 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

5 burning questions heading into UFC on ESPN+ 26

MMA Junkie senior editor Dave Doyle walks you through five key storylines as the UFC heads to the hottest of 2020 MMA hotspots: New Zealand.

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New Zealand is the hippest of MMA hotspots these days. Auckland’s world-class gym, City Kickboxing, has captured two UFC championships in the past year, with Israel Adesanya taking the middleweight belt and Alexander Volkanovski following up by claiming the featherweight crown.

Which makes this the perfect time for the UFC to visit the island nation for the first time since 2017.

UFC Auckland isn’t the deepest card in company history, but it has its fair share of intrigue. That certainly applies to the main event, a bout between [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] and City Kickboxing’s own [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag], a matchup from which a legit lightweight contender should emerge.

The co-main, too, has high consequences, as the bout between Australian [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] and [autotag]Michał Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] should mark the winner as one to watch in the suddenly hot light heavyweight ranks.

UFC on ESPN+ 26 takes place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The event streams on ESPN+.

Without further ado, here are five burning questions heading into UFC Auckland.

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Can Paul Felder break through to the top of the lightweight division?

Felder (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has not lost a lightweight fight since 2016.

That’s an easy fact to forget, because in his highest-profile fight since, Felder lost to Mike Perry a UFC 226 on a split decision and got his arm broken in the process.

But that fight was at welterweight, and otherwise, “The Irish Dragon” has been flawless, with five wins at 155 pounds. That includes three finishes, two post-fight bonuses, and last time out, he avenged a loss to Edson Barboza.

Now, Felder has accepted Hooker’s challenge and will face him on the latter’s home turf. The Roufusport product is 34. He’s coming up on a now-or-never point on whether he’s going to break into the highest ranks of the sport’s deepest division. If Felder can win under these circumstances, then he almost has to be given one of 155’s big dogs next.

[opinary poll=”whats-your-pick-for-paul-felder-vs-dan-h” customer=”mmajunkie”]

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UFC on ESPN+ 26: Make your predictions for Paul Felder vs. Dan Hooker in Auckland

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 event in Auckland, New Zealand.

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 on ESPN+ 26 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 26 takes place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The event streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for all six main card fights inside:

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