Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out the best photos from Roman Kopylov’s second-round TKO win over Josh Fremd at Noche UFC at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]’s second-round TKO win over [autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag] at Noche UFC at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports; MMA Junkie; and UFC)
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 the promotions from Aug. 21-27.
Just 10 days after his most recent octagon win, Josh Fremd has signed on to make a quick turnaround at Noche UFC.
Just 10 days after his most recent octagon win, [autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag] has signed on to make a quick turnaround.
Anthony Hernandez has been forced out of the inaugural Noche UFC event due to injury. Stepping in on short notice will be Fremd (11-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who takes on [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) on Sept. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
After dropping his first two UFC fights, Fremd has rebounded with back-to-back wins over Sedriques Dumas, and most recently Jamie Pickett less than two week ago at UFC on ESPN 51.
Kopylov was also able to turn things around after a rough UFC start. After losing his first two bouts, the Russian fighter has won three straight – including a head-kick knockout of Claudio Ribeiro at UFC 291 in July.
The latest Noche UFC lineup now includes:
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.
UFC on ESPN 51 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 51 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $173,000.
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 51 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 51 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Hakeem Dawodu[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]AJ Dobson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]JP Buys[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Mike Breeden[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Isaac Dulgarian[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Martin Buday[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Josh Parisian[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jaqueline Amorim[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Montserrat Conejo[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jose Johnson[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Luana Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Juliana Miller[/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 $4,510; 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 $51,000 while title challengers get $51,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-51 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $5,395,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $19,984,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.
Check out what the UFC on ESPN 51 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 51 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
You can hear from all the UFC on ESPN 51 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.
Josh Fremd knows Jamie Pickett won’t be an easy outing, but will look to overwhelm him.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag] knows [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag] won’t be an easy outing, but will look to overwhelm him.
Fremd (10-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) meets Pickett (13-9 MMA, 2-5 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 51 main card opener at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
With Pickett having dropped three straight, Fremd is expecting a sense of urgency from him, but will look to put him away.
“I think that he’s a very explosive, athletic, tough fighter,” Fremd told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Thursday’s media day. “I think he’s very similar to the last guy I fought, (Sedrique Dumas) – just a better version of him, if you will. I think he’s going to be tougher a little bit, but I think I can break him. … I do see a finish.”
Fremd was just in a similar situation to Pickett in the lead-up to his past fight against Sedriques Dumas in March. But the LFA alum remained level headed, and not only was he able to snap a two-fight losing skid, but he also handed Dumas his first-career loss when he submitted in Round 2.
“Honestly, I know it’s hard to believe, but there was no pressure,” Fremd said. “I knew where I stood. I know where I stand. I just knew that I needed to go out there and fight. At the end of the day, it’s a fight. All this extra cameras and microphones and all that, it’s just extra to it. This is a fight, and I just needed to go out there and fight.
“That’s what I told my coach about this fight here. I’m in the same predicament. I just need to go out there and fight. There is no pressure because if I felt the pressure, that means I didn’t do the right things in camp, I didn’t do the right things to prepare myself. So I’m prepared. Even though it was short notice, I was prepared. It is what it is.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.
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.
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.
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 from May 1-7.
Josh Fremd had this feeling he was brought in to lose to favored prospect Sedriques Dumas at UFC Fight Night 221. He wasn’t having it.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag] beat Sedriques Dumas with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 221 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Fremd, who got his first UFC win in an upset and handed Dumas his first loss.
