Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 22, which saw Robert Whittaker beat Kelvin Gastelum in Las Vegas.
UFC on ESPN 22 took place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and it was an oddly historic event.
[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (23-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) beat [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) by unanimous decision in the main event, further pushing him further toward a 185-pound title fight.
Check below for 25 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 22.
UFC on ESPN 22 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 22 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $142,500.
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 on ESPN 22 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 22 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jacob Malkoun[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Luis Pena[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Alex Munoz[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Justine Kish[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Juan Espino[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Bartosz Fabinski[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Dakota Bush[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Anthony Birchak[/autotag]: $6,000
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 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $325,000
Program-to-date total: $325,000
The fight had been shifted by the promotion to a catchweight, but a major weight miss still occurred.
LAS VEGAS – An 11-pound discrepancy on the scales at the UFC on ESPN 22 official weigh-ins Friday led to one fight being scrapped from Saturday’s event.
Originally scheduled to take place at bantamweight, [autotag]Zarah Fairn[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Josiane Nunes[/autotag] was shifted to a catchweight of 139 pounds prior to the start of the weigh-ins. However, Fairn (6-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) still missed weight by a large margin, tipping the scales at 147 pounds. Moments later, Nunes (7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) weighed in at 136 pounds. The fight was then canceled shortly thereafter.
Both of Fairn’s previous UFC appearances took place at featherweight. UFC on ESPN 22 was expected to mark her promotional debut at bantamweight. She had competed at bantamweight in the past, but not since September 2017.
UFC on ESPN 22 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN after prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
With the removal, the UFC on ESPN 22 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
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