UFC on ESPN 52 medical suspensions: Headliners, Bobby Green among 12 fighters facing 180 days off

A dozen UFC Austin competitors including Arman Tsarukyan, Beneil Dariush, and Bobby Green have been given lengthy suspensions by Texas.

UFC on ESPN 52 took place Saturday at Moody Center in Austin, Texas and featured a dozen fights.

Of the 24 competitors on the card, 12 fighters were suspended 180 days due to injuries sustained in their bouts, according to documentation from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), the commissioning body that oversaw the event.

Among those who received the lengthiest suspensions are both sides of the main event, Arman Tsarukyan and Beneil Dariush, as well as co-main eventer Bobby Green.

The TDLR does not reveal injury specifics, just the duration of the suspensions. Fighters are permitted to return to competition prior to the conclusion of their suspension durations should they be cleared by a doctor beforehand.

Check out the 24 medical suspension durations below:

UFC on ESPN 52 post-event facts: Clay Guida sets dubious record with 18th octagon loss

Check out all the facts from UFC on ESPN 52, which saw a record two slam KOs and Clay Guida tying the UFC record for most losses.

The UFC’s third-to-last event of 2023 went down as one of the best of the year. UFC on ESPN 52 delivered with nine stoppages in 12 fights.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) capped off the night with the quickest finish of the bunch. He dropped and stopped [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) just 64 seconds into their high-stakes lightweight headliner, solidifying himself as a top contender.

For more on the numbers behind the card, which featured a number of historic feats, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC on ESPN 52 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Four fighters get max non-title money

UFC on ESPN 52 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

AUSTIN, Texas – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $225,000.

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 52 took place at Moody Center. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 52 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rodolfo Bellato[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jamey-Lyn Horth[/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 $4,520; 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 $52,000 while title challengers get $52,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-52 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,689,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,208,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC on ESPN 52 results: Miesha Tate dominates Julia Avila for late submission

Miesha Tate turned back the clock at UFC on ESPN 52 as she put forth a vintage performance and submitted Julia Avila.

[autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag] hadn’t competed in 17 months prior, but she dominated her way to victory Saturday in her bantamweight return.

On the UFC on ESPN 52 prelims at Moody Center in Austin, Texas, Tate (21-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) defeated [autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) by submission at 1:15 of Round 3.

From the opening seconds of the fight, Tate out-grappled Avila with strong, heavy wrestling and frequent submission attempts. Although Avila did just enough to deny earlier submission tries, she failed to do so early in Round 3 when Tate locked in a rear-naked choke. The tap came quickly.

After the fight, a fired-up Tate mentioned the hard work she put in during training camp and how she was motivated by frequent mentions of “retirement” by MMMA conversationalists.

Despite her domination, Tate appeared to suffer a leg injury and was carried out of the cage by fiancé Johnny Nunez.

Tate, 37, moves to 2-2 since he returned from retirement in 2021. Tate attempted flyweight in her previous bout, a lopsided loss to Lauren Murphy in July 2022, but plans to stick at bantamweight.

Returning from pregnancy, Avila had not competed since June 2021. Avila, 35, falls to 1-2 in her most recent three bouts.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 52 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Miesha Tate def. Julia Avila at UFC on ESPN 52: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Miesha Tate’s third-round submission win over Julia Avila at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag]’s third-round submission win over [autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. (Photos by Dustin Safranek, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC on ESPN 52 faceoff highlights: Noticeable height differences on main card

Check out the UFC on ESPN 25 ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs from Austin, Texas.

AUSTIN, Texas – The UFC on ESPN 52 ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs took place Friday at Moody Center, the site of Saturday’s fights, and MMA Junkie was in attendance.

Atop the bill, contenders [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) and [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) go toe-to-toe in a five-round bout. The co-main event stays at lightweight as [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (31-14-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) battles short-notice foe [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC).

Also on the card, [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) welcomes former UFC flyweight champion [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (21-3-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) to the bantamweight division. Other fights include [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) vs. [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] (18-8 MMA, 12-8 UFC), and [autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) vs. [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC).

Check out the full ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs highlights in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 18-24)

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 Sept. 18-24.

Former champion Miesha Tate set for UFC return vs. Julia Avila

Former UFC champ Miesha Tate returns for the first time since July 2022 when she takes on Julia Avila, who hasn’t fought since June 2021.

[autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag] has her next fight and it’s against another fighter coming off a long layoff.

At a UFC Fight Night event slated for Dec. 2, Tate (19-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC) will take on [autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC). The card does not have a confirmed location or venue at this time.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Mania first reported the fight was in the works.

Tate, 37, is a former UFC women’s bantamweight champion. She hasn’t fought since a lopsided unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Lauren Murphy in July 2022. The fight was Tate’s debut at flyweight and moved her to 1-2 since she un-retired and returned to competition in 2021. Tate was scheduled to face Mayra Bueno Silva in June but withdrew from the bout for unknown reasons.

Avila, 35, has not competed since June 2021 as she took time off to give birth to her daughter, who was born in October 2022. Prior to her maternity leave, Avila defeated Julija Stoliarenko by rear-naked choke submission. The win was her third win in four promotional outings and her second finish.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Dec. 2 includes:

  • Julia Avila vs. Miesha Tate
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth

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With Julia Avila out, Macy Chiasson steps in to face Raquel Pennington at UFC Fight Night 199

Macy Chiasson will look to climb the rankings when she steps in to face former title challenger Raquel Pennington.

[autotag]Macy Chiasson[/autotag] will look to climb the rankings when she faces a former title challenger.

[autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag] has been forced out of UFC Fight Night 199 because of a knee injury, and Chiasson will step in on short notice to face [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] on Dec. 18 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Both fighters confirmed the booking on social media Monday following an initial report from MMA Fighting.

Currently riding a two-fight winning streak, Season 28 “The Ultimate Fighter” winner Chiasson (7-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is coming off back-to-back unanimous decision wins over Shanna Young and Marion Reneau. She was scheduled to face Aspen Ladd at UFC on ESPN 27 in July, but Chiasson withdrew due to injury. The bout was then rebooked for UFC Fight Night 193 in October, but the fight was scrapped once again when Ladd came in one pound over the bantamweight limit and was pulled due to health concerns stemming from her weight cut.

Meanwhile, Pennington (12-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) will also look to build on her two-fight winning streak. After defeating Reneau in June 2020, the former title challenger returned from a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspension to put a halt to Pannie Kianzad’s four-fight unbeaten run, defeating her by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 192 in September.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 199 lineup now includes:

  • Chris Daukaus vs. Derrick Lewis
  • Belal Muhammad vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Angela Hill vs. Amanda Lemos
  • Gerald Meerschaert vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
  • Darren Elkins vs. Cub Swanson
  • Don’Tale Mayes vs. Josh Parisian
  • Raphael Assuncao vs. Ricky Simon
  • Jordan Leavitt vs. Matt Sayles
  • Harry Hunsucker vs. Justin Tafa
  • Macy Chiasson vs. Raquel Pennington
  • Andre Ewell vs. Charles Jourdain
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. TBA
  • Sijara Eubanks vs. Melissa Gatto
  • Diego Ferreira vs. Mateusz Gamrot

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UFC on ESPN 21 pre-event facts: Marion Reneau now oldest active UFC fighter

The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 21, which features a Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland middleweight main event.

The UFC’s sprint of March events continues Saturday with UFC on ESPN 21, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

A key matchup of middleweights takes center stage in the main event. Longtime contender [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC) will look to maintain his presence in the division when he takes on [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who fights for the first time since putting together a record year in 2020.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 35 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 21.