Julio Arce wants new contract, then Nathaniel Wood after UFC on ESPN 54

Julio Arce hopes his finish of Herbert Burns will lead to a new UFC contract – and an eventual fight against Nathaniel Wood.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] beat Herbert Burns with a second-round TKO Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 54 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

Take a look inside the fight with Arce, who was ineligible for a bonus because he missed weight for his featherweight debut.

UFC on ESPN 54 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $24.5 million

UFC on ESPN 54 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 54 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 54 took place at Boardwalk Hall. The main card aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 54 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nursulton Ruziboev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Herbert Burns[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Dennis Buzukja[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Connor Matthews[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jacob Malkoun[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Caolan Loughran[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Angel Pacheco[/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 $4,540; 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 $54,000 while title challengers get $54,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-54 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,842,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,579,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 play-by-play, live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 54 in Atlantic City.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – UFC on ESPN 54 took place Saturday, and MMA Junkie live play-by-play and official results. UFC on ESPN 54 (ESPN/ESPN+) took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

In the main event, Erin Blanchfield (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) took on Manon Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in a likely women’s flyweight title eliminator. Joaquin Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) took on Vicente Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) in the welterweight co-feature, and former middleweight champion Chris Weidman (16-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) returned against Bruno Silva (23-11 MMA, 4-5 UFC).

Below, you can check out the results and play-by-play from UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 video: Julio Arce unloads on Herbert Burns for second-round stoppage

UFC featherweight Julio Arce picked up a big TKO win when he needed it most.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] overcame a scale and a foul in order to pick up a win when he needed it most.

In the final fight of his promotional deal, Arce (19-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC) blasted [autotag]Herbert Burns[/autotag] (11-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) for a second-round TKO stoppage at 2:00 of Round 2. The fight was a part of the UFC on ESPN 54 preliminary card at Boardwalk Hall.

Arce battered and eventually sat down Burns before referee Gary Copeland jumped in to wave off the fight. Burns had previously been deducted a point in Round 1 due to two low blows.

Arce has alternated losses and wins for the past eight outings, including Saturday’s fight. Ahead of UFC on ESPN 54, Arce missed weight by one pound, after a strange sequence on the scale when he weighed more after an hour of weight-cutting.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 54 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Julio Arce def. Herbert Burns at UFC on ESPN 54: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Julio Arce’s second-round TKO win over Herbert Burns at UFC on ESPN 54.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag]’s second-round TKO win over [autotag]Herbert Burns[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 54 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. (Fight and venue photos by Ed Mulholland, USA Today Sports)

UFC on ESPN 54 official weigh-in results: Fighter somehow gains weight between attempts, misses mark

The UFC on ESPN 54 weigh-ins ended oddly as Julio Arce somehow gained 0.25 pounds between attempts and his team was scratching their heads.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Ahead of Saturday’s fights at Boardwalk Hall, the 28 fighters involved in UFC on ESPN 54 hit the scales at the host hotel. One missed weight.

Atop the event, which airs on ESPN/ESPN+, is a pivotal women’s flyweight main event between top contenders [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

In the co-main event, welterweight standouts [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) and [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) collide. Also on the card, former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) attempts to reenter the win column against [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 4-4 UFC).

All of those fighters made weight, but one from the prelims. [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] missed the featherweight limit after previously missing at bantamweight in April 2022. He was given two attempts and gained 0.25 pounds between attempts.

Arce’s re-weigh was the last weigh-in of the day. A different New Jersey State Athletic Commission (NJSAC) representative than who weighed in the other 27 fighters and Arce’s first attempt, weighed in Arce the second time. This caused further frustration and disbelief from Arce’s team, who said they had weighed 146 on their own scale. Arce was fined 20 percent of his purse and the fight will continue as scheduled.

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Check out the full UFC on ESPN 54 weigh-ins results below:

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Erin Blanchfield (125) vs. Manon Fiorot (125.25)
  • Joaquin Buckley (170) vs. Vicente Luque (170)
  • Bruno Silva (186) vs. Chris Weidman (186)
  • Sedriques Dumas (185) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (185)
  • Bill Algeo (146) vs. Kyle Nelson (145)
  • Rhys McKee (170.25) vs. Chidi Njokuani (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Nate Landwehr (145.25) vs. Jamall Emmers (145)
  • Loopy Godinez (115) vs. Virna Jandiroba (115)
  • Julio Arce (147)* vs. Herbert Burns (145)
  • Dennis Buzukja (145.25) vs. Connor Matthews (145)
  • Ibo Aslan (205) vs. Anton Turkalj (205)
  • Viktoriia Dudakova (125) vs. Melissa Gatto (125)
  • Jacob Malkoun (185) vs. Andre Petroski (186)
  • Caolan Loughran (135) vs. Angel Pacheco (135)

* Arce missed featherweight limit by 1 pound; 20 percent fine

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Jan. 8-14)

There were 35 UFC 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.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 8-14.

Julio Arce out of Cody Garbrandt fight at UFC 285, needs surgery for injured knee

Former UFC champ Cody Garbrandt has lost yet another opponent in his attempted comeback at UFC 285.

[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] has lost yet another opponent ahead of his attempted comeback at UFC 285.

[autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has been forced out of his March 4 bantamweight bout against Garbrandt (12-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas due to a knee injury. It is unknown if Garbrandt will remain on the card.

Arce confirmed news to MMA Junkie after an initial report from Eurosport NL. He suffered an injury to the ACL and other ligaments in his knee, and will require surgery.

Garbrandt, 31, was looking to return to 135 pounds. The former bantamweight champion was knocked out by Kai Kara-France in his flyweight debut at UFC 269 in December 2021. “No Love” was then booked against Rani Yahya twice, but their matchups were scrapped when Yahya withdrew on both occasions. Garbrandt is 1-5 in his past six fights dating back to November 2017.

Arce, 33, has alternated wins and losses in his past eight octagon outings. After defeating Daniel Santos at UFC 273, Arce dropped a unanimous decision to Montel Jackson at UFC 281 this past November.

The current UFC 285 lineup includes:

  • Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane – for vacant heavyweight title
  • Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso – for women’s flyweight title
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett
  • Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
  • Derek Brunson vs. Dricus Du Plessis
  • Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner
  • Cody Garbrandt vs. TBA
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Julian Marquez
  • Kamuela Kirk vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Farid Basharat vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
  • Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
  • Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti
  • Ian Garry vs. Song Kenan

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Dec. 12-18)

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 Dec. 12-18.

Cody Garbrandt returns to bantamweight against Julio Arce at UFC 285 on March 4

Cody Garbrandt’s return to bantamweight will come against Julio Arce at UFC 285.

[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]’s return to bantamweight will come against [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag].

Garbrandt (12-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) meets Arce (18-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) at UFC 285 on March 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Both fighters confirmed the news on social media after an initial report by Eurosport NL.

Former UFC 135-pound champ Garbrandt will return to his original home after a failed stint at flyweight against Kai Kara-France at UFC 269. Garbrandt has lost five of his past six. His lone win in that stretch came in a buzzer-beating knockout of Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250. “No Love” saw two matchups with Rani Yahya scrapped after the Brazilian had to withdraw due to injury on both occasions.

Arce is 2-2 since moving back down to bantamweight. After defeating Daniel Santos by unanimous decision at UFC 273 in April, Arce was defeated by Montel Jackson at UFC 281 in November.

With the addition, the UFC 285 lineup includes:

  • Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci
  • Farid Basharat vs. Da’Mon Blackshear
  • Viviane Araujo vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Julio Arce vs. Cody Garbrandt

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