Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 244

Jun Yong Park and Brad Tavares enter the UFC Fight Night 244 co-main looking to rebound from a loss. Which middleweight will get it done?

[autotag]Jun Yong Park[/autotag] and [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 244 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-2
UFC main cards, 2024: 84-74-3

Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares UFC Fight Night 244 preview

Park (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will enter the octagon for the first time in 2024. He will seek to rebound from a heartbreaking split decision loss to Andre Muniz in December, which snapped a four-fight winning streak that included three rear-naked choke submission victories. … Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-9 UFC) will also look to bounce back from a loss in his previous fight. In February, Gregory Rodrigues stopped Tavares in the third round. Before the setback, Tavares won a unanimous decision over former UFC champ Chris Weidman.

Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares UFC Fight Night 244 expert pick, prediction

The co-main event in the Apex features a re-booked attraction at 185 pounds between Park and Tavares.

Despite my usual stated bias toward Tavares and his camp, this is a fight between two fighters I thoroughly enjoy watching.

It’s hard not to be a fan of Park, and I can see why “The Iron Turtle” is favored to win on the betting lines. That said, I suspect that Tavares quietly presents a tough stylistic test for the Korean.

Not only will Park have the arguable crux of his game stymied by his Hawaiian counterpart’s stellar takedown defense, but Tavares will also be one of the few fighters who can jab with him (something that has troubled Park the few times he’s encountered it in his UFC career).

Add in the calf kicks that I see being ponent on Park’s stance, and I can’t help but side with Tavares to edge out a competitive decision on the scorecards.

Either way, I hope that Tavares finally starts to get more respect than he does for a fighter who has been able to stay afloat for so long in this organization.

Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares UFC Fight Night 244 odds

The oddsmakers and public favor the Korean fighter, listing Park -188 and Tavares +152 via FanDuel.

Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares UFC Fight Night 244 start time, how to watch

Park and Tavares are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:05 p.m. ET (6:05 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

UFC Fight Night 233 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC Fight Night 233 in Las Vegas with Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 233 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.

In the main event, Song Yadong (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) took on Chris Gutierrez (20-5-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in a bantamweight clash. In the light heavyweight co-feature, former title challenger Anthony Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) met Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC).

You also can get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@1khathaway) on X.

Check out the full event play-by-play, results, and more below.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 25-Oct. 1)

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. 25-Oct. 1.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 16-21)

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 May 16-21.

Photos: UFC Fight Night 218 weigh-ins and faceoffs

Check out these photos of the UFC Fight Night 218 official weigh-ins and faceoffs at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos of the UFC Fight Night 218 official weigh-ins and faceoffs at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Photos by Ken Hathaway, MMA Junkie)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Nov. 14-20)

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 Nov. 14-20.

Trio of UFC fights added to Oct. 29 event

Chase Hooper, Joseph Holmes, and Dustin Jacoby are among the recent additions.

Three new fights have been added to the Oct. 29 UFC event.

While the event does not currently have an announced location or venue, previously-announced bouts include Edson Barboza vs. Ilia Topuria, and Andrei Arlovski vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima.

Wednesday, three new fights surfaced, including a ranked light heavyweight and some notable Dana White’s Contender Series alumni. Scroll below to read about the three recent additions.

UFC on ESPN 24 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total nears $1 million

UFC on ESPN 24 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 24 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $143,000.

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 24 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 24 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Gregor Gillespie[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kyle Daukaus[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mike Trizano[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jun Yong Park[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Christian Aguilera[/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 $4,500; 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: $976,500
Program-to-date total: $976,500

UFC in 2020: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids, and records

Check out a full recap of 2020’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2020’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.