Jussier Formiga was victorious in his first bout outside of the UFC in almost 10 years, choking out countryman Felipe Bunes in the second.
[autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag] (24-8) was victorious in his first bout outside of the UFC in almost 10 years, choking out countryman [autotag]Felipe Bunes[/autotag] (11-6) in the second round.
The contest served as the main event of Friday’s LFA 124 event, which streamed live on UFC Fight Pass from Arizona Federal Theatre in Phoenix.
While the action was relatively even-keeled in the opening round, Formiga was able to slip to back control late in the frame, where he showed the skillset that made him a dangerous contender throughout his octagon run. Bunes was able to defend and stay safe, but that changed in the second.
Perhaps energized by that late success, Formiga was aggressive from the start in Round 2, and he pressed into a grappling exchange before moving to the back. Once there, Formiga again slipped to the back and locked in a rear-naked choke. Bunes refused to tap, and Formiga continued to squeeze, rendering his opponent unconscious at the 1:53 mark of the second frame.
With the result, Formiga snapped a three-fight losing streak that ended his UFC tenure, as he hopes to book an eventual return to the promotion.
UFC 250 headliners Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer are among seven fighters facing a lengthy suspensions for injuries sustained.
UFC women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] is among seven fighters facing lengthy medical suspensions for injuries sustained Saturday at UFC 250.
MMA Junkie obtained the full list from the Nevada Athletic Commission on Monday. Fighters can return sooner than the duration of their suspension if cleared by a doctor.
Headliners Nunes and [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] each were suspended 180 days โ Nunes for an injured right tibia/fibula; Spencer for a non-displaced left orbital flor and nasal fracture.
Undercard fighters facing potential 180-day terms include Chase Hooper, Brian Kelleher, Charles Byrd, Alex Perez, and Devin Clark.
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UFC 250 took place Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card streamed on pay-per-view after prelims simulcasted on ESPN and ESPN+.
The complete list of UFC 250 medical suspensions:
Amanda Nunes: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray of right tibia/fibula cleared by orthopedic physician; Also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
Felicia Spencer: Suspended 18- days or until left orbital floor and nasal fracture cleared by maxillofacial surgeon; Also suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days
[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Anthony Rocco Martin[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Eddie Wineland[/autotag]: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray of right thumb is cleared by orthopedic physician; Also suspended for 30 days with no contact for 45 days
[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
[autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray of right foot is cleared by orthopedic physician; Also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag]: No suspension
[autotag]Charles Byrd[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until x-ray of left wrist is cleared by orthopedic physician; Also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until x-rays of right ankle, foot, and right ribs are cleared by orthopedic physician; Also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
[autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag]: Suspended 180 days or until left orbital floor is cleared by maxillofacial surgeon; Also suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
[autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
[autotag]Herbert Burns[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact or until left foot sutures cleared by physician
The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 250, which saw Amanda Nunes beat Felicia Spencer in the main event.
The UFC returned to pay-per-view Saturday with a strong fight card that went down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
In the main event, dual-champ [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 13-1 UFC) continued to show that she is deserving of all-time great status when she successfully defended her women’s featherweight title [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) with a unanimous decision and put herself into the record books.
Nunes wasn’t the only one to make history at the event, though. For more on the numbers, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC 245.
* * * *
General
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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $266,000.
UFC 250 drew an announced attendance of 0 for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 8-4 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 7-6 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 1:51:11.
Main card
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Nunes became the first in UFC history to record title defenses in two divisions while simultaneously holding multiple belt.
Nunes’ eight victories in UFC title fights are tied with Jose Aldo for third most in company history behind Jon Jones (14) and Anderson Silva (11).
Nunes’ eight victories in women’s UFC title fights are most in company history.
Nunes’ 11-fight UFC winning streak is tied for second longest among active fighters in the company behind Khabib Nurmagomedov (12).
Nunes’ 11-fight UFC winning streak in women’s competition is the longest in company history.
Spencer has suffered both of her career losses by decision.
Garbrandt (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) snapped his three-fight losing skid for his first victory since December 2016.
Garbrandt’s four knockout victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Eddie Wineland (eight) and T.J. Dillashaw (seven).
Garbrandt’s nine knockdowns landed in UFC bantamweight competition are tied with Dillashaw for most in divisional history.
[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag]’s (27-8 MMA, 11-5 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since July 2018.
Assuncao fell to 11-4 since he dropped to the UFC bantamweight division in August. 2011.
Assuncao suffered his first knockout loss since March 19, 2011 โ a span of 3,367 days (more than nine years) and 15 fights.
Aljamain Sterling
Sterling’s (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak in bantamweight competition is tie with Marin Vera for the second longest active streak in the division behind Petr Yan (six).
Sterling’s 10 victories in UFC bantamweight competition are fourth most in divisional history behind T.J. Dillashaw (12), Urijah Faber (11) and Assuncao (11).
Sterling’s four submission victories in UFC bantamweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Faber (six) and Rani Yahya (five).
[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of his career.
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) 16 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied with Matt Hughes for second most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19).
[autotag]Anthony Rocco Martin[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) fell to 5-2 since he returned to welterweight in April 2018. He’s 6-2 in the weight class overall.
Martin has suffered four of his six career losses by decision.
O’Malley’s (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Petr Yan (six) and Marlon Vera (five) and Sterling (five).
Preliminary card
Alex Caceres
[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag] (16-12 MMA, 11-10 UFC) improved to 6-4 since he returned to the UFC featherweight division in January 2015.
Caceres has earned eight of his 11 UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag] (9-1-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his 10-fight unbeaten streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] (30-13 MMA, 6-5 UFC) has suffered 10 of his 13 career losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag] (19-2-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) has earned all five of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag] (21-11 MMA, 5-4 UFC) suffered his first decision loss since Sept. 21, 2013 – a span of 2,450 days (nearly seven years) and 18 fights.
[autotag]Charles Byrd[/autotag]’s (10-7 MMA, 1-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2018.
Byrd has suffered all three of his UFC losses by knockout.
Perez (24-5 MMA, 6-1 UFC) has earned four of his six UFC victories by stoppage.
Perez earned the 12th finish in UFC history stemming from leg kicks.
[autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag]’s (23-8 MMA, 9-7 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2019.
Formiga has suffered all four of his UFC stoppage losses by knockout.
[autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) earned consecutive victories for the first time in his UFC career. He’s alternated wins and losses over his past nine appearances.
Clark has earned all six of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) had his nine-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
[autotag]Herbert Burns[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned eight of his nine career stoppage victories by submission.
[autotag]Evan Dunham[/autotag]’s (18-9-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC) four-fight winless skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2016.
Dunham suffered jus the second submission loss of his career and first since Nov. 16, 2013 โย a span of 2,394 days (more than six years) and 10 fights.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
In total, UFC 250 had five fighters earning six-figure paydays.
UFC women’s bantamweight champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] topped the list of UFC 250 fighter payouts.
On Saturday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of fighter salaries from the Nevada Athletic Commission. Nunes (20-4 MMA, 13-1 UFC) earned $500,000 for her winning effort against [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] in the UFC 250 main event. As for Spencer (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC), the title challenger took home $125,000 in defeat.
The second-highest paid athlete on the card, former bantamweight champion [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag], took home $260,000 for his knockout of [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag], who earned $79,000.
Other fighters earning six-figure paydays include [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] ($152,000), [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] ($158,000), and [autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag] ($116,000).
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UFC 250 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view after prelims simulcasted on ESPN/ESPN+.
The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, including the official UFC 250 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay. They also do not include any other โlocker roomโ or special discretionary bonuses the UFC sometimes pays. They also do not include pay-per-view cuts that some top-level fighters receive.
For example, UFC officials will hand out additional $50,000 UFC 250 fight-night bonuses.
In other words, the above figures are simply base salaries reported to the commission and do not reflect entire compensation packages for the event.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 250 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $266,000.
LAS VEGAS โย Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 250 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $266,000.
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 250 took place at UFC Apex. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
The full UFC 250 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Check out the complete list of fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 250 event.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC 250 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.
Alex Perez made a statement to the entire UFC flyweight division Saturday and did so at the expense of Jussier Formiga’s calf.
[autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] might not have gone into UFC 250 on the short list of contenders for the vacant flyweight title, but he sure came out of it as a hot fighter at 125 pounds.
And unfortunately for his part,ย [autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag] isn’t likely to run or ride a bike any time over the next several days.
Perez (24-5 MMA, 6-1 UFC) put his division on notice by taking out one of flyweight’s longstanding contenders in Formiga (23-8 MMA, 9-7 UFC) on Saturday night during the preliminary card in Las Vegas.
Perez did so via TKO, but it was one of the rarest forms of TKO: the calf kick.
Perez clobbered Formiga with calf kicks, connecting with his right leg to the lower portion of Formiga’s right. He dropped him twice with the kicks, and as you can see in the video below, the second time around turned out to be one time too many:
A TKO due to calf kicks! ๐ฑ@AlexPerezMMA chops down Formiga at the end of RD 1.
The fight was waved off at the 4:06 mark of the opening round. That gives Perez, who has earned three of his five UFC victories by finish, three straight wins.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
The best facts, figures and footnotes about the UFC 250 prelims, where Alex Caceres meets Chase Hooper in the featured bout.
Before the UFC returns to pay-per-view on Saturday with UFC 250, the event’s preliminary lineup goes down at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is set to air on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
The featured prelim bout sees longtime octagon veteran [autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag] (15-12 MMA, 10-10 UFC) take on the youngest fighter on the roster, 20-year-old [autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag] (9-0-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), in a featherweight affair.
For more on the numbers behind the lineup, check below for 25 pre-facts about the UFC 250 prelims.
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Featured ESPN prelim
Alex Caceres
Caceres is 5-4 since he returned to the UFC featherweight division in January 2015.
Caceres has earned seven of his 10 UFC victories by decision.
Caceres is one of seven fighters in UFC/WEC bantamweight history to land 100 or more significant strikes in two different fights.
Hooper, 20, is the youngest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Other ESPN prelims
Ian Heinisch
[autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May 2019.
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has earned 28 of his 30 career victories by stoppage. That includes all six of his UFC wins.
Meerschaert’s five submission victories in UFC middleweight competition are tied with Demian Maia, Rousimar Palhares, Thales Leites and Antonio Carlos Junior for most in divisional history.
Meerschaert is one of 17 fighters in UFC history to earn a submission victory by anaconda choke. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 102.
[autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag] (21-10 MMA, 5-3 UFC) makes his second UFC appearance in a 24-day stretch. He won at UFC on ESPN+ 29 on May 13.
[autotag]Charles Byrd[/autotag] (10-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2018.
ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass prelims
Jussier Formiga
[autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC) competes in his 16th UFC flyweight bout, the second most appearances in divisional history behind Joseph Benavidez (17).
Formiga enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2019.
Formiga’s nine victories in UFC flyweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Benavidez (13) and Demetrious Johnson (13).
Formiga’s three submission victories in UFC flyweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Johnson (five).
Formiga defends 87.1 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC flyweight competition, the third best rate in divisional history behind Kai Kara-France (90.9 percent) and Ian McCall (90 percent).
[autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]’s (23-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is one of 17 fighters in UFC history to earn a submission victory by anaconda choke. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 123.
[autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned all of his career victories by stoppage. Eight of those wins are by knockout.
[autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past seven fights. He was victorious his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN+ 25 in February.
Clark has earned all five of his UFC victories by decision. He’s suffered all of his losses by stoppage.
Evan Dunham
[autotag]Evan Dunham[/autotag] (18-8-1 MMA, 11-8-1 UFC), 38, is the oldest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Dunham returns to competition after retiring from MMA following a loss at UFC Fight Night 137 in September 2018.
Dunham’s three-fight winless skid is tied for the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2016.
Dunham has landed 1,225 significant strikes in UFC lightweight competition, the most in divisional history. He also holds the record for most total strikes with 1,587.
Dunham is one of three lightweights in UFC history to land 100+ significant strikes in four separate fights. Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson also accomplished the feat.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Alex Perez is targeting another eye-catching display โย and another post-fight bonus check โย ahead of his UFC 250 fight with Jussier Formiga.
[autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] is more focused on his performance than the implications of his next fight.
Perez (23-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC) faces [autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag] this Saturday at UFC 250 as he looks for his third consecutive win.
Perez is coming off a “Performance of the Night” submission over Jordan Espinosa in January โ the first bonus of his UFC career โ and said he’d like to secure another post-fight bonus check for his fight with Formiga.
“I’m always looking for the finish, whether it’s on the feet (or) on the ground,” Perez told MMA Junkie. “So I’m going to be coming forward. I’m going to be attacking from every which way. I’m not scared to take this guy down, I’m not scared to stand with him. I’m looking for a finish, I’m looking to get another ‘Fight of the Night’ performance, make some extra money, and then move on to the next (and) hopefully fight in August.”
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Though Formiga (23-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC) is currently ranked in the top five and even holds a win over title challenger Deiveson Figueiredo, Perez isn’t concerned about where a win places him in the division. His plan is simply to stay active until he gets to the top.
“There’s also guys up there, as well,” Perez said. “You got Pantoja, you got Moreno, you got all those guys, Figueiredo, you got Benavidez โ I mean, we’re still without a champion. So, to me, I’m not really worried about what happens. Like I said, when I win this fight, then it’s on to the next one. Whether it’s No. 1 contender or whether I have to fight a few more times to get it, it doesn’t matter to me. Just better for me, I guess. I get to rack up more checks.”
UFC 250 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
The UFC’s upcoming pay-per-view event has a finalized card and location.
The UFC’s upcoming pay-per-view event has a finalized card and location.
Wednesday, the Nevada Athletic Commission approved two UFC events for the first time since COVID-19 โ UFC on ESPN 9 on Saturday and UFC 250 on June 6, both of which will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
UFC 250 will be headlined by bantamweight and featherweight champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 12-1 UFC), who will make her first 145-pound title defense when she takes on [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will look to snap his three-fight skid when he takes on [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (27-7 MMA, 11-3 UFC).
A pivotal 135-pound clash between contenders [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC)ย will also take place, as well as another showcase bantamweight bout between rising star [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC)ย and [autotag]Eddie Wineland[/autotag] (24-13-1 MMA, 6-7 UFC).
The complete UFC 250 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Champ Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer โย for featherweight title
Raphael Assuncao vs. Cody Garbrandt
Cory Sandhagen vs. Aljamain Sterling
[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Anthony Rocco Martin[/autotag]
Sean O’Malley vs. Eddie Wineland
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]
[autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]
[autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag]
[autotag]Charles Byrd[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Jussier Formiga[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]
[autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag]
