Tag: Justin Tafa

UFC on ESPN 53 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Main event combines for $22,000

UFC on ESPN 53 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 53 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $148,000.

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 53 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 53 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]AJ Dobson[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Payton Talbott[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Fernando Padilla[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Luis Pajuelo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jarno Errens[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Steven Nguyen[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Dariya Zheleznyakova[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Montserrat Rendon[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mick Parkin[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,500

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 $4,530; 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 $53,000 while title challengers get $53,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-53 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,669,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,406,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

UFC Fight Night 240: Karl Williams vs. Justin Tafa odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 240 odds between Karl Williams vs. Justin Tafa, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round heavyweight bout on the main card, Karl Williams and Justin Tafa meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 240 — also known as UFC on ESPN+ 98 and UFC Vegas 89 — at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 240: Williams vs. Tafa odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 7 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET, also on ESPN/ESPN+.

Records: Williams (9-1-0) | Tafa (7-3-0)

Williams heads into this bout with 3 unanimous-decision wins in 3 fights since joining the UFC. He has 6 consecutive pro victories dating back to B2 Fighting Series 142: Kentucky in a championship bout against Jason Butcher Dec. 4, 2021. He lost via triangle choke/submission in that lone setback in 10 career bouts. He posted a UD win over veteran Chase Sherman last time out in mid-May.

Tafa is coming off a KO/TKO win in 82 seconds against Austen Lane at UFC 293, and he had 3 straight wins via KO/TKO, all in Round 1. He has picked up 4 wins in 7 bouts at the UFC level with one no contest.

Williams holds a 5-inch reach advantage against Tafa, so he’ll be able to pull the fighter in and out at his discretion. The southpaw Tafa has a 5.13-to-2.93 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, so it would behoove Williams to keep Tafa at a distance. Each fighter is nearly identical in accuracy, with Williams at 59.67% significant strike accuracy percentage, and Tafa at 59.09%.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC Fight Night 240: Williams vs. Tafa odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:20 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Williams -185 (bet $185 to win $100) | Tafa +150 (bet $100 to win $150)
  • Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over -175 | Under +135)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +130 | No -175)

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UFC Fight Night 240: Williams vs. Tafa picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Williams (-185) is just a little too pricey straight up on the 2-way line, although it wouldn’t be unacceptable to toss him into a multi-fighter, or multi-leg, parlay of some sort.

You just can’t risk nearly 2 times your potential return on a single bet, especially against a veteran like Tafa (+150).

Get a little more specific instead. WILLIAMS BY DECISION/TECHNICAL DECISION (+150) is a much better play. He’ll be able to push and pull Tafa out due to his immense reach advantage, and Williams has won all 3 of his fights via decision at the UFC level. He has been in no hurry to get finishes.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (-175) is a little on the pricey side, but it isn’t bad if you like to play it safe.

YES (+130): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is a decent bet if you don’t want to necessarily declare a winner, but want a little action on this fight. Williams is methodical, and he hasn’t secured an early finish in 3 fights at the UFC level.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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Justin Tafa on another fight swap with brother Junior: ‘Just like old times back at the playground’

These Tafa Brothers are starting to make a habit of being interchangeable.

LAS VEGAS – These Tafa Brothers are starting to make a habit of being interchangeable.

In February, [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag] was set to take on Marcos Rogerio de Lima, but had to pull out in the middle of fight week with an injury. Fortunately, his brother Junior was on hand and stepped in to save the fight.

This time around, it’s Junior that had to withdraw from a fight against Karl Williams (9-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 53 (ESPN/ESPN+) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and Justin Tafa (7-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) is stepping in to repay the favor.

“It’s just like old times back at the playground,” Justin Tafa said at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 53 media day. “Sometimes I’m not ready to fight, so my brother goes and steps in and fights for me. … We were really confident that my brother could have put de Lima away. I’ve seen my brother knock out top-10 heavyweight boxers – and after going out on a bender. He can knock anyone out on any given night.

“We weren’t planning on him not taking this fight. When we went back to Australia, we saw the severity of his injury and I told him I’ll go and check myself and if they say I’m ready, I could be ready by fight night. I’ll take the fight and do a solid for him.”

Junior Tafa was put away by de Lima after a bevy of leg kicks, so Justin no doubt will be hoping for a better experience against Williams in Saturday’s co-main event.

Check out Tafa’s full media day interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 26-March 3)

Check out the UFC, PFL and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 26-March 3.

Injury knocks Justin Tafa out of UFC 298 fight with Marcos Rogerio de Lima on weigh-in day

The preliminary card for the UFC’s return to Southern California took a hit on weigh-in day.

IRVINE, Calif. – The preliminary card for the UFC’s return to Southern California took a hit on weigh-in day.

The only heavyweight fight on the card at UFC 298 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., is off after [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) suffered an injury at some point before his trip to the scale for a fight against [autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] (21-9-1 MMA, 10-7 UFC).

Details of the injury weren’t disclosed, but a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the fight’s removal to MMA Junkie. UFC officials made a formal announcement during the official weigh-ins for UFC 298.

The 30-year-old Tafa, from New Zealand, has won three straight fights by first-round knockout. But in late 2021, ahead of a head-kick KO win over Harry Hunsucker, he missed his mark on the scale and got saddled with the dubious distinction of being the first UFC heavyweight to miss weight.

Rogerio de Lima, 38, was looking to get back in the win column after a 33-second knockout loss to Derrick Lewis in July 2029 snapped a two-fight winning streak.

With the change, the UFC 298 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria – for featherweight title
  • Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal
  • Henry Cejudo vs. Merab Dvalishvili
  • Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Kopylov

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Lemos
  • Rinya Nakamura vs. Carlos Vera
  • Zhang Mingyang vs. Brendson Ribeiro
  • Danny Barlow vs. Josh Quinlan

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

  • Oban Elliott vs. Val Woodburn
  • Andrea Lee vs. Miranda Maverick

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Justin Tafa struck Austen Lane with follow-up shots to ensure he wasn’t ‘robbed’ of UFC 293 bonus

Justin Tafa gave up a walk-off knockout at UFC 293 just so he wouldn’t risk losing out on some money.

SYDNEY – [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag] gave up a walk-off knockout just so he wouldn’t risk losing out on a bonus.

After their first fight ended in a no contest just 29 seconds in at UFC on ESPN 5 in June, Tafa (7-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) knocked out Austen Lane in the first round this past Saturday at UFC 293.

Tafa dropped Lane (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with an overhand left but wasn’t about to pay homage to his idol, Mark Hunt, as he usually does by walking off. Instead, he decided to follow Lane to the mat and land big ground-and-pound to get a more emphatic finish.

“When I seen him falling, I was going to walk off then I saw Mick Maynard in the corner of my eye, and I was like, ‘Not this time, bro,'” Tafa told MMA Junkie and other reporters during a post-fight news conference. “I’m not going to get robbed of another 50K bonus. So, went in, had to put that ground-and-pound for the crowd to roar and definitely get that Performance of the Night.”

Tafa’s strategy worked as he was one of two fighters to earn the $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. It took him four octagon knockouts to earn his first bonus and is content to continue fighting at home even if it means he has to wait a little.

“I would like another one in later this year, but I’ve heard some talk that the UFC is coming back to Australia early next year,” Tafa said. “So, I wouldn’t mind just upscaling some more and just really rounding up my game and making my case for that top 15. Easy.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.

UFC 293 post-event facts: Sean Strickland starts a new era at 185 pounds

The best facts to come out of UFC 293, which saw Sean Strickland force a changing of the guard with his title win over Israel Adesanya.

The UFC’s return to Sydney after nearly six years produced one of the most shocking main event results of the year as the middleweight title changed hands at Qudos Bank Arena.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) closed out UFC 293 with a massive unanimous decision upset of [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) to take the belt and force a reset at the top of the middleweight rankings.

For more on the numbers from the title bout, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 293.

* * * *

UFC 293 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Sean Strickland gets $32,000 for title win

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 293 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $209,000.

SYDNEY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 293 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $209,000.

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 293 took place at Qudos Bank Arena in Australia. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 293 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Felipe dos Santos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tyson Pedro[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Carlos Ulberg[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Chepe Mariscal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jack Jenkins[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Landon Quinones[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Charlie Radtke[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Blood Diamond[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gabriel Miranda[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shane Young[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kiefer Crosbie[/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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,944,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $20,533,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.

UFC 293 results: Justin Tafa flattens Austen Lane after another eye poke scare

Justin Tafa got poked in the eye by Austen Lane again, but this time the fight went on to see a devastating first-round knockout at UFC 293.

It was deja vu for [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag] early at UFC 293, but this time he was able to continue and showcase his fight-finishing power.

On the main card of UFC 293 Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Tafa (7-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) stepped into the octagon to face NFL veteran Austen Lane (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) again, but unlike their first meeting, he would land a devastating punch, leading to a TKO at 1:22 of Round 1.

The pair first faced each other in June, but Tafa was poked in the eye just 29 seconds into the fight and was unable to continue. As a result, the fight was ruled a no contest.

This time, fight started off in a familiar manner from the first meeting, as Lane extended his hands and accidentally poked Tafa. Luckily, the poke wasn’t a bad, and the fight continued after a short pause.

But when the fight resumed, it wouldn’t last much longer.

Tafa pressed forward as Lane attempted to circle and find his own space to land a shot. Lane darted forward while offering a punch, but Tafa loaded up on a big left hand that caught Lane flush on the chin, sending him crashing to the canvas. After a few follow-up punches, referee Jim Perdios jumped in to stop the action, and it was time for Tafa to do his dance.

The result marked three straight knockout victories for Tafa, as he continues to prove a dangerous finisher in the heavyweight division.

On the other side, Lane, a former Jacksonville Jaguar, walks away with a loss in what was officially his UFC debut.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC 293 include:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.

UFC 293: Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 293 odds between Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round heavyweight bout on the main card, Justin Tafa and Austen Lane meet at UFC 293 on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC 293: Tafa vs. Lane odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

Records: Tafa (6-3-0) | Lane (12-3-0)

The early prelims can be viewed on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the prelims can be viewed on ESPNews/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-Per-View

Lane and Tafa run it back after their previous meeting lasted just 29 seconds before resulting in a No Contest when the 2 fighters met at UFC Fight Night on June 24 in Jacksonville, Fla. Lane’s fingers appeared to go into both eyes of Tafa in one of the worst eye pokes you’ll ever see.

Tafa had a pair of 1st-round KO/TKO victories against Parker Porter and Harry Hunsucker in his 2 fights prior to the NC. He has been rather up and down since arriving at the UFC level, going 3-3 with the No Contest. Tafa has finished inside the distance in 4 of his 6 last fights and 7 of 9 career professional bouts.

The 29-second No Contest was Lane’s debut at the UFC level. Prior to that, he knocked out Richard Jacobi in Dana White’s Contender Series: Season 6, Week 9. He also has a heavyweight strap to his name after topping Juan Adams at Fury FC 54 back in Nov. 2021.

Lane holds a 6-inch reach advantage but the southpaw Tafa enters the bout with 5.02 significant strikes landed per minute and lanads 58.38% of those strikes. Neither is particularly strong on takedowns or the wrestling game, so expect this fight to be entirely upright.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 293: Tafa vs. Lane odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 6:35 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Tafa -200 (bet $200 to win $100) | Lane +165 (bet $100 to win $165)
  • Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over +180 | Under -240)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +500 | No -1000)

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UFC 293: Tafa vs. Lane picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Tafa (-200) heads into this fight with a chip on his shoulder after the last meeting ended with a double-eye poke. He felt as if the right call wasn’t made in his fight against Lane, and that he deserved a win bonus and a disqualification for Lane (+165).

While Tafa comes in with a ton of energy, laying 2 times your potential return is just too risky.

PASS.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (+180) is a tremendous value. While neither of these fighters is keen to go the distance, and we likely are going to see a knockout, expect this bout to go past the middle of Round 2.

It’s worth the risk for a chance to nearly double up despite that Tafa’s past 2 finished fights have ended in Round 1.

Lane’s past 3 pro bouts (including the NC) have ended in Round 1 as well, and he hasn’t made it out of the 1st round in 7 of his past 8 professional bouts. So there are risks here, but these 2 should have quite a slugfest.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.

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