Tag: Kamuela Kirk

UFC parts ways with 11 fighters, including former title challenger

The UFC has parted ways with 11 fighters including a former title challenger after a two-month stretch that saw 55 signings.

The UFC roster has been officially trimmed by 11 fighters.

With a whopping 55 fighters signed in the months of September and October combined, the UFC has parted ways with nearly a dozen fighters in recent days including a former women’s flyweight title challenger.

Algorithm-based Twitter account UFC Roster Tracker first published the transactions when the promotion removed the fighters from official rankings eligibility.

Check out the recent batch of UFC departures below. The means of each fighter’s departure (release, end of contract, etc.) is not known, unless denoted otherwise.

UFC 290 post-event facts: Alexandre Pantoja benefits from rare split decision title change

The best facts from UFC 290, which featured a record amount of sub-minute finishes and saw Alexandre Pantoja win gold in rare fashion.

The UFC’s 11th annual International Fight Week closed on a memorable high Saturday with UFC 290, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

After a explosive and entertaining lead up to the night’s title fights, one belt stayed put while another changed hands.

In the main event, [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) dismantled [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) en route to a third-round TKO for his fifth featherweight title defense. The co-headliner saw [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) capture the flyweight strap with a split decision win over [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (21-7-2 MMA, 9-3-2 UFC) in a Fight of the Year contender.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 290.

UFC 290 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Robbie Lawler nets $21,000 in retirement bout

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 290 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $319,500, the highest number of 2023.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 290 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $319,500.

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 290 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 290 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Val Woodburn[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Denise Gomes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Marcin Prachnio[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Terrence Mitchell[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jesus Aguilar[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shannon Ross[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kamuela Kirk[/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: $4,428,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $19,017,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk at UFC 290: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Esteban Ribovics’ unanimous decision win over Kamuela Kirk at UFC 290 in Las Vegas.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag]’ unanimous decision win over [autotag]Kamuela Kirk[/autotag] at UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC 290 targets Kamuela Kirk vs. Esteban Ribovics addition

Another fight has been added to International Fight Week at UFC 290 as Kamuela Kirk and Esteban Ribovics are expected to square off.

International Fight Week continues to take shape.

A lightweight bout is a targeted addition to UFC 290, which takes place July 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, as [autotag]Kamuela Kirk[/autotag] and [autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag] are expected to compete. Verbal agreements are in place with paperwork expected to be issued in the coming days.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Kirk (11-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Ribovics (11-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) were originally expected to fight at UFC 285 in March. However, Kirk withdrew and was replaced by Loik Radzhabov, a former PFL championship runner-up. Radzhabov defeated Ribovics by unanimous decision.

The bout will mark Kirk’s UFC lightweight debut. He split his appearances at featherweight with an unanimous decision win over Makwan Amirkhani followed by a submission loss to Damon Jackson.

A native to Argentina, Ribovics earned a UFC deal with a quick finish of Thomas Paull on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in August 2022.

With the addition, the UFC 290 lineup includes:

  • Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez – for featherweight title
  • Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja – for flyweight title
  • Dricus Du Plessis vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Tresean Gore vs. Bo Nickal
  • Niko Price vs. Robbie Lawler
  • Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner
  • Sean Brady vs. Jack Della Maddalena
  • Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman
  • Denise Gomes vs. Yazmin Jauregui
  • Jesus Aguilar vs. Shannon Ross
  • Kamuela Kirk vs. Esteban Ribovics

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 20-26)

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 Feb. 20-26.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 2-8)

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 Jan. 2-8.

UFC Fight Night 203 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $7.5 million

The UFC paid out just shy of $200,000 to the athletes at UFC Fight Night 203 under its Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay program.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 203 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $198,000.

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 Fight Night 203 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 203 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]A.J. Fletcher[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]JJ Aldrich[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevin Jones[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kamuela Kirk[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Sabina Mazo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dalcha Lungiambula[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kris Moutinho[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Azamat Murzakanov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/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 2037 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2031 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 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,528,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $7,695,500

Kamuela Kirk steps in to fight Makwan Amirkhani at UFC Fight Night 189

With Nate Landwehr off UFC Fight Night 189, a promotional newcomer steps in to fight “Mr. Finland.”

[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] has a new opponent for UFC Fight Night 189.

With Nate Landwehr out due to injury, “Mr. Finland” Amirkhani (16-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will now face off against promotional newcomer and Dana White’s Contender Series alum [autotag]Kamuela Kirk[/autotag].

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking, but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

UFC Fight Night 189 takes place June 5 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

Amirkhani, 32, is looking to get back on track after a unanimous decision loss to Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night 179 this past October. After a 3-0 start to his promotional tenure, Amirkhani has gone 3-3 with wins over Danny Henry, Chris Fishgold and Jason Knight.

Kirk (11-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) signed a UFC deal on the heels of back-to-back wins in the LFA. In his most recent fight, Kirk won his first LFA headliner when he defeated Daniel Swain by retirement TKO. Kirk competed on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 3 in 2019, but lost to Billy Quarantillo.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 189 lineup now includes:

  • Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Augusto Sakai
  • Muslim Salikhov vs. Francisco Trinaldo
  • Walt Harris vs. Marcin Tybura
  • Tanner Boser vs. Ilir Latifi
  • Manon Fiorot vs. Maryna Moroz
  • Sean Woodson vs. Youssef Zalal
  • Montana De La Rosa vs. Ariane Lipski
  • Gregory Rodrigues vs. Dusko Todorovic
  • Roman Dolidze vs. Laureano Staropoli
  • Miguel Baeza vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
  • Antonio Arroyo vs. Tom Breese
  • Mason Jones vs. Alan Patrick
  • Jordan Leavitt vs. Claudio Puelles
  • Makwan Amirkhani vs. Kamuela Kirk

LFA 107 results: Kamuela Kirk shines, retires Daniel Swain on the stool – literally?

An action-packed LFA 107 main event ended with one fighter uttering the words, “I’m retired” on the stool.

Eleven finishes in as many pro victories, [autotag]Kamuela Kirk[/autotag] kept his streak alive in the LFA 107 main event.

In his first LFA headliner, Kirk (11-4) defeated fellow Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus [autotag]Daniel Swain[/autotag] via TKO due to retirement in between Round 2 and 3.

Swain (20-11-1), who had lost in between rounds on DWCS in 2020, uttered the words “I’m retired” to his corner, which indicated to the LFA commentary team that Swain’s fight Friday would be his last. Swain took off his gloves for the decision but was not interviewed post-fight and thus did not provide clarity on the situation.

The stoppage came after an action-packed opening 10 minutes. Kirk landed multiple flurries of significant strikes in Round 1 that appeared to have Swain in trouble. Just when it looked like he was in a bad spot, Swain shot up with an armbar – foreshadowing of the theme of Round 2. Much of the second round was spent with Kirk on top of Swain, who shot up and looked for submissions.

Kirk, 27, has now won back-to-back fights since losses to Bruno Silva and Billy Quarantillo temporarily halted his momentum toward a major promotional deal. After the victory, Kirk called for a meeting with his “business partner” Dana White, and expressed interest in fighting at UFC 263 in his home state of Arizona.

[lawrence-related id=610499,610571]

The undercard was highlighted by [autotag]Ricardo Dias[/autotag], who landed a nasty flying knee on [autotag]George Garcia[/autotag] in the co-main event. Also, former collegiate football player [autotag]Jordan Heiderman[/autotag] kept his undefeated record intact against former [autotag]Jake Hager[/autotag] opponent [autotag]Anthony Garrett[/autotag].

In the women’s divisions, [autotag]Taylor Mauldin[/autotag] became the first female to end a fight via kneebar in LFA history after [autotag]Kay Hansen[/autotag] confidant [autotag]Alandria Brown[/autotag] won her highly-anticipated professional debut by rear-naked choke.

LFA 107 took place Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card streamed on UFC Fight Pass after prelims on Facebook.

The full LFA 107 results include:

  • Kamuela Kirk def. Daniel Swain via TKO (retirement) – Round 2, 5:00
  • Ricardo Dias def. George Garcia via TKO (flying knee) – Round 2, 0:25
  • Allan Bergoso def. Samarbek Sabyrzhan via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:23
  • Jordan Heiderman def. Anthony Garrett via submission (arm-triangle) – Round 1, 3:40
  • James Wilson def. Daniel Jefferson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Taylor Mauldin def. Ambar De La Herran via submission (kneebar) – Round 1, 1:30
  • Ray Waters def. L.J. Portee via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:02
  • Corey Davis def. Thomas Powell via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:50
  • Alandria Brown def. Shania Arredondo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:54

[vertical-gallery id=390041]