It was big night for the record books at UFC 261. See how champs Kamaru Usman, Rose Namajunas and Valentina Shevchenko made history.
UFC 261 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday was one for the record books.
All three winners of the championship bouts made a mark on the record books, but none bigger than [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 14-0 UFC), who extended his epic run inside the octagon with a second-round knockout of rival [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] (35-15 MMA, 12-8 UFC) in the main event.
For more on the numbers behind Usman’s victory, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC 261.
A nasty heel hook became the second submission win of Brendan Allen’s UFC tenure.
[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag] is back in the win column.
At UFC 261, Allen (16-4, 4-1) submitted [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] with a torquing heel hook at 4:55 of Round 1. The fight took place on the preliminary card.
After a few exchanges on the feet to begin the fight, Allen tied up Roberson (9-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) against the cage. From there, the Roufusport product worked Roberson to the canvas. In Roberson’s guard, Allen worked for a submission. As Allen postured up, Roberson tried a heel hook off his back.
In a 50-50 leg-fighting position, Allen turned the tables, grabbed hold of Roberson’s leg, and after a brief power struggle, yanked for a submission – which he got.
Check out Allen’s submission in the video clip below:
With the win, Allen reenters the win column after a knockout loss to Sean Strickland in November. Allen has only lost one fight since January 2018.
As for Roberson, the former GLORY kickboxer has now lost back-to-back fights and three of his most recent five. His three defeats in the stretch, however, have come against Allen, Marvin Vettori, and Glover Teixeira.
UFC 261 took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card streamed on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN+.
The two middleweight fighters will look to bounce back from 2020 losses.
A middleweight fight has been added to the UFC’s April pay-per-view.
[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] will square off at UFC 261, which takes place April 24 at a location and venue to be announced.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Allen (15-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) entered his most recent fight, on November 14, on a seven-fight winning streak. However, Sean Strickland put Allen’s string of success to a screeching halt when he finished Allen with punches in Round 2.
Roberson (9-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) had a two-fight winning streak snapped when he was submitted by Marvin Vettori at UFC on ESPN 10 in June. For that fight, Roberson missed weight by 4.5 pounds – the second miss in as many weigh-ins. He was then scheduled to fight Dalcha Lungiambula at UFC 256 in December but later withdrew due to a positive COVID-19 test.
With the addition, the UFC 261 lineup now includes:
Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili – for UFC women’s strawweight title
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade – for UFC women’s flyweight title
COVID-19 is yet again the reason for another UFC fight cancellation – a second time for the same booking.
COVID-19 is yet again the reason for another UFC fight cancellation – a second time for the same booking.
The middleweight fight between [autotag]Dalcha Lungiambula[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) is off Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 183 card. The UFC updated a Thursday release to announce the fight has been scrapped. In addition, Roberson posted on his Instagram stories that COVID-19 was the culprit.
The fight originally was booked for UFC 256 six days ago, but was moved to Saturday after Roberson tested positive for COVID-19. It appears he is not yet clear from his infection. It is not yet known if the promotion will keep the fight intact and move it to 2021, or move on from it altogether.
UFC Fight Night 183 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
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With the latest cancellation, just hours before Friday’s official weigh-ins, UFC Fight Night 183 now includes:
MMA Junkie today acquired a list of fighter salaries from the Nevada Athletic Commission for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 10 event, which took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, airing on ESPN and streaming on ESPN+. Calvillo (9-1-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) was one of the night’s top earners, taking home a disclosed $110,000, including a $55,000 win bonus, for her victory over former UFC flyweight title challenger Jessica Eye (15-8 MMA, 5-7 UFC).
Equaling Calvillo’s pay was her former teammate and current UFC featherweight contender [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC), who also took home $110,000 for his win over [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC).
Total disclosed pay for the 10-fight card was $782,000.
The full list of UFC on ESPN 10 salaries includes:
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 on ESPN 10 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special discretionary bonuses the UFC sometimes pays. They also do not include pay-per-view cuts that some top-level fighters receive.
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 10, which saw Cynthia Calvillo beat Jessica Eye in Las Vegas.
The octagon returned again on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 10, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The action aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
In the main event, [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (9-1-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) made a quick mark in her UFC women’s flyweight debut when she outworked former title challenger [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 5-7 UFC) by unanimous decision.
Calvillo’s win closed out a 10-fight card that featured a few historic occurrences. For more on the numbers, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 10.
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General
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UFC on ESPN 10 tied the modern-era record for most sub-60-second finishes on a card with three. Four other events share that record.
[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag], [autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag], [autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag], and [autotag]Christian Aguilera[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 10 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN 10 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 8-2 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 8-6 in UFC headliners this year.
The total fight time for the 10-bout card was 1:33:52.
Main card
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 13: (R-L) Cynthia Calvillo kicks Jessica Eye in their flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 13, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Calvillo was successful in her UFC women’s flyweight debut.
Calvillo has completed at least one takedown against seven of her eight UFC opponents.
Eye fell to 4-2 since she dropped to the UFC women’s flyweight division in January 2018.
Eye’s seven losses in UFC competition are the most of any female in company history.
Eye has suffered six of her seven UFC losses by decision.
Vettori (15-4-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) has earned both of his UFC stoppage victories by submission.
[autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by submission.
[autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past nine fights.
[autotag]Kevin Aguilar[/autotag]’s (17-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since March 2019.
[autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]’s (21-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC) nine victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for sixth most in divisional history behind Max Holloway (16), Darren Elkins (13), Cub Swanson (11), Jose Aldo (10) and Ricardo Lamas (10).
Fili has earned six of his nine UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Jordan Espinosa[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Mark De La Rosa[/autotag]’s (11-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since November 2018.
[autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag]’ (10-6 MMA, 2-4 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since August.
Cifers suffered her second first-round submission loss in a 14-day stretch.
Cifers has suffered all four of her UFC losses by stoppage.
Preliminary card
Merab Dvalishivili
[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has earned eight of his 11 career victories by decision. That includes all four of his UFC wins.
Dvalishvili’s 13 takedowns landed set a new single-fight record for most in a UFC/WEC bantamweight fight. He held the previous record with 12 landed in a fight.
Dvalishvili became the second fighter in history to land 10 or more takedowns in three separate UFC bouts. Demetrious Johnson was the first fighter to accomplish the feat.
[autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag]’s (8-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) 22-second victory marked the fourth fastest finish in UFC women’s bantamweight history. Only Ronda Rousey (14 seconds, 16 seconds) and Germaine de Randamie (16 seconds) have faster wins.
[autotag]Gina Mazany[/autotag] (6-4 MMA, 1-4 UFC) suffered three of her four career losses by stoppage.
Mazany’s 22-second loss marked the fastest defeat of her career.
[autotag]Zarrukh Adashev[/autotag] (3-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
Aguilera (14-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all 11 of his career stoppage victories by knockout. He’s finished 10 of those wins in the first round.
[autotag]Anthony Ivy[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered all three of his career losses by stoppage.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 10 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $95,000.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 10 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $95,000.
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 10 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 10 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 on ESPN 10 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 on ESPN 10 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.
Check out the top Twitter reactions to Marvin Vettori’s submission win at UFC on ESPN 10.
[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] had one of his best performances Saturday night.
The Italian fighter scored a submission win over [autotag] Karl Roberson[/autotag] in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 10 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The submission finish came at the 4:17 mark of round one.
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The middleweight bout had been booked twice prior, and the cancelation and withdrawal from Roberson (9-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) caused personal tension with Vettori (15-3-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC), making it a heated and anticipated bout.
Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Vettori’s submission win:
The bad blood between Marvin Vettori and Karl Roberson finally had a chance to boil over Saturday, and when it did Vettori let it all out.
The bad blood between [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] and [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] finally had a chance to boil over Saturday night, and when it did Vettori let it all out.
Vettori (15-3-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) submitted Roberson (9-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) with a first-round rear-naked choke, then let out a handful of screams of jubilation after winning a fight that was rescheduled from May in Florida, when Roberson was pulled after struggles with his weight cut. This time around, Roberson missed weight entirely, but still made it to the fight – only to tap at the 4:17 mark of the opening round.
The middleweight bout was the UFC on ESPN 10 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
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To no one’s surprise, the two didn’t touch gloves, but it took 30 seconds before Vettori threw the first real punch of the fight. He tried to get inside not long after, but then found himself needing to block a high kick from Roberson after a brief tie-up. Roberson tried a question mark kick and just missed, but then tied Vettori up and took him down. Vettori popped back up and pushed Roberson to the canvas a few seconds later and looked for an opening from half-guard.
When Vettori wrapped Roberson up with a guillotine choke, Roberson got back to his feet and pushed off the cage with both feet to eventually somersault his way out of danger. But Vettori got the position back and started raining down ground and pound while Roberson covered up. With 50 seconds left, Vettori took Roberson’s back and wrapped up a rear-naked choke. It was tight, and Roberson had to tap.
