UFC Fight Night 221 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $16 million

UFC Fight Night 221 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 Fight Night 221 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $194,000.

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 221 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 221 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Lukasz Brzeski[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]JJ Aldrich [/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jared Gooden[/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 2217 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2211 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: $1,634,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,153,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC Fight Night 221 with Tupac, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Elvis

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 221 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.

See what the fighters from UFC Fight Night 221 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

Karl Williams def. Lukasz Brzeski at UFC Fight Night 221: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Karl Williams’ unanimous decision win over Lukasz Brzeski at UFC Fight Night 221.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]’ unanimous decision win over [autotag]Lukasz Brzeski[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 221 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. (Photos by Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports)

Fresh Ink: Meet the 23 fighters the UFC signed in September 2022

The UFC added 32 fighters to its roster last month. Find out who joined and learn more about them here.

The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.

Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, Dana White’s Contender Series signees, or the increasingly rare straight-up additions. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.

“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.

 

Karl Williams ready to go full force into UFC deal after DWCS 53 win when odds were against him

Karl Williams turned 32 in January. He couldn’t have known then his age might cause him some stress trying to break into the UFC.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag] turned 32 in January. He couldn’t have known at the time that his age might cause him some stress while trying to break into the UFC.

Just a week ago, UFC president Dana White said he typically isn’t looking to bring 32-year-old fighters into the promotion through Dana White’s Contender Series. But he also said he trusts matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard when they set up fights, and 32-year-old Blake Bilder impressed him enough at DWCS 52 to get a deal.

Tuesday, Williams (7-1) took a unanimous decision from Jimmy Lawson (4-2) at DWCS 53. The fact he didn’t get a finish, combined with the knowledge of what White just had said about fighters his exact age had him a little nervous he wouldn’t get a UFC contract.

“It’s still a win, but I’m not satisfied because I know what Dana White is looking for,” Williams said at a post-event news conference. “I’ve been watching the Contender Series for a while. … Knowing the performance, and even last week he was saying about (fighters) being 32, I’m like, ‘Oh, here we go. Geez, give me a break.’ He did give me a break and gave me the opportunity.”

Williams got a deal with his fourth straight win, and now he’s hoping for a quick turnaround to potentially fight on the UFC’s Oct. 29 card with some of his American Top Team Atlanta teammates, including Cody Durden.

He also was fighting up at heavyweight against an opponent 30 pounds heavier than him. He’s naturally a light heavyweight, and that’s where he plans to return in the UFC.

“You’re just living in the moment right now, and I’m thinking about ‘When is the next one?’ It’s like, excited and then trying to figure out where we go from here,” Williams said. “I’m trying to be active. I’m trying to get two more by the end of the year, if possible.

“I believe in my coaches, believe in my team, so I never really think I’m going to lose. It was bad odds, but with what I’ve been doing, I’ve been training all year. Even having to take five weeks off, I still felt confident – I’m not going to give my best performance (at DWCS 53), but I’m able to win. I thought I was going to be a little bit better … I didn’t know if I was going to get another shot. … Let’s just win the first time and get it out of the way and get the ball rolling.”

“I’m hoping for Oct. 29, the Vegas card, because I have two of my teammates on that card.”

Check out the full interview with Williams in the video above.

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Dana White’s Contender Series 53: Best photos from Las Vegas

Check out these photos from the fights at Dana White’s Contender Series 53 in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos from the fights at Dana White’s Contender Series 53 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Photos courtesy of Joshua Hedges, UFC)