Tag: Kennedy Nzechukwu

UFC light heavyweights Dustin Jacoby, Kennedy Nzechukwu to collide Aug. 5

Exciting light heavyweights Dustin Jacoby and Kennedy Nzechukwu are the first additions to a UFC Fight Night event Aug. 5.

A light heavyweight banger is the first addition to a UFC Fight Night event Aug. 5.

Finishers [autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag] and [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag] will collide at a location and venue to-be-announced.

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

Jacoby (18-7-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) looks to snap a two-fight losing skid with his third appearance since October. Both opponents Jacoby was defeated by are above him in the official UFC rankings however, as he lost decisions to Khalil Rountree and Azamat Murzakanov. Prior to the skid, Jacoby had not lost in nine straight fights.

Nzechukwu (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) aims to extend his winning streak to four, coming into the bout off consecutive wins over Karl Roberson, Ion Cutelaba, and most recently Devin Clark. All three of those wins were finishes.

No other fights have been announced for the Aug. 5 event at this time.

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Kennedy Nzechukwu already ‘back to the drawing board’ after UFC 288 win, wants quick turnaround

Just 48 hours after his UFC 288 win, light heavyweight Kennedy Nzechukwu already was back in the gym at Fortis MMA in Dallas.

DALLAS – Just 48 hours after his UFC 288 win, [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag] already was back in the gym.

Nzechukwu (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) rallied to submit Devin Clark by standing guillotine choke in the second round on this past Saturday’s UFC 288 prelims at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Two days later, Nzechukwu was back training at Fortis MMA in Dallas.

“I’m happy for the victory, but I have to get back to the drawing board and start working,” Nzechukwu told MMA Junkie. “It’s critical that you get back in as fast as you can – especially when you don’t sustain so much injuries: Get back in here, absorb more knowledge, train and get to the next level.

“There’s so much to cover, and I need to cover so much because you never know when you get the next fight. So the more you learn, the more you grow, and the more you get to showcase your skill set and anything you learned new.”

The 30-year-old rising light heavyweight contender wants to keep riding the momentum after he notched his third straight finish at UFC 288, and hopes to book another fight soon.

“I want to return as soon as possible,” Nzechukwu said. “I know God is going to be able to pave my way before me, and I know he’s going to give me that green light. My coach will know when. He talks to the (UFC) matchmakers every single day, so eventually we’ll get something. I’m ready. I just sustained a couple of superficial injuries.

“I need to get it checked out and see how severe it is, but I’m ready to get back in. I’m ready to get back in as soon as possible. So that’s why I’m in here today rolling, training, sweating, so I can continue to keep my mind fresh and keep that meter running. I need to rack up those points, rack up that experience to continue to go.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.

Video: Which UFC 288 performance stood out the most, headliners aside?

There were high stakes atop the UFC 288 main card, but the prelims were filled with some powerful finishes.

The two fights atop the UFC 288 pay-per-view billing garnered the most attention entering and exiting the evening, but the undercard was filled with finishes and strong performances flying under-the-radar.

In the main event, bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling retained his title with a split decision win over Henry Cejudo. The co-main event saw Belal Muhammad dominated Gilbert Burns in a five-round title eliminator.

Those fights aside, which UFC 288 performance stood out the most? Was it one of the fighters mentioned above? Or was it someone else?

On the main card, Yan Xiaonan quickly dispatched of Jessica Andrade, to potentially earn her crack at women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili.

There was Matt Frevola, who proved the oddsmakers wrong when he finished Drew Dober with strikes in the featured prelim. There was Kennedy Nzechukwu, who survived an early Devin Clark onslaught to put his opponent to sleep with a standing guillotine choke. Then, there was Ikram Aliskerov, who slept Phil Hawes with a nasty one-hitter quitter.

With a handful of potential options, our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Farah Hannoun weighed in with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

Kennedy Nzechukwu ready to destroy UFC’s light heavyweight division

Kennedy Nzechukwu gave future opponents something else to think about when he submitted Devin Clark at UFC 288 in Newark, N.J.

NEWARK, N.J. – [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag] beat Devin Clark with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 288 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Take a look inside the fight with Nzechukwu, who picked up the first submission win of his career.

UFC 288 post-event facts: Aljamain Sterling takes sole possession of 135-pound wins record

Check out the statistics coming out of UFC 288, where Aljamain Sterling added to a resume that points to him being the bantamweight GOAT.

The UFC made its return to New Jersey after nearly four years Saturday with UFC 288, which took place at Prudential Center in Newark and featured a 12-fight lineup with six stoppage results.

One of the fights that went the distance happened in the main event when [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) retained the bantamweight title with a split decision win over former two-division champ [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC), who was returning from a three-year retirement.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 288.

UFC 288 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Aljamain Sterling nets biggest bag

Aljamain Sterling received the highest Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay for entering UFC 288 as champion.

NEWARK, N.J. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 288 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $267,500.

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 288 took place at Prudential Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 288 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kron Gracie[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Khaos Williams[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rolando Bedoya[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Braxton Smith[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ikram Aliskerov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Claudio Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Joseph Holmes[/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 $4,500; 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: $2,823,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $17,412,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.

UFC 288 video: Kennedy Nzechukwu savagely puts Devin Clark to sleep with standing guillotine choke

Devin Clark was both standing and unconscious as Kennedy Nzechukwu applied a tight squeeze around his neck at UFC 288.

[autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag] mounted a comeback Saturday at UFC 288 in order to defeat [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] in thrilling fashion.

In a light heavyweight prelim at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Nzechukwu (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) turned the tables on Clark (14-8 MMA, 8-8 UFC) to win by technical submission due to standing guillotine choke in the second round.

As he’s done often throughout his career, Nzechukwu overcame adversity to storm back and win. In the first round, Nzechukwu covered up after a stunning Clark punch. With his back up against the fence, Nzechukwu utilized the clinch to escape the onslaught and nearly finish Clark with repeated elbows.

Clark survived until the end of the round, but Nzechukwu’s clinch would once again prove successful in Round 2. When Clark shot for a takedown, Nzechukwu grabbed hold of his neck and squeezed. Clark attempted to hand-fight and escape, but no dice. Nzechukwu’s squeeze rendered him unconscious as he face-planted to the canvas.

Nzechukwu, 30, keeps rolling as he extends his winning streak to three. Clark, 33, falls to 2-2 in his most recent four.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 288 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.

Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Devin Clark at UFC 288: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Kennedy Nzechukwu’s second-round submission win over Devin Clark at UFC 288 in Newark, N.J.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]’s second-round submission win over [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] at UFC 288 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (Photos by Ed Mulholland, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC 288 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC 288 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

NEWARK, N.J. – UFC 288 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner and guest fighter interviews from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

You can hear from all the UFC 288 winners and more by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

UFC 288 pre-event facts: Henry Cejudo returns in pursuit of more history

Check out the numbers behind UFC 288, where Henry Cejudo will attempt to add to his legacy in his bantamweight title headliner.

The UFC returns to New Jersey for the first time in nearly four years Saturday with UFC 288, which takes place at Prudential Center in Newark with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The bantamweight championship will be on the line in the main event. Reigning titleholder [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) will attempt to record his third consecutive defense when he welcomes former two-division champion [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) back after a three-year retirement.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC 288.