Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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. 27-March 5.
Light heavyweights Devin Clark and Kennedy Nzechukwu will battle each other on May 6 at UFC 288.
[autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] and [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag] will collide at UFC 288.
The light heavyweight matchup is scheduled for the May 6 pay-per-view event, a card yet to have a publicly announced location or venue.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Clark, 32, won two of his most recent three bouts, including a Feb. 4 unanimous decision over Da Un Jung at UFC Fight Night 218.
Nzechukwu, 30, rides the momentum of a two-fight winning streak, including a TKO victory over Ion Cutelaba in his first promotional main event at UFC Fight Night 215.
With the addition, the UFC 288 lineup includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
See who Kennedy Nzechukwu should fight next after his victory over Ion Cutelaba in the UFC Fight Night 215 headliner.
[autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag] got an unexpected main event win Saturday when he defeated Ion Cutelaba at UFC Fight Night 215.
It’s not that Nzechukwu (11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) getting his hand raised was a shock. It’s that it happened in the headliner, as he wasn’t originally supposed to be there until Derick Lewis was forced to withdraw vs. Serghei Spivac.
Nzechukwu made the most of it, scoring a second-round TKO of Cutelaba 16-8-1 MMA, 5-7-1 UFC) in the light heavyweight contest at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
With wins in five of his past seven octagon appearances, what should be next for Nzechukwu? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future after UFC Fight Night 215.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 215.
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Kennedy Nzechukwu recalls what went through his mind when the UFC told him he was being elevated to headliner status.
LAS VEGAS – Without expecting it, [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag] found himself headlining a UFC event.
The light heavyweight ended up serving as the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 215 after Derrick Lewis, who was scheduled to fight Serghei Spivac, withdrew from the card hours earlier due to medical issues. That meant that Nzechukwu (11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) was now going to fight Ion Cutelaba (16-9-1 MMA, 5-8-1 UFC) at the top of the card.
It was a change that Nzechukwu was more than happy to accommodate.
“We had five fights in front of me, and they came in there and told me Derrick Lewis couldn’t pull through. I think he was sick or something like that, and they said they were bumping us to the main event,” Nzechukwu told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 215 post-fight news conference. “I was like, ‘Fine, it doesn’t really matter because, at the end of the day, it’s more exposure for me,’ so it just gives me more motivation to display my skills in the cage.
“So I was ready, super stoked, calm, which I haven’t been this calm. I grew up in the UFC, so I tried to build that mental state. I was fascinated. I was intrigued. I was ready. I just wanted to show my skills. Main event or not main event. I’m ready.”
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Nzechukwu put on a dominant showing, stopping Cutelaba in the second round. The victory earned Nzechukwu a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
The 30-year-old now has two consecutive wins, leaving behind a two-fight losing streak. Nzechukwu attributes the change in tides to his growing comfort level in the octagon.
“Cage awareness, I would say,” Nzechukwu said. “The cage comfort. I just find myself being comfortable in there. That’s what separates the champs from the guys who aren’t because they know how to feel calm, how to make it home. Those lights don’t bother them.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 215.
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UFC Fight Night 215 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 215 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $80,000.
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 215 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 215 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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[autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Waldo Cortes-Acosta[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andre Fialho[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Ricky Turcios[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Natividad[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Vanessa Demopoulos[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Maria Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Fernie Garcia[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tereza Bleda[/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 and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts. 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: $7,634,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $13,812,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 215.
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Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 215, which featured a number of notable feats.
The UFC closed its November schedule on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 215, a decision-heavy event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
One fighter who didn’t need the judges, however, was [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC), who made the most of his makeshift main event opportunity with a second-round TKO of [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag] (16-9-1 MMA, 5-8-1 UFC) in their light heavyweight clash.
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 Fight Night 215.
Check out who took home an extra $50,000 at UFC Fight Night 215.
The UFC handed out Performance of the Night bonuses after Saturday’s card, including the winners of the first and final bouts of the event.
After UFC Fight Night 215, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.
Kennedy Nzechukwu won the first UFC main event of his career with an impressive finish of Ion Cutelaba at the UFC Apex.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag] has won the first main event of his UFC career by finishing Ion Cutelaba.
The light heavyweight bout served as the impromptu main event of UFC Fight Night 215 at the UFC Apex, after the originally scheduled headliner Derrick Lewis was forced to withdraw due to illness. Although the bout was elevated to main event status, it remained a three-round contest, but Nzechukwu (11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) only needed two to stop Cutelaba (16-9-1 MMA, 5-8-1 UFC).
The fight started off fast, with the light heavyweights immediately trading hard strikes. With both fighters landing flush, Cutelaba switched it up and looked for a takedown, and eventually landed in mount.
Nzechukwu worked his way back up to his feet, but was dumped back to the mat before getting back up again, where he then had to deal with a kimura threat and foot stomps until the round ended.
At the beginning of the second round, Nzechukwu came out on fire with hard strikes, putting Cutelaba in a bad spot. A beautifully-timed knee from Nzechukwu found the mark as Cutelaba changed levels for a takedown, sparking the finishing flurry of punches.
Absolutely savage stoppage for Kennedy Nzechukwu 💥 #UFCVegas65 pic.twitter.com/swVD7aBHO5
— UFC (@ufc) November 19, 2022
That's how you make the most of your first UFC main event 😤 #UFCVegas65 pic.twitter.com/Y8jIH14QXf
— UFC (@ufc) November 19, 2022
Picking up his fifth win under the UFC banner, Nzechukwu, 30, makes it back-to-back finishes. In July, he finished Karl Roberson in the third round via TKO. Only one of his UFC wins have reached the judges’ scorecards.
Cutelaba, 28, sees his current skid continue, dropping three straight. His last victory came by unanimous decision over Devin Clark last September.
Full results of UFC Fight Night 215 include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 215.
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See the top Twitter reactions to Kennedy Nzechukwu’s comeback TKO of Ion Cutelaba in the UFC Fight Night 215 main event.
[autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag] wasn’t supposed to headline UFC Fight Night 215, but when Derrick Lewis pulled out of the event on fight day, he made the most of his makeshift opportunity against [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag].
After a rough start to the light heavyweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nzechukwu (11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) stormed back in the second round to hurt and earned the TKO of Cutelaba (16-9-1 MMA, 5-8-1 UFC).
Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Nzechukwu’s victory over Cutelaba at UFC Fight Night 215.
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Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 215 odds and lines between Kennedy Nzechukwu and Ion Cutelaba, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a light heavyweight bout on the main card, Kennedy Nzechukwu and Ion Cutelaba meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 215 at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the UFC Fight Night 215: Nzechukwu vs. Cutelaba odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The prelims begin at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+, and the main card starts at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Nzechukwu lost 2 in a row against Da-Un Jung and Nicolae Negumereanu, but he picked up the Round 2 KO/TKO win over Karl Roberson last time out in July. He has finished inside the distance in 4 of the past 5 fights, all via KO/TKO, with 3 wins. His only fight to go the distance was a split-decision loss at UFC 272 to Negumereanu.
Cutelaba limps in on a 2-bout losing streak, getting submitted in the 1st round in each fight. His last victory was against Devin Clark via unanimous decision in mid-Sept. 2021.
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Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:59 a.m. ET.
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Records: Nzechukwu (10-3-0) | Cutelaba (18-6-1)
NZECHUKWU (-175) is a moderate favorite, and a little pricey, but he is a strong play on the 2-way line since Cutelaba has struggled lately.
Cutelaba heads into this bout on a 1-4-1 skid across his past 6 fights, including 2 submission losses and 2 KO/TKO setbacks. His only win was against Clark, with a draw against Justin Jacoby.
The 30-year-old Nzechukwu has been a little more consistent, going 4-2 across the past 6 fights. He holds an 8-inch reach advantage, so he’ll be able to hold Cutelaba at a distance, moving in and out at his leisure, picking and choosing his spots, while avoiding the big shots from the challenger.
NZECHUKWU BY KO/TKO (+120) at plus money is also a good value, as Cutelaba just cannot be trusted to pull out of his nosedive.
No (-320): Fight to go the distance will cost you more than 3 times your potential return. That’s terribly costly.
I do like OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (-140), as I think Cutelaba is veteran enough to where he’ll be able to hang around and make Nzechukwu work for it. Eventually, though, this fight ends with Cutelaba on his back, shaking off the cobwebs after another knockout loss.
Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.
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