Tag: Kyle Nelson

UFC on ESPN 54 play-by-play, live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 54 in Atlantic City.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – UFC on ESPN 54 took place Saturday, and MMA Junkie live play-by-play and official results. UFC on ESPN 54 (ESPN/ESPN+) took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

In the main event, Erin Blanchfield (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) took on Manon Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in a likely women’s flyweight title eliminator. Joaquin Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) took on Vicente Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) in the welterweight co-feature, and former middleweight champion Chris Weidman (16-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) returned against Bruno Silva (23-11 MMA, 4-5 UFC).

Below, you can check out the results and play-by-play from UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 video: Kyle Nelson swarms for standing TKO of Bill Algeo, who protests stoppage

Kyle Nelson leaned into the outrage of Bill Algeo and the Atlantic City crowd after his standing TKO win at UFC on ESPN 54.

[autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag] landed early and often on [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 54, leading to a standing TKO finish.

Nelson (16-5-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) hurt Algeo (19-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC) early in the first round of the featherweight bout at Boardwalk Hall, and he kept the pressure on until referee Gary Copeland jumped in at the 4:00 mark of Round 1.

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Although Algeo never fell to the canvas, he was wobbled on multiple occasions and forced to retreat repeatedly. Copeland kept a close eye on him and decided to jump in after a final staggering blow, and Algeo expressed frustration with how it all ended.

Check out the replay of the final sequence below (via X):

Nelson was asked about the stoppage during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, and he defended the result

“I was having the time of my life in there just throwing punches,” Nelson said. “Bill’s tough, he was eating them, but I was going to keep going all day long. It was a matter of time. I think the ref did his job.

“Anybody that’s got some criticisms, I can be back in this octagon next week. I’m here. I’m ready. You like that, eh?”

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 54 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Kyle Nelson def. Bill Algeo at UFC on ESPN 54: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Kyle Nelson’s first-round TKO win over Bill Algeo at UFC on ESPN 54.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag]’s first-round TKO win over [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 54 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. (Fight and venue photos by Ed Mulholland, USA Today Sports)

UFC on ESPN 54 official weigh-in results: Fighter somehow gains weight between attempts, misses mark

The UFC on ESPN 54 weigh-ins ended oddly as Julio Arce somehow gained 0.25 pounds between attempts and his team was scratching their heads.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Ahead of Saturday’s fights at Boardwalk Hall, the 28 fighters involved in UFC on ESPN 54 hit the scales at the host hotel. One missed weight.

Atop the event, which airs on ESPN/ESPN+, is a pivotal women’s flyweight main event between top contenders [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

In the co-main event, welterweight standouts [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) and [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) collide. Also on the card, former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) attempts to reenter the win column against [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 4-4 UFC).

All of those fighters made weight, but one from the prelims. [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] missed the featherweight limit after previously missing at bantamweight in April 2022. He was given two attempts and gained 0.25 pounds between attempts.

Arce’s re-weigh was the last weigh-in of the day. A different New Jersey State Athletic Commission (NJSAC) representative than who weighed in the other 27 fighters and Arce’s first attempt, weighed in Arce the second time. This caused further frustration and disbelief from Arce’s team, who said they had weighed 146 on their own scale. Arce was fined 20 percent of his purse and the fight will continue as scheduled.

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Check out the full UFC on ESPN 54 weigh-ins results below:

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Erin Blanchfield (125) vs. Manon Fiorot (125.25)
  • Joaquin Buckley (170) vs. Vicente Luque (170)
  • Bruno Silva (186) vs. Chris Weidman (186)
  • Sedriques Dumas (185) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (185)
  • Bill Algeo (146) vs. Kyle Nelson (145)
  • Rhys McKee (170.25) vs. Chidi Njokuani (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Nate Landwehr (145.25) vs. Jamall Emmers (145)
  • Loopy Godinez (115) vs. Virna Jandiroba (115)
  • Julio Arce (147)* vs. Herbert Burns (145)
  • Dennis Buzukja (145.25) vs. Connor Matthews (145)
  • Ibo Aslan (205) vs. Anton Turkalj (205)
  • Viktoriia Dudakova (125) vs. Melissa Gatto (125)
  • Jacob Malkoun (185) vs. Andre Petroski (186)
  • Caolan Loughran (135) vs. Angel Pacheco (135)

* Arce missed featherweight limit by 1 pound; 20 percent fine

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 5-11)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 5-11.

Bill Algeo vs. Kyle Nelson headed to lineup for UFC’s return to Atlantic City

A pair of fighters looking to keep their mild featherweight winning streaks intact have been booked for the UFC’s return to New Jersey.

A pair of fighters looking to keep their mild winning streaks intact in the crowded featherweight division have been booked for the UFC’s return to New Jersey next month.

[autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is set to take on [autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag] (15-5-1 MMA, 3-4-1 UFC) when the UFC sets up shop in Atlantic City on March 30 for a Fight Night (ESPN) event at Boardwalk Hall. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with people with knowledge of the booking who asked to remain anonymous since the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.

A split decision setback against Andre Fili in September 2022 is all that stands between Algeo and what would be a five-fight winning streak – the kind of stretch that gets people’s attention at featherweight. But in 2023, he rebounded with a second-round submission of TJ Brown and a decision over Alexander Hernandez. His win over Brown was a $50,000 bonus winner.

After a rough stretch of four losses in his first five UFC bouts, Canada’s Nelson is 2-0-1 in his past three. After a majority draw with Doo Ho Choi a year ago, he picked up back-to-back unanimous decision wins over Blake Bilder and Fernanda Padilla. Now he’s looking for his first three-fight winning streak in six years.

With the addition, the UFC’s March 30 lineup now includes:

  • Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot
  • Alonzo Menifield vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Dennis Buzukja vs. Connor Matthews
  • Loopy Godinez vs. Virna Jandiroba
  • Jacob Malkoun vs. Andre Petroski
  • Bruno Silva vs. Chris Weidman
  • Sedriques Dumas vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
  • Caolan Loughran vs. Angel Pacheco
  • Rhys McKee vs. Chidi Njokuani
  • Julio Arce vs. Herbert Burns
  • Ibo Aslan vs. Anton Turkalj
  • Bill Algeo vs. Kyle Nelson

After upset of another prospect, Kyle Nelson wants Cub Swanson for a UFC HOF-worthy scrap

Kyle Nelson is unbeaten in his past three fights after a 1-4 start to his UFC career. He beat Fernando Padilla for Noche UFC’s only upset.

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LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag] beat Fernando Padilla with a unanimous decision Saturday to open up the main card at Noche UFC at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Nelson, who is unbeaten in his past three fights after a 1-4 start to his UFC career.

Noche UFC post-event facts: Alexa Grasso, Valentina Shevchenko fight to rare title draw

Check out all the facts from Noche UFC, which saw Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko join the shortlist of title bouts to end in a draw.

The inaugural Noche UFC event proved to be a massive success for the company, with the Mexican Independence Day celebration going down Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Although she didn’t get the victory, Mexico’s [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) still left as women’s flyweight champion after she battled [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) to a split draw in their main event rematch.

It was a rare result for a title bout, and for more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Noche UFC.

Noche UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2023 total passes $6 million

Noche UFC 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 Noche UFC event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $185,500.

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.

Noche UFC took place at T-Mobile Arena. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full Noche UFC UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]: $42,000
vs. [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Terrence Mitchell[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Fernando Padilla[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Elise Reed[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Daniel Lacerda[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jasmine Jasudavicius[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Charlie Campbell[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alex Reyes[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Marnic Mann[/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 2261 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: $6,130,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $20,719,000

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

Noche UFC play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from Noche UFC in Las Vegas, featuring Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2.

LAS VEGAS – Noche UFC took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) took on former champ Valentina Shevchenko (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC), whom she submitted earlier this year to win the title, in the main event rematch. In the co-feature, Jack Della Maddalena (16-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) put his unbeaten UFC record on the line against Kevin Holland (25-10 MMA, 12-7 UFC) at welterweight.

Check out full results and play-by-play below.