Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Louis Smolka recaps his second-round TKO of Jose Quinonez at UFC on ESPN 19.
[jwplayer oLdGOJob-FLu19iir]
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Louis Smolka[/autotag] used ground-and-pound to end his fight vs. [autotag]Jose Quinonez[/autotag] on Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 19 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Smolka as he discusses his gameplan entering the fight, recaps the TKO finish, and reflects on his 20 years of dedication to combat sports.
UFC on ESPN 19 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 19 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $120,000.
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 19 took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 19 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag]: $20,000
[autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Justin Jaynes[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]John Allan[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Louis Smolka[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Jose Quinonez[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Jordan Leavitt[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Matt Wiman[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Gian Villante[/autotag]: $20,000
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:
Year-to-date total: $6,153,000
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $37,207,500
UFC on ESPN 19: Louis Smolka post-fight interview
UFC on ESPN 19: Louis Smolka post-fight interview
Louis Smolka admits he’s inconsistent, but at UFC on ESPN 19 he registered a solid win.
[autotag]Louis Smolka[/autotag] admits he’s inconsistent in the cage, but at UFC on ESPN 19 he registered a win.
After some early struggles in his bantamweight matchup with Jose Quinonez (8-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) on Saturday’s card at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Smolka (17-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) turned the tables on his opponent and pounded his way to a TKO stoppage in the second round.
It was the 16th career finish for the Hawaiian, and one that came through his strong grappling, as he dominated from top control. Check out the replay below (via Twitter):
𝐌𝐀𝐉𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓.
⚔️ @LastSamuraiUFC UNLOADS on Quinonez for the RD 2 TKO!
[ Main card next on ESPN2 & #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/wQUiAOqIVq
— UFC (@ufc) December 6, 2020
With the win, Smolka improved to 3-2 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in November 2018. He said this one was crucial in order to keep his head above water during this octagon run.
“I am so happy right now,” Smolka said during his post-fight interview. “This is my 15th UFC fight. I’ve been here since I was 22 years old. I’ve been winning and losing. I’m probably the most inconsistent guy I know. I always try to bring the action and try to get the finish.”
[vertical-gallery id=571698]
The UFC is giving Jose Quinonez vs. Louis Smolka another shot.
The UFC is giving [autotag]Jose Quinonez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Louis Smolka[/autotag] another shot.
Originally scheduled to square off at UFC Fight Night 182 this past Saturday, Quinonez (8-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) and Smolka (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) are expected to be rebooked for the promotion’s Dec. 5 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, pending bout finalization.
Sources with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the targeted booking to MMA Junkie on Monday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Milenio was first to report the news.
The previously scheduled meeting between Quinonez and Smolka this past Saturday was canceled minutes prior to the start of the event. Smolka, who weighed in at 139 pounds ahead of the matchup, was deemed “medically unfit” to compete according to UFC officials, who clarified the removal was not related to any COVID-19 testing results.
With the addition, the Dec. 5 lineup includes:
[vertical-gallery id=444208]
[vertical-gallery id=442085]
Just hours before they were set to step into the octagon, Louis Smolka and Jose Quinonez have been removed from UFC Fight Night 182.
Just hours before they were set to step into the octagon, [autotag]Louis Smolka[/autotag] and [autotag]Jose Quinonez[/autotag] have been removed from UFC Fight Night 182.
UFC officials announced the change 30 minutes prior to the start of tonight’s event, which streams live on ESPN+ from UFC Apex in Las Vegas and now proceeds with just nine fights.
Smolka, who weighed in at 139 pounds for the bantamweight matchup, was deemed “medically unfit” to compete according to UFC officials, who clarified the removal was not related to any COVID-19 testing results.
The Smolka (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) vs. Quinonez (8-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) fight is the third contest to be scratched from UFC Fight Night 182 over the past day.
Eryk Anders (13-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC), who also missed weight on Friday, withdrew overnight from his middleweight bout with Antonio Arroyo (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), while Saparbek Safarov (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) withdrew from his middleweight fight against Julian Marquez (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) prior to Friday’s official ceremony.
Two fighters face potential lengthy suspensions as a result of their UFC on ESPN 9 fights on Saturday.
Two fighters face potential six-month suspensions as a result of their UFC on ESPN 9 fights Saturday.
The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) handed [autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag] and [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag] potential 180-day terms for injuries sustained in their respective bouts.
UFC headliners [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] and [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] were each suspended, with Woodley getting 45 days due to a facial laceration. Burns, who was victorious after a five-round unanimous decision, was handed a potential 30-day suspensions.
MMA Junkie obtained a list of the UFC on ESPN 9 athletes’ medical suspensions from the NAC on Monday. Fighters can return sooner than the duration of their suspension if cleared by a doctor.
[lawrence-related id=523450,523286,523272]
UFC on ESPN 9 took place Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event simulcasted on ESPN and ESPN+.
The complete list of UFC on ESPN 9 medical suspensions:
[vertical-gallery id=523069]
[vertical-gallery id=523096]
UFC on ESPN 9 headliners Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns topped the list of fight night paydays.
The UFC on ESPN 9 headliners were paid as such, respective to the rest of the card.
According to a Nevada State Athletic Commission (NAC) document acquired by MMA Junkie on Monday, former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] topped the list of highest earners with a $200,000 paydays, despite his loss to [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag], who earned $164,000.
Two other fighters earned six figures. Co-main event winner [autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag] earned $100,000 in a winning effort against [autotag]Blagoy Ivanov[/autotag]. Former UFC women’s flyweight title challenger [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] took home $120,000 for her victory over [autotag]Antonina Shevchenko[/autotag] in the featured prelim bout.
UFC on ESPN 9 took place Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card and prelims simulcasted on ESPN and ESPN+.
The full list of UFC on ESPN+ 29 salaries included:
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 9 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.
For example, UFC officials handed out additional $50,000 UFC 249 fight-night bonuses to Burns and Dern for “Performance of the Night,” and Royval and Elliott for “Fight of the Night.”
In other words, the above figures are simply base salaries reported to the commission and do not reflect entire compensation packages for the event.
[vertical-gallery id=523069]
[vertical-gallery id=523096]
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 9, which saw Gilbert Burns beat Tyron Wooley in Las Vegas.
The UFC returns to Las Vegas for the first time in more than two months on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 9, which took place at the UFC Apex with an 11-fight card that aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
In the main event, [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) had his breakthrough moment as a welterweight contender when he overwhelmed and dominated former longtime champion [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] (19-5-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) to a unanimous decision.
The performance from the Brazilian capped off a notable event. For more on the numbers, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 9.
* * * *
[vertical-gallery id=523096]
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $114,500.
Debuting fighters went 1-1 at the event.
Burns, [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] and [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 9 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN 9 drew an announced attendance of 0 for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 8-3 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 6-6 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 1:58:41.
Burns improved to 4-0 since he returned to the welterweight division in August 2019. He’s 5-0 when fighting at the weight class.
Burns’ five-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Kamaru Usman (11), Leon Edwards (eight) and Santiago Ponzinibbio (seven).
Woodley suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2018.
Woodley has suffered all four of his UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag]’s (15-1-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied with Francis Ngannou for the longest active streak in the division.
[autotag]Blagoy Ivanov[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has suffered all three of his UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by decision.
[autotag]Brok Weaver[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) suffered his first submission loss since Dec. 5, 2014 – a span of 2,003 days (more than five years) and 13 fights.
Dern (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) became the first female in UFC history to earn a submission victory with a leg technique.
[autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has suffered all four of her UFC losses by stoppage.
[autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) improved to 5-2 since she dropped to the UFC flyweight division in January 2018.
Chookagian’s five victories in UFC women’s flyweight competition are tied with Valentina Shevchenko for most in divisional history.
Chookagian has earned 11 of her 14 career victories by decision. That includes all seven of her UFC wins.
[autotag]Antonina Shevchenko[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has suffered both of her career losses by decision.
[autotag]Gabe Green[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned all of his career stoppage victories by knockout.
[autotag]Klidson Abreu[/autotag] (15-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) has suffered all three of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
Elliott’s (15-11-1 MMA, 4-9 UFC) three-fight losing skid is tied for the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since December 2017.
Elliott fell to 2-5 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in December 2016.
Elliott has suffered all four of his UFC stoppage losses by submission.
[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has earned 10 of his 11 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Louis Smolka[/autotag] (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) fell to 2-2 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in November 2018.
Smolka fell to 2-2 since he moved up to the UFC bantamweight division in November 2018.
Smolka has suffered all three of his career stoppage losses by submission.
[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (15-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) earned the 11th finish in UFC history stemming from leg kicks.
[autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC) fell to 2-4 in his past six fights dating back to July 2018.
Morales suffered the first knockout loss of his career..
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
[vertical-gallery id=523069]
[vertical-gallery id=523096]
UFC on ESPN 9 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 9 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $114,500.
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 on ESPN 9 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 9 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Blagoy Ivanov[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brok Weaver[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Antonina Shevchenko[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $3,500
df. [autotag]Gabriel Green[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Klidson Abreu[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Louis Smolka[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag]: $4,000
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:
Year-to-date total: $2,063,500
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $33,068,000
[vertical-gallery id=523069]
