Tag: Lucas Alexander

Defying the odds: The 10 biggest MMA betting upsets of 2023

Check out the top 10 MMA betting upsets of 2023, according to the oddsmakers, across Bellator, the UFC, PFL and more.

Who doesn’t love a good upset?

In 2023, MMA saw its fair share of underdogs who defied the odds in the UFC, Bellator, PFL, and beyond. While everyone has an opinion of who should win and who should lose, the oddsmakers (and how the betting public responds) largely get the final say on what history reflects.

This year, with the help of MMA database Tapology, MMA Junkie has compiled the top 10 betting upsets of 2023. Fights that were eligible were those that multiple major online sportsbooks recognized, and that Tapology recorded before the close of the betting line.

Promotions eligible include UFC, Bellator, PFL, KSW, DWCS, Road to UFC, and ONE Championship.

Check out the top 10 MMA betting upsets of 2023 below. Only major MMA promotions were included in the tally.

UFC Fight Night 232 post-event facts: Brendan Allen on an all-time submission streak

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 232, which saw Brendan Allen put him name in the books with Royce Gracie and Demian Maia.

The UFC closed its November schedule on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 232, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and saw 10 of 14 fights end in a stoppage.

One of those finishes belonged to main event winner [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag] (23-5 MMA, 11-2 UFC), who submitted [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (17-7-1 MMA, 9-7-1 UFC) with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their middleweight clash, extending his winning streak to six and putting him in the discussion among the more serious contenders in the weight class.

For more on the numbers behind Allen’s performance, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 232.

UFC Fight Night 232 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Top earners get $16,000

UFC Fight Night 232 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 232 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $158,500.

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 Fight Night 232 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 232 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Michael Morales[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jordan Leavitt[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Payton Talbott[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nick Aguirre[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Luana Pinheiro[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Myktybek Orolbai[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Uros Medic[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jose Johnson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Chad Anheliger[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Christian Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Denis Tiuliulin[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Mick Parkin[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Caio Machado[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jeka Saragih[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Lucas Alexander[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Rafael Estevam[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $6,000

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 2321 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: $7,464,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,983,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 232.

UFC Fight Night 232 video: Jeka Saragih slumps Lucas Alexander with 91-second knockout

Jeka Saragih got his first octagon victory at UFC Fight Night 232, and he did it with an upset in just 91 seconds.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jeka Saragih[/autotag] got his first octagon victory Saturday at UFC Fight Night 232, and he did it just 91 seconds.

Saragih (14-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) got the eighth opening-round finish of his career when he pounced on [autotag]Lucas Alexander[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and caught him with a big punch that led to a knockdown and fight-ending blows in the featherweight contest, which took place at the UFC Apex.

[lawrence-related id=2697269,2697275,2697272]

Check out the replay of the stoppage blow (via X):

Saragih entered the fight as a nearly 4-to-1 betting underdog against the dangerous Brazilian Alexander. He wasn’t having any of the odds, however, and the Indonesian athlete put himself in the UFC win column, which came as the result of much sacrifice.

“This journey is very long for me,” Saragih said through an interpreter during his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “I spent more time in the United States than I spent with my family this year. I want to thank everyone so much. I’m going to go back home to my village.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 232 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 232.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 30-Nov. 5)

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 or officially announced by the promotions from Oct. 30-Nov. 5.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 18-24)

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 or officially announced by the promotions from Sept. 18-24.

UFC on ESPN 43 medical suspensions: Cory Sandhagen faces more time off than Marlon Vera

Four fighters were given 180-day medical suspensions by the Texas commission after UFC on ESPN 43 in San Antonio.

Four fighters face 180-day medical suspensions as a result of UFC on ESPN 43 bouts, but headliners [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] and [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] are not among them.

UFC on ESPN 43 took place this past Saturday at AT&T Center in San Antonio. The event was overseen by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), which suspended all 20 fighters for medical reasons after their bouts, according to a list published Wednesday by the commission.

CJ Vergara, Daniel Pineda and Lucas Alexander all won their bouts, but walked away with 180-day suspensions, as did Steven Peterson, who lost his retirement bout to Alexander.

It’s important to note fighters can return sooner than the expiration date of their medical suspension should they receive proper medical clearance from a doctor. In addition, the TDLR does not list reasons for medical suspensions – just durations.

Scroll below to see the full list of UFC on ESPN 43 medical suspensions.

Emotional Lucas Alexander opens up about fighting at UFC on ESPN 43 after friend’s death

Lucas Alexander sent Steven Peterson into retirement at UFC on ESPN 43, but he was thinking about his tribute to the death of a friend.

SAN ANTONIO – [autotag]Lucas Alexander[/autotag] beat Steven Peterson with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 43 at AT&T Center in San Antonio.

Take a look inside the fight with Alexander, who sent Peterson into retirement with the win.

UFC on ESPN 43 post-event facts: Charles Oliveira’s longstanding record under threat

Charles Oliveira hasn’t competed at featherweight in six years, and someone is finally closing in on his record after UFC on ESPN 43.

The UFC made its return to Texas on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 43, which took place at AT&T Center in San Antonio and, after a number of fight week fallouts, saw a 10-bout card unfold.

The most high-profile result came from the main event, where [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) proved his worth as a bantamweight contender with a split decision victory over the streaking [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 14-7 UFC) after five rounds.

For more on the numbers behind Sandhagen’s win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 43.

* * * *

UFC on ESPN 43 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: ‘Chito’ tops card with $21k

UFC on ESPN 43 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

SAN ANTONIO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 43 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $137,000.

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 43 took place at AT&T Center. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 43 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Yana Santos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Albert Duraev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Tucker Lutz[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Lucas Alexander[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Steven Peterson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Preston Parsons[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Daniel Lacerda[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Vinicius Salvador[/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 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 $43,000 while title challengers get $43,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-43 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,771,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,290,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.