Tag: Luis Pajuelo

UFC featherweight Luis Pajuelo suspended 2 years for drug test failures

Luis Pajuelo’s UFC debut didn’t work out the way he hoped for earlier this year, and the news has gotten worse.

[autotag]Luis Pajuelo[/autotag]’s UFC debut didn’t work out the way he hoped for earlier this year, and the news has gotten worse.

Pajuelo (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has been given a two-year suspension for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy (UFC ADP). Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD), which took over after the UFC and USADA split at the beginning of 2024, announced the 24-month sanction Thursday.

According to CSAD, Pajuelo, 29, tested positive for 19-norandrosterone and elevated levels of exogenous testosterone. The tests were taken over two dates, Aug. 5 and Aug. 21, in Lima in Pajuelo’s home country of Peru and Sao Paulo.

Pajuelo admitted the use of nandrolone ahead of the sample collections, the CSAD said in a release.

Pajuelo’s two-year suspension started Aug. 23, the day he was notified of the first adverse test result. The UFC released Pajuelo after the results were reported, and his admission of nandrolone, CSAD said.

Pajuelo got his shot in the UFC with a first-round knockout of Robbie Ring on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2023. He made his official promotional debut in March at UFC on ESPN 53 in Las Vegas, but was submitted in less than three minutes by Fernando Padilla and had a five-fight winning streak snapped.

Pajuelo has seven of his eight career wins by knockout, but it appears his next one in MMA will be in the neighborhood of at least two years down the road.

UFC on ESPN 53 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Main event combines for $22,000

UFC on ESPN 53 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 on ESPN 53 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $148,000.

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 53 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 53 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]AJ Dobson[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Payton Talbott[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Fernando Padilla[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Luis Pajuelo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jarno Errens[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Steven Nguyen[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Dariya Zheleznyakova[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Montserrat Rendon[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Igor Severino[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mick Parkin[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mohammed Usman[/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 $4,530; 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 $53,000 while title challengers get $53,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-53 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,669,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,406,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 53.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Jan. 1-7)

All the UFC 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.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 1-7.

DWCS 59 winner Luis Pajuelo aspires to have future showdowns with Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanovski

Luis Pajuelo has high hopes after securing a UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series 59.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Luis Pajuelo[/autotag] has high hopes after securing a UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series 59.

Pajuelo (8-1) stopped Robbie Ring (6-5) by first-round TKO Tuesday in their featherweight bout at the UFC Apex.

The Peruvian fighter doesn’t have an opponent in mind for his UFC debut but dreams of one day fighting the likes of former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] and current 145-pound champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag].

“Obviously not in my debut, but I would love to fight some of the greatest fighters in my division like Holloway, Volkanovski,” Pajuelo told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter. “I plan on putting a beautiful story and making history in this division.”

Ring stormed out the gate but Pajuelo was able to match his aggression and prevail with the early finish.

“I always try to go from less to more,” Pajuelo said. “You kind of sustain it, sustain it, you take it in, and then after that, the lion comes out.”

[lawrence-related id=2672797,2673032]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Dana White’s Contender Series 59.

Dana White’s Contender’s Series 59: Grading the winners

MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the performances of the four winners from Dana White’s Contender Series 59.

Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series (2023) took place on Tuesday in Las Vegas, and we’re grading the winners from the four-fight card, which streamed on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex.

With a simple but digestible format that has had the MMA fanbase responding, this series has shown to have legs in multiple ways while serving as a crockpot for contenders the UFC matchmakers can use to fill their roster for future events. With that trend in mind, I once again will be taking a look at the winning fighters, regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, and grading their performances in regard to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.

Dana White’s Contender Series 59 results: Three winners receive UFC deals; one does not

Season 7, Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series continues Tuesday, and MMA Junkie will have live results from on-site at the UFC Apex.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was at Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 59 event.

Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting at the UFC Apex for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with promotion president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.

The third episode of Season 7 will see eight fighters compete for their shot at a UFC contract. A middleweight contest between [autotag]Eli Aronov[/autotag] (6-1) and [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag] (5-1) served as the featured bout of the four-bout lineup. Fury FC’s Reese quickly submitted Unified MMA’s Aronov with an armbar.

In the co-featured bout, Cage Warriors’ [autotag]Obain Elliott[/autotag] and Okatgon’s [autotag]Kaik Brito[/autotag] went blow-for-blow in a thrilling three-round battle.

Full results of Dana White’s Contender Series 59 include:

  • Zachary Reese def. Eli Aronov via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:14
  • Oban Elliott def. Kaik Brito via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
  • Josefine Knutsson def. Isis Verbeek via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Luis Pajuelo def. Robbie Ring via TKO (knee and punches) – Round 1, 3:43

Continue reading below for more details about each fight.