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 May 8-15.
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 Jan. 30-Feb. 5.
Aljamain Sterling owns the longest winning streak in the history of the bantamweight division after his UFC 280 title defense.
The most anticipated UFC event of the year took place Saturday with UFC 280 from Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
In the main event, [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) became the new UFC lightweight champion when he seamlessly rolled through [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (33-9 MMA, 21-9 UFC) en route to a second-round submission that gave him the vacant strap.
The co-headliner saw [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) continue his run as bantamweight champion when he registered a second defense with a second-round TKO of [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC).
For more on the numbers to come out of the two title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 280.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 280 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $306,500.
ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 280 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $296,500.
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 280 took place at Etihad Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.
The full UFC 280 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gadzhi Omargadzhiev[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]AJ Dobson[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Malcolm Gordon[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lina Lansberg[/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 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 $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: $6,929,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $13,106,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.
Check out the best photos from Caio Borralho’s unanimous decision win over Makhmud Muradov at UFC 280 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Check out the best photos from [autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag] at UFC 280 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. (Photos by Craig Kidwell, USA TODAY Sports)
Floyd Mayweather-managed Makhmud Muradov and UFC debutant Abusupiyan Magomedov will collide in France.
A middleweight bout is the most recent addition to UFC Paris.
[autotag]Abusupiyan Magomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag] will square off in a three-round bout on the promotion’s France debut card Sept. 3 at Accor Arena. Both fighters recently confirmed the booking on social media following.
Magomedov (24-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will look to make his promotional debut after back-to-back canceled UFC bookings. Visa issues have been an issue for Magomedov, who withdrew from fights scheduled for December and March. Entering UFC Paris, Magomedov has won back-to-back outings.
Muradov (25-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is the only UFC fighter officially part of Floyd Mayweather’s “Money Team“. He is both the first Tajikistan-born and Uzbek fighter in promotion history. He’ll look to bounce back from his first promotional loss, which came at the hands of a down-but-not-out Gerald Meerschaert in August.
With the addition, the UFC Paris lineup includes:
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UFC Fight Night 202 has taken a hit at light heavyweight.
UFC Fight Night 202 has taken a hit at light heavyweight.
[autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) on Thursday said a hand injury has forced him out of his scheduled fight against [autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 6-5 UFC). Their bout was set for Feb. 26 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Muradov announced the news on his Instagram account.
“I want to share the sad news that, unfortunately, I injured my hand in training,” Muradov posted (translated). “After certain checks, it becomes clear how long the recovery process will take. I apologize to my opponent, the UFC and all my fans. I really wanted to fight on February 26, I was well prepared, unfortunately, the wound was also on our forehead. I would be happy if this fight is moved to March. Once again, I apologize to everyone, it’s a sport and in some cases we’re just weak. In Sha Allah we will recover and become stronger☝🏻”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZOmhuaLU8x
It is not yet known if Cirkunov will stay on the card against a new opponent or if the matchup will be rebooked for a later date. The UFC has not made a formal announcement.
Cirkunov was looking to snap a two-fight skid. In March 2021, he was knocked out in the first round by Ryan Spann. This past October, he dropped a split decision to Krzysztof Jotko. After an eight-fight winning streak, including his first four in the UFC by stoppage, Cirkunov has dropped five of his past seven fights.
After a perfect 3-0 start to his UFC tenure, Muradov was trying to bounce back, as well. Wins over Alessio Di Chirico, Trevor Smith and Andrew Sanchez gave him a 14-fight winning streak. But in August, he was submitted by Gerald Meerschaert in the second round for his first loss since 2016.
With the change, the UFC Fight Night 202 lineup now includes:
The UFC’s 2022 cards continue to grow with the addition of a middleweight bout in February.
The UFC’s 2022 cards continue to grow with the addition of a middleweight bout in February.
[autotag]Misha Cirkunov[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 6-5 UFC) is set to take on [autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at the UFC’s Feb. 26 event. The card does not yet have an announced venue or location. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with a person with knowledge of the booking following an initial report from Igor Lazorin.
Cirkunov will be looking to snap a two-fight skid. In March, he was knocked out in the first round by Ryan Spann. In October, he dropped a split decision to Krzysztof Jotko. After an eight-fight winning streak, including his first four in the UFC by stoppage, Cirkunov has dropped five of his past seven fights.
After a perfect 3-0 start to his UFC tenure, Muradov will be looking to bounce back, as well. Wins over Alessio Di Chirico, Trevor Smith and Andrew Sanchez gave him a 14-fight winning streak. But in August, he was submitted by Gerald Meerschaert in the second round for his first loss since 2016.
With the addition, the UFC’s Feb. 26 lineup now includes:
Gerald Meerschaert hands Makhmud Muradov his first UFC loss at UFC on ESPN 30.
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] perseverance was on full display on Saturday night.
The UFC middleweight veteran handed [autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag] his first UFC loss to open up the main card of UFC on ESPN 30. Meerschaert (33-14 MMA, 8-6 UFC) forced Muradov (25-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) to tap out with a rear-naked choke at the 1:49 mark of Round 2.
UFC on ESPN 30 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
It was a solid comeback win for Meerschaert and true veteran performance.
In the first round, Meerschaert found himself on the verge of getting stopped. Meerschaert was caught with a counter, as he was rushing in on Muradov early in round one. It was clear that Meerschaert was hurt and Muradov knew it.
The American did a good job at surviving despite Muradov’s efforts to finish the fight. Towards the end of the first round, Meerschaert showed recovery and had some offense of his own, getting the fight to the ground in the final 30 seconds of the fight.
In the second round, Meerschaert really turned the pace and poured it on Muradov. He pressed him and connected with solid shots that wobbled the 31-year-old. Shortly after that, he was able to take the fight to the ground where he quickly sank in a rear-naked choke to secure a victory.
Biggest underdog on the card cashing in the ticket tonight! 🎟 #UFCVegas35 pic.twitter.com/YxBgjSllfM
— UFC (@ufc) August 29, 2021
The win turns a standalone victory into a winning streak for Meerschaert, who submitted Bartosz Fabinski in April. The back-to-back victories move him to 3-2 over the span of his most recent five fights.
For Muradov, UFC on ESPN 30 marks the first loss of his promotional tenure. The defeat is his first pro MMA loss since December 2016, which snaps a 14-fight winning streak for the Uzbekistan fighter.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 30 results include:
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01f5k5h8pz3brj4xqb image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
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Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 30 odds and lines between Makhmud Muradov and Gerald Meerschaert, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.
In a middleweight bout on the main card, Makhmud Muradov faces Gerald Meerschaert Saturday at UFC on ESPN 30 – also known as UFC Vegas 35 – at the UFC’s APEX Facility. Below, we analyze the UFC on ESPN 30 Muradov vs. Meerschaert odds and lines, with MMA picks and predictions.
The entire card can be viewed on ESPN+ with the prelims beginning at 7 p.m. ET and the main card at 10 p.m. ET.
Muradov is a perfect 3-0 since his UFC debut Sept. 28, 2019, against Alessio Di Chirico, who is also on this fight card. That fight went the distance, but Muradov’s last two fights each ended in third-round KO/TKO victories, including last time out at UFC 257 against Andrew Sanchez.
Meerschaert, nicknamed “GM3”, posted a first-round submission win over Bartosz Fabinski via guillotine April 17 and snapped a two-bout losing skid. He had lost in the first round by way of KO/TKO in those two outings, and each of his past four fights ended in stoppages.
Odds via Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:05 a.m. ET.
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Records: Muradov 25-6-0 | Meerschaert 32-14-0
Meerschaert got on track with a victory last time out, but he sees a huge step up in competition against Muradov. However, you can’t lay seven times your potential return on the favorite, so let’s get specific instead.
MURADOV BY KO/TKO (-200) will still cost you two times your potential return, but that’s a much better bet. Toss it into a multi-fight parlay for less risk.
This fight isn’t going the distance, but you can’t roll with No (-260): Will the fight go the distance? That’s just too much risk.
Instead, take a two-round block with MURADOV TO WIN IN ROUND 2 (+280) and MURADOV TO WIN IN ROUND 3 (+720). Yes, you’ll lose one of those two ends even if he wins in Rounds 2-3, but you’ll still be well ahead.
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