Yet another fight has been removed from Saturday night’s UFC card in Las Vegas.
At UFC on ESPN+ 34, there will be no preliminary card.
Heavyweights [autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexander Romanov[/autotag] are the latest fighters to have their bout canceled in the 24 hours leading up to Saturday’s event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Saturday, the UFC announced the news less than 90 minutes before the event’s new start time of 7 p.m. E.T. The card will now proceed with a seven-fight main card and no prelims.
Thiago Moises vs. Jalin Turner was also canceled Saturday due to coronavirus concerns, shortly after Kevin Natividad was removed from his featherweight fight against Brian Kelleher.
The promotion’s announcement statement reads:
“Due to positive COVID-19 test results, the following bouts have been canceled from today’s card: Alexandr Romanov vs Marcos Rogerio De Lima and Thiago Moses vs Jalin Turner.
Additionally, as a precaution, Kevin Natividad has been removed from his bout against Brian Kelleher and will be replaced by Dana White Contender’s Series alum Ray Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who appeared on the show last season, has won 11 of his last 13 bouts.”
UFC heavyweight Marcos Rogerio de Lima has accepted Marcin Tybura’s callout, and sees the potential matchup as a great test for his career.
[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] likes the idea of facing [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] next.
Tybura called out de Lima after his unanimous decision win over Serghei Spivak at UFC on ESPN+ 27, and the Brazilian says he has accepted his offer.
“I want to take advantage of the fact that Marcin Tybura challenged me,” de Lima told MMA Junkie. “He’s an excellent fighter, he’s aggressive, he has good jiu-jitsu – it’s a great test for me. As with many other fighters in our weight class, I see myself as being faster, and more explosive. I deliver a greater volume of strikes, and I enjoy fighting. He likes to stall a little – not me. I like to start the fight right away. It’s an excellent fight for me.
“We hope that the UFC and the world itself can get back to normal soon. I think if we could meet between June and August, that would be excellent. We hope the UFC can start booking people again. We can’t wait forever. We get paid only when we fight. Money is running out. We’ve got to fight.”
The fight with Tybura (18-6 MMA, 5-5 UFC) almost materialized in 2017, when de Lima (17-6-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) offered to step in and fight him on short notice, but at the time the Brazilian couldn’t get clearance to compete.
“Actually, I had previously accepted to face Tybura, one week after I fought Jeremy Kimball,” de Lima recalled. “I was uninjured. Tybura’s bout with Luis Henrique ‘KLB’ had been called off. I offered to replace ‘KLB’ on short notice. The only reason that fight didn’t happen was because I dislocated a finger against Kimball, and the athletic commission in Colorado wouldn’t allow it.”
De Lima is coming off a first-round finish over Ben Sosoli in February and has gone 2-1 since his return to heavyweight. He’s currently in Brazil, making the most of training during this coronavirus outbreak, but is eager to get back to action soon.
“I’m doing everything I can to be ready,” de Lima said. “I want to fight as soon as possible. This pandemic will end soon. I want to be ready to fight. I’ve been working on my wrestling for quite some time. My coach Alireza Noei was the Iranian champion, and also an intercontinental champion. He’s an MMA fighter now. He’s here in Brazil. He’s a big help. That’s what’s new about my game.
“And what I see as my biggest advantage against Tybura is the fact that he likes to take his time. I won’t let him do that. He won’t be able to stand the rhythm I’ll impose on him. I firmly believe this, not just against him, but against 80 percent of the heavyweight stable. My volume of strikes, my speed, and my willpower will always make their lives difficult.”
All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC Auckland, which saw Dan Hooker beat Paul Felder in the main event.
The UFC made its third visit to New Zealand on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 26. The 12-fight card took place at Spark Arena in Auckland and streamed entirely on ESPN+.
In the main event, [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 10-4 UFC) elevated his status as a lightweight contender when he edged out a memorable “Fight of the Night” clash with [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) by split decision in front of his hometown fans.
The headliner wasn’t the only fight to produce notable results, though. For more, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 26.
* * * *
General
[vertical-gallery id=492905]
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $137,000.
Debuting fighters went 0-1 at the event.
Hooker, Felder, [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] and [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 26 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 26 drew an announced attendance of 10,025 for a live gate of $1,239,625.
Betting favorites went 8-4 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 4-1 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 1:59:19.
Main card
Dan Hooker
Hooker improved to 7-1 since he moved up to the UFC lightweight division in June 2017.
Felder has suffered four of his five career losses by decision.
Crute (11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned eight of his 11 career victories by stoppage. That includes all three of his UFC wins.
Crute became the fifth fighter in UFC history to earn multiple submission victories by Kimura. Krzysztof Soszynski, Rani Yahya, Frank Mir and George Sotiropoulos also accomplished the feat.
[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career.
Oleksiejczuk has suffered both of his UFC losses by submission.
Yan Xiaonan
[autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) improved to 9-0 (with one no contest) since returning from a nearly five-year layoff in July 2015.
Xiaonan’s five-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is tied with Tatiana Suarez for the longest active streak in the division.
Xiaonan has earned all five of her UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]’s (12-6 MMA, 5-6 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since April 2018.
[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past nine fights.
De Lima improved to 3-1 in the UFC at heavyweight.
De Lima has earned 15 of his 17 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 14 of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Ben Sosoli[/autotag] (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Magomed Mustafaev[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
Preliminary card
Zubaira Tukhugov def. Kevin Aguilar
[autotag]Kevin Aguilar[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career.
Aguilar has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
[autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] (9-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished both of his UFC wins by knockout.
[autotag]Joshua Culibao[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his eight-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) improved to 5-1 since he moved up to the UFC welterweight division in November 2017.
Matthews has earned four of his five UFC welterweight victories by decision.
[autotag]Emil Meek[/autotag]’s (9-5-1 MMA, 1-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since December 2016.
Meek has been taken down 21 times in his four UFC appearances.
Meek has suffered all three of his UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Callan Potter[/autotag] (18-9 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered all nine of his career losses by stoppage.
Song Kenan has earned 13 of his 15 career victories by stoppage. That includes three of his four UFC wins.
[autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (21-8 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag] (18-11-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered eight of his 11 career losses by decision. That includes both of his UFC defeats.
Angela Hill
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) became the first to earn two UFC victories in 2020.
Hill improved to 6-5 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.
Hill’s seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Jessica Andrade for second most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (nine).
[autotag]Loma Lookboonmee[/autotag] (4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of her career.
[autotag]Cachoeira[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) snapped her three-fight losing skid for her first victory since September 2017.
Cachoeira’s 40-second knockout marked the fastest stoppage in UFC women’s flyweight history.
[autotag]Shana Dobson[/autotag]’s (3-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since December 2017.
Dobson suffered the first knockout loss of her career.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN+ 26 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $130,000.
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+ 26 took place Saturday at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The entire card streamed ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 26 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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:
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 event in Auckland, New Zealand.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC on ESPN+ 26 went with as their backing tracks in Auckland, New Zealand.
In the main event, [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) takes on New Zealand’s own [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (19-8 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in a lightweight fight that is a couple years in the making. Hooker is just a slight favorite from the oddsmakers, but he has a fairly substantial 9-5 lead in the picks from our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.
In the co-main event, [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is a -150 favorite in his light heavyweight fight against Australia’s [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC). But it’s Crute who has a whopping 12-2 lead in our picks.
[autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is the biggest favorite on the main card in her women’s strawweight bout against [autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC). Xiaonan has a big 12-2 picks lead.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] (16-6-1 MMA, 5-4 UFC) is a mild favorite against Australia’s [autotag]Ben Sosoli[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at heavyweight. The Brazilian has an 11-3 edge in the picks.
[autotag]Magomed Mustafaev[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is a -150 favorite in his lightweight bout against [autotag]Brad Riddell[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), and he’s got a 12-2 blowout picks lead.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Kevin Aguilar[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Zubaira Tukhugov[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) in a featherweight fight. Aguilar is a slight favorite at the sportsbooks, but it’s Tukhugov who has a heavy 10-4 lead in the picks from our staff members.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Felder (53 percent), Crute (63 percent), Xiaonan (63 percent), Sosoli (63 percent), Mustafaev (66 percent) and Tukhugov (64 percent) are the choices.
Marcos Rogerio de Lima is expecting a barnburner against Ben Sosoli at UFC on ESPN+ 26.
[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] is expecting a barnburner against [autotag]Ben Sosoli[/autotag].
Rogerio de Lima (16-6-1 MMA, 5-4 UFC) takes on Sosoli (7-2-1 MMA, 0-0-1 UFC) – a familiar face for his camp, American Top Team – at this weekend’s UFC on ESPN+ 26, which takes place Saturday (Sunday locally) in Auckland, New Zealand.
Owner of 11 knockouts on his resume, Rogerio de Lima sees this matchup primarily playing out on the feet.
“Ben Sosoli is young but also very tough,” Rogerio de Lima told MMA Junkie. “He comes from striking, as do I. He is a good boxer. He fights well on the feet. It’s also one of my attributes. He’s already faced two of my training partners at American Top Team – Greg Hardy and Juan Espino.
“Without a doubt, it will be a striking affair. I’m a little taller, a bit lighter, and faster than him. I foresee a great, highly active, and very violent three-round fight. The fans will be the true winners of this matchup.”
After missing weight in back-to-back contests at 205 pounds, Rogerio de Lima decided to make the move back up to heavyweight. He’s gone 1-1 in the division since, picking up a win over Adam Wieczorek at UFC 230 in 2018 but then suffering a submission loss to Stefan Struve at UFC on ESPN+ 3 in February 2019.
Having competed at heavyweight numerous times before in his career, “Pezao” thinks the UFC’s heavyweight division is better than it’s ever been.
“I’m not thinking much about what happens after this bout,” Rogerio de Lima said. “I’m focused on getting this win first. I’m coming off an injury. It’s very important for me to get this win. I last fought against Steven Struve. That was exactly one year ago. I want a good win. More recently, the UFC heavyweight class has improved a lot. The quality of the fighters is much better. That’s where I want to be champion.”
He heads into enemy territory to take on “Dana White’s Contender Series” veteran Sosoli, but the 34-year-old Brazilian is not fazed. After one year on the sidelines due to a knee injury, he’s ready to snap his inconsistent win-loss record and make a run in the heavyweight division.
“Having the fans rooting for or against you – it doesn’t matter either way,” Rogerio de Lima said. “Once the cage is closed, there are only two guys in there, equally determined to be victorious. It doesn’t affect my motivation. I’m motivated by making history. I want people to remember my name.
“This is my comeback. It will be very memorable. After this Saturday, people will truly understand why I’m on the UFC heavyweight roster.”
See the best stats and figures about UFC Auckland, which features a Paul Felder vs. Dan Hooker lightweight main event.
The UFC hosts an event in New Zealand for just the third time in company history on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 26, which takes place at Spark Arena in Auckland and features a 13-fight lineup that streams entirely on ESPN+.
A key lightweight matchup with some bad blood is featured in the main event. [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) and [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (19-8 MMA, 9-4 UFC) get an opportunity to headline a card for the first time when they jockey for position in the title picture of arguably the sport’s deepest weight class.
There’s a lot on the line atop the card, but there’s more to it, too. Check below for 40 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN+ 26.
* * * *
Main event
Paul Felder
Felder competes in his first UFC main event.
Felder is 7-2 in his past nine UFC appearances dating back to January 2016.
Felder’s three UFC knockouts stemming from elbow strikes are tied with Curtis Blaydes for most in company history.
Felder is one of seven fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout victory stemming from a spinning backfist. He accomplished the feat at UFC 182.
Dan Hooker
Hooker is 6-1 since he moved up to the UFC lightweight division in June 2017.
Hooker has earned 17 of his 19 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his nine UFC wins.
Hooker has earned UFC knockouts stemming from a punch, kick, knee and elbows.
Hooker lands 6.16 significant strikes per minute in UFC lightweight competition, the fourth best rate in divisional history behind Justin Gaethje (8.57), TJ Grant (6.83) and Dustin Poirier (6.51).
Co-main event
Jim Crute
[autotag]Jim Crute[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), 23, is the youngest of the 26 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Crute’s victory at the 4:51 mark of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 142 is the second latest finish in a three-round UFC light heavyweight fight behind Paul Craig over Magomed Ankalaev at 4:59 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 127.
[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]’s (14-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) three knockdowns landed at UFC on ESPN+ 7 are tied for second most in a UFC light heavyweight bout behind Rountree’s four knockdowns landed at UFC 236.
Oleksiejczuk’s three knockdowns landed in 44 seconds are the most in the least amount of octagon time in a single UFC fight.
Remaining main card
Karolina Kowalkiewicz
[autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]’s (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since April 2018.
Kowalkiewicz is 2-5 in her past seven fights dating back to when she challenged for the UFC strawweight title in November 2016.
Kowalkiewicz has earned all five of her UFC victories by decision. She hasn’t earned a stoppage since May 2014.
Kowalkiewicz defends 83.7 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC strawweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.
[autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is 8-0 (with one no contest) since returning from a nearly five-year layoff in July 2015.
Xiaonan’s four-fight UFC winning streak in strawweight competition is tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five).
Xiaonan landed 150 significant strikes against Syuri Kondo at UFC Fight Night 141, the single-fight record for a three-round UFC strawweight fight.
Xiaonan has earned all four of her UFC victories by decision.
Ben Sosoli
[autotag]Ben Sosoli[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has had his past two fights result in a no contest.
[autotag]Marcos Rogerio de Lima[/autotag] (16-6-1 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past eight fights. He was defeated in his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN+ 3 in February 2019.
De Lima is 2-1 when competing in UFC heavyweight bouts.
De Lima has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 13 of those wins in Round 1.
[autotag]Magomed Mustafaev[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has earned all 14 of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished all three of his UFC wins by knockout.
Mustafaev is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back kick to the head. Renan Barao and Uriah Hall also accomplished the feat.
[autotag]Zubaira Tukhugov[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) completes 56.5 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC featherweight competition, the second best rate in divisional history behind Diego Brandao (68 percent).
Preliminary card
Jake Matthews
[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) is 4-1 since he moved up to the UFC welterweight division in November 2017.
Matthews defends 71.6 percent of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC welterweight competition, the third best rate in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (73 percent) and Luigi Fioravanti (71.9 percent)
[autotag]Emil Meek[/autotag] (9-4-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since July 22, 2018. The 580-day layoff is the longest of his nearly nine-year career.
Meek enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since December 2016.
Meek has been taken down 17 times in his three UFC appearances.
[autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag] (18-10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), 36, is the oldest of the 26 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
[autotag]Loma Lookboonmee[/autotag] (4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is the only Thai-born fighter in history to earn a UFC victory.
Angela Hill
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (11-7 MMA, 6-7 UFC) competes in her 14th UFC strawweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.
Hill makes her sixth UFC appearance in a 10-month stretch, the most in modern company history within that timeframe.
Hill is 5-5 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.
Hill’s six victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (nine) and Jessica Andrade (seven).
Hill’s two knockout victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Jedrzejczyk for second most in divisional history behind Rose Namajunas (three).
[autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag] (8-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) has suffered three consecutive losses after starting her career 8-0. She hasn’t earned a victory since September 2017.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 event in Auckland, New Zealand.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 event in Auckland, New Zealand.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN+ 26 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 26 takes place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The event streams on ESPN+.
Make your picks for all six main card fights inside:
