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Markus Perez spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 37 event on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
Markus Perez spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 37 event on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
With Rodolfo Vieira out, former EFC dual-champ Dricus Du Plessis will step in to face Markus Perez at the UFC’s Oct. 10 event.
One of South Africa’s hottest prospects has joined the UFC roster.
With Rodolfo Vieira out due to a rib injury, former EFC dual-champ [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] will step in to face [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag] at the UFC’s Oct. 10 event, which takes place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with multiple people with knowledge of the matchup. The people requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Combate was the first to report the news Thursday.
Du Plessis (14-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has finished all 14 of his pro wins and is coming off a first-round submission of Brendan Lesar last December. In that fight, Du Plessis captured the EFC middleweight title. The 26-year-old is also a former KSW welterweight champion.
Perez (12-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC), a former LFA middleweight champion, has split his past four appearances, with his two wins coming via submission. In his past outing in November, he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Wellington Turman at UFC on ESPN+ 22.
With the addition, the UFC’s Oct. 10 lineup now includes:
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Markuz Perez saw what Khamzat Chimaev did on Saturday, and is now daring him to step into the octagon.
[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]’s finish of Gerald Meerschaert at UFC on ESPN+ 36 caught the attention of many in the MMA community – including UFC middleweight [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag].
Less than 48 hours after Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) flatlined Meerschaert with a 17-second knockout, Perez (12-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) sent a video to MMA Junkie in which he challenged Chimaev to an Oct. 10 matchup.
“I don’t know your name, but you talk a lot of (expletive) for a guy who just got here,” Perez said into the camera. “You (knew) I wanted to fight you and you declined? That’s a bunch of bologna, bro.”
Perez, a former LFA middleweight champion, is in need of an opponent after Rodolfo Vieira (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) withdrew from the matchup. Brazilian outlet Combate was the first to report the news Monday.
Perez, 30, has lost two of his most recent three outings. His two UFC victories have come against Anthony Hernandez and James Bochnovic. In 12 pro victories, Perez holds six finishes.
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Chimaev, 26, is the UFC’s biggest breakout star of 2020. In his three UFC appearances, Chimaev has dominated his opponents en route to three first-round stoppages due to strikes.
UFC president Dana White had indicated Demian Maia was likely in line for Chimaev should he get through Meerschaert. However, at the UFC on ESPN+ 36 post-fight news conference, White indicated Chimaev might fight one more time before the UFC books the Maia fight.
Check out Perez’s callout of Chimaev in the video above.
With Vieira’s withdrawal, the UFC’s Oct. 10 lineup now includes:
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Markus Perez joins the ranks of UFC fighters calling out Khamzat Chimaev
Markus Perez joins the ranks of UFC fighters calling out Khamzat Chimaev
Jiu-jitsu standout Rodolfo Vieira will look to keep his momentum going when he faces Markus Perez this fall.
Jiu-jitsu standout [autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] will look to keep his momentum going this fall.
Vieira (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will face [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in a middleweight matchup at the UFC’s planned event for Oct. 10. No location or name designation has been announced for the event yet.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report by MMA Fighting. The person asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an announcement.
Vieira, an Abu Dhabi Combat Club gold medalist and multiple-time IBJJF champion, remained unbeaten in his last outing when he submitted Saparbeg Safarov at UFC 248 March. He has finished all seven of his pro wins.
Perez has split his past four appearances, but his two wins over James Bochnovic and Anthony Hernandez came by submission. He was scheduled to face Eric Spicely at UFC on ESPN+ 31 this past weekend, but Spicely was forced out due to weight-cut issues. He then drew newcomer Charles Ontiveros, but due to a commission ruling, the fight was canceled.
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Another fighter has been forced off Saturday’s card in Las Vegas.
[autotag]Eric Spicely[/autotag] won’t be fighting at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31.
Rhode Island’s Spicely (12-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) has fallen out his bout for an undisclosed reason after making the trip out to Las Vegas. His opponent, [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC), is expected to remain on the card.
Sources with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the situation but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Spicely, 33, is in his second stint with the promotion. After of a “Fight of the Night” earning loss to Deron Winn in his promotional return, Spicely was expected to fight Brendan Allen in October. However, the Tristar fighter was forced to pull out due to injury.
UFC on ESPN+ 31 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card streams on ESPN+ after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
With the change, the UFC on ESPN+ 31 lineup includes:
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The UFC is working on Markus Perez vs. Eric Spicely for a yet-to-be-announced event on Aug. 1.
The UFC is booking bouts fast and furiously – so much so that they are already working on fights for the August schedule.
The promotion is currently targeting a middleweight matchup between [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag] and [autotag]Eric Spicely[/autotag] for Aug. 1.
Currently, Perez (12-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) vs. Spicely (12-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC) is the only known bout for the Aug. 1 event, which has not been formally announced. There is no known location for the card at this time.
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking on Saturday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The news was first reported by MMA Fighting.
Perez, 29, has alternated losses and wins since his UFC debut in December 2017. Losing his debut to Eryk Anders, Perez rebounded with a submission win over James Bochnivic. Since then, Perez has bookended a submission win over Anthony Hernandez with unanimous decision losses to Andrew Sanchez and Wellington Turman.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the UFC schedule, Perez was scheduled to fight April 11 in Portland, Oreg. against Alessio Di Chirico. However, the event was ultimately canceled.
Spicely, 33, has been booked for three fights since his UFC return in June 2018. All three books failed to come to fruition. In his promotional return fight, Spicely, a submission specialist, pushed his ground abilities to the side against Deron Winn. While losing the fight, Spicely earned a $50,000 performance bonus for “Fight of the Night.”
Prior to the pandemic outbreak, Spicely was expected to fight March 28 in Columbus, Ohio against Roman Kopylov. However, the event was ultimately canceled.
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Jan Blachowicz and two others are looking at hefty medical suspensions after UFC Sao Paulo.
Three fighters, including headliner [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag], are looking at hefty medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN+ 22.
Blachowicz, who appeared to injure his left foot in his five-round victory over Ronaldo Souza, will need to get clearance on both feet in order to return to in-cage competition. Blachowicz is tentatively suspended 180 days, with a minimum of 30 days and no contact for 21 days.
[autotag]Sergio Moraes[/autotag] and [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag], the lone fighters to suffer knockout losses on the card, are facing similar suspensions. Moraes, who suffered a third-round knockout loss to James Krause, will be suspended 180 days or until he’s cleared by a neurologist.
Gordon, who was brutally finished early in the first round by Charles Oliveira, was suspended 180 days or until he’s cleared by a otolaryngologist (ENT).
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Check out the full list of UFC on ESPN+ 22 medical suspensions, per a CABMMA record acquired by MMA Fighting.
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All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 22, which took place in Sao Paulo, and saw Jan Blachowicz beat Ronaldo Souza.
The UFC made its final stop in Brazil this year on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 22, which went down at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo with a 12-fight card that streamed entirely on ESPN+.
[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] (25-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) continued to build momentum as a light heavyweight contender in the main event when he entered enemy territory and defeated Brazil’s own [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) by split decision.
For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 40 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 22.
* * * *
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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $192,000.
Debuting fighters went 2-2 at the event.
[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag], [autotag]James Krause[/autotag], [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag] and [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 22 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 22 drew an announced attendance of 10,344. No live gate was reveled for the card.
Betting favorites went 10-1 on the card. One fight ended in a draw.
Betting favorites improved to 20-17 (one fight had even odds, one ended in a no contest) in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:36:04.
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Blachowicz improved to 6-1 in his past seven UFC appearances dating back to October 2017. The only defeat in that stretch came to Thiago Santos.
Blachowicz has earned four of his eight UFC victories by decision.
Souza suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since November 2018.
Souza was unsuccessful in his light heavyweight debut.
Souza has suffered four of his five UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (26-11-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC) vs. [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (12-4-1 MMA, 4-5-1 UFC) ended in the third split draw UFC result of 2019.
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Oliveira (28-8 MMA, 16-8 UFC) improved to 7-1 since he returned to the UFC lightweight division April 2017. He’s 9-3 (with one no contest) in the organization at 155 pounds.
Oliveira’s six-fight UFC winning streak at lightweight is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Tony Ferguson (12) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (11).
Oliveira’s six-fight UFC stoppage streak is the longest active streak in the company.
Oliveira’s 15 stoppage victories in UFC competition are second most in company history behind Donald Cerrone (16).
Oliveira has been awarded 15 fight-night bonuses for UFC bouts, the tied with Nate Diaz and Joe Lauzon for second most in company history behind Cerrone (18).
Oliveira has been awarded nine “Performance of the Night” bonuses, the most in company history.
[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) fell to 1-3 in his past four fights dating back to February 2014.
Gordon has suffered all four of his career losses by knockout.
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[autotag]Andre Muniz[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) improved to 13-1 in his past 14 fights dating back to February 2014.
[autotag]Antonio Arroyo[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past six fights.
Perez has suffered all three of his career losses by decision.
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Krause (27-7 MMA, 8-3 UFC) extended his UFC winning streak to six. He hasn’t suffered an octagon defeat since February 2016.
Krause improved to 4-0 in the UFC when competing at welterweight.
[autotag]Sergio Moraes[/autotag]’ (14-6-1 MMA, 8-5-1 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2018.
Moraes has suffered all three of his career stoppage losses by knockout.
Krause landed a knockdown for the first time in his UFC career.
Ramos (14-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) was successful in his featherweight debut.
[autotag]Eduardo Garagorri[/autotag] (13-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his 13-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
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[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]’s (24-7 MMA, 14-6 UFC) 12 UFC victories in Brazil are the most in company history.
[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (24-10-1 MMA, 5-5-1 UFC) fell to 1-5 (with one no contest) in his past seven fights dating back to November 2014.
Green has suffered four of his five UFC losses by decision.
[autotag]Warlley Alves[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) suffered the first submission loss of his career.
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[autotag]Douglas Silva de Andrade[/autotag] (26-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC featherweight division.
De Andrade has earned three of his four UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag]’s (34-9 MMA, 9-8 UFC) five-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since September 2016.
Barao fell to 2-8 in his past 10 fights after going on a 33-fight unbeaten streak that lasted more than nine years.
[autotag]Isabella de Padua[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of her career.
[autotag]Vanessa Melo[/autotag] (10-7 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered six of her seven career losses by decision. That includes both of her UFC defeats.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN+ 22 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+ 22 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $192,000.
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+ 22 took place Saturday at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. The entire card streamed ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 22 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]: $15,000
vs. [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $5,000
[autotag]Andre Muniz[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Antonio Arroyo[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]James Krause[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Sergio Moraes[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Eduardo Garagorri[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Warlley Alves[/autotag]: $10,000
[autotag]Douglas Silva de Andrade[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag]: $15,000
[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Isabella de Padua[/autotag]: $3,500
[autotag]Tracy Cortez[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Vanessa Melo[/autotag]: $3,500
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 2019 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $6,703,000
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $30,337,000
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