UFC on ESPN+ 29 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Main event combines for $25k payout

UFC on ESPN+ 29 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fighters from Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $166,000.

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+ 29 took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The entire card streamed ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN+ 29 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sarah Moras[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Hunter Azure[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Ike Villanueva[/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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,764,500
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $32,769,000

Video shows Marvin Vettori, Karl Roberson in hotel altercation after UFC on ESPN+ 29 fight canceled

The video is mostly of Marvin Vettori going on a NSFW tirade as he’s restrained by a UFC security team member.

Things got heated Wednesday at the UFC on ESPN+ 29 host hotel in Jacksonville, Fla.

Emotions boiled over as UFC middleweight [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] got into an altercation with [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] and his team.

A person close to the situation told MMA Junkie the two parties crossed paths as Roberson’s team was ready to check out of the hotel. According to the person, the run-in was not the first the two had had in recent days.

A video posted by nutritionist Matteo Capodaglio (see above) shows Vettori being restrained by UFC security as he yells expletives at Roberson and his team.

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Vettori (14-4-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) and Roberson (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) were supposed to fight at UFC on ESPN+ 29. However, the fight was scrapped after Roberson was hospitalized overnight as a result of cutting weight. On Tuesday, Roberson weighed in at 187.5 pounds – 1.5 over the middleweight limit.

At the ceremonial weigh-ins, Vettori and Roberson engaged in a war of words, which had been preceded by various pre-fight interviews.

UFC on ESPN+ 29 takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card streams on ESPN+.

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Karl Roberson out of UFC on ESPN+ 29 after overnight hospital visit because of weight cut

Karl Roberson vs. Marvin Vettori is off of UFC on ESPN+ 29 for non-COVID-19-related issues.

[autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] is off of UFC on ESPN+ 29.

A person close to the situation told MMA Junkie on Wednesday that Roberson (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) fell ill overnight because of weight-related issues and was taken to a local hospital,  Medical personnel deemed Roberson unfit to compete, so his fight with Vettori (14-3-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) has been canceled. At Tuesday’s weigh-ins, Vettori hit his mark, but Roberson came in 1.5 pounds over the middleweight limit at 187.5.

News of the cancellation was first reported by ESPN and later confirmed in a UFC statement.

“Due to medical issues unrelated to COVID-19 after his weight cut, Karl Roberson has been pulled from his Wednesday bout with Marvin Vettori at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville,” the statement read. “The UFC Fight Night card, headlined by the bout between Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira, will proceed as scheduled with 10 bouts.”

Roberson’s issues are considered to be minor, and doctors believe he should make a full recovery in a few days. A rebooking at a heavier weight on Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 card was discussed by the parties involved but was deemed by the promotion to be too soon.

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Roberson, 29, is coming off back-to-back wins. After defeating Wellington Turman by split decision at UFC on ESPN+ 13 in July, Roberson submitted Roman Kopylov at UFC on ESPN+ 21 in November.

As for Vettori, the 26-year-old Italian fighter is riding a winning streak of his own. At UFC on ESPN+ 13, Vettori defeated Cezar Ferreira by unanimous decision. Three months later, Vettori earned a unanimous decision nod against Andrew Sanchez at UFC on ESPN+ 19.

The UFC on ESPN+ 29 lineup now includes:

  • Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira
  • Ben Rothwell vs. Ovince Saint Preux
  • Drew Dober vs. Alexander Hernandez
  • Ray Borg vs. Ricky Simon
  • Andrei Arlovski vs. Philipe Lins
  • Michael Johnson vs. Thiago Moises
  • Sijara Eubanks vs. Sarah Moras
  • Hunter Azure vs. Brian Kelleher
  • Chase Sherman vs. Ike Villanueva
  • Gabriel Benitez vs. Omar Morales

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Marvin Vettori confident he’ll get ranked opponent with win over Karl Roberson

Marvin Vettori expects to be fighting ranked opponents soon, and plans on using UFC on ESPN+ 29 to force the issue.

[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] thinks it’s time to get an opponent with number next to his name.

The Italian middleweight believes a win at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 event in Jacksonville, Fla. will get him ranked opposition for his next UFC bout. Vettori (14-3-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC), who takes on Karl Roberson in three-round contest in the main card of the event, said bouts with ranked opposition were in the works but the global pandemic got in the way.

“I know that after this fight I’m confident they will give me a ranked opponent,” Vettori said during a virtual media day promoting the event. “I think they tried to schedule me with a ranked opponent before, but they all didn’t accept. I don’t want to name names, I don’t think it’s right, but also because they blamed the situation that they’re in. It’s kind of like you can’t talk too much sh*t about it because they kind of have a point. But I think everybody could prepare if you go the extra mile. You just have to go the extra mile and you just have to find ways to train, be after people, and set up trainings in different ways, but you can get ready if you want to get ready.

“So it is what it is, but they did try to schedule me against top guys, but they were like, ‘Oh no I need a full camp to fight Marvin. Oh no, I can’t train, this and that,’ but that’s a bunch of excuses. Like I said, all these middleweights with a number next to their names they’re all kind of pussies. A lot of them are playing games, but after this they won’t be able to hide anymore and I will get my chance.”

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Vettori is on a two-fight wining streak, with his last defeat coming to current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya via decision.

A the end of the day, the Kings MMA product is just happy to be getting a fight during the pandemic, as two previous bookings fell due to cancelled events by the restrictions and bans for COVID-19.

“I didn’t want to let myself off the hook because I’m on a mission,” Vettori said. “I don’t take this lightly like. ‘Ok, I’m going to fight. Ok, I’m going to make some money, I’m gong to take my time off here.’ This is all I do, that’s why I was like If I get off they’re going to reschedule me for June or July and I’m going to throw away half of the year and I’m just losing time.

“I’m trying to catch those top guys and the belt that’s one of the reasons why I never gave up trying to catch a fight. But yeah, it could be frustrating but at the same time, we have to deal with what we can control.”

Even for Vettori, it was rough to train and prepare for a professional fight in this current climate. Although things weren’t normal and he had two previous booking fall through, Vettori feels prepared for Wednesday night.

“As professional, and I’ve been in this game for a little bit, you have to feel your body and take the right approach to training and know that if you stay on the whole time, you’ll burn out – that’s a fact,” Vettori said. “You can’t get off the hook because then you’ll throw away all the preparation, so yeah, you have to manage that and make adjustments through out, and take the off time that we needed to and make sure we peeked for Wednesday. I think we did a good job for that.”

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Karl Roberson: ‘Overrated or underrated,’ Marvin Vettori getting finished at UFC on ESPN+ 29

Karl Roberson isn’t concerned about whether Marvin Vettori getting rightful credit for UFC on ESPN+ 29.

[autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] said he’s making rapid evolutions to his skillset and believes a different version of himself than what’s ever been seen will show up against [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 29.

Roberson (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has only been fighting professionally in MMA for less than five years. He was a kickboxer prior to that, but wanted to transition to the sport where there was most opportunity. That largely paid off, because he’s won four of six fights thus far and is now set up for a middleweight bout with Vettori (14-4-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) on Wednesday’s card.

After not fighting since November, Roberson said he anticipates a whole new man to show up in the octagon.

“My evolution is pretty drastic,” Roberson said during Monday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 virtual media day. “I’m pretty young in the sport. I started in GLORY kickboxing, then came to UFC. Everybody was like, ‘Oh, he’s a kickboxer – he doesn’t have a ground game.’ Then I started submitting people and now, ‘He’s a grappler.’ No, I’m not a grappler. I’m a mixed martial artist now. I’m coming full circle.

“I’m starting to learn a little more and evolve as a fighter and it’s starting to show. Everyone who has questions, you’re going to see more and more of my evolution. I’m going out there to hurt some of my opponents.”

UFC on ESPN+ 29 takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The entire card streams on ESPN+.

Although Roberson only has one less UFC fight than Vettori, he is certainly the less heralded name of the two. Vettori still has a lot of attention from his closely contested loss to Israel Adesanya, but Roberson said his focus doesn’t come down to track records, but instead what will happen when he gets in the octagon.

“I don’t really care if he’s overrated or underrated,” Roberson said. “I think he’s my opponent and I’m going in there and finish my opponent and make it exciting.”

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UFC on ESPN+ 29 predictions: Is anyone picking Glover Teixeira over Anthony Smith?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN+ 29 main card in Jacksonville, Fla., featuring Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira.

Smith
vs.
Teixeira
Rothwell
vs.
Saint Preux
Dober
vs.
Hernandez
Borg
vs.
Simon
Roberson
vs.
Vettori
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2020: 41-23
smith2020
Smith
(82%)
saintpreux2020
Saint Pruex
(61%)
dober2020
Dober
(52%)
borg2020
Borg
(51%)
vettori2020
Vettori
(64%)
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2020: 49-15
smith2020
Smith
saintpreux2020
Saint Pruex
dober2020
Dober
simon2020
Simon
vettori2020
Vettori
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2020: 48-16
trophy copy 2017 Champion
smith2020
Smith
rothwell2020
Rothwell
hernandez2020
Hernandez
simon2020
Simon
vettori2020
Vettori
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2020: 48-16
smith2020
Smith
saintpreux2020
Saint Pruex
dober2020
Dober
simon2020
Simon
vettori2020
Vettori
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2020: 48-16
smith2020
Smith
rothwell2020
Rothwell
dober2020
Dober
borg2020
Borg
vettori2020
Vettori
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2020: 47-17
trophy copy 2014 Champion
smith2020
Smith
rothwell2020
Rothwell
hernandez2020
Hernandez
borg2020
Borg
roberson2020
Roberson
Simon Head
@simonhead
2020: 47-17
trophy copy 2019 Champion*
smith2020
Smith
rothwell2020
Rothwell
hernandez2020
Hernandez
borg2020
Borg
vettori2020
Vettori
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2020: 47-17
smith2020
Smith
rothwell2020
Rothwell
hernandez2020
Hernandez
borg2020
Borg
vettori2020
Vettori
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2020: 47-17
smith2020
Smith
saintpreux2020
Saint Pruex
hernandez2020
Hernandez
simon2020
Simon
vettori2020
Vettori
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2020: 46-18
trophy copy 2018 Champion
smith2020
Smith
saintpreux2020
Saint Pruex
dober2020
Dober
borg2020
Borg
vettori2020
Vettori
Dave Doyle
@davedoylemma
2020: 45-19
smith2020
Smith
rothwell2020
Rothwell
hernandez2020
Hernandez
borg2020
Borg
roberson2020
Roberson
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2020: 44-20
smith2020
Smith
rothwell2020
Rothwell
dober2020
Dober
borg2020
Borg
roberson2020
Roberson
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2020: 43-21
smith2020
Smith
rothwell2020
Rothwell
hernandez2020
Hernandez
borg2020
Borg
vettori2020
Vettori
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2020: 38-26
smith2020
Smith
saintpreux2020
Saint Pruex
dober2020
Dober
simon2020
Simon
vettori2020
Vettori
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2020: 29-35
smith2020
Smith
saintpreux2020
Saint Pruex
dober2020
Dober
simon2020
Simon
roberson2020
Roberson

The UFC is back with a quick turnaround for its second of three shows in eight days in Florida.

UFC on ESPN+ 29 takes place Wednesday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card streams on ESPN+. The event is closed to fans, but the fights still will take place and will be broadcast with essential personnel on site.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

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In the main event, [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (33-14 MMA, 8-4 UFC) takes on fellow former light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) for the opportunity to stay in contention in the division. Smith is a slight favorite in the fight, but he’s the only unanimous pick on the five-fight main card from our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.

In the co-main event, [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] (37-12 MMA, 7-6 UFC) meets [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (24-13 MMA, 12-8 UFC), who is moving up to heavyweight from 205 pounds for the first time. Saint Preux is a slight favorite in the fight, but it’s Rothwell with an 8-6 lead in the picks from our staff members.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] (22-9 MMA, 8-5 UFC) is a mild favorite in his lightweight fight against [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC). But in the picks, it’s split right down the middle at 7-7.

[autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) often struggled to make the flyweight limit, so the UFC forced his hand to move up to bantamweight to take on [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC). Simon is the favorite, but Borg has the slimmest of leads from our pickers at 8-6.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) is a small favorite at middleweight against [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), but he’s the second biggest favorite on the main card among our pickers with a big 10-4 lead.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Smith (82 percent), Saint Preux (61 percent), Dober (52 percent), Borg (51 percent) and Vettori (64 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira betting odds and viewing guide

Betting odds and viewing guide for Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night card featuring Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira.

[jwplayer ZeQosOyN]

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will get right back at it Wednesday with UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET with the main card set to start at 9 p.m. ET. The full event is available on ESPN+. Below, we look at the BetMGM betting odds for all 11 fights on the UFC Fight Night main card and prelims.

UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira comes on the heels of UFC 249, which saw Justin Gaethje upset Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title.

UFC Fight Night Smith vs. Teixeira betting odds: Main card (9 p.m. ET)

Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM. All lines last updated Monday at 1:30 p.m. ET. *OTB: Off the Board, lines not posted

Anthony Smith (-175) vs. Glover Teixeira (+145)

Light heavyweight bout. No. 3 contender vs. No. 8 contender.

Ben Rothwell (+120) vs. Ovince Saint Preux (-147)

Heavyweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Alexander Hernandez (OTB) vs. Drew Dober (OTB)

Lightweight bout. No. 15 contender vs. unranked.

Ricky Simon (-182) vs. Ray Borg (+150)

Bantamweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Karl Roberson (+145) vs. Marvin Vettori (-175)

Middleweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.


Want to place a bet on UFC Fight Night? Place bets at BetMGM online in CO, IN, NV, NJ and WV! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!


UFC Fight Night Smith vs. Teixeira betting odds: Prelims (6 p.m. ET)

Andrei Arlovski (OTB) vs. Philipe Lins (OTB)

Heavyweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Michael Johnson (-110) vs. Thiago Moises (-110)

Lightweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Sijara Eubanks (-357) vs. Sarah Moras (+275)

Women’s bantamweight bout. No. 15 contender vs. unranked.

Gabriel Benitez (+140) vs. Omar Morales (-172)

Lightweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Hunter Azure (-182) vs. Brian Kelleher (+150)

Featherweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

Chase Sherman (OTB) vs. Isaac Villanueva (OTB)

Heavyweight bout. Unranked vs. unranked.

How/Where can I watch UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira

Where is it? VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville

When is it? Wednesday, May 13 at 9 p.m. ET

How to watch: ESPN+

Get some action on UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira by placing a legal sports bets in Colorado, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey and West Virginia at BetMGM. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook. Please gamble responsibly.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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UFC on ESPN+ 29: Make your predictions for Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira

We want your predictions for Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 event in Jacksonville, Fla.

We want your predictions for Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 event in Jacksonville, Fla.

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 Monday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN+ 29 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 29 takes place Wednesday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:

UFC adds Karl Roberson vs. Marvin Vettori to May 13 event

The UFC has rebooked Karl Roberson vs. Marvin Vettori for its May 13 event in Jacksonville, Fla., according to multiple sources.

For the second time in recent weeks, [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag] and [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] have signed on to fight one another.

Two rising middleweights, Roberson (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Vettori (14-3-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) will fight on May 13 at the second of three events the UFC is holding in a one-week period.

Two people with knowledge of the booking informed MMA Junkie of the news, but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

The two fighters were originally paired up for UFC on ESPN+ 30 this past Saturday after their original matchups at UFC on ESPN+ 29 and UFC 249 fell through due to pandemic-caused travel restrictions.

Roberson, 29, is coming off back-to-back wins. After defeating Wellington Turman by split decision at UFC on ESPN+ 13 in July, Roberson submitted Roman Kopylov at UFC on ESPN+ 21 in November.

As for Vettori, the 26-year-old Italian fighter is riding a winning streak of his own. At UFC on ESPN+ 13, Vettori defeated Cezar Ferreira by unanimous decision. Three months later, Vettori earned a unanimous decision nod against Andrew Sanchez at UFC on ESPN+ 19.

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The event takes place Wednesday, May 13 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card is expected to stream on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

With the addition, the current UFC lineup for May 13 includes:

  • Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira
  • Ben Rothwell vs. Ovince Saint Preux
  • Karl Roberson vs. Marvin Vettori

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