Main event winner Alistair Overeem took home a sizable purse as the top earner from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event.
Main event participants [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] and [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag] were among the top earners on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 8.
Monday, MMA Junkie obtained a list of disclosed UFC on ESPN 8 salaries from the Florida State Boxing Commission, who oversaw Saturday night’s event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Overeem (46-18 MMA, 11-7 UFC) produced a comeback victory in the headliner, rallying to stop Harris (13-8 MMA, 6-7 UFC) with a second-round TKO. “The Reem” was the highest earner on the card, netting $400,000 in disclosed pay.
Check out a full list of the UFC on ESPN 8 salaries below:
Alistair Overeem: $400,000
def. Walt Harris: $75,000
The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, including the official UFC on ESPN 8 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special discretionary bonuses the UFC sometimes pays. They also do not include pay-per-view cuts that some top-level fighters receive.
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 8, which saw Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris in Jacksonville, Fla.
The UFC’s third event in an eight-day stretch went down on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 8, which took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and aired on ESPN.
In the main event, [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (46-18 MMA, 11-7 UFC) rallied from an early deficit to stop [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 6-7 UFC) by second-round TKO to advance his position in the heavyweight division.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 40 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 8.
[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag], [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag], [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] and [autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 8 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN 8 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 7-3 on the card. One fight had even odds.
Betting favorites fell to 5-6 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 1:54:38.
Main card
Alistair Overeem def. Walt Harris
Overeem became the 11th heavyweight in UFC history to earn 11 heavyweight victories.
Overeem has earned 41 of his 46 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his 11 UFC wins.
Harris fell to 6-5 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in April 2016.
[autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag]’s (18-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) seven victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10).
Gadelha has earned six of her seven UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (12-8 MMA, 6-8 UFC) fell to 6-6 since she returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2017.
Hill’s three knockout victories in UFC strawweight competition are with Rose Namajunas for most in divisional history.
Hill has suffered six of her eight career losses by decision.
Hill’s eight losses in UFC competition are most for any female in company history.
[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]’s (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is tied with Alexander Volkanovski and Zabit Magomedsharipov for the second longest active streak behind Arnold Allen (seven).
[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 14-9 UFC) was unsuccessful in his featherweight debut.
Barboza fell to 1-5 in his past six fights dating back to December 2017.
[autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has earned eight of his nine UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) fell to 3-5 in his past eight fights after starting his career on a 10-fight winning streak.
Anders has suffered four of his five career losses by decision.
Vera (15-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) has suffered all six of his career losses by decision.
Preliminary card
Miguel Baeza def. Matt Brown
Baeza (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned seven of his nine career victories by stoppage. He’s finished all of those wins by knockout.
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] (22-17 MMA, 15-11 UFC) fell to 3-6 in his past nine bouts after going on a seven-fight UFC winning streak from 2012-2014.
Brown’s eight stoppage losses in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Tim Boetsch (nine).
[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.
[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]’ (24-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2018.
Elkins fell to 13-7 since he dropped to the UFC featherweight division in June 2011.
Elkins’ total fight time of 4:24:04 in UFC featherweight competition is second most in divisional history behind Max Holloway (4:32:00).
Elkins’ 41 takedowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Dennis Bermudez (46).
Cortney Casey
Casey (9-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) was successful in her women’s flyweight debut.
Casey has earned seven of her nine career victories by stoppage. That includes three of her five UFC wins.
[autotag]Mara Romero Borella[/autotag]’s (12-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) three-fight losing skid is tied for the longest of her career. She hasn’t earned a victory since February 2019.
Borella fell to 1-4 in his past five UFC appearances dating back to January 2018.
Borella suffered her first submission loss since Apr. 12, 2014 – a span of 2,226 days (more than six years) and 20 fights.
Borella has completed at least one takedown against all six of her UFC opponents.
[autotag]Rodrigo Nascimento[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag] (6-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by stoppage.
Mayes has suffered both of his UFC losses by submission.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
UFC on ESPN 8 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $184,500.
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 on ESPN 8 took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The card aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 8 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 8 event.
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 8 went with as their backing tracks in Jacksonville, Fla.
Miguel Baeza survives early scare, stops Matt Brown in the second round of their welterweight contest at UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Fla.
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[autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] still is undefeated.
Baeza (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) picked up a second-round knockout at UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Fla., and stopped seasoned veteran [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] 18 seconds into the second round.
The welterweight bout closed out the UFC on ESPN 8 preliminary card at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
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It was a high-paced fight right off the bat with both fighters active on the feet. Deep into the first round, Brown (22-16 MMA, 15-10 UFC) landed a solid combination that wobbled Baeza and had him leaning against the cage. Baeza did a good job recovering, but Brown stayed on him and managed to hurt him again.
Just when it looked like it was Brown’s round, Baeza dropped him with a right hand and jumped into his half guard. Brown was able to get on his feet and fight back just before the end of the first.
Entering the second, Baeza brought all the momentum he picked up at the end of Round 1. The 27-year-old connected with a left hook on Brown and stopped him with follow-up strikes.
Baeza, who trains out of MMA Masters in Miami, now is 2-0 in the promotion after a successful UFC debut in October 2019. Brown’s two-fight winning streak came to a halt with the defeat. The 39-year-old is 2-4 in his past six bouts.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 8 results include:
Miguel Baeza def. Matt Brown via knockout (strikes) – Round 2, 0:18
The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 8, which features an Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris main event.
The final event in the UFC’s three-card stretch upon resuming operations from the coronavirus pandemic goes down Saturday with UFC on ESPN 8, which takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and airs on ESPN.
The 11-fight lineup is topped by a heavyweight matchup. After several failed bookings, [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (45-18 MMA, 10-7 UFC) will finally fight [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 6-6 UFC) in a matchup of contenders looking to take a step toward a championship fight.
The card has plenty more to offer too, though. For more on the numbers, check below for 55 pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 8.
* * * *
Main event
Alistair Overeem
Overeem, 39, is the oldest of the 22 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Overeem is one of 11 fighters in UFC history to earn 10 or more heavyweight wins.
Overeem has earned 40 of his 45 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his 10 UFC wins.
Overeem lands 73.4 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC competition, the highest rate in company history.
Overeem has been on the losing end of the fifth and sixth largest statistical comeback finishes in UFC heavyweight history. He out-landed Antonio Silva by 30 significant strikes before being knocked out at UFC 156, and he out-landed Travis Browne by 27 significant strikes before his demise at UFC Fight Night 26
Overeem’s 14 knockout losses in MMA competition are the most of any active member on the UFC roster.
Overeem’s 12 knockout losses in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are the most in combined organizational history.
Walt Harris
Harris is 6-4 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in April 2016.
Harris has earned all 13 of his career victories by knockout.
Harris’ 12-second knockout of Aleksei Oleinik at UFC on ESPN 4 is the third fastest in UFC heavyweight history. Todd Duffee holds the record with a seven-second finish at UFC 102.
Harris defends 61.6 percent of all opponent significant strike attempts in UFC heavyweight competition, the highest rate among active fighters in the weight class.
Co-main event
Claudia Gadelha
[autotag]Claudia Gadelha[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) six victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for fifth most in divisional history. Joanna Jedrzejczyk holds the record with 10.
Gadelha has alternated wins and losses over her past five fights. She won her most recent bout at UFC 239 in July.
Gadelha’s 33 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Carla Esparza (34).
Gadelha has been awarded three fight-night bonuses for UFC strawweight bouts, tied for the third most in divisional history behind Jessica Andrade (six), Rose Namajunas (four) and Jedrzejczyk (four).
Angela Hill
[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) competes in her 15th UFC strawweight bout, the most appearances in divisional history.
Hill is the only female fighter to earn two UFC victories in 2020.
Hill is 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 Andrade and Esparza for second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).
Hill’s two knockout victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind Namajunas (three).
Remaining main card
Edson Barboza
[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 14-8 UFC) drops to the featherweight division for the first time after making his previous 22 UFC appearances at lightweight.
Barboza is 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to December 2017.
Barboza’s seven knockout victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied with Melvin Guillard for most in divisional history.
Barboza’s 10 knockdowns landed in UFC lightweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Guillard (13) and Donald Cerrone (11).
Barboza is the only fighter in UFC history with knockout finishes stemming from a head kick, body punch, body kick, leg kicks and flying knee.
Barboza’s five knockout victories stemming from kicks and knees in UFC competition are the second most in company history behind Cerrone (seven).
Barboza is the only fighter in UFC history to earn two knockout victories stemming from leg kicks. He used them to stop Rafaello Oliveira at UFC 162 and Mike Lullo at UFC 123.
[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]’s (13-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak in featherweight competition is the fourth longest active streak behind Arnold Allen (seven), Zabit Magomedsharipov (six) and Alexander Volkanovski (six).
[autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) has earned seven of his eight UFC victories by decision.
Jotko defends 86 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC middleweight competition, the second highest rate in divisional history behind Israel Adesanya (86.5 percent).
[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC), 22, is the youngest of the 22 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Marlon Vera
[autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]’s (15-5-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is the second longest active streak in the division behind Petr Yan (six).
Vera’s five-fight UFC stoppage streak is the second longest active streak in the company behind Charles Oliveira (seven).
Vera has earned eight of his nine UFC victories by stoppage.
Vera’s seven stoppage victories in UFC bantamweight competition are tied with Urijah Faber for second most in divisional history behind T.J. Dillashaw (eight).
Preliminary card
Matt Brown
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] (22-16 MMA, 15-10 UFC) competes in his 26th UFC welterweight bout, tied with Thiago Alves for the most appearances in divisional history.
Brown’s 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (16).
Brown’s 13 stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Brown’s 11 knockout victories in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Vitor Belfort (12).
Brown’s 11 knockout victories in welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Brown lands 54.3 of his significant strike attempts in UFC welterweight competition, the second best rate in divisional history behind Gunnar Nelson (56.8 percent).
Brown’s 24 submission attempts in UFC welterweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Chris Lytle (31).
[autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is one of nine fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from leg kicks. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN+ 19.
[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is the only fighter in UFC history to earn a victory and suffer a loss by anaconda choke submission.
Darren Elkins
[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag] (24-8 MMA, 14-7 UFC) competes in his 20th UFC featherweight bout, tied with Max Holloway for the appearances in divisional history.
Elkins’ three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since January 2018.
Elkins’ total fight time of 4:09:04 in UFC featherweight competition is second most in divisional history behind Holloway (4:32:00).
Elkins has landed 1,770 total strikes in UFC featherweight competition, the second most in divisional history behind Holloway (1,902).
Elkins’ 13 UFC featherweight victories are second most in divisional history behind Holloway (16).
Elkins’ 40 takedowns landed in UFC featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Dennis Bermudez (46).
Elkins’ 21 submission attempts in UFC featherweight competition are the most in divisional history.
[autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] (8-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since Feb. 17, 2019. The 454-day layoff is the longest of her neatly seven-year career.
Casey moves up to the women’s flyweight division after spending her previous 10 UFC appearances at strawweight.
Casey is 1-3 in her past four fights since January 2017.
Casey’s six losses in UFC competition are tied for most among female fighters in company history.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
The UFC has revived the welterweight matchup between Matt Brown and Miguel Baeza.
The UFC has revived a welterweight matchup between [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag].
Brown (22-16 MMA, 15-10 UFC) vs. Baeza (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will now take place Saturday, May 16 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card will air on ESPN/ESPN+.
The fight was originally scheduled for March 28 in Columbus, Ohio, but the event was postponed and later cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Monday, the UFC announced the rebooking on Instagram.
Brown, 39, made a triumphant return at UFC 245 in December when he defeated Ben Saunders by second-round knockout. Prior to that, Brown spent more than a year rehabbing his knee after he suffered a torn ACL in early 2018.
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As for Baeza, the 27-year-old returns to action on the heels of a successful UFC debut. In October, Baeza made his first UFC walk, then defeated Hector Aldana by second-round TKO.
With the addition, the May 16 UFC lineup includes:
For now, the MMA world is left without fights. But Saturday night, we’ve got something unique for you.
MMA Junkie Radio hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” built a fight card with some intriguing matchups, and they’ll host a watch-along event on SportsCastr with commentary during the simulated fights.
The live stream goes down at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), when your hosts will break down the simulated fights and discuss the simulated results.
The simulated card includes:
[autotag]Dan Henderson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]
[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag]
[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag]
Bummed out by two previous cancellations, Matt Brown still would love to fight Carlos Condit.
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] has fought a who’s who at 170 pounds, which is why he was a little surprised with his last fight booking.
Brown (22-16 MMA, 15-10 UFC) was scheduled to face “Dana White’s Contender Series” graduate Miguel Baeza at UFC on ESPN 8 before the promotion was forced to cancel the March 28 event due to growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.
Not one to turn down fights, Brown accepted the matchup but admitted the UFC’s choice of opponent was somewhat unexpected given his level of experience.
“Yeah, I was a little surprised,” Brown told MMA Junkie. “I was a little thrown off by it. I haven’t been offered a young up-and-comer like that for a long time. I’ve fought veterans and top-10 guys so, yeah, it threw me off a little bit. But I’ve never turned down a fight (and) wasn’t about to, so you just gotta do what you gotta do.”
Uncertain of his next move, Brown said he’d love to fight former interim welterweight champion [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag] next. The pair have been booked to face off twice before – once in 2013 and again in 2018 – but Brown was forced out of both matchups due to injury.
“Oh, absolutely,” he said. “I mean, me and Carlos, we’ve been on this path, these parallel paths and just, for whatever reason, things have happened every time, and (we’ve) not got to fight each other. So, yeah, I think that would be a great fight for the fans, too. I think all the fans would love to see that. I just don’t know where he’s at in his career. I know he’s had a lot of health issues lately, so who knows?”
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Currently on an eight-fight contract with the UFC, Brown returned after a two-year layoff last December to score a second-round knockout over Ben Saunders at UFC 245.
There are plenty of exciting fight permutations for the always game Brown, including matchups that he’d love an opportunity to run back. But he certainly won’t beg for them.
“Well, I guess specifically ‘Cowboy,’ because he knocked me out, and that’s the only time I’ve ever been knocked out,” Brown said. “I don’t like getting knocked out. I’d like to knock him out. I think I could have had a better performance against Demian Maia. I don’t know if he’s at the point in his career where he would do a rematch, and I wouldn’t mind going back against (Robbie) Lawler again, too. I thought I won that fight the first time, and I think that we put on a hell of a fight, a hell of a show, and I just think that, matchup-wise, it makes sense.
“But again, I’m not that guy to go begging for rematches. You get your 15 minutes, and that’s your chance. That’s the way this (expletive) works, and I hate it when people do that to me. They’re out begging for rematches, and I’m like, ‘Dude, you had your time.'”
Matt Brown says there’s a chance he had COVID-19 ahead of the postponement of UFC on ESPN 8 last month.
[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] revealed he battled sickness before the plug was pulled on UFC on ESPN 8 in Columbus, OH. – and said he may even have had coronavirus.
Brown (22-16 MMA, 15-10 UFC) was scheduled to face Miguel Baeza on March 28 but, due to the growing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC canceled the event.
Prior to that cancellation, Brown found himself fighting his own battle to make it to the octagon after contracting a major illness that he says may actually have been coronavirus.
“Yeah it was crazy, because I think I might have had coronavirus,” Brown told MMA Junkie. “I was definitely ultra sick, like the sickest I’d ever been in my life. I was a different sick than I had ever been. I was sick for a whole month and then I was just starting to get good, and you start hearing about the coronavirus (and) start hearing about the card potentially getting canceled, so I was just starting to get into my groove of training again.
“I had a whole month where it was just a complete mess, trying to get to the gym. Just kind of everyday thinking to myself, do I go train through the sickness or do I keep resting and try to recover from it? Then, finally, I said I was feeling good. I don’t know, maybe it was corona, maybe not, but I was certainly extremely sick for a long time so it turned into a real nightmare trying to get back into training and then not even knowing if I needed to train. But I pretty much train all the time, so it wasn’t a huge problem one way or another.”
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Though Brown had no intention of pulling out of the fight, matters were taken out of his hands when the event was postponed. Now, “The Immortal” admits he’s unsure what’s next for him.
“I haven’t really heard much of anything,” Brown said. “I know I did talk with the UFC about some other matchups, but nothing ever came to fruition, so I’m not sure what’s gonna happen.”
