UFC 291 pre-event facts: Dustin Poirier brings flawless rematch record to ‘BMF’ title fight

The best facts about UFC 291, which includes the historic resumes of Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson, Derrick Lewis, and more.

The UFC returns to Salt Lake City on Saturday for the third time in company history with a loaded UFC 291 event, which takes place at Delta Center with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

The main event will see the reintroduction of the “BMF” title, with former interim UFC lightweight champs [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (29-7 MMA, 21-6 UFC) and [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) set to meet in a rematch of their 2018 Fight of the Year, which Poirier won by fourth-round TKO.

In addition to the pair of fan favorites colliding in the headliner, a number of notables are slated for the rest of the lineup. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 291.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 3-9)

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 or officially announced by a promotion from July 3-9.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 29-June 4)

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 or officially announced by a promotion from May 29-June 4.

UFC Fight Night 222 post-event facts: Sergei Pavlovich makes history with first-round KO streak

Sergei Pavlovich is firmly in the UFC record books after extending his first-round KO streak against Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 222.

The octagon was back in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday for UFC Fight Night 222, and a new heavyweight contender emerged from the main event.

[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) made history when he recorded a modern company record sixth consecutive first-round knockout, this time against his most decorated opponent to date in fellow contender [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC).

Pavlovich has put his mark on the record books of the promotion, and for more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 222.

UFC Fight Night 222 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $17 million

UFC Fight Night 222 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 222 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $181,500.

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 Fight Night 222 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 222 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000
vs. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brogan Walker[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jeremiah Wells[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Glenn[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rani Yahya[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Junior Tafa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]William Gomis[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Danaa Batgerel[/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 2221 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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,411,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $17,000,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 222.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (March 13-19)

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 March 13-19.

UFC Fight Night 216 post-event facts: Drew Dober ties Dustin Poirier’s knockout record

Drew Dober tied Dustin Poirier for the most knockout wins in UFC lightweight history with his finish of Bobby Green at UFC Vegas 66.

The UFC closed out its 2022 schedule on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 216, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The main event of the 42nd and final fight card of the year saw [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) squeak out a split decision win over [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) in a matchup of middleweight contenders.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 216.

UFC Fight Night 216 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: How much was paid in 2022 total?

UFC Fight Night 216 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 216 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $204,500.

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 Fight Night 216 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 216 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cheyanne Vlismas[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Saidyokub Kakhramonov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Hayisaer Maheshate[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]David Dvorak[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sergey Morozov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Journey Newson[/autotag]: $4,500

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 2167 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2161 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: $8,351,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,529,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.

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UFC Fight Night 216 video: Hear from each winner backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 216 winners had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 216 takes place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex.

You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 216 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

UFC Fight Night 216 pre-event facts: Drew Dober can tie Dustin Poirier’s lightweight KO record

Check out the numbers behind UFC Fight Night 216, the promotion’s 2022 finale where Drew Dober could tie Dustin Poirier’s record for most lightweight knockouts.

The UFC will put a bow on its 2022 calendar Saturday with UFC Fight Night 216, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.

A matchup of middleweight contenders will mark the final UFC bout of the year. [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) and [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) will attempt to rebound from their July losses when they meet in a five-round bout that will put the winner back on the title path.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC Fight Night 216.