With Makhmud Muradov out of UFC 301, Ihor Potieria steps in to face Michel Pereira in Rio

Despite already being booked for another fight, Ihor Potieria will step in on short notice at UFC 301.

Despite already being booked for a fight, [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag] will step in on short notice at UFC 301.

Makhmud Muradov has been forced out of his May 4 middleweight bout against [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] (30-11 MMA, 8-2 UFC) at Rio Arena in Rio de Janeiro (pay-per-view, ESPN+) due to an infection. He will be replaced by Potieria (21-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC), who is currently scheduled to face Shara Magomedov June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Both fighters confirmed the news on social media after an initial report from MMA Mania.

Potieria snapped his two-fight losing skid with a unanimous decision win over Robert Bryczek at UFC Fight Night 236 in February. Meanwhile, Pereira is 2-0 since moving up to middleweight, scoring a first-round TKO of Andre Petroski, followed by a first-round submission of Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 299.

With the change, the latest UFC 301 lineup now includes:

  • Alexandre Pantoja vs. Stephen Erceg – for flyweight title
  • Jose Aldo vs. Jonathan Martinez
  • Caio Borralho vs. Paul Craig
  • Vitor Petrino vs. Anthony Smith
  • Michel Pereira vs. Ihor Poteira
  • Drakkar Klose vs. Joaquim Silva
  • Kevin Borjas vs. Alessandro Costa
  • Dione Barbosa vs. Ernesta Kareckaite
  • Joanderson Brito vs. Jack Shore
  • Elves Brener vs. Myktybek Orolbai
  • William Gomis vs. Jean Silva
  • Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Iasmin Lucindo
  • Ismael Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

UFC 299 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Sean O’Malley’s $42,000 tops card

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 299 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $359,000.

MIAMI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 299 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $359,000.

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 299 took place at Kaseya Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 299 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $21,000;

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Katlyn Cerminara[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Josh Parisian[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Asu Almabaev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joanne Wood[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag]: $11,000

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 2011 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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,362,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,069,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299 video: Michel Pereira choreographs dance party walkout, puts Michal Oleksiejczuk to sleep

Michel Pereira ran through Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 299 after putting on a dance routine during his walk to the octagon in Miami.

MIAMI – [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] danced his way to the cage, then plowed through opponent [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] for a quick win at UFC 299.

The middleweight bout on the prelims at Kaseya Center lasted only 61 seconds as Pereira (30-11 MMA, 8-2 UFC) put Oleksiejczuk (19-7 MMA, 7-5-1 UFC) unconscious with a rear-naked choke.

The submission attempt followed a body punch that visibly hurt Oleksiejczuk, who clutched his midsection and retreated back to the fence. Pereira drilled Oleksiejczuk with knees to the body and clinched. As Oleksiejczuk turned away, Pereira grabbed a choke and dragged the fight to the canvas. Oleksiejczuk was rendered helpless and referee Dan Miragliotta waved off the fight.

Pereira’s biggest highlight may not have even been the finish, however. During his walkout, Pereira and his trainer choreographed a wild dance routine that got the crowd buzzing.

Now riding a seven-fight winning streak, Brazil’s Pereira called for a spot on the May 4 UFC 301 card in Rio.

[lawrence-related id=2693752,2722798]

Up-to-the-minute UFC 299 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Michel Pereira def. Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 299: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Michel Pereira’s first-round submission win over Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 299.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]’s first-round submission win over [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] at UFC 299 at Kaseya Center in Miami. (Fight and venue photos by Sam Navarro, USA Today Sports)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Jan. 8-14)

There were 35 UFC 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.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 8-14.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 230: Is Edson Barboza worthy of UFC Hall of Fame?

Analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 230, including an examination of Edson Barboza’s legacy.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 230 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …

Michel Pereira expected knockout win over Andre Petroski at UFC Fight Night 230

Michel Pereira knocked out Andre Petroski in 66 seconds at UFC Fight Night 230 to win in his move to middleweight after years at 170 pounds.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] beat Andre Petroski with a first-round TKO Saturday on the main card at UFC Fight Night 230 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Pereira, who won in his move to middleweight after spending the first part of his UFC run at welterweight.

UFC Fight Night 230 post-event facts: Edson Barboza sets record for Fight of the Night bonuses

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 230, where Edson Barboza set a new record for most Fight of the Night bonuses.

The UFC’s second event of October got off to a slow start, but UFC Fight Night 230 closed with one of the best fights of the year.

The main event saw [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC) rally from a vicious first-round beatdown to secure a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a thrilling Fight of the Night matchup of ranked featherweights.

Check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from that fight and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 230 card from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

[lawrence-related id=2688153,2687648]

UFC Fight Night 230 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $21 million

UFC Fight Night 230 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 230 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $167,500.

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 230 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 230 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]TJ Brown[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tainara Lisboa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. autotag]Ravena Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brendon Marotte[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melissa Dixon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Irina Alekseeva[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Heili Alateng[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ashley Yoder[/autotag]: $11,000

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 2301 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: $6,651,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,170,00

UFC Fight Night 230 video: Michel Pereira runs through Andre Petroski in 185-pound debut

Michel Pereira needed just 66 seconds to introduce himself to the middleweight division at UFC Fight Night 230.

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag] made a statement in his middleweight debut on Saturday when he steamrolled [autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 230.

After weight-cutting issues forced him up from welterweight, Pereira (28-11 MMA, 7-2 UFC) showed what he’s capable of at maximum efficiency when he landed a massive right hand that dropped Petroski (10-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) before swarming for the TKO stoppage just 66 seconds into the bout at the UFC Apex.

Check out the replay of Pereira’s finish below (via X):

After the fight, Pereira said he plans to remain at 185 pounds, and he wants to make a quick return to the octagon.

“Five canceled fights, I’ve had so much adversity,” Pereira told Michael Bisping through an interpreter during his post-fight interview. “I think I need to stay at middleweight. … I need one more fight. One weeks. Two weeks.”

[lawrence-related id=2687708,2687705]

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 230 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 230.