UFC 302 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Islam Makhachev’s $42,000 tops card

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 302 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $218,500.

NEWARK, N.J. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 302 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $281,500.

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 302 took place at Prudential Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 302 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bassil Hafez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mitch Raposo[/autotag]: $4,000

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: $3,264,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,001,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Andre Lima def. Mitch Raposo at UFC 302: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Andre Lima’s split decision win over Mitch Raposo at UFC 302 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag]’s split decision win over [autotag]Mitch Raposo[/autotag] at UFC 302 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (Fight and venue photos by Joe Camporeale, USA Today Sports)

Mitch Raposo steps into UFC 302 for debut vs. Andre Lima

Top prospect Mitch Raposo has signed with the UFC and will debut June 1 in Newark, N.J. at UFC 302.

[autotag]Mitch Raposo[/autotag] can now call himself a UFC fighter.

On less than two weeks notice, Raposo (9-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will step in opposite [autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC 302, which takes place June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Raposo replaces [autotag]Nyamjargal Tumendemberel[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who withdrew from the fight due to visa issues.

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

Raposo, 25, is “The Ultimate Fighter 29” alumnus who also appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021. Raposo dropped his DWCS bout to Jake Hadley by unanimous decision, but regained momentum once he revisited the regional scene with four wins, four finishes, and two title clinches for CES MMA and Cage Titans.

Lima, 25, was quickly rebooked after a victorious and bizarre promotional debut in March during which his opponent Igor Severino bit him and was disqualified. Severino was cut from the UFC as a result and later apologized. Lima tattooed the bite mark on his arm hours after the fight, but also advocated Severino should get a second chance.

With the change, the UFC 302 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier – for lightweight title
  • Paulo Costa vs. Sean Strickland
  • Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov
  • Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
  • Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
  • Alex Morono vs. Niko Price
  • Jake Matthews vs. Phil Rowe

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2/ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Joselyne Edwards vs. Ailin Perez
  • Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez
  • Andre Lima vs. Mitch Raposo

For more on the cards, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

On the Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make UFC with November wins

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC gloves.

Every champion in MMA history started out somewhere.

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey begins long before they strap on UFC, Bellator or PFL gloves. Modern-era fighters progress through the regional ranks with hopes of accomplishing the highest accolades. Many will try, few will succeed.

This month, five fighters on the verge of achieving major promotion notoriety – one for the second time – return to the cage for what could be their stepping-stone fight. There are dozens of fighters close to making the jump in the coming weeks, but these five are particularly exemplary.

  • Erin Blanchfield’s main training partner continues down a similar path with major UFC aspirations on her mind.
  • A surging Brazilian returns from a two-year hiatus following a victory on Dana White’s Contender Series – and hopes one more win has the UFC CEO circling back.
  • A California-based flyweight aims to make his first LFA title defense a successful one and a UFC ticket-puncher.
  • One of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the Australia-New Zealand regional scene looks to add another name to his resume and generate a UFC call thereafter.
  • A New England-based fighter, who is an alum of both “The Ultimate Fighter” and Dana White’s Contender Series angles to show he’s finally UFC ready.

‘The Ultimate Fighter 29’ rosters announced, season premiere date revealed

Meet the 16 contestants chosen for the relaunch of the UFC reality series.

“The Ultimate Fighter” is officially back.

After years of UFC president Dana White repeatedly stating the reality series would eventually relaunch, the wheels are fully in motion. The 16 selected bantamweights and middleweights have made their way to Las Vegas for pre-season medicals.

With taping set to begin soon, the promotion announced the season’s full roster during the UFC on ESPN 22 broadcast Saturday. The first episode is set to stream June 1 on ESPN+.

TUF 29 will be coached by UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and his next title challenger, [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC). The two will square off following the conclusion of the season, in a rebooking of their canceled UFC 260 matchup.

Scroll below for the full TUF 29 bantamweight and middleweight rosters:

Bantamweights

10 flyweights you can expect to see on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 4

The return of Dana White’s Contender Series isn’t far off, and here are 10 flyweights who are candidates to appear on the show.

Dana White’s Contender Series has become a focal point for fighters on the regional scene. Since its inception in 2017, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.

With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cageside, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting win on the show, and you’re in.

Rumored for a late-June start date, DWCS Season 4 is almost here. The lineups haven’t been announced quite yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll be narrowing each divisional pool to 10 fighters you should expect to see on the show this summer.

Up next, the flyweights…

* * * *

Image via LFA

Jeffrey Molina

Record: 7-2
Age: 22
Height: 5’6″
Birthplace:
Lakewood, N.J.

When it comes to in-cage appearances, [autotag]Jeffrey Molina[/autotag] is one of the most experienced 22-year-old fighters in all of MMA. The Glory MMA and Fitness product is one of the gym’s secret weapons, having won six straight fights. With a 100 percent finishing rate, Molina brings a kill-or-be-killed savvy to the flyweight division. In his most recent fight in February, Molina choked out 16-fight veteran Kenny Porter. There aren’t a ton of top flyweights on the regional scene, so true tests will be few and far between. Worst-case scenario, Molina gets on DWCS and loses. There’s no harm in that. It’ll be win or learn. One thing is for sure, though: Someday Molina will be in the UFC. The sky is the limit.

Image via LFA

Richard Palencia

Record: 7-0
Age: 30
Height: 5’7″
Birthplace:
Phoenix

It’s been a slow burn for [autotag]Richard Palencia[/autotag], but he’s starting to finally turn some heads. Since his professional debut in 2015, Palencia has competed for LFA, Combate Americas, and RITC, among other promotions. Training under John Crouch and Co. at The MMA Lab in Phoenix, Palencia is consistently getting reps against top-tier training partners. To date, Palencia has passed all tests put in front of him. Now it’s time for a step up in competition on Season 4 of DWCS.

More fighters on the next page: