UFC on ESPN 46 post-event facts: Jared Cannonier, Marvin Vettori set striking records in main event

The UFC on ESPN 46 main event between Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori set a new bar for strikes landed in a middleweight bout.

UFC on ESPN 46 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas proved to be a historic night.

The main event saw [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) emerge from a key matchup of former middleweight title challengers with a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] (19-7-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC) in which he set a new single-fight record for most significant strikes landed in a divisional contest.

The Fight of the Night delivered, but for more numbers on the entire card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 46.

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UFC on ESPN 46 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Marvin Vettori’s $16,000 tops card

UFC on ESPN 46 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 on ESPN 46 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $140,000.

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 46 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 46 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Christian Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lucas Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,000
def [autotag]Jimmy Flick[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Cristian Quinonez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Denys Bondar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tereza Bleda[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gabriella Fernandes[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Ronnie Lawrence[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Zac Pauga[/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 $46,000 while title challengers get $46,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-46 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,790,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $18,379,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 46.

UFC on ESPN 46 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC on ESPN 46 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 46 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC on ESPN 46 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 46.

16 former UFC fighters who could return to the promotion in 2023

It’s hard to make it to the UFC once, let alone a second time, but these fighters have a chance in 2023.

It’s hard to make it to the UFC.

Thousands of professional fighters try every year – and most fail. For a small percentage, however, they sign their names on the dotted line to fight for the biggest MMA promotion in the world.

Sometimes the opportunity comes a bit too soon. Other times, they’re faced with difficult matchups that time proves were bigger challenges than originally anticipated.

When the pink slip comes and a fighter departs the promotion, there is often a phrase they hear on the way out: “Go get a few more wins, and the UFC will consider bringing you back.”

Easier said than done.

For the vast majority, they won’t be back. However, it’s not impossible. A number of fighters have done it over the years. Just look at UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno. He was released from the promotion, built his way back, became a contender, and then won a UFC title.

In recent memory, others like Brandon Davis, Jesse Ronson, Nicolas Dalby, Chase Sherman, Sean Soriano, and Dustin Jacoby have reinforced the possibility.

With the new year upon us, here are 16 former UFC fighters who could return to the promotion in 2023.

Note: Fighters considered for this list had to have competed in at least one UFC bout.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (April 17-23)

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 April 17-23.

UFC 284 medical suspensions: Yair Rodriguez, Josh Emmett among lengthiest terms

Five fighters, including both co-main event participants, were suspended six months for injuries sustained Down Under at UFC 284.

Five fighters face 180-day medical suspensions as a result of injuries sustained at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia.

On Monday, the Combat Sports Commission of Western Australia publicly published a full list of medical suspensions. While the commission discloses the duration of the suspensions, it does not reveal specifics of fighters’ injuries.

Co-main event participants [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] and [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] were among the five fighters who received six-months suspensions, the longest term given to any fighters on the card.

UFC 284 took place Feb. 11 at RAC Arena and was headlined by a lightweight title fight between Islam [autotag]Makhachev[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag].

See below to check out the medical suspensions given to each fighter. It’s important to note fighters can return sooner than the conclusion of the suspension listed if they are cleared by a doctor beforehand.

Modestas Bukauskas details fairytale UFC return that culminated with Tyson Pedro win

Modestas Bukauskas was cut from the UFC with three straight losses, but won a title elsewhere, got asked back on short notice and delivered.

PERTH, Australia – [autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag] beat Tyson Pedro with a unanimous decision Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC 284 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Take a look inside the fight with Bukauskas, who returned to the UFC on short notice after a two-fight stint away in which he won Cage Warriors’ light heavyweight title.

UFC 284 post-event facts: Islam Makhachev leads promotion in winning streaks

Check out the numbers to come out of UFC 284, where Islam Makhachev’s title defense gave him the UFC’s longest active winning streak.

The UFC made its return to Australia after more than four years Saturday with UFC 284, which took place at RAC Arena in Perth and marked an historic event.

In the headlining act, [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) successfully defended his lightweight title for the first time when he earned a unanimous decision win over featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) to extend his winning ways inside the octagon.

Additionally, [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) claimed interim featherweight gold in the co-main event when he scored a slick second-round submission over [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) to set up a future showdown with Volkanovski.

For more on the numbers to come out of the title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 287.

UFC 284 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Makhachev, Volkanovski net $42,000 each

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 284 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $263,000.

PERTH, Australia – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 284 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $263,000.

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 284 took place at RAC Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 284 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag]: $6,000
vs. [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tyson Pedro[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Josh Culibao[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Melsik Baghdasaryan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Kleydson Rodrigues[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shannon Ross[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Fransisco Prado[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jack Jenkins[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Don Shainis[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loma Lookboonmee[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Elise Reed[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Blake Bilder[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shane Young[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Zubaira Tukhugov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Elves Brenner[/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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $895,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $15,414,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 284.

Modestas Bukauskas def. Tyson Pedro at UFC 284: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Modestas Bukauskas’ unanimous decision win over Tyson Pedro at UFC 284 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag]’ unanimous decision win over [autotag]Tyson Pedro[/autotag] at UFC 284 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. (Photos by Jasmin Frank, USA TODAY Sports)