Tag: Muin Gafurov

UFC 311 winner Muin Gafurov finds inspiration in champ Merab Dvalishvili’s 0-2 UFC start

Muin Gafurov has back-to-back wins after consecutive losses to open his UFC career – and hopes to follow a famous champ’s path.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – [autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag] beat Rinya Nakamura with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 311 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

Take a look inside the fight with Gafurov, a former LFA bantamweight champion who has back-to-back wins after consecutive losses to open his UFC career.

Muin Gafurov def. Rinya Nakamura

Result: Muin Gafurov def. Rinya Nakamura via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Updated records: Gafurov (20-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) def. Rinya Nakamura (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC)
Key stats: Nakamura was one of the biggest favorites on the card at as much as -850.

Gafurov on the fight’s key moment

Jan 18, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Muin Gafurov (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Rinya Nakamura (not pictured) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

“Before the fight, coach John Wood told me my striking, my wrestling – everything is good. Don’t worry. I was running around and I was feeling good, so I decided to show something crazy.”

Gafurov on feeling loose and inspired

“Before the fight, coach John Wood told me my striking, my wrestling – everything is good. Don’t worry. I was running around and I was feeling good, so I decided to show something crazy.

“After Saudi my last fight (against Kyung Ho Kang), I told everyone I’m following (Merab Dvalishvili’s) path. I’ll never lose after this.”

Gafurov on what he wants next

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – MAY 06: Henry Cejudo looks on after his bantamweight title bout against Aljamain Sterling of Jamaica (not pictured) at UFC 288 at Prudential Center on May 06, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. Sterling won by judge’s decision. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

“After I go back home a little bit, relax with my kids, this year I want to fight once more. I’ll ask Sean Shelby or Dana White or somebody, if somebody wants to watch a good fight: I’ll defend this Olympic wrestling. I’d like for the second guy to be Henry Cejudo.”

To hear more from Gafurov, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

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UFC 311 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Renato Moicano makes money with move up card

Renato Moicano made some extra cash under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program for stepping into a title fight at UFC 311.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 311 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $306,000.

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 311 took place at Intuit Dome. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews/Disney+/FX and ESPN+.

The full UFC 311 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: $6,000
def [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Payton Talbott[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Azamat Bekoev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Bogdan Guskov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Billy Elekana[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Rinya Nakamura[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Bernardo Sopaj[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Turcios[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Clayton Carpenter[/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 2025 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $479,500
2024 total: $8,280,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $31,497,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

UFC on ABC 6 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Ikram Aliskerov gets $4,000 in main event save

UFC on ABC 6 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ABC 6 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $186,000.

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 ABC 6 took place Saturday at Kingdom Arena. The main card airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ABC 6 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Ikram Aliskerov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Antonio Trocoli[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Felipe Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Magomed Gadzhiyasulov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brendson Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]ChangHo Lee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Xiao Long[/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 $40,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-40 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,637,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,374,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 6.

UFC 294 post-event facts: Kamaru Usman hits uncharted territory with three-fight skid

Check out the post-event stats from UFC 294, including Kamaru Usman’s shift to a near-record winning streak to three straight losses.

UFC 294 on Saturday marked the promotion’s annual trip to Abu Dhabi, and although the card at Etihad Arena on Yas Island started slow, it ended with a bang.

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) put a bow on the evening when he emerged from his rematch with fellow champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) as the lightweight titleholder courtesy of a first-round head kick knockout.

For more on the numbers coming from the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 294.

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UFC 294 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Khamzat Chimaev gets $6,000 in return bout

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 294 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $237,000.

ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 294 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $237,000.

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 294 took place at Etihad Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+ and YouTube.

The full UFC 294 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

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

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $11,000
vs. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ikram Aliskerov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Warlley Alves[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Trevor Peek[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mohammad Yahya[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Abu Azaitar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mike Breeden[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Anshul Jubli[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Viktoriia Dudakova[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jinh Yu Frey[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/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 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: $6,888,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,407,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

Said Nurmagomedov def. Muin Gafurov at UFC 294: Best photos from Abu Dhabi

Check out the best photos from Said Nurmagomedov’s first-round TKO win over Muin Gafurov at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s first-round TKO win over [autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag] at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. (Photos by Craig Kidwell, USA TODAY Sports; MMA Junkie; and UFC)

UFC 294 results: Said Nurmagomedov needs just 73 seconds to tap Muin Gafurov

Said Nurmagomedov started off the UFC 294 pay-per-view with a fast submission win over Muin Gafurov.

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] didn’t waste much time bringing fans to their feet in the main card opener of UFC 294.

Nurmagomedov (18-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) shared the octagon with Muin Gafurov (18-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) to start off the pay-per-view portion of the event at Ethihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The bantamweights didn’t spend much time in the cage together though, as Nurmagomedov tapped Gafurov at 1:13 of Round 1.

Starting things off working on the outside with quick kicks to the legs and head, Nurmagomedov kept Gafurov’s defense on high alert early. The first takedown attempt would be the last, as Nurmagomedov slapped on a slick guillotine choke that Gafurov couldn’t escape.

Nurmagomedov bounced back into the win column in fast fashion, erasing the memory of a unanimous decision loss to Jonathan Martinez in his last outing in March. Prior to that setback, Nurmagomedov was on a four-fight winning streak that included two other guillotine submissions and one TKO finish.

Gafurov walks away with his second consecutive loss, as he has struggled to find his footing in the UFC. The Tajikistan-born fighter won two consecutive LFA bouts in 2022 leading to his UFC debut in June.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 294 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

Two UFC Fight Night 226 bouts fall through days out from Paris event

UFC Fight Night 226 fight week is upon, and the promotion is currently looking for fill-ins to save two fights.

It’s UFC Fight Night 226 fight week, and the promotion is seeking two last-minute replacements.

The event, which takes place Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris and streams on ESPN+, is down a featherweight and a bantamweight as [autotag]Lucas Almeida[/autotag] and [autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag] are out of their respective bouts.

Almeida (14-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) announced Monday on Instagram his withdrawal from his bout vs. France’s William Gomis (12-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC), which was scheduled to be one of six main-card bouts. The announcement came one day after Gafurov (18-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) withdrew from his bout against France’s Taylor Lapilus (18-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) due to visa issues, according to multiple French news outlets, including La Sueur.

The promotion is currently seeking replacements to keep the two Frenchmen on the card, although it is unclear at this time what the options are just six days away.

With the changes, below is the UFC Fight Night 226 lineup:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET)

  • Ciryl Gane vs. Serghei Spivac
  • Manon Fiorot vs. Rose Namajunas
  • Thiago Moises vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
  • Bogdan Guskov vs. Volkan Oezdemir
  • William Gomis vs. TBA
  • Yanis Ghemmouri vs. Caolan Loughran

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, noon ET)

  • Morgan Charriere vs. Manolo Zecchini
  • Taylor Lapilus vs. TBA
  • Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs. Zarah Fairn
  • Nora Cornolle vs. Joselyne Edwards
  • Ange Loosa vs. Rhys McKee
  • Farid Basharat vs. Kleydson Rodrigues

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 24-30)

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 24-30.

UFC on ESPN 45 post-event facts: Is Jim Miller’s record resume UFC Hall of Fame worthy?

Check out the facts and stats to come out of UFC on ESPN 45, where Jim Miller continued to stack historic figures on his resume.

The UFC opened a non-stop schedule of summer events on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 45, which took place at the promotion’s home base of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The main event saw [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) remain undefeated inside the octagon and take the next step as a flyweight contender when he edged [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (24-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC) by split decision.

There were a number of other noteworthy results on the card. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 45.

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