UFC Fight Night 244 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Brad Tavares gets $21,000 in record bout

UFC Fight Night 244 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 244 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 Fight Night 244 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 244 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]JunYong Park[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Ramazan Temirov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Junior Tafa[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Sean Sharaf[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Julia Polastri[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cody Haddon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Clayton Carpenter[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Lucas Rocha[/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 $4,630; 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 $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-63 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,488,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,225,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

UFC 302 winner Niko Price: ‘I don’t plan on retiring until God takes my legs from me’

Niko Price still has plenty of fight left in him.

NEWARK, N.J. – [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] still has plenty of fight left in him.

Price (16-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) snapped his two-fight losing skid by defeating Alex Morono (24-10 MMA, 13-7 UFC) Saturday at UFC 302 from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Price won their first meeting in 2017 by knockout, but the result was overturned to a no contest after he tested positive for marijuana.

The Florida native has fought former champions like Robbie Lawler, perennial contenders like Donald Cerrone, and rising welterweights like Randy Brown – and is ready to take on whoever the UFC puts in front of him.

“I don’t plan on retiring until God takes my legs from me or my arms, so I’ll be here as long as (Sean) Shelby sends me nice contracts,” Price told MMA Junkie and other reporters during the post-fight news conference.

Price has plenty of motivation to fight. The 34-year-old is expecting his seventh child with his wife.

“A month ago, she’s like acting all weird,” Price said of his wife. “I’m like, ‘You pregnant, girl?’ She goes, ‘What do you think?’ and I was like, ‘That’s a yes.’ No. 7’s in the oven. Let’s go boys.”

Price, who was a sizable underdog going into the fight, was confident that he had done enough to get his hand raised against Morono.

“Going to the scorecards, I figured that I had it because I had more ground control with ground-and-pound,” Price said. “When I’m on the ground, I’m not just sitting there looking at you. I’m not a guard player. I’m not a lay-and-pray-er.

“I’m trying to open up elbows. I’m trying to open up hammer fists. I’m continuously swinging. Even when he had me in that omoplata, I was trying to elbow him in the head, but the mechanics wasn’t working. I figured I had it. I felt it.”

[lawrence-related id=2744699,2744707]

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

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.

Niko Price def. Alex Morono at UFC 302: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Niko Price’s unanimous decision win over Alex Morono at UFC 302.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag] at UFC 302 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (Fight and venue photos by Joe Camporeale, USA Today Sports)

UFC 302 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC 302 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

NEWARK, N.J. – UFC 302 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

You can hear from all the UFC 302 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

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

Niko Price vs. Alex Morono prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC 302

Niko Price vs. Alex Morono was bumped up ot the main card on UFC 302 fight week. Which welterweight could produce a highlight moment?

[autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC 302 from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.  

Niko Price vs. Alex Morono UFC 302 preview

Price (15-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) is searching for his first win since 2021. His last victory was a unanimous decision win over Alex Oliviera, but then dropped consecutive bouts against Phil Rowe and Robbie Lawler. The 34 year old welterweight has never lost three straight. … Morono (24-9 MMA, 13-6 UFC) will look to keep the momentum going after a unanimous decision win against Court McGee in April. The 33 year old has traded wins and losses over his last four outings, having not won back-to-back or more fights since a four-fight streak in 2021-22.

Niko Price vs. Alex Morono UFC 302 expert pick, prediction

Continuing to lean heavily on rematch bookings since 2022, the UFC matchmakers go to the well once again with an impromptu welterweight offering between Morono and Price.

In defense of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard, Price was initially set to face Jerimiah Wells, who had to unfortunately pull out due to injury.

Thankfully for the UFC brass, the company has reliable action fighters like Morono who are willing to step up on short notice.

Despite officially going down in the books as a “no contest,” Morono lost their first fight by knockout and is likely looking to get that back. Luckily for the Texan, Price has trended worse between the two since the first time they met.

I’ll never put a crazy knockout past Price, but I’ll side with Morono to win the day with volume in what I suspect will be an awkward striking match from start to finish.

The pick is Morono by decison.

Niko Price vs. Alex Morono UFC 302 odds

Morono will enter as the betting favorite, according to FanDuel, coming in at -260, with Price a +205 underdog.

Niko Price vs. Alex Morono UFC 302 start time, how to watch

As the second main card bout, Price and Morono are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 10:45 p.m. ET. The fight streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

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

FURY Pro Grappling 8 announced: Aljamain Sterling, 7 other UFC veterans to compete

The grappling series run by CFFC continues its tradition of a year-end event full of UFC notables.

FURY Pro Grappling’s tradition of a year-end card filled with UFC notables past and present continues.

Eight UFC veterans, including former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag], have been booked for the FURY Pro Grappling 8 lineup, the promotion announced Tuesday.

FURY Pro Grappling 8 takes place Dec. 30 at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and streams on UFC Fight Pass.

Sterling will compete against [autotag]Kevin Dantzler[/autotag], a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who is 5-0 under the FURY Pro Grappling banner. Dantzer previously defeated Sterling’s friend and training partner Merab Dvalishvili at FURY Pro Grappling 2 in October 2021.

The co-feature is a big one, at least physically, as former UFC heavyweight [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] grapples current UFC heavyweight [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]. Also on the card are [autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag], [autotag]Kyle Daukaus[/autotag], [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag], [autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag], and [autotag]Charlie Campbell[/autotag].

The full FURY Pro Grappling 8 lineup includes:

  • Aljamain Sterling vs. Kevin Dantzler
  • Chris Daukaus vs. Alexandr Romanov
  • Eryk Anders vs. Kyle Daukaus
  • Niko Price vs. Pat Sabatini
  • Amanda Mazza vs. Elyse Shaw
  • Fatima Kline vs. Cindy Ung
  • Charlie Campbell vs. Lee Moringo
  • Aidan Burke vs. Santo Curatolo
  • Paul Capaldo vs. Cameron Scalio

UFC 290 post-event facts: Alexandre Pantoja benefits from rare split decision title change

The best facts from UFC 290, which featured a record amount of sub-minute finishes and saw Alexandre Pantoja win gold in rare fashion.

The UFC’s 11th annual International Fight Week closed on a memorable high Saturday with UFC 290, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

After a explosive and entertaining lead up to the night’s title fights, one belt stayed put while another changed hands.

In the main event, [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) dismantled [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) en route to a third-round TKO for his fifth featherweight title defense. The co-headliner saw [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) capture the flyweight strap with a split decision win over [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (21-7-2 MMA, 9-3-2 UFC) in a Fight of the Year contender.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 290.

UFC 290 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Robbie Lawler nets $21,000 in retirement bout

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 290 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $319,500, the highest number of 2023.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 290 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $319,500.

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 290 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 290 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Val Woodburn[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Denise Gomes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Marcin Prachnio[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cameron Saaiman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Terrence Mitchell[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jesus Aguilar[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shannon Ross[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kamuela Kirk[/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: $4,428,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $19,017,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

UFC 290 results: Robbie Lawler scores 38-second knockout of Niko Price in emotional last MMA bout

Robbie Lawler went out on top with a knockout of Niko Price – and broke down in tears during a special UFC tribute afterward.

MMA retirement bouts don’t typically end well for those riding off into the sunset. But for [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag], his career was capped off in fairytale fashion at UFC 290.

In what was declared ahead of time as his final MMA bout, Lawler (30-16 MMA, 15-10 UFC) knocked out [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) with some vintage clinch work 38 seconds into Round 1. The welterweight bout closed out the preliminary card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

As he walked to the cage to the “Last of the Mohicans” theme song, Lawler displayed rare glimpses of emotion. When he stood on the apron before he entered the cage, Lawler slowly turned in a full circle as he nodded, seemingly soaking in the moment.

The fight itself would last less than a minute. Lawler and Price engaged in the clinch. After a few uppercuts and an overhand, Price crumped to the canvas unconscious. Lawler walked off, much to the delight of the crowd.

After the fight, the UFC and commentator Joe Rogan played a special video highlight package of Lawler’s career, as he stood in the cage – a deviation from the norm. As Lawler watched his 22-year career compressed into a professionally produced four-minute video, tears rolled.

Upon the video’s conclusion, the fans erupted into the loudest cheers of the night to that point. Lawler thanked them for their support over the years.

Lawler retires with a legacy as one of the consensus best welterweights in UFC history. A former champion who defended his title twice, Lawler engaged in numerous battles throughout his stints with UFC, Strikeforce, Elite XC, IFL, and more.

His UFC 289 (2015) battle vs. Rory MacDonald was inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame on Friday. Other memorable battles include his knockout of Nick Diaz, his title-clinching performance against then-champion Johny Hendricks at UFC 181 in 2014, and his all-out brawl with Carlos Condit at UFC 195 in 2016.

Other career wins for Lawler include Donald Cerrone, Matt Brown, Josh Koscheck, Matt Lindland, Melvin Manhoef, Frank Trigg, Murilo Rua, Chris Lytle, and Tiki Ghosn, among others.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 290 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.