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: Manuel Torres’ perfect elbow takes out Nikolas Motta

Manuel Torres landed an elbow knockout that will live on the highlight reels for years to come against Nikolas Motta at UFC on ESPN 46.

[autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag] landed an elbow knockout that will live on the highlight reels for years to come against [autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 46.

In the first round of their lightweight fight on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Torres (14-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) winded up with the perfect left elbow that landed clean on the face of Motta (13-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC), who went flying to the mat and was out cold less than two minutes into the opening round.

The shot was as clean as it gets, and UFC commentator Paul Felder called it “the most beautiful elbow knockout I’ve seen inside the octagon.”

Check out the replay of the finish below (via Twitter):

Mexico’s Torres became the latest fighter from his country to make waves inside the cage, and he made a pitch for history after a spectacular win, which was his 12th first-round stoppage out of 13 career victories.

“I want a second bonus,” Torres told Felder through an interpreter during their post-fight interview. “I want to be the first Mexican to get two bonuses.”

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

Nikolas Motta sees good shot at Performance of the Night vs. Manuel Torres at UFC on ESPN 46

Nikolas Motta thinks he has a promising opportunity to leave Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 46 event with an extra $50,000 in his pocket.

[autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag] thinks he has a promising opportunity to leave Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 46 event with an extra $50,000 in his pocket.

Motta (13-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is set to meet Manuel Torres (13-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a lightweight bout on the card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, which airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+. When assessing the matchup, he sees the potential for a definitive end that could secure a bonus from the promotion.

“I think Manual is a good fight for me and for him,” Motta told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 46 media day. “I think we can get Performance of the Night. I’m in my best shape ever. I improved my grappling a lot working with Jake Shields. I improve my striking a lot working with Ray Sefo. I have so many good training partners at Xtreme Couture, and I’m ready.”

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Motta, 30, is coming off a first-round TKO win over Cameron VanCamp at UFC Fight Night 210 in September in what was his first win inside the octagon. Torres, meanwhile, will return from a 13-month layoff after stopping Frank Camacho by first-round TKO in his debut at UFC on ESPN 36 in May 2022.

To hear more from Motta, watch his complete UFC on ESPN 46 media day interview above.

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

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (April 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 from April 24-30.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (March 27-April 2)

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 March 27-April 2.

With Nikolas Motta out, Ignacio Bahamondes now will face Trey Ogden at UFC 287

Ignacio Bahamondes will remain on UFC 287.

[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] will remain on UFC 287.

[autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag] has been forced out of the April 8 fight due to an injury and [autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will step in on short notice to face Bahamondes (13-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in Miami.

Two people with knowledge of the booking told MMA Junkie of the new matchup Tuesday. They asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Since he lost his UFC debut to John Makdessi in April 2021, Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Bahamondes has won two straight: a spinning wheel kick knockout of Roosevelt Roberts, followed by his first career submission over Rong Zhu in February 2022.

Ogden has split his first two octagon appearances. After he was edged out by Jordan Leavitt in his UFC debut, Ogden rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Daniel Zellhuber this past September.

With the change, the UFC 287 lineup now includes:

  • Champion Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya – for middleweight title
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal
  • Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez
  • Christian Rodriguez vs. Raul Rosas Jr.
  • Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
  • Chris Curtis vs. Kelvin Gastelum
  • Michael Chiesa vs. TBA
  • Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joseph Pyfer
  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lupita Godinez
  • Luana Pinheiro vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
  • Steve Garcia vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke
  • Chris Barnett vs. Chase Sherman
  • Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Trey Ogden
  • Jaqueline Amorim vs. Sam Hughes

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.

Nikolas Motta shows off nasty facial gash that has forced UFC 287 withdrawal

A gaping wound has forced Nikolas Motta out of his UFC 287 bout vs. Ignacio Bahamondes that was scheduled for Miami.

A nasty gash has forced lightweight [autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag] out of his UFC 287 bout.

Motta announced his withdrawal Friday and shared a graphic image of the gaping laceration, which is placed on his right eyebrow line. Motta (13-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was expected to face [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at the April 8 event in Miami, but now will have to wait a little longer for his return to the cage. The promotion is currently seeking a replacement to fight Bahamondes, a source told MMA Junkie.

“I had a lot stitches all my career but never had one deep like that, this white part on my cut in the second picture is my tendon, it got very swollen and inflamed,” Motta wrote on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqLgeN8JId7/

Motta, 30, is a former CFFC champion who has been with the promotion since November 2020. However, due to injuries and opponent mishaps, Motta has only competed twice. After a debut loss to Jim Miller, Motta picked up his first UFC victory in September when he knocked out Cameron VanCamp.

With the change, the UFC 287 lineup now includes:

  • Champion Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya – for middleweight title
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal
  • Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez
  • Christian Rodriguez vs. Raul Rosas Jr.
  • Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lupita Godinez
  • Luana Pinheiro vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
  • Steve Garcia vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke
  • Chris Curtis vs. Kelvin Gastelum
  • Gerald Meerschaert vs. Joseph Pyfer
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Li Jingliang
  • Jaqueline Amorim vs. Sam Hughes
  • Chris Barnett vs. Chase Sherman
  • Ignacio Bahamondes vs. TBA

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 16-22)

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 Jan. 16-22.

Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Nikolas Motta on tap for UFC 287 in April

Rising lightweights Ignacio Bahamondes and Nikolas Motta have been booked for UFC 287.

Rising lightweights [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] and [autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag] have been booked for UFC 287.

Bahamondes (13-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) meets Motta (13-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at the April 8 pay-per-view event. A location and venue are yet to be announced. Both fighters confirmed the news on social media after an initial report from ESPN Deportes.

Since he dropped his UFC debut to John Makdessi in April 2021, 25-year-old Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Bahamondes has won two straight:  a spinning wheel kick knockout of Roosevelt Roberts, followed by his first career submission over Rong Zhu in February 2022.

Motta also dropped his promotional debut after he punched his ticket to the UFC through the Contender Series. The Brazilian was stopped by Jim Miller, but rebounded with a first-round knockout of Cameron VanCamp this past September.

The latest UFC 287 lineup now includes:

  • Rob Font vs. Adrian Yanez
  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Loopy Godinez
  • Luana Pinheiro vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
  • Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Nikolas Motta

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.

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