Tag: Nursulton Ruziboev

Joaquin Buckley gets UFC on ESPN 56 co-main assignment vs. Nursulton Ruziboev

Joaquin Buckley gets his hometown fight this May in St. Louis as he meets Nursulton Ruziboev in the co-main event.

The UFC’s upcoming trip to St. Louis now has a co-main event.

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] gets his wish to compete in a key matchup at the event, as he will take on [autotag]Nursulton Ruziboev[/autotag] in a co-main welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 56 (ESPN, ESPN+), which takes place May 11 at Enterprise Center.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the matchup Wednesday on Instagram. The event is headlined by a heavyweight tilt between former title challenger Derrick Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6KVW-BPlVA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Although it’s not the main event that Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) asked for when he crashed the UFC 300 pre-fight press conference, “New Mansa” gets a big spot in his hometown against a fellow finisher in Ruziboev (34-8-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC).

Buckley has been on a tear since dropping from middleweight to welterweight. He made the shift last May, and has racked up three wins, including a big ground and pound finish over Vicente Luque at UFC on ESPN 54 in March.

Ruziboev hasn’t seen Round 2 since 2019. He’s currently running super hot on a 10-fight, first-round stoppage streak that includes finishes of Brunno Ferreira and Sedriques Dumas under the UFC banner. He will be dropping down to 170 pounds for the first time since 2021, when he won the fight to spark his current streak.

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With the addition, the current UFC on ESPN 56 lineup includes:

  • Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
  • Alonzo Menifield vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Jared Gooden vs. Kevin Jousset
  • Tabatha Ricci vs. Tecia Torres
  • Alex Caceres vs. Sean Woodson
  • Jake Hadley vs. Charles Johnson
  • Terrance McKinney vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Chase Hooper
  • Billy Goff vs. Trey Waters
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Robelis Despaigne
  • Diego Ferreira vs. Mateusz Rebecki

Nursulton Ruziboev wants Gerald Meerschaert next ‘to show that Uzbek fighters are not weak’

Nursulton Ruziboev wants to avenge Makhmud Muradov’s loss to Gerald Meerschaert.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – [autotag]Nursulton Ruziboev[/autotag] wants to avenge Makhmud Muradov’s loss to [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag].

Ruziboev (36-8-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) recorded his 10th straight first-round finish when he stopped Sedriques Dumas by TKO Saturday at UFC on ESPN 54.

He then proceeded to call out Meerschaert, who was responsible for handing Muradov his first octagon loss in an upset finish in August 2021. Ruziboev aims to get one back for his fellow Uzbek fighter.

“There’s only three Uzbek fighters in the UFC and one of them was beaten by Gerald Meerschaert, so I want to revenge that loss, and I want to show that Uzbek fighters are not weak,” Ruziboev told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter.

“I am training with (Andre) Petroski, I am training with Joe Pyfer, and those guys have been (in) there with him. I have them as sparring partners. I have them as books of knowledge that I can read before I go into that fight.”

Ruziboev’s finish didn’t come without controversy. The fight-ending sequence occurred after Dumas rushed into Ruziboev’s extended fingers, causing him to get poked in the eye. Dumas grabbed his eye while turning away, but couldn’t get referee Vitor Ribeiro to pause the fight, leading Ruziboev to rush in with punches.

Ruziboev disputes any controversy surrounding the finish.

“As far as I can remember, I got him with the uppercut first,” Ruziboev said. “Once I got him with the uppercut, he already went for his eye to show that his eye was hurting. Then, as I was distancing myself away from it, maybe there was some of sort of a slight thing, but it wasn’t something that I noticed. I know that I got him with the uppercut first, and that’s exactly when he went for his eye.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $24.5 million

UFC on ESPN 54 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 54 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $173,000.

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 54 took place at Boardwalk Hall. The main card aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 54 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nursulton Ruziboev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Herbert Burns[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Dennis Buzukja[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Connor Matthews[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jacob Malkoun[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Caolan Loughran[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Angel Pacheco[/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 $4,540; 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 $54,000 while title challengers get $54,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-54 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,842,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,579,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 play-by-play, live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 54 in Atlantic City.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – UFC on ESPN 54 took place Saturday, and MMA Junkie live play-by-play and official results. UFC on ESPN 54 (ESPN/ESPN+) took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

In the main event, Erin Blanchfield (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) took on Manon Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in a likely women’s flyweight title eliminator. Joaquin Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) took on Vicente Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) in the welterweight co-feature, and former middleweight champion Chris Weidman (16-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) returned against Bruno Silva (23-11 MMA, 4-5 UFC).

Below, you can check out the results and play-by-play from UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 video: Nursulton Ruziboev pounds out Sedriques Dumas, but not without controversy

Nursulton Ruziboev scored his 10th straight first-round finish at UFC on ESPN 54, but Sedriques Dumas had a complaint.

[autotag]Nursulton Ruziboev[/autotag] picked up his 10th consecutive first-round finish, but Sedriques Dumas had complaints of an eye poke before the closing sequence.

The middleweight bout took place on the main card of UFC on ESPN 54 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., and didn’t make it out of the first round. Ruziboev (36-8-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) recorded his 25th opening-round finish at 3:18, but Dumas (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) attempted to get the referee’s attention before the final swarm.

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Ruziboev was sharp with his counters early, causing Dumas to be very cautious with his offensive output. Becasue of this, Ruziboev could pick his shots, darting in and out with quick punches.

The controversial moment occurred when Ruziboev extended his fingers as Dumas came forward, leading to an eye poke that would later be seen on replay. Dumas backed away and grabbed his eye, and tried to get referee Vitor Ribeiro to pause the fight. His attempt was unsuccessful, and Ruziboev rushed in with punches.

Dumas dropped to the ground and covered up, leading to the first-round stoppage.

Check out video of the closing sequence below (via X):

Despite Dumas’ protests at the end of the fight, Ruziboev walks away with his hand raised for his 10th straight victory, each ending in the first round.

During his post-fight interview, the Uzbekistan-born fighter called for a matchup against Gerald Meerschaert, who just picked up a win over Bryan Barberena earlier this month.

Dumas falls to .500 in his UFC run, seeing a two-fight winning streak halted.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 54 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Nursulton Ruziboev def. Sedriques Dumas at UFC on ESPN 54: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Nursulton Ruziboev’s first-round knockout win over Sedriques Dumas at UFC on ESPN 54.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Nursulton Ruziboev[/autotag]’s first-round knockout win over [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 54 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. (Fight and venue photos by Ed Mulholland, USA Today Sports)

UFC on ESPN 54 official weigh-in results: Fighter somehow gains weight between attempts, misses mark

The UFC on ESPN 54 weigh-ins ended oddly as Julio Arce somehow gained 0.25 pounds between attempts and his team was scratching their heads.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Ahead of Saturday’s fights at Boardwalk Hall, the 28 fighters involved in UFC on ESPN 54 hit the scales at the host hotel. One missed weight.

Atop the event, which airs on ESPN/ESPN+, is a pivotal women’s flyweight main event between top contenders [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

In the co-main event, welterweight standouts [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) and [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) collide. Also on the card, former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) attempts to reenter the win column against [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 4-4 UFC).

All of those fighters made weight, but one from the prelims. [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] missed the featherweight limit after previously missing at bantamweight in April 2022. He was given two attempts and gained 0.25 pounds between attempts.

Arce’s re-weigh was the last weigh-in of the day. A different New Jersey State Athletic Commission (NJSAC) representative than who weighed in the other 27 fighters and Arce’s first attempt, weighed in Arce the second time. This caused further frustration and disbelief from Arce’s team, who said they had weighed 146 on their own scale. Arce was fined 20 percent of his purse and the fight will continue as scheduled.

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Check out the full UFC on ESPN 54 weigh-ins results below:

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Erin Blanchfield (125) vs. Manon Fiorot (125.25)
  • Joaquin Buckley (170) vs. Vicente Luque (170)
  • Bruno Silva (186) vs. Chris Weidman (186)
  • Sedriques Dumas (185) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (185)
  • Bill Algeo (146) vs. Kyle Nelson (145)
  • Rhys McKee (170.25) vs. Chidi Njokuani (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Nate Landwehr (145.25) vs. Jamall Emmers (145)
  • Loopy Godinez (115) vs. Virna Jandiroba (115)
  • Julio Arce (147)* vs. Herbert Burns (145)
  • Dennis Buzukja (145.25) vs. Connor Matthews (145)
  • Ibo Aslan (205) vs. Anton Turkalj (205)
  • Viktoriia Dudakova (125) vs. Melissa Gatto (125)
  • Jacob Malkoun (185) vs. Andre Petroski (186)
  • Caolan Loughran (135) vs. Angel Pacheco (135)

* Arce missed featherweight limit by 1 pound; 20 percent fine

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Jan. 8-14)

There were 35 UFC 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.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 8-14.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 2-8)

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 the promotions from Oct. 2-8.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 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 or officially announced by a promotion from July 17-23