Parker Porter def. Braxton Smith at UFC 288: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Parker Porter’s first-round TKO win over Braxton Smith at UFC 288 in Newark, N.J.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag]’s first-round TKO win over [autotag]Braxton Smith[/autotag] at UFC 288 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (Photos by Ed Mulholland, USA TODAY Sports)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (April 10-16)

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 10-16

Parker Porter expected to welcome newcomer ‘The Beautiful Monster’ Braxton Smith at UFC 288

Heavyweights will collide May 6 in New Jersey as Parker Porter welcomes Braxton Smith to the promotion.

A heavyweight bout has been added to the UFC pay-per-view event in May.

At UFC 288 on May 6 in Newark, N.J., [autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 3-3 UFC) is expected to welcome promotional newcomer [autotag]Braxton Smith[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), pending bout finalization.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Porter, 37, looks to rebound from back-to-back first-round finish defeats to Jailton Almeida and Justin Tafa. The two-fight skid snapped a three-fight winning streak that included victories over Josh Parisian, Chase Sherman, and Alan Baudot.

Smith, 33, is the Peak Fighting heavyweight champion. He has won five fights in a row all by first-round TKO or knockout. His only career loss was in 2014 against current UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman.

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo
  • Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush
  • Bryce Mitchell vs. Jonathan Pearce
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan
  • Rolando Bedoya vs. Khaos Williams

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Johnny Munoz vs. Daniel Santos
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Armen Petrosyan vs. TBA
  • Devin Clark vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain
  • Rafael Estevam vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
  • Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola
  • Joseph Holmes vs. Claudio Ribeiro
  • Ikram Aliskerov vs. Phil Hawes
  • Parker Porter vs. Braxton Smith

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.

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.

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.

Justin Tafa def. Parker Porter at UFC 284: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Justin Tafa’s first-round knockout win over Parker Porter at UFC 284 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]’s first-round knockout win over [autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag] at UFC 284 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. (Photos by Jasmin Frank, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC 284 predictions: Who are we picking in two title fights in Australia?

See our staff members’ picks for the Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez vs. Josh Emmett title fights in Australia.

Makhachev
vs.
Volkanovski
Rodriguez
vs.
Emmett
Brown
vs.
Maddalena
Porter
vs.
Tafa
Crute
vs.
Menifield
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
9-8
makhachev2023
Makhachev
(51%)
rodriguez2023
Rodriguez
(62%)
maddalena2023
Maddalena
(80%)
tafa2023
Tafa
(66%)
crute2023
Crute
(51%)
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
13-4
makhachev2023
Makhachev
emmett2023
Emmett
maddalena2023
Maddalena
tafa2023
Tafa
crute2023
Crute
Matt Erickson
12-5
makhachev2023
Makhachev
rodriguez2023
Rodriguez
maddalena2023
Maddalena
porter2023
Porter
crute2023
Crute
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
12-5
trophy copy 2017 Champion
makhachev2023
Makhachev
emmett2023
Emmett
maddalena2023
Maddalena
porter2023
Porter
crute2023
Crute
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
11-6
makhachev2023
Makhachev
emmett2023
Emmett
maddalena2023
Maddalena
porter2023
Porter
menifield2023
Menifield
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
11-6
makhachev2023
Makhachev
rodriguez2023
Rodriguez
maddalena2023
Maddalena
tafa2023
Tafa
menifield2023
Menifield
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
9-8
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion
makhachev2023
Makhachev
emmett2023
Emmett
maddalena2023
Maddalena
tafa2023
Tafa
crute2023
Crute
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
9-8
makhachev2023
Makhachev
rodriguez2023
Rodriguez
maddalena2023
Maddalena
porter2023
Porter
crute2023
Crute
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
8-9
makhachev2023
Makhachev
emmett2023
Emmett
brown2023
Brown
tafa2023
Tafa
menifield2023
Menifield
Nolan King
@mma_kings
8-9/em>
makhachev2023
Makhachev
rodriguez2023
Rodriguez
maddalena2023
Maddalena
porter2023
Porter
crute2023
Crute
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
8-9
makhachev2023
Makhachev
rodriguez2023
Rodriguez
maddalena2023
Maddalena
porter2023
Porter
menifield2023
Menifield
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
8-9
trophy copy 2014 Champion
volkanovski2023
Volkanovski
emmett2023
Emmett
maddalena2023
Maddalena
tafa2023
Tafa
menifield2023
Menifield

The UFC this week makes its second visit to the Australian city of Perth, and there are two title fights at the top of the bill.

UFC 284 takes place Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) meets featherweight titleholder [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC). Makhachev will put his title on the line for the first time; he hasn’t lost in more than seven years. Volkanovski, who will go after a second concurrent title, hasn’t lost in nearly 10 years.

Makhachev is big favorite at -380 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Volkanovski is +300. Only one of our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are going with him in an upset at a hefty 10-1 clip.

In the co-feature, the interim featherweight title is on the line between [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC). The two fight for the interim belt just ahead of featherweight champion Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) and his quest for a second belt at lightweight. Rodriguez nearly is a 2-1 favorite, but it’s Emmett who has a narrow 6-5 lead in the picks.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at welterweight. Maddalena is a big favorite at -330 and has a blowout at 10-1 from our staff members.

[autotag]Parker Porter[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 3-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag] (5-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in a heavyweight matchup. Tafa is a slight favorite at -130, but Porter has the smallest possible edge in the picks at 6-5.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Jimmy Crute[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Alonzo Menifield[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in a light heavyweight fight. Crute nearly is a 2-1 favorite at the betting window, but he has just a slim 6-5 picks lead.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Makhachev (51 percent), Rodriguez (62 percent), Maddalena (80 percent), Tafa (66 percent) and Crute (51 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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

[listicle id=2615637]

Photos: UFC 284 official weigh-ins

Check out the photos from the UFC 284 official weigh-ins at the UFC host hotel in Perth, Australia.

Check out the photos from the UFC 284 official weigh-ins at the UFC host hotel in Perth, Australia. (Images by Jasmin Frank, USA TODAY Sports)

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 31-Nov. 6)

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 Oct. 31-Nov. 6.