UFC on ESPN 52 post-event facts: Clay Guida sets dubious record with 18th octagon loss

Check out all the facts from UFC on ESPN 52, which saw a record two slam KOs and Clay Guida tying the UFC record for most losses.

The UFC’s third-to-last event of 2023 went down as one of the best of the year. UFC on ESPN 52 delivered with nine stoppages in 12 fights.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) capped off the night with the quickest finish of the bunch. He dropped and stopped [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) just 64 seconds into their high-stakes lightweight headliner, solidifying himself as a top contender.

For more on the numbers behind the card, which featured a number of historic feats, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC on ESPN 52 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Four fighters get max non-title money

UFC on ESPN 52 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

AUSTIN, Texas – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $225,000.

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 52 took place at Moody Center. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 52 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rodolfo Bellato[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jamey-Lyn Horth[/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 $4,520; 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 $52,000 while title challengers get $52,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-52 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,689,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,208,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Dustin Stoltzfus def. Punahele Soriano at UFC on ESPN 52: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Dustin Stoltzfus’ second-round submission win over Punahele Soriano at UFC on ESPN 52 in Austin, Texas.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag]’ second-round submission win over [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. (Photos by Dustin Safranek, USA TODAY Sports)

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for January: Jamahal Hill batters Glover Teixeira in Brazil

Jamahal Hill and Glover Teixeira went to war at UFC 283 in MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for January.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from January 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for January.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Nominees

UFC Fight Night 217 post-event facts: Sean Strickland joins exclusive three-division club

Sean Strickland accomplished something only two other men in history have done with his win at UFC Fight Night 217.

The UFC kicked off another busy year of action Saturday with UFC Fight Night 217. It was the first of an expected 42 events from the promotion in 2023, and it went down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Although six fights on the card ended in a stoppage, the main event went the distance as [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) managed to outwork and outpoint [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) to win a unanimous decision on short notice in the light heavyweight headliner.

Fore more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 217.

UFC Fight Night 217 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $14.5 million

UFC Fight Night 217 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 217 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $137,000.

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 217 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 217 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Claudio Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Mateus Mendonca[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Nick Fiore[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Allan Nascimento[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nick Aguirre[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jimmy Flick[/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 2177 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2171 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:

  • “UFC Fight Night 217: Strickland vs. Imavov” – $137,000

Year-to-date total: $137,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,656,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.

UFC Fight Night 217: Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 217 odds and lines between Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a middleweight bout on the main card, Punahele Soriano and Roman Kopylov meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 217 – also known as UFC Vegas 67 – at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 217: Soriano vs. Kopylov odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

Soriano halted a 2-bout losing streak with a 2nd-round KO/TKO win over Dalcha Lungiambula last time out in mid-July. In his 2 losses at the UFC level, he has lost via points. In his 3 victories, each have come with early round KO/TKO wins.

Kopylov has 3 fights under his belt since arriving at the UFC level, and he lost the first 2. He tapped out in a loss to Karl Roberson in his debut, before Albert Duraev topped him via unanimous-decision at UFC 267. He bounced back with a 3rd-round KO/TKO against Alessio Di Chirico last time out in early September.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC Fight Night 217: Soriano vs. Kopylov odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Soriano -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Kopylov +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over +120 | Under -165)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +140 | No -200)

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UFC Fight Night 217: Soriano vs. Kopylov picks and predictions

Records: Soriano (9-2-0) | Kopylov (9-2-0)

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

This is an interesting fight between 2 combatants with just 1 victory in the past 3 outings.

KOPYLOV (+125) is worth a look as the minor underdog in this bout, as most of the numbers are fairly close. However, in this battle of southpaws, Kopylov holds a 2.5-inch reach advantage, and that will help him keep Soriano at a distance, picking and choosing his times to go in for the big shots.

Neither of these fighters are particularly good in the ground game, as Kopylov has never won in 11 pro bouts via submission, and Soriano has no submission wins since arriving at the UFC level.

Over/Under (O/U)

YES: FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE (+135) is a strong play at plus-money. While yes, Kopylov has only ended up going the distance once in his 3 fights at the UFC level, and twice in his 11 career pro bouts overall. So, there is some risk.

However, Soriano has needed the judges to determine a winner in 2 of his past 3 outings.

KOPYLOV BY POINTS (+370) is also worth a look for method of victory, as is OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (+120) at plus-money, if you would like a little wiggle room and do not want to play the distance prop.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

Want action on this UFC fight or any other sports matchup? Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, SportsbookWire’s official sportsbook partner in OH, CO and NJ. Bet now!

If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]

While sidelined with a broken hand, UFC’s Punahele Soriano reveals fighting severe infection: ‘I think I almost died’

Middleweight Punahele Soriano, who returns at UFC Fight Night 217, explains the medical issues he faced over the past six months.

LAS VEGAS – UFC middleweight [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag] thinks an infection nearly took his life.

Soriano (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) returns to action after six months on the sideline at UFC Fight Night 217 to face Roman Kopylov. The bout takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

After his last win, a second-round knockout of Dalcha Lungiambula in July, Soriano was sidelined with a broken hand. At media day Wednesday, he revealed that wasn’t the only issue he faced during his time away from the cage.

“I didn’t really tell anyone, but I got super, super sick,” Soriano told reporters. “I think I almost died. I had like shingles, that turned into cellulitis like on my face and under my heart.

“It was funny, I ended up going to the E.R. They had to give me antibiotics and all that crap. But the night before, I remember just laying on the couch and it felt like I was in a chokehold. I was like, ‘This could be the night I don’t wake up.’ I was like, ‘Well, I hope I just wake up.’ And then I went to bed. But I woke up.”

[lawrence-related id=2609027,2609021]

Soriano told the scary story in a jovial manner, and even showed off the discoloration and scarring left on his face and chest from the skin infection.

Now that the infection is gone and his hand is healed, he is anxious to get back to work against a “monster” in Kopylov (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC), and set the tone for his team.

“He put away (Alessio) Di Chirico pretty well, and I’m excited to go up against him,” Soriano said. “He’s good everywhere and I’m ready to fight him.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.

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UFC Fight Night 217 predictions: Who’s picking Sean Strickland over Nassourdine Imavov on short notice?

Check out our staff members’ picks for UFC Fight Night 217, which features Nassourdine Imavov vs. Sean Strickland in Las Vegas.

Imavov
vs.
Strickland
Ige
vs.
Jackson
Kopylov
vs.
Soriano
Pennington
vs.
Vieira
Barcelos
vs.
Nurmagomedov
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
202-120 (2022)
imavov2023
Imavov
(51%)
ige2023
Ige
(62%)
soriano2023
Soriano
(68%)
vieira2023
Vieira
(67%)
nurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
(88%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
215-112 (2022)
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion
imavov2023
Imavov
jackson2023
Jackson
soriano2023
Soriano
vieira2023
Vieira
nurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
209-118 (2022)
imavov2023
Imavov
jackson2023
Jackson
soriano2023
Soriano
pennington2023
Pennington
nurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
204-123 (2022)
imavov2023
Imavov
ige2023
Ige
soriano2023
Soriano
pennington2023
Pennington
nurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
203-124 (2022)
imavov2023
Imavov
ige2023
Ige
soriano2023
Soriano
vieira2023
Vieira
nurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
201-126 (2022)
imavov2023
Imavov
jackson2023
Jackson
soriano2023
Soriano
pennington2023
Pennington
nurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
201-126 (2022)
imavov2023
Imavov
ige2023
Ige
soriano2023
Soriano
vieira2023
Vieira
nurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
200-127 (2022)
trophy copy 2014 Champion
imavov2023
Imavov
jackson2023
Jackson
soriano2023
Soriano
pennington2023
Pennington
nurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
Nolan King
@mma_kings
192-135 (2022)
imavov2023
Imavov
ige2023
Ige
soriano2023
Soriano
vieira2023
Vieira
nurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
190-137 (2022)
trophy copy 2017 Champion
imavov2023
Imavov
ige2023
Ige
soriano2023
Soriano
vieira2023
Vieira
nurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
181-146 (2022)
strickland2023
Strickland
ige2023
Ige
soriano2023
Soriano
pennington2023
Pennington
nurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
161-166 (2022)
imavov2023
Imavov
ige2023
Ige
soriano2023
Soriano
vieira2023
Vieira
nurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov

The UFC kicks off its 2023 with a home game, and a short-notice light heavyweight fight tops the lineup.

UFC Fight Night 217 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC). The fight is taking place at 205 pounds instead of middleweight after Strickland stepped in for Kelvin Gastelum on just five days’ notice. Strickland lost to Jared Cannonier in the UFC’s final event of 2022 a month ago.

Imavov is just a slight favorite at -130 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Strickland is +110. But Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Imavov with a near-unanimous picks lead at 10-1.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) meets [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag] (22-4-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) at featherweight. Ige is a slight -125 favorite at the betting window, and it’s close with our pickers, too. They’ve got Ige with the narrowest possible lead at 6-5.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is just a -150 favorite at middleweight against [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC), but he’s one of our two unanimous picks at 11-0.

[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] (14-9 MMA, 11-5 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in a key women’s bantamweight bout. Vieira is a slight favorite at -125, but she’s got a decent 7-4 lead from our pickers.

And to open the main card, bantamweight [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is the biggest favorite on the entire event at nearly 10-1 against [autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag] (17-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC). Not surprisingly, Nurmagomedov is our other unanimous pick at 11-0.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Imavov (51 percent), Ige (62 percent), Soriano (68 percent), Vieira (67 percent) and Nurmagomedov (88 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.

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Roman Kopylov: Punahele Soriano has great standup, UFC Fight Night 217 bout ‘could end at any second’

Roman Kopylov doesn’t expect his fight with Punahele Soriano at UFC Fight Night 217 to last too long.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] doesn’t expect his fight with [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag] to last too long.

Middleweights Kopylov (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and Soriano (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) square off on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 217 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

Kopylov earned his first octagon win when he scored a third-round TKO of Alessio Di Chirico this past September in Paris. The Russian finisher sees Soriano’s style making for an exciting fight.

“He’s got great standup, he keeps coming, and I think that’s what we should do,” Kopylov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “We should keep standing with him and show the fans an exciting fight. That’s exactly what they’re expecting.”

He continued, “I think the fight could end at any second. I think we’re gonna show a great show.”

Watch the video of Kopylov’s complete pre-fight media availability above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.

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