Tag: Randy Brown

Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC 302

Randy Brown and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos will both enter UFC 302 with momentum. Who will come away victorious?

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/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.

Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos UFC 302 preview

Brown (18-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) is trending up again after his four-fight winning streak was snapped by Jack Della Maddalena in February 2023. Since then, Brown has won back-to-back bouts – a unanimous decision over Wellington Turman and a first-round knockout of Muslim Salikhov. … Dos Santos (24-7-1 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) will enter UFC 302 after fighting Rinat Fakhretdinov to a majority draw last November. Prior to that, he scored back-to-back decision wins over Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Benoit Saint-Denis.

Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos UFC 302 expert pick, prediction

Since the UFC matchmakers, for whatever reason, only booked one lightweight bout outside of the headliner on a pay-per-view, the paid portion of the card will open with a welterweight bout between Brown and Dos Santos.

In the UFC brass’ defense, this fight has all the makings of a welterweight war.

Although I could see Brown ending things early with another beautiful right hand off a double jab, the Jamaican-American has a propensity to play with his food that makes him hard to trust as a favorite.

Dos Santos, on the other hand, is a perpetually underrated Brazilian warhorse who will fight for your money.

An early knockout from Brown wouldn’t shock me, but I’ll take the contrarian pick and side with dos Santos to win by decision.

Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos UFC 302 odds

Brown will enter as the betting favorite, according to FanDuel, coming in at -184, with Dos Santos a +148 underdog.

Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos UFC 302 start time, how to watch

As the main card opener, Brown and Dos Santos are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 10:15 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.

UFC 302’s Randy Brown no longer interested in Michael Chiesa: ‘He’s out of the rankings now’

Randy Brown explains why he’s no longer interested in fighting Michael Chiesa despite calling him out earlier this year.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Just a few months ago, [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] was campaigning to fight [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag], but today, that’s a much different story.

Brown (18-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) has lost all interest in fighting Chiesa and is no longer in search of the matchup. Returning at Saturday’s UFC 302, Brown said his objective is to crack the top 15 of the UFC’s official rankings, and Chiesa won’t help his cause at this point in time.

“I don’t care about Chiesa, man,” Brown said at Wednesday’s UFC 302 media day. “That whole situation was just that I wanted to fight. I wanted to fight someone with a name, and he was in the rankings. I felt deserved to be fighting in the rankings.

“But I don’t give a f*ck about Chiesa to be honest. He’s out of the rankings now. He doesn’t have a number next to him. He’s fighting some old guy. Those two old guys can go fight somewhere. That’s it.”

Chiesa is booked to fight MMA veteran Tony Ferguson on the main card of UFC on ABC 7 on Aug. 3, while Brown takes on Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (24-7-1 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) this Saturday to open up the UFC 302 main card (ESPN+ pay-per-view).

Brown hopes a win over Zaleski dos Santos finally gets him into the UFC’s rankings.

“It’s very important because rankings mean a better legacy, I’m closer to the title,” Brown said. “It means more money. It means everything steps up once you get a number, and you get closer to the goals you set out to accomplish. I’ve always thought I deserve a number, bro. Like I’ve been fighting, I’ve been winning. I’m 6-1 in my last seven, and I’m unranked, which is crazy. The one guy that beat me got ranked from beating me, and I was unranked, so alright.

“I don’t know, man. I’ve stopped thinking about it. Hopefully, after this fight I get a ranked opponent. If not, keep paying me to beat up on dudes y’all consider not good enough.”

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

On this day: Celtic Stephon Marbury born; Joe Johnson traded to Suns

On this day in Celtics history, former point guard Stephon Marbury was born, and forward Joe Johnson was dealt to the Phoenix Suns.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, iconic former Celtic point guard Stephon Marbury was born in 1977 in Brooklyn, New York, New York.

Marbury joined the Celtics as the last stop of his NBA career. He signed with the storied franchise after falling out with the coach of the New York Knicks at that time — Mike D’Antoni — once he had successfully negotiated a buyout with the Knicks. Unfortunately for Starbury (as he was sometimes called for a nickname) his time in Boston with the Celtics did not go especially well as the Georgia Tech product did not mesh well with his new club.

His sole season in Boston — by far the worst of his NBA career — paled compared to his career averages of 19.3 points and 7.6 assists per game (Marbury put up only 3.8 points and 3.3 assists per game with the Celtics in 2008-09).

Randy Brown calls out Michael Chiesa’s inactivity after UFC Fight Night 235: ‘You have to defend your ranking’

Randy Brown crossed paths with Michael Chiesa at the UFC Apex after his KO win at UFC Fight Night 235 and expects that matchup next.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] has been eagerly awaiting his chance to break into the welterweight rankings, and he might get it after an impressive UFC Fight Night 235 win.

Brown (18-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) earned his sixth victory in his past seven fights on Saturday when he scored a blistering first-round knockout of Muslim Salikhov (19-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) at the UFC Apex. His only losses in the past five years have come to Jack Della Maddalena and Vicente Luque, and now he wants another chance to join the upper tier of the weight class.

Chiesa represents that opportunity, Brown said. “The Ultimate Fighter 15” winner is No. 14 in the latest official UFC rankings, but has only fought once since November 2021. Because of that lack of activity, Brown said it’s time for Chiesa to fight or surrender his ranking.

“I just always thought we would be a good matchup for years,” Brown told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC Fight Night 235. “These are the guys that I’ve been watching. These are guys that when I grew up watching MMA as an amateur, that I’ve seen in ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and I’ve got a ton of respect for them. I just think you have to defend your ranking. As someone established in the rankings – or, as you say, ‘a contender’ – you can’t just rest on your laurels. This isn’t a shot to him or anything, but I just feel like he doesn’t fight as consistent as he should.

“If I’m a contender coming up and I’m looking at these guys and I’m like, ‘Who can I realistically get a matchup with?’ and the guys that aren’t fighting – you’ve got to do something to prove you belong in that spot. I feel like he’s one of the guys that don’t fight enough, so I just locked in on him.”

To Brown’s fortune, Chiesa (18-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) was working as a desk analyst at UFC Fight Night 235. They crossed paths in the backstage area after Brown’s win, and he said they respectfully discussed a future showdown.

“We’re trying to get it done,” Brown said. “He said maybe UFC 300 is a little too soon for him, but he wants to do it. If he’s a man of his word, which I think he is, hopefully the UFC can come to something or we can go to the UFC and work it out. We’ll see.”

For now, Brown, 33, will revel in the triumph of another successful night of work. He finish of Salikhov marked his first knockout win since June 2019, and Brown said it was one of the stronger representations of his best ability.

“I was prepared for a scrap,” Brown said. “But I knew if I came in and I was healthy and I could get off all the things that I trained for, that I could get the finish.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

UFC Fight Night 235 post-event facts: Randy Brown is on the rise

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 235, which saw Randy Brown continue his run of success in the loaded welterweight division.

The UFC opened its four-event February schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 235, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) achieved his first octagon main event win to close out the card when he outworked [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) to a majority decision in their matchup of ranked UFC middleweights.

For 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 235.

UFC Fight Night 235 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Drew Dober’s $21,000 tops card

UFC Fight Night 235 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 235 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $170,500.

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 Fight Night 235 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 235 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Aliaskhab Khizriev[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Charlie Radtke[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gilbert Urbina[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Azat Maksum[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Pete Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jeong Yeong Lee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Blake Bilder[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Julija Stoliarenko[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marquel Mederos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Landon Quinones[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamal Pogues[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Thomas Petersen[/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 2351 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: $615,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,322,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

UFC Fight Night 235 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 235 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 235 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 235 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

UFC Fight Night 235 video: Randy Brown drops Muslim Salikhov in Round 1, calls for UFC 300 slot

Randy Brown now has a dozen octagon victories after his TKO win at UFC Fight Night 235, and now he wants a ranked opponent.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] scored arguably the most impressive finish of his octagon tenure Saturday against [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 235.

Brown (18-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) showed his striking is on the level of the much more decorated “King of Kung Fu” Salikhov (19-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) with a flush 1-2 combination that led to a knockdown. “Rude Boy” landed one more shot on the ground before the referee stopped the middleweight bout at the UFC Apex at the 3:17 mark of Round 1.

Check out the replay of Brown’s handiwork below (via X):

With a dozen UFC victories now on his resume and a 6-1 record in his past seven fights dating back to April 2021, Brown said he’s looking to do bigger and better things at 170 pounds.

“I feel like people don’t get to see what I’m truly capable of, and I finally get to come out here and put hands on somebody like we do at the gym, and that’s what we do,” Brown said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “Put me in here for (UFC) 300. … I’m telling you, I’m a top-15, top-10 caliber fighter – and get me somebody so I can move up the f*cking ranks.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 235 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

No ‘ill’ will: Muslim Salikhov doesn’t begrudge Randy Brown’s UFC withdrawal due to sickness

The one-month-plus delay for his UFC return made Muslim Salikhov nervous, but his respect maintains for Randy Brown.

LAS VEGAS – The delay made [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] nervous for a multitude of reasons, but there’s no resentment toward UFC Fight Night 235 opponent [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag].

Initially slated for UFC 296 in December, Salikhov (19-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) vs. Brown (17-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) was canceled days before the event when the latter fighter fell ill.

Despite the disappointment that came with a fight week withdrawal, Salikhov understood Brown’s decision.

“It’s difficult. I did the full camp (for) almost three months before December,” Salikhov told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday at the UFC Apex. “I worried that maybe it’s going to be overtraining. But it’s OK. It is what it is. They said they will reschedule fight for maybe January’s first event but it did not happen because he was still sick. Everyone is sick. I understand this. I see everyone in Las Vegas. I see it. I agree with this and we just waited for the fight.”

Salikhov, 39, approaches the big 4-0, which he turns June 9. While many fighters are winding down in their late 30s, Salikhov said he still has a couple more trips around the sun before he hangs up the gloves.

“I’m still not thinking about the end,” Salikhov said. “I’m good. I feel that I’m still in shape. Sometimes, I’m better than young fighters. It’s OK. 39 is just, in MMA, I’m just beginning. I have not fought a lot of fights. It’s 20, which is already a lot. But (during my) K-1, I had big, big (amount), like so many fights. I got a little bit tired after K-1. … For MMA, it’s like, especially in the UFC, I feel like I’m beginning. I’m not tired. … Maybe two or three years more.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

UFC Fight Night 235’s Randy Brown explains why last-minute UFC 296 withdrawal made sense

Randy Brown has no regrets in hindsight after pulling out two days before the event for UFC 296 in December.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] is glad the people around intervened before he could follow through with fighting Muslim Salikhov in December.

Brown (17-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) is scheduled to meet Salikhov (19-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 235. in a welterweight bout at the UFC Apex (ESPN+). The matchup was originally scheduled for UFC 296 on Dec. 16, but less than 48 hours before the event, Brown was forced to withdraw due to illness.

It was an agonizing decision, Brown said, but ultimately it’s happening six weeks later, and he’s glad he didn’t step into the octagon while badly compromised.

“I was sick, so obviously I’m trying to fight – I wanted to fight through it,” Brown told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 235 media day. “Coaches are there obviously to protect you from yourself sometimes. So the typical stuff. I want to go, they’re like, ‘No, you put in all the work.’ You feel like you wasted all that work, wasted all that time, wasted all that money going into a camp. But afterwards, it worked out. It made sense for me not to fight. Because if I fought I wouldn’t have looked good.”

Although Brown, 33, would’ve been willing to move on to another opponent if a rescheduling didn’t materialize, he’s glad to still fight Salikhov.

“I think he’s tremendous,” Brown said. “Explosive guy. A lot of the newer people don’t know much about him, but I know what’s up. I’ve been watching him for a while. He was ranked No. 12 at one point. Dangerous guy. Doesn’t matter the age or nothing like that. Doesn’t matter. I think he’s still the same guy that he’s been and someone that I need to take extremely serious. I think he’s a tough fight for me.”

A winner in five of his past six fights dating back to April 2021, Brown is focused on breaking through to the next tier of the 170-pound division. He thinks he deserves bigger opportunities and aims to prove that much with his performance at UFC Fight Night 235.

“I think it doesn’t matter whoever is in the rankings, I think I should be next up either in the rankings after this, or fighting someone in the rankings after this. But I’ve got to focus on this dude first.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.