Tag: Raulian Paiva

Timur Valiev books first fight since ‘TUF 31,’ meets Raulian Paiva at UAE Warriors 45

After falling short on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Timur Valiev has his first fight booked.

After falling short on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” [autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag] has his first fight booked.

Valiev (18-3-1) meets fellow UFC alum [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] (21-5) in a bantamweight bout that co-headlines UAE Warriors 45 on Oct. 20 in Abu Dhabi, promotion officials confirmed to MMA Junkie on Friday. The event will take place one day before UFC 294 as a part of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week. It will stream on UFC Fight Pass.

Valiev was let go by the UFC in June 2022 after a unanimous decision loss to Jack Shore. He got an opportunity to rejoin the UFC roster when was called up for “TUF 31,” but was eliminated by eventual winner Brad Katona in the semifinals. He lost that bout by split decision.

Paiva also will compete for the first time since he parted ways with the UFC. The 27-year-old Brazilian is coming off back-to-back losses to current bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and Sergey Morozov. He exited the UFC with a record of 3-4 – including a Fight of the Night win over Kyler Phillips.

UFC 269 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Second highest payout in program history

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 269 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $323,500.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 269 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $323,500.

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 269 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC 269 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Julianna Pena[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Andre Muniz[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ryan Hall[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tony Kelley[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Randy Costa[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag]: $6,000

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 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,929,000
Program-to-date total: $5,929,000

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UFC 269 results: Sean O’Malley swarms Raulian Paiva with vicious barrage en route to TKO

“The Suga Show” kept on rolling at UFC 269, as he picked up yet another knockout.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] keeps on rolling.

Kicking off the UFC 269 main card in style, O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) finished [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) with a barrage of punches at 4:42 of Round 1.

UFC 269 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

From the opening bell, O’Malley dictated the dance. He dipped in and out with a funky style, technically out-striking the smaller Brazilian. With his jab on point and his footwork quick, O’Malley connected with a series of punches that stunned Paiva late in Round 1.

Paiva was never able to recover as he absorbed blow after blow. He hung tough and did not go unconscious but referee Jason Herzog saw the fighter take enough unanswered strikes to waive off the fight.

Outside of a loss to Marlon Vera, in which he suffered a leg injury, O’Malley has not lost any other of his promotional appearances. Since his breakthrough performance on Dana White’s Contender Series in July 2017, O’Malley has picked up wins over the likes of Thomas Almeida, Eddie Wineland, and Kris Moutinho among others.

The loss for Paiva snaps a three-fight winning streak, which included victories over Mark De La Rosa, Zhalgas, Zhumagulov, and Kyler Phillips. UFC 269 marked the second time Paiva competed at bantamweight in the promotion, as his first four promotional appearances took place at flyweight.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC 269 include:

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Twitter reacts to Sean O’Malley’s thrilling TKO of Raulian Paiva at UFC 269

See the top Twitter reactions to Sean O’Malley’s victory against Raulian Paiva at UFC 269.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] got his hand raised once again on Saturday when he dispatched of [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] in the UFC 269 main card opener.

O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) extended his winning streak to three fights courtesy of a first-round TKO win over Paiva (21-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) in the bantamweight matchup, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to O’Malley’s victory over Paiva at UFC 269.

UFC 269 play-by-play and live results (6 p.m. ET)

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC 269 in Las Vegas.

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LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on the scene for Saturday’s UFC 269 event.

UFC 269 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, Charles Oliveira will look to record his first lightweight title defense against former interim champion Dustin Poirier. In the co-feature, two-division champion Amanda Nunes will put her women’s bantamweight title on the line against Julianna Pena. Also, former bantamweight champion Cody Garbradnt drops down to flyweight for the first time where he will meet Kai Kara-France. The eccentric Sean O’Malley takes on Raulian Paiva to kick things off the pay-per-view main card.

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC 269 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporters John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) and Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

UFC 269 predictions: Is anyone picking Charles Oliveira over Dustin Poirier?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC 269 main card, which features two title fights.

Oliveira
vs.
Poirier		 Nunes
vs.
Pena		 Neal
vs.
Ponzinibbio		 Garbrandt
vs.
Kara-France		 O’Malley
vs.
Paiva
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2021: 203-116		 poirier2021
Poirier
(63%)		 nunes2021
Nunes
(87%)		 ponzinibbio2021
Ponzinibbio
(66%)		 garbrandt2021
Garbrandt
(53%)		 omalley2021
O’Malley
(82%)
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2021: 207-112		 poirier2021
Poirier		 nunes2021
Nunes		 ponzinibbio2021
Ponzinibbio		 garbrandt2021
Garbrandt		 omalley2021
O’Malley
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2021: 204-115		 oliveira2021
Oliveira		 nunes2021
Nunes		 ponzinibbio2021
Ponzinibbio		 garbrandt2021
Garbrandt		 omalley2021
O’Malley
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2021: 198-121		 poirier2021
Poirier		 nunes2021
Nunes		 ponzinibbio2021
Ponzinibbio		 garbrandt2021
Garbrandt		 omalley2021
O’Malley
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2021: 197-122
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 poirier2021
Poirier		 nunes2021
Nunes		 neal2021
Neal		 karafrance2021
Kara-France		 omalley2021
O’Malley
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2021: 196-123		 poirier2021
Poirier		 nunes2021
Nunes		 neal2021
Neal		 garbrandt2021
Garbrandt		 omalley2021
O’Malley
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2021: 194-125
trophy copy 2020 Champion		 oliveira2021
Oliveira		 nunes2021
Nunes		 ponzinibbio2021
Ponzinibbio		 karafrance2021
Kara-France		 omalley2021
O’Malley
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2021: 191-128		 poirier2021
Poirier		 nunes2021
Nunes		 ponzinibbio2021
Ponzinibbio		 garbrandt2021
Garbrandt		 omalley2021
O’Malley
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2021: 187-132
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 oliveira2021
Oliveira		 nunes2021
Nunes		 neal2021
Neal		 garbrandt2021
Garbrandt		 omalley2021
O’Malley
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2021: 186-133		 poirier2021
Poirier		 nunes2021
Nunes		 neal2021
Neal		 garbrandt2021
Garbrandt		 omalley2021
O’Malley
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2021: 185-134		 poirier2021
Poirier		 nunes2021
Nunes		 ponzinibbio2021
Ponzinibbio		 garbrandt2021
Garbrandt		 omalley2021
O’Malley
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2021: 184-135
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 poirier2021
Poirier		 nunes2021
Nunes		 ponzinibbio2021
Ponzinibbio		 karafrance2021
Kara-France		 omalley2021
O’Malley
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2021: 183-136		 poirier2021
Poirier		 nunes2021
Nunes		 ponzinibbio2021
Ponzinibbio		 garbrandt2021
Garbrandt		 omalley2021
O’Malley
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
2021: 124-79		 poirier2021
Poirier		 nunes2021
Nunes		 neal2021
Neal		 garbrandt2021
Garbrandt		 omalley2021
O’Malley

The final UFC pay-per-view of the year goes down Saturday in Las Vegas with a pair of title fights atop the card.

UFC 269 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 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, [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (31-8 MMA, 19-8 UFC) puts his lightweight title on the line for the first time against former interim champ [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 20-5 UFC). Poirier is a -150 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Oliveira is +120. Our 13 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are taking the challenger at a big 10-3 margin.

In the co-feature, women’s bantamweight and featherweight champ [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 14-1 UFC) puts her 135-pound title up against challenger [autotag]Julianna Pena[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC). Nunes is a massive 10-1 favorite, and she’s one of two unanimous picks from our staff members.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag] (28-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in a welterweight fight. Ponzinibbio is a slight favorite at -135, and he’s got an 8-5 edge in the picks.

Former bantamweight titleholder [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) makes his long-awaited flyweight debut against [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (22-9 MMA, 5-2 UFC). Garbrandt is just a -145 favorite, but he’s got a big 10-3 lead from our pickers.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is our second unanimous pick in his bantamweight fight against [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC). O’Malley is the second biggest favorite on the main card at -340 and has a 13-0 picks shutout.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Poirier (63 percent), Nunes (87 percent), Ponzinibbio (66 percent), Garbrandt (53 percent) and O’Malley (82 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Sean O’Malley returns for third fight of 2021 against Raulian Paiva at UFC 269

Sean O’Malley could have a chance to leap into the UFC’s bantamweight rankings with a win over a ranked opponent.

An exciting bantamweight matchup is on the horizon for the UFC’s final pay-per-view of 2021.

At UFC 269, one of the most exciting fighters in the division, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], will take on fellow Dana White’s Contender Series veteran [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag].

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news with MMA Junkie following an initial report from UFC broadcast partner ESPN, which O’Malley initially questioned. He subsequently announced the fight Saturday on his Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUiE_XAlx0r/?utm_medium=copy_link

UFC 269 does not yet have a confirmed venue or location, although the event is expected to take place in Las Vegas.

O’Malley (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) will look to close out his strong 2021 campaign with a third consecutive victory. Three seems to be the magic number for “Sugar” as he recorded two third-round finishes earlier this year. At UFC 260, he finished Thomas Almeida by TKO behind his sharp striking and followed that up with another stoppage by punches, taking out short-notice replacement Kris Mourinho at UFC 264.

Paiva (21-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is quite the prospect in his own right, who has rebounded nicely after his first pair of UFC fights. He is currently on a three-fight winning streak and ranked No. 15 in the promotion’s official rankings, defeating tough competitors Mark De La Rosa, Zhalgas Zhumagulov, and Kyler Phillips consecutively.

With the addition, the UFC 269 lineup includes:

  • Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier – for lightweight title
  • Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena – for women’s bantamweight title
  • Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo – for flyweight title
  • Dominick Cruz vs. Pedro Munhoz
  • Randy Costa vs. Tony Kelley
  • Cody Garbrandt vs. Kai Kara-France
  • Priscila Cachoeira vs. Gillian Robertson
  • Maycee Barber vs. Montana De La Rosa
  • Dricus Du Plessis vs. Andre Muniz
  • Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell
  • Ryan Hall vs. Darrick Minner

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01f5k5h8pz3brj4xqb image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

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UFC on ESPN 27 post-event facts: T.J. Dillashaw makes history in octagon return

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 27, which saw T.J. Dillashaw return to the octagon in historic fashion.

The UFC’s busy July continued Saturday with UFC on ESPN 27, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The highly anticipated main event of the card saw former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) make his long-awaited return to the octagon with a split decision win over [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC).

Dillashaw’s victory was one of several debatable decisions on the card that had multiple notable feats. For more on the numbers, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 27.

Healthier, stronger, faster, better: Raulian Paiva glad he moved up in weight for UFC on ESPN 27

After a failed weight cut in May, Raulian Paiva took a gamble and moved to 135 pounds. It paid off.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] entered UFC on ESPN 27 the underdog and exited the victor.

In a high-action, back-and-forth battle, Paiva (21-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) defeated Kyler Phillips by majority decision. The fight served as the co-main event and earned “Fight of the Night” honors.

“I’m very happy,” Paiva told MMA Junkie at a post-fight news conference. “I’m even happier because I could prove my evolution since the beginning of the year. Last time here, I couldn’t fight. I could fight a very tough guy and prove and show all my skills.”

The withdrawal Paiva referred to was his scheduled May 22 fight, which he pulled out of when he fell ill days before the event due to weigh-cutting complications. The failed drop to flyweight caused Paiva to move up to bantamweight – a move he’s glad he made.

“The real thing is that (in) this new weight division, I get here healthier, stronger, faster, and I can perform better,” Paiva said. “I’m sure the decision was very good, so that’s why we took this decision. … The thing is, during my career, I was always training with guys heavier than me to feel the punches. I guess this helped me a lot.”

[lawrence-related id=649162,649726]

The decision was close, though the majority of MMA reporters for major outlets submitted scorecards that indicated the fight should’ve been a draw or gone to Phillips (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC). In Paiva’s mind, however, there was no question he did enough.

“Me, and my team, we disagreed,” Paiva said. “We didn’t think it was a 10-8 (in) the first round because I was always moving and defending myself. We were confident that I won the second and third round, so I knew I got the W.”

UFC on ESPN 27 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex and aired on ESPN.

Check out Paiva’s full post-fight news conference in the video above.

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UFC on ESPN 27 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Darren Elkins gets biggest bag

UFC on ESPN 27 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 27 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $135,000.

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 27 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 27 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Randy Costa[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jordan Williams[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andre Ewell[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Elise Reed[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/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 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,593,500
Program-to-date total: $2,593,500