Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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 10-16.
UFC Fight Night 221 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 221 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $194,000.
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 221 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 221 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Lukasz Brzeski[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]JJ Aldrich [/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag]: $4,500
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 2217 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2211 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: $1,634,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,153,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 221 event.
While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.
See what the fighters from UFC Fight Night 221 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.
Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 221 main card, which features Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili at bantamweight.
| Yan vs. Dvalishvili |
Romanov vs. Volkov |
Krylov vs. Spann |
Lingo vs. Ramos |
Martinez vs. Nurmagomedov |
Petrino vs. Turkalj |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 23-14 |
 Yan (56%) |
 Romanov (53%) |
 Spann (59%) |
 Ramos (75%) |
 Nurmagomedov (84%) |
 Petrino (71%) |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 27-13 |
Yan |
Romanov |
 Krylov |
Ramos |
Nurmagomedov |
Petrino |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 26-14/em> |
Yan |
 Volkov |
Spann |
Ramos |
Nurmagomedov |
Petrino |
| Matt Erickson @MattE 26-14 |
 Dvalishvili |
Romanov |
Spann |
Ramos |
Nurmagomedov |
Petrino |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 26-14 |
Dvalishvili |
Romanov |
Spann |
 Lingo |
Nurmagomedov |
Petrino |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 25-15  2018, 2022 Champion |
Yan |
Romanov |
Spann |
Lingo |
Nurmagomedov |
Petrino |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 24-16 |
Yan |
Romanov |
Spann |
Ramos |
Nurmagomedov |
Petrino |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 24-16 |
Yan |
Volkov |
Krylov |
Ramos |
Nurmagomedov |
Petrino |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 24-16 |
Dvalishvili |
Volkov |
Krylov |
Ramos |
Nurmagomedov |
Petrino |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 23-17 2014 Champion |
Dvalishvili |
Romanov |
Spann |
Ramos |
Nurmagomedov |
Petrino |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 22-18 2017 Champion |
Yan |
Romanov |
Krylov |
Ramos |
Nurmagomedov |
Petrino |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 22-18 |
Dvalishvili |
Romanov |
Spann |
Lingo |
Nurmagomedov |
Petrino |
The UFC stays in Las Vegas this week with a heated bantamweight rivalry atop the card.
UFC Fight Night 221 takes place Saturday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels 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, former bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC). Yan is a -260 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Dvalishvili is +210. But it’s not a blowout. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Yan ahead by the smallest possible margin at 6-5.
In the co-feature, [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) meets [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (35-10 MMA, 9-4 UFC) at heavyweight. Romanov is a slight favorite at -150, but he has a big 8-3 lead in the picks.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] (29-9 MMA, 10-7 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in a fight rescheduled from two weeks ago when Krylov fell ill on fight day at UFC Fight Night 220. Krylov and Spann were set to headline that card. Krylov is a -170 favorite in the light heavyweight rebooted bout, but it’s Spann with a 7-4 picks lead.
[autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) are set to tangle at featherweight. Ramos is the biggest favorite on the main card at -370 and he has a big 8-3 lead from our staff members.
[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is a -270 favorite against [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at bantamweight and is one of our two 11-0 unanimous picks on the main card.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and [autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) have pick’em odds in their light heavyweight matchup. Despite that, Petrino is our second unanimous pick.
In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Yan (56 percent), Romanov (53 percent), Spann (59 percent), Ramos (75 percent), Nurmagomedov (84 percent) and Petrino 71 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 221.
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After almost two years away from the octagon, Austin Lingo is hoping for a quick night at UFC Fight Night 221.
LAS VEGAS – After almost two years away from the octagon, [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] is hoping for a quick night at UFC Fight Night 221.
Lingo (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) returns against [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on Saturday’s main card at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
Lingo was forced to withdraw from two fights due to injury but doesn’t expect ring rust to play a factor against Ramos.
“He’s a really good fighter,” Lingo told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 221 media day. “He’s well rounded. He’s got a lot of good knockouts that I’ve seen. He’s dangerous, so I’m ready.”
[lawrence-related id=2622816,2622833,2622617]
With Ramos’ ability to finish fights both on the feet and the ground, Lingo can see the fight finishing before the final bell sounds.
“We’re both heavy hitters,” Lingo said. “So we’ll see how it goes.”
He continued, “In and out, that’s the best way.”
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Ramos said he sees his path to victory on the ground. Although he owns two of only five spinning back elbow knockouts, the jiu-jitsu blackbelt likes his chances on the ground against “Lights Out” Lingo.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.
Before UFC Fight Night 221 on Saturday, the main card fighters are scheduled to speak to reporters at media day.
LAS VEGAS – The UFC’s busy schedule continues Saturday with UFC Fight Night 221, which takes place at the The Theater at Virgin Hotels and streams on ESPN+.
A critical bantamweight main event serves as the final act on the card, with former champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) slated to clash with streaking contender Merab Dvalishvili (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in a contest scheduled for five rounds.
Before fight night arrives, though, the 12 athletes from the main card are scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday at media day, and MMA Junkie will have a live stream beginning at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT.
If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.
Go behind the numbers of UFC Fight Night 221, where Merab Dvalishvili enters his main event vs. Petr Yan with takedown records.
The UFC’s busy March schedule rolls on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 221, which takes place at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas with a lineup that streams entirely on ESPN+.
In the main event, bantamweight contenders collide. Former UFC champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will attempt to snap a two-fight losing skid when he takes on the streaking [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who has won his past eight consecutive bouts inside the octagon.
For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 221.
Ricardo Ramos sees his path to victory against Austin Lingo on the ground at UFC Fight Night 221 in Las Vegas next week.
[autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag] sees his path to victory against [autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] on the ground.
Featherweights Ramos (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Lingo (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) square off on the UFC Fight Night 221 main card March 11 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.
The Brazilian fighter is coming off a brutal spinning back elbow knockout of Danny Chavez in June 2022. But with most of his career-wins coming by submission, he aims to capitalize on Lingo’s forward pressure by taking him to the ground.
“I see I can go to the ground, I can strike,” Ramos told MMA Junkie. “You always feel in the fight, but of course I’ve been training my jiu-jitsu, training a lot of takedowns, and also the striking. But takedowns and jiu-jitsu are really my strategy going into this fight for sure. He’s a good striker. He’s an aggressive guy and he likes to come forward, always throwing combos, so it’s good to cut this off and go to the ground and don’t make him comfortable in his game. So it’s probably the No. 1 strategy.”
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Ramos’ bonus-winning finish of Chavez was a spectacular one, but it’s not the first time he’s landed that same move. Ramos was also able to put Aiemann Zahabi out cold with his elbow, and now is the owner of two of five spinning back elbow knockouts in UFC history.
But with Lingo going by the moniker “Lights Out” and currently on a two-fight winning streak, Ramos is taking him seriously.
“He’s pretty good,” Ramos said. “He’s a great fighter, very aggressive, he likes to strike, and it’s a tough fight. In the UFC, there are no easy fights. Every fight is really good. You’ve got to respect your opponent. He’s training to beat my ass, so I’ve got to train to beat his ass.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.
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 Jan. 23-29.
Six fighters were handed indefinite medical suspensions after what many fans are calling the most violent UFC card of the year.
UFC on ESPN 37 took place Saturday at Moody Center in Austin, Texas where the promotion put on what many fans are calling one of the most violent cards of 2022.
With violence, however, comes injuries. Tuesday, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), the commissioning body that regulated the event, released a list of medical suspensions for UFC on ESPN 37 fighters. The TDLR does not give injury specifics, but reveals the duration of suspensions.
Among those handed indefinite suspensions were main event winner Josh Emmett, co-main event loser Tim Means, Albert Duraev, Julian Marquez, Deron Winn, and Kyle Daukaus. Note: fighters can return sooner than the date listed if they receive medical clearance from a physician prior to completion of their suspension.
Check out the full list of medical suspensions below.
