UFC Fight Night 237 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Headliners get combined $17,000

UFC Fight Night 237 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

MEXICO CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 237 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $135,500.

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 237 took place at Mexico City Arena. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 237 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Fransisco Prado[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Sam Hughes[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Cristian Quinonez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jesus Aguilar[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mateus Mendonca[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Lacerda[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Claudio Puelles[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Denys Bondar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Felipe dos Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Erik Silva[/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 2371 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:

“UFC Fight Night 237: Moreno vs. Royval 2” – $135,500
“UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria” – $243,000
“UFC Fight Night 236: Hermansson vs. Pyfer” – $236,500
“UFC Fight Night 235: Dolidze vs. Imavov” – $170,500
“UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis” – $285,500
“UFC Fight Night 234: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2” – $159,500

Year-to-date total: $1,228,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,935,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Jan. 1-7)

All the UFC 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.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 1-7.

19-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. meets ‘TUF 29’ winner Ricky Turcios at UFC Fight Night in Mexico City

UFC’s return to Mexico City continues to take shape with the addition of a bantamweight bout between Raul Rosas Jr. and Ricky Turcios.

The lineup for UFC’s return to Mexico City continues to take shape with the addition of a bantamweight bout between [autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Ricky Turcios[/autotag].

Rosas Jr. (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who at 19 is the youngest fighter on the UFC roster, announced on Friday that he will takes on “The Ultimate Fighter 29” winner Turcios (12-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 24, which takes place at Mexico City Arena (via X):

Raul Rosas Jr. ya tiene rival para #UFCMexico 🇲🇽👏

Se enfrenta a Ricky Turcios en combate de 135 ibras❗️ Boletos a la venta el lunes 15 de Enero👏 pic.twitter.com/QYRAAlR8PE

— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) January 5, 2024

Rosas Jr. will attempt to string together octagon victories for the first time. After signing to the UFC as a 17-year-old through Dana White’s Contender Series, Rosas Jr. won his promotional debut by submission in December 2022, before experience his first career setback against Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287 in April.

“El Nino Problema” rebounded from the loss with a 54-second TKO of Terrence Mitchell at Noche UFC in September, and now he will attempt to put together back-to-back wins.

Looking to play spoiler will be Turcios, who has experienced a similarly turbulent UFC tenure. After claiming the “TUF 29” crown in August 2021, Turcios split results in his next two appearances. The 30-year-old hasn’t seen action since November 2022, however, and will attempt to get emerge triumphant following a career-long layoff.

The latest lineup for UFC Fight Night in Mexico City now includes:

Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi
Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez
Edgar Chairez vs. Daniel Lacerda
Victor Altamirano vs. Felipe dos Santos
Sam Hughes vs. Yazmin Jauregui
Chris Duncan vs. Manuel Torres
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios

Ricky Turcios: Rematching Brady Hiestand would be ‘Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar type legend stuff’

Ricky Turcios thinks he and fellow UFC Fight Night 215 winner Brady Hiestand would deliver another memorable fight if they rematched.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Ricky Turcios[/autotag] spoke to the media after his UFC Fight Night 215 win.

Turcios (12-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) answered questions from MMA Junkie and other media members after edging out Kevin Natividad (9-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC) by split decision on his win, a potential rematch with “TUF 29” finalist [autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag] and more.

“Brady, that’s my dude,” Turcios told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “We were there inside ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ house training and stuff like that, and we had the war, and I’m glad he was shining and got that victory, too. So congratulations to him. He got the victory tonight. I got the victory tonight. We’re all connected in this circle of life, so everything happens for a reason. But if one day, me and Brady have to rematch, then we’re on that Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar type legend stuff, you know what I’m saying? Let’s go.”

UFC Fight Night 215 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

Watch the video of Turcios’ complete post-fight media availability above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 215.

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UFC Fight Night 215 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Lowest payout in program history

UFC Fight Night 215 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 215 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $80,000.

UFC Fight Night 215 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 215 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Waldo Cortes-Acosta[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andre Fialho[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ricky Turcios[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Natividad[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Vanessa Demopoulos[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Maria Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Fernie Garcia[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tereza Bleda[/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 and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts. 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 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

UFC Fight Night 215 – $80,000
“UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira” – $332,500
“UFC Fight Night 214: Rodriguez vs. Lemos” – $126,500
“UFC Fight Night 213: Kattar vs. Allen” – $166,500
“UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev” – $306,500
“UFC Fight Night 212: Grasso vs. Araujo” – $151,500
“UFC Fight Night 211: Dern vs. Yan” – $164,500
“UFC Fight Night 210: Sandhagen vs. Song” – $202,000
“UFC 279: Chimaev vs. Diaz” – $202,000
“UFC Fight Night 209: Gane vs. Tuivasa” – $155,000
“UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2” – $226,000
“UFC on ESPN 41: Vera vs. Cruz” – $195,000
“UFC on ESPN 40: Santos vs. Hill” – $140,000
“UFC 277: Peña vs. Nunes 2” – $313,500
“UFC Fight Night 208: Blaydes vs. Aspinall” – $179,000
“UFC on ABC 3: Ortega vs. Rodriguez” – $179,000
“UFC on ESPN 39: Dos Anjos vs. Fiziev” – $157,500
“UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier” – $362,500
“UFC on ESPN 38: Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot” – $140,500
“UFC on ESPN 37: Kattar vs. Emmett” – $189,000
“UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka” – $258,000
“UFC Fight Night 207: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik” – $149,000
“UFC Fight Night 206: Holm vs. Vieira” – $127,000
“UFC on ESPN 36: Blachowicz vs. Rakic” – $173,000
“UFC 274: Oliveira vs. Gaethje” – $320,000
“UFC on ESPN 35: Font vs. Vera” – $197,500
“UFC Fight Night 205: Lemos vs. Andrade” – $149,500
“UFC on ESPN 34: Luque vs. Muhammad 2” – $159,000
“UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie” – $293,500
“UFC on ESPN 33: Blaydes vs. Daukaus” – $186,500
“UFC Fight Night 204: Volkov vs. Aspinall” – $154,500
“UFC Fight Night 203: Santos vs. Ankalaev” – $198,000
“UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal” – $236,000
“UFC Fight Night 202: Makhachev vs. Green” – $138,000
“UFC Fight Night 201: Walker vs. Hill” – $140,000
“UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2” – $282,500
“UFC Fight Night 200: Hermansson vs. Strickland” – $160,500
“UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane” – $241,000
“UFC on ESPN 32: Kattar vs. Chikadze” – $132,000

Year-to-date total: $7,634,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $13,812,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 215.

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UFC Fight Night 215 post-event facts: Jack Della Maddalena makes waves with third-straight KO

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 215, which featured a number of notable feats.

The UFC closed its November schedule on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 215, a decision-heavy event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

One fighter who didn’t need the judges, however, was [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC), who made the most of his makeshift main event opportunity with a second-round TKO of [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag] (16-9-1 MMA, 5-8-1 UFC) in their light heavyweight clash.

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 215.

UFC on ESPN 39 post-event facts: Ricky Turcios’ rough striking numbers enter record books

Ricky Turcios landed just 11.5 percent of his strike attempts at UFC on ESPN 39, putting him in the record books for the wrong reasons.

After International Fight Week took over the MMA world, UFC on ESPN 39 on Saturday proved to be something of a hangover card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) put a highlight on the end of a long night of fights, though, when he scored a fifth-round knockout of former UFC champ [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (32-14 MMA, 20-12 UFC) to extend his winning streak in the lightweight division to six consecutive fights.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 39.

UFC on ESPN 30 results: Ricky Turcios outpoints Brady Hiestand, becomes TUF 29 champ

Ricky Turcios becomes TUF 29 bantamweight champion with split decision win over Brady Hiestand at UFC on ESPN 30.

[autotag]Ricky Turcios[/autotag] and [autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag] left it all in the cage.

The two bantamweight fighters engaged in a non-stop war for 15 minutes in the finale of the 135-pound tournament of “The Ultimate Fighter 29” on Saturday night. Turcios (11-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) outpointed Hiestand (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in a split decision that read 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.

With the win, Turcios became a TUF champion and was awarded a UFC contract. He was also received his jiu-jitsu black belt from his coach following the win.

The “TUF 29” bantamweight final was part of the UFC on ESPN 30 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

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In the first round, Hiestand closed the distance early and took down Turcios. Hiestand maintained top control, but Turcios doing most of the attacking as he was constantly landing strikes from the bottom. At one point in the middle of the round, Turcios got the back but lost it not long after. The fight got back on the feet in the last 30 seconds with both fighters brawling it out.

Leaving it all out there! EPIC round 1 in the books!

[#UFCVegas35 live now on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/MgTbzHynY7

— UFC (@ufc) August 29, 2021

The second round also had a similar story. Hiestand pressured and looked to control the action on the ground, while Turcios stayed busy with strikes from bottom. Turcios pushed more scrambled and attempted several submissions, but was unsuccessful, not achieving a tap and ending in bottom position in most scrambles.

Hiestand lands clean in the 2nd!

[ #UFCVegas35 live now on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/KT60ruAWDd

— UFC (@ufc) August 29, 2021

With two very competitive rounds in the books, both fighters came out to make a statement.

Turcios dropped Hiestand with a big, straight right hand, but was immediately taken down in the opening of the round. Once again, Turcios doing most of the damage. Halfway through the round, Turcios began to be the dominant force in the grappling – something not seen in the first two rounds. The fight ended on the feet with both fighters slugging it out and Turcios getting the better of the shots.

A message from your Ultimate Fighter Season 29 Winner @RickyHadouken 🗣 pic.twitter.com/NLECQ4Fwz3

— UFC (@ufc) August 29, 2021

With the win, Turcios is now 3-1 in his past four bouts. His lone loss came to UFC fighter Mana Martinez, who also fought on the same card, defeating veteran Guido Cannetti. Turcios fights out of Team Alpha Male.

Meanwhile, Hiestand suffered his second professional defeat. He trains out of Sikjitsu in Spokane, Washington.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 30 results include:

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UFC on ESPN 30: Ricky Turcios vs. Brady Hiestand odds, picks and prediction

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 30 odds and lines between Ricky Turcios and Brady Hiestand, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a bantamweight bout on the main card, Ricky Turcios faces Brady Hiestand Saturday at UFC on ESPN 30 – also known as UFC Vegas 35 – at the UFC’s APEX Facility. Below, we analyze the UFC on ESPN 30 Turcios vs. Hiestand odds and lines, with MMA picks and predictions.

The prelims will be televised on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET, with the main card on ESPN/ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET.

Turcios will make his UFC debut after topping Liudvik Sholinian at The Ultimate Fighter 29 Semifinal July 27. While it is a quick turnaround he should be well-rested since it is just his second pro fight since Feb. 23.

Hiestand will also be making his UFC debut after a first-round KO/TKO victory at 3:20 against Vince Murdock at the TUF 29 Semifinal Aug. 10. “Bam Bam” has seven pro fights under his belt and he has gone the distance just once while posting four KO/TKO results (3-1) and a pair of submissions (2-0).

UFC on ESPN 30 Turcios vs. Hiestand: Odds and lines

Odds via Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:35 a.m. ET.

Fight result (2-way line): Turcios -155 (bet $155 to win $100) | Hiestand +120 (bet $100 to win $120)
Total Rounds: 2.5 Rounds (Over -200 | Under +140)
Will the fight go the distance: OTB

Play our new free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

UFC on ESPN 30 Turcios vs. Hiestand: Odds, lines, predictions and picks

Records: Turcios 11-2-0 | Hiestand 6-1-0

Fight result (2-way line or money line)

TURCIOS (-155) is the safe play. He has 11 wins in 13 career professional bouts, and four of his past seven fights have finished inside the distance. However, facing Hiestand is a step up.

You can expect this to be a “Fight of the Night” candidate between two young fighters looking to make a name for themselves.

Over/Under (O/U)

Three of the past five fights for Turcios have ended up needing the assistance of the judges and he won his last two decisions. Hiestand hasn’t gone the distance since Oct. 19, 2018, against Corey Conway at FFC 32 but Turcios will be his most difficult opponent to date.

Playing OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (-200) is a bit on the expensive side, but the best play on the board.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

Watch this matchup with ESPN+ by signing up here.

For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage. This information is for entertainment purposes only. We make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content.

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UFC on ESPN 30 predictions: Who are our two unanimous picks?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 30 main card, featuring Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze.

	Barboza vs. Chikadze	Battle vs. Urbina	Hiestand vs. Turcios	Lee vs. Rodriguez	Gillmore vs. Petroski	Meerschaert vs. Muradov
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 131-80	Barboza (53%)	Battle (64%)	Turcios (62%)	Rodriguez (58%)	Petroski (87%)	Muradov (82%)
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 135-76	Chikadze	Battle	Turcios	Lee	Petroski	Muradov
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 133-78	Chikadze	Battle	Turcios	Lee	Petroski	Muradov
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 130-81 2018 Champion	Chikadze	Battle	Turcios	Rodriguez	Petroski	Muradov
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 128-83 2020 Champion	Barboza	Battle	Turcios	Lee	Petroski	Muradov
Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 127-84	Barboza	Battle	Turcios	Lee	Petroski	Muradov
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 126-85	Chikadze	Battle	Hiestand	Rodriguez	Petroski	Muradov
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 125-86 2014 Champion	Barboza	Battle	Turcios	Lee	Petroski	Muradov
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 123-88	Barboza	Battle	Turcios	Lee	Gillmore	Muradov
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 122-89	Barboza	Battle	Turcios	Lee	Petroski	Muradov
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 121-90	Barboza	Battle	Turcios	Lee	Petroski	Muradov
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 120-91	Barboza	Battle	Turcios	Lee	Petroski	Muradov
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 119-92 2017 Champion	Chikadze	Battle	Hiestand	Lee	Petroski	Muradov
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 2021: 53-42	Chikadze	Battle	Turcios	Lee	Petroski	Muradov

The UFC is back in Las Vegas this week with a featherweight clash and a pair of “Ultimate Fighter” finals.

UFC on ESPN 30 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (22-9 MMA, 16-9 UFC) takes on [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in a battle of elite-level strikers. Barboza is a slight -125 favorite at Tipico, and he has the slimmest of leads in the picks from our 13 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers at 7-6.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Gilbert Urbina[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in the Season 29 “Ultimate Fighter” middleweight final. Battle is a -180 favorite at the betting window and one of two unanimous picks for our staff members on the main card.

In the second “TUF 29” final, [autotag]Brady Hiestand[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ricky Turcios[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at bantamweight. Turcios is a -160 favorite and has a big 11-2 edge in the picks.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) returns for a welterweight fight against [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC). Lee is the favorite at -150 and has a commanding 11-2 picks lead – though it’s intriguing that Rodriguez won our fan poll handily at 58 percent.

“TUF 29” cast members [autotag]Micheal Gillmore[/autotag] (6-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and [autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag] (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) meet in a middleweight bout to officially open their UFC careers. Petroski is the second biggest favorite on the card at -550, and only one of our staff members is picking against him.

And to open the main card, we have our second unanimous pick in [autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag] (25-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who has pitched a 13-0 picks shutout for his middleweight fight against [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] (32-14 MMA, 7-6 UFC). Muradov is the biggest favorite on the card at -650.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Barboza (53 percent), Battle (64 percent), Turcios (62 percent), Rodriguez (58 percent), Petroski (87percent) and Muradov (82 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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