Tag: Rinat Fakhretdinov

UFC on ESPN 47 results: Rinat Fakhretdinov renders Kevin Lee unconscious in 55 seconds

Kevin Lee returned to the UFC and it did not go well for him.

[autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag]’s long-awaited UFC return lasted 55 seconds Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

In his first promotional appearance in almost two years, Lee (19-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) was dropped and submitted by [autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 47. The technical submission stoppage came by guillotine choke.

A right hand from Fakhretdinov dropped Lee to the canvas in the opening seconds. As Lee tried to get back to his feet, Fakhretdinov grabbed hold of a guillotine and cranked. While Lee’s hands were tied around Fakhretdinov, referee Herb Dean checked his limbs and determined a loss of consciousness. The bout was stopped and Lee was left with his face on the canvas.

Fakhretdinov, 31, has emerged as a dark horse in the UFC welterweight division as he extends his winning streak to 17. Other UFC victories include Andreas Michailidis and Bryan Battle.

Lee, 30, rejoined the promotion in February after a one-off appearance for Eagle FC, during which he defeated Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision. Lee suffered a left knee injury

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 47 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 47.

Rinat Fakhretdinov initially thought UFC on ESPN 47 booking vs. Kevin Lee was ‘a prank’

Rinat Fakhretdinov had to do a double take when he was offered a matchup with the returning Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN 47.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag] had to do a double take when he was offered a matchup with Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN 47.

Fakhretdinov (20-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) admits he was caught off guard when the promotion came to him with a fight against Lee (19-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC), who is set to make his return to the octagon Saturday at the UFC Apex after nearly two years away. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

“The first thought I had was, ‘Is this a prank? No way. Kevin Lee?'” Fakhretdinov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 47 media day. “I thought they were going to call me and say, ‘No, you get a different opponent.’ Then I realized it was for real and I really was happy about it. He’s got a big name, he’s a former title challenger, he’s got a lot of media following, and he’s an important fighter. So, I was really happy to fight with him, and I’m excited to stand and bang with him.”

Since Lee made his UFC debut more than nine years ago, his talent and potential have been clear. He’s failed to meet expectations at times, but after changing gyms, management and winning one fight outside the promotion, he is back in hopes of starting another run.

Fakhretdinov is aware of all the ups and downs “The Motown Phenom” has endured, but he’s preparing for the best version of Lee.

“I’m not worried about the fact his record has losses,” Fakhretdinov said. “We have many champions in the different parts of MMA that has had losses before. I’m not thinking because he has losses he’s a weaker fighter or a worse fighter. I think he’s a strong fighter. It’s all about his preparation. How seriously did he take this fight? Is he going to come out? What kind of Kevin Lee is going to come out?”

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Fakhretdinov enters UFC on ESPN 47 riding a 19-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since June 2013, and just two fights into his UFC tenure is starting to garner attention as a potential future welterweight contender.

He wants to meet those expectations, and said being more active will be key to climbing the ranks. If he wins this fight, he hopes for another step up at 170 pounds.

“I think it really depends on what kind of win it’s going to be,” Fakhretdinov said. “If it’s going to be a submission, if it’s going to be a knockout, if it’s going to be a quick one. But I think that at least I’m going to be put in the top 20 with this win and I’m going to ask for a fight in Abu Dhabi. And hopefully in Abu Dhabi I’ll be able to fight someone in the top 15. My goal this year is to be in the top 15.

To hear more from Fakhretdinov, check out his complete UFC on ESPN 47 media day interview above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 47.

Video: UFC on ESPN 47 media day interviews

Before UFC on ESPN 47 on Saturday, 14 athletes from the card are scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday at media day.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC schedule for July kicks off Saturday with UFC on ESPN 47, which takes place at the UFC Apex with a card that airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

A middleweight bout serves as the main event, with [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) taking on [autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag] (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a matchup between one established contender and an opponent looking to make a splash in just his second octagon appearance.

Before fight night arrives, though, 14 athletes from this weekend’s card spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream above, check below for the archived videos of each media day session.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 47.

UFC on ESPN 47 pre-event facts: Kevin Lee returns with records intact

The best facts and figures about UFC on ESPN 47, which sees Kevin Lee return to the promotion with records on his resume.

The UFC’s rampant summer schedule continued on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 47, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN/streams on ESPN+.

Opening a four-event lineup in July will be a middleweight headliner between [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) and [autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag] (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who are scheduled for five rounds.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s prevent facts about UFC on ESPN 47.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 16-21)

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 May 16-21.

Kevin Lee gets first assignment in UFC return, meets Rinat Fakhretdinov July 1

In his return to the promotion, former interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee will meet Rinat Fakhretdinov on July 1.

Former UFC interim lightweight title challenger [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] is now set to begin his second stint with the promotion.

In February, Lee (19-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) agreed to return to the UFC after just one fight outside of the promotion, where he defeated UFC Hall of Famer Diego Sanchez at Eagle FC 46. At the time of the announcement of Lee’s return, no opponent was announced, although his first bout was expected to take place in Spring 2023.

Now, “The Motown Phenom” has a date and an opponent.

On July 1, at a UFC Fight Night event in the UFC Apex, Lee will face [autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag] in a welterweight bout. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with multiple sources following an initial report from MMA Underground’s John Morgan. The event will be headlined by a middleweight bout between Sean Strickland and Abus Magomedov.

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It will be the first bout of 2023 for Fakhretdinov (21-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who made his debut with the promotion last year. He fought twice, and defeated Andreas Michailidis and Bryan Battle by unanimous decision.

Lee’s initial exit from the UFC came in 2021 following an 18-bout run, which included filling six headlining slots. During his hottest run, he racked up five-straight wins to get a shot at the interim lightweight title against Tony Furguson at UFC 216.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night event on July 1 includes:

  • Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov
  • Kevin Lee vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
  • Melissa Gatto vs. Ariane Lipski
  • Khusein Askhabov vs. Joanderson Brito
  • Max Griffin vs. Michael Morales
  • Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Brunno Ferreira
  • Luana Carolina vs. Ivana Petrovic
  • Grant Dawson vs. Damir Ismagulov
  • Vinc Pichel vs. Benoit Saint-Denis

Rinat Fakhretdinov wants to clean out welterweight of any gatekeepers after UFC Fight Night 216

After a win over Bryan Battle at UFC Fight Night 216, Rinat Fakhretdinov said the welterweight division needs some new blood.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag] beat Bryan Battle with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 216 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Fakhretdinov, who won for the 19th straight time.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 216: Sean Strickland’s shtick falls flat if he’s not winning

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 216, which took place Saturday in Las Vegas.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 216 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …

UFC Fight Night 216 post-event facts: Drew Dober ties Dustin Poirier’s knockout record

Drew Dober tied Dustin Poirier for the most knockout wins in UFC lightweight history with his finish of Bobby Green at UFC Vegas 66.

The UFC closed out its 2022 schedule on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 216, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The main event of the 42nd and final fight card of the year saw [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) squeak out a split decision win over [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) in a matchup of middleweight contenders.

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 216.

UFC Fight Night 216 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: How much was paid in 2022 total?

UFC Fight Night 216 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 216 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $204,500.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 216 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cheyanne Vlismas[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Saidyokub Kakhramonov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Hayisaer Maheshate[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]David Dvorak[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sergey Morozov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Journey Newson[/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 2167 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2161 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 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $8,351,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,529,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.

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