Check out these photos from the fights at UFC Fight Night 209 at Accor Arena in Paris. (Photos by Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)
(Gallery updated throughout the event.)
Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out these photos from the fights at UFC Fight Night 209 in Paris, featuring Gane vs. Tuivasa, Whittaker vs. Vettori, and more.
Check out these photos from the fights at UFC Fight Night 209 at Accor Arena in Paris. (Photos by Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)
(Gallery updated throughout the event.)
Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 209 main card in Paris at the UFC’s debut in France.
Gane vs. Tuivasa |
Vettori vs. Whittaker |
Di Chirico vs. Kopylov |
Haqparast vs. Makdessi |
Errens vs. Gomis |
Jourdain vs. Wood |
|
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 140-89 |
Gane (52%) |
Whittaker (82%) |
Kopylov (58%) |
Haqparast (70%) |
Gomis (79%) |
Jourdain (58%) |
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 156-78 2018 Champion |
Gane |
Whittaker |
Di Chirico |
Haqparast |
Errens |
Jourdain |
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 150-84 |
Gane |
Whittaker |
Di Chirico |
Haqparast |
Errens |
Wood |
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 148-86 2014 Champion |
Gane |
Whittaker |
Di Chirico |
Haqparast |
Gomis |
Jourdain |
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 145-89 |
Gane |
Whittaker |
Di Chirico |
Haqparast |
Gomis |
Jourdain |
Simon Samano @SJSamano 143-91 |
Gane |
Whittaker |
Di Chirico |
Haqparast |
Errens |
Wood |
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 141-93 |
Gane |
Whittaker |
Kopylov |
Haqparast |
Gomis |
Wood |
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 141-93 |
Gane |
Whittaker |
Kopylov |
Haqparast |
Gomis |
Wood |
Nolan King @mma_kings 138-96 |
Gane |
Whittaker |
Di Chirico |
Haqparast |
Gomis |
Jourdain |
Brian Garcia @thegoze 137-97 2017 Champion |
Gane |
Vettori |
Di Chirico |
Makdessi |
Gomis |
Wood |
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 127-107 |
Tuivasa |
Vettori |
Di Chirico |
Makdessi |
Gomis |
Wood |
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 113-121 |
Gane |
Whittaker |
Di Chirico |
Makdessi |
Errens |
Wood |
The UFC has touched down in France this week for the first time, and heavyweight and middleweight title contenders are atop the card.
UFC Fight Night 209 takes place Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. The card streams on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the heavyweight main event, Paris’ own [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), a former interim champion, takes on the streaking [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC), who has won five straight by knockout. Despite Tuivasa’s great run of late, Gane is a huge -650 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Tuivasa is +420. All but one of our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are taking Gane to get back on track after his loss to champ Francis Ngannou in January. (Despite that, our readers’ picks have the fight as the most contentious.)
The co-main event features the return of former middleweight champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (23-6 MMA, 14-4 UFC) after a loss to champ Israel Adesanya. He’ll take on recent title challenger [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC). Whittaker is a -230 favorite at the betting window and has a big 9-2 picks lead.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 4-6 UFC) meets [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in a middleweight bout. The fight nearly is a pick’em at Tipico, but our staff members have Di Chirico with a hefty 9-2 lead in the picks.
[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) in a lightweight bout that is one of those pre-ordained Fight of the Night-type matchups. Haqparast is a -240 favorite and has a big 8-3 edge from our pickers.
UFC newcomers [autotag]Jarno Errens[/autotag] (13-3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and [autotag]William Gomis[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) meet in a featherweight bout that has Gomis as a -230 favorite. He doesn’t have a blowout in the picks, but still has a 7-4 nod from our staff members.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] (13-5-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at featherweight in Wood’s second fight in the weight class. Jourdain is a -155 favorite, but our staff pickers have Wood bucking the odds with a 7-4 lead.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Gane (52 percent), Whittaker (82 percent), Kopylov (58 percent), Haqparast (70 percent), Gomis (79 percent) and Jourdain (58 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 209.
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Six fighters were suspended for 180 days due to injuries sustained in Abu Dhabi.
Glover Teixeira lived out a championship dream at UFC 267, but it came with a price.
After the UFC light heavyweight title was wrapped around his waist for the first time, a goal he’d chased for two decades, Teixeira was handed a six-month suspension by the commissioning regulatory body for a right shoulder injury.
MMA Junkie obtained a list of medical suspensions Tuesday from MixedMartialArts.com, the official record keeper of the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC).
UFC 267 took place Saturday, Oct. 30 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
Teixeira wasn’t the only one handed a potential 180-day suspension. Preliminary card fighters Albert Duraev, Benoit St-Denis, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Michal Oleksiejczuk, and Allan Nascimento were also given six-month terms.
Scroll below to see a complete list of UFC 267 suspensions below. It’s important to note fighters can become eligible to return to competition prior to suspension completion if they are cleared by a physician.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 267 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $298,000.
ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 267 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $298,000.
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 267 took place at the Etihad Arena in Yas Island. The card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC 267 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag]: $42,000
[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]: $32,000
[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Zubaira Tukhugov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Albert Duraev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Shamil Gamzatov[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Hu Yaozong[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Allan Nascimento[/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: $4,787,000
Program-to-date total: $4,787,000
Sam Alvey will not be competing at UFC on ESPN 28, but his return to action is only delayed a month.
One of the friendliest personalities in MMA will not be competing at UFC on ESPN 28 on Saturday.
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] was set to face [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] on the main card in a middleweight bout but the fight has fallen apart because Kopylov (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) could not make it into the U.S. due to “various reasons” according to Alvey.
Alvey (33-15-1 MMA, 10-10-1 UFC) revealed the update via TikTok on Monday evening, laying out the story of how he received the news that his fight is now off and what the UFC plans to do about it.
https://www.tiktok.com/@smilensam/video/6989355572088950021?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Relaying the message using the TikTok “put a finger down” storytelling trend, Alvey said his opponent couldn’t make it in the country just as he was about to head to the airport to fly to Las Vegas. He was told a search for a replacement opponent was underway, so he continued his journey towards the airport.
According to Alvey, as he arrived at the airport he received a text message that no opponent could be found, but another fight a month later could be made with a different opponent.
Although he did not reveal the name of the new opponent during the video, he said he accepted the offer and also received compensation from the promotion for his troubles.
Alvey has been willing to help out the promotion in any way he can, but likely needs to get his hand raised in his next outing considering he is winless in his last six fights. His last victory came via split decision in a light heavyweight bout against Gian Villante in June 2018.
UFC on ESPN 28 was originally scheduled for 15 bouts and is now down to 13 following the loss of Alvey vs. Kopylov and removal of the co-main event between Chris Daukaus vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov.
The UFC on ESPN 28 card lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
[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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Two cards have been shaken up after one fighter was shifted off of UFC on ESPN 8.
[autotag]Puna Soriano[/autotag] won’t compete at UFC on ESPN 8 after all, but it didn’t take long for his next fight to be booked.
Originally expected to face [autotag]Eric Spicely[/autotag] March 28 in Columbus, Ohio, Soriano (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) now will meet [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] on May 16 at an event expected to take place in San Diego.
As for Spicely (12-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC), the submission will remain on UFC on ESPN 8 card to take on [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] instead.
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the Soriano-Hernandez booking but asked to remain anonymous as the UFC has yet to make an announcement. The promotion announced Spicely vs. Kopylov (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on Friday.
After earning a UFC contract on “Dana White’s Contender Series,” Soriano made his promotional debut at UFC 245 in December. Taking on Oskar Piechota, Soriano leveled his Polish opponent en route to a knockout victory in Round 1. Soriano, 27, has finished six of seven opponents with five knockouts and one submission to his name.
Also a DWCS signee, Hernandez (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will look to turn a win into a winning streak. His most recent fight came in August, when he submitted Jun Yong Park by second-round anaconda choke. A former LFA champion, Hernandez has gone to decision only once. The MMA Gold Fight Team product has five submission victories.
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Greg Hardy is potentially out up to 180 days after injuring his hand at UFC Moscow.
[autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] is one of five fighters facing lengthy medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN+ 21.
The event took place Nov. 9 at CSKA Arena in Moscow and streamed on ESPN+.
One half of the co-main event, Hardy (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) dropped a three-round, unanimous decision to heavyweight contender [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]. As speculated on the broadcast, Hardy injured his right hand/wrist and faces a 180-day medical suspension as a result.
Additionally, four other fighters have been handed out six-month suspensions. [autotag]Dalcha Lungiambula[/autotag], [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag], [autotag]Jessica-Rose Clark[/autotag], and [autotag]Grigorii Popov[/autotag] were also handed 180-day suspensions for injuries sustained in their respective losses.
Check out the entire UFC on ESPN+ 21 medical suspension list below (acquired via MixedMartialArts.com):
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