Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 249 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $330,500.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 249 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $305,500.
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 249 took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
The full UFC 249 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 249 event in Jacksonville, Fla.
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.
Inside, see what the fighters from UFC 249 went with as their backing tracks in Jacksonville, Fla.
Ryan Spann beat Sam Alvey at UFC 249, but it wasn’t without a late scare.
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] continued the unbeaten start to his octagon career Saturday when he beat [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag], but it wasn’t without a late scare.
For Alvey (33-14 MMA, 10-9 UFC), having more than double the fights compared to Spann (17-5 MMA, 3-0 UFC) did not prove to be a winning asset. The explosive offensive moments of “Superman” were too much, an it led to a split decision win by scores 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.
The light heavyweight bout opened up the UFC 249 preliminary card at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+ ahead of additional prelims on ESPN and a main card on pay-per-view.
Spann wasted no time trying to implement his grappling to start the fight. He shot on Alvey less than 30 seconds in, but was met with resistance against the fence. Spann burned some time working for a standing arm triangle choke, but couldn’t finish it. That brought upon striking exchanges for the rest of the round, and Alvey scored with some good shot. Spann answered with a few of his own, though, and spent the final seconds of the round working on Alvey against the fence.
The aggression from Spann turned up a notch to start the second. He grazed Alvey with a right high kick and some subsequent punches. The Fortis MMA product pushed the action on Alvey, who found infrequent moments to slip in his strikes, though Spann took them well. It was a much closer round than the first, though, and in the end it was clear both men were fatigued after 10 minutes.
Spann came out looking to put an exclamation mark on the fight. He threw a lot of high-energy techniques, blasting Alvey with high kicks and stepping inside the pocket to throw a lot of heavy strikes. Spann’s confidence got the best of him late, though, because he took a massive counter punch from Alvey that dropped him and forced a desperate takedown. Alvey tried to pull off a miracle submission finish, but Spann kept his composure and make it to the final bell.
In his post-fight interview, Spann indicated he wasn’t too happy with his performance. “I started a little slow, a little lackadaisical, a little slow. I’m not happy. I give it a C+.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC 249 results include:
Ryan Spann def. Sam Alvey via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
The best facts, figures and footnotes about the UFC 249 prelims, where Donald Cerrone rematches Anthony Pettis in the featured bout.
The UFC’s return from the coronavirus pandemic goes down Saturday with UFC 249, which takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and features a deep preliminary card.
Headlining the action, which airs on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass, is a welterweight rematch between two all-time fan favorites. [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (22-10 MMA, 9-9 UFC) and [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] (36-14 MMA, 23-11 UFC) will run it back after “Showtime” stopped “Cowboy” by first-round TKO when they met at UFC on FOX 6 in January 2013.
It’s an important fight for both men, but it doesn’t represent all the prelim lineup has to offer. For more on the numbers, check below for 70 pre-event facts about the UFC 249 prelims.
* * * *
Featured ESPN prelim
Anthony Pettis
Pettis returns to the UFC welterweight division after a one-fight stint at lightweight. He’s 1-1 when fighting in the weight class.
Pettis is one of nine fighters in UFC history to earn victories in three weight classes.
Pettis is 4-8 in his past 12 UFC appearance dating back to when he lost the UFC lightweight title in March 2015.
Pettis has earned 18 of his 22 career victories by stoppage. That includes seven of his nine UFC wins.
Pettis’ five submission victories from a bottom position in UFC/WEC competition are tied with Diaz for most in combined company history.
Donald Cerrone
Cerrone has fought on Spike, Versus, FUEL TV, pay-per-view, FOX, FS1, UFC Fight Pass, ESPN and ESPN+ during his UFC tenure.
Cerrone competes in his 35th UFC bout, the most appearances in company history.
Cerrone makes his 45th UFC/WEC appearance, the most in combined organizational history.
Cerrone’s 45 appearances in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are most in combined organizational history.
Cerrone makes his 12th UFC welterweight appearance. He’s 6-5 when fighting in the weight class.
Cerrone’s 24 appearances since 2014 in UFC competition are most in the company.
Cerrone’s 23 victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Cerrone’s 29 victories in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are most in combined organization history.
Cerrone’s 17 victories in UFC lightweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Jim Miller (19).
Cerrone’s 16 stoppage victories in UFC competition are most in company history.
Cerrone’s 20 stoppage victories in UFC/WEC competition are the most in combined organizational history.
Cerrone’s 20 stoppage victories in UFC/WEC/PRIDE/Strikeforce competition are tied with Wanderlei Silva for second most in combined organizational history behind Mirko Cro Cop (21).
Cerrone’s 10 stoppage victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Joe Lauzon (13) and Miller (12).
Cerrone’s seven knockout victories stemming from kicks in UFC competition are most in company history. No one else has more than four.
Cerrone’s eight submission victories in UFC/WEC lightweight competition are tied for third most in combined divisional history behind Miller (nine) and Nate Diaz (nine).
Cerrone’s 20 knockdowns landed in UFC competition are most in company history.
Cerrone has landed 378 leg kicks in UFC competition, the fourth most in company history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (430), Thiago Alves (383) and Jon Jones (380).
Cerrone defends 90 percent of all opponent takedown attempts in UFC lightweight competition, the best rate among active fighters in the weight class and second highest in divisional history behind Gleison Tibau (92 percent).
Cerrone’s 23 fight-night bonuses in UFC/WEC bouts are the most in combined organizational history.
Cerrone’s 18 fight-night bonuses in UFC bouts are most in company history.
Other ESPN prelims
Aleksei Oleinik
[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (58-13-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC), 42, is the oldest active fighter in the UFC heavyweight division and is the oldest of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete at the event.
Oleinik is the only fighter in MMA history to earn victories in four different decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s).
Oleinik’s average fight time of 5:26 in UFC heavyweight fights is fourth shortest in divisional history behind Cyril Asker (3:24), Todd Duffee (3:26) and Shane Carwin (4:55).
Oleinik has earned 54 of his 58 career victories by stoppage. That includes all seven of his UFC wins.
Oleinik has earned 46 of his 58 career victories by submission.
Oleinik’s six submission victories in UFC heavyweight competition are tied with Stefan Struve for second most in divisional history behind Frank Mir (eight).
Oleinik has earned two of the three Ezekiel-choke submission victories in UFC history. He accomplished the feat at UFC 224 and UFC Fight Night 103. Remco Pardoel also won with the technique at UFC 2.
Oleinik attempts 2.76 submissions per 15 minutes of fighting in UFC heavyweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.
Fabricio Werdum
[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (23-8-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) returns to competition for the first time since March 17, 2018. The 784-day layoff is the longest of his nearly 18-year career.
Werdum is 9-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.
Werdum and Marcin Tybura combined for 282 significant strikes landed at UFC Fight Night 121, the second most in a UFC heavyweight bout Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier (304) at UFC 241.
Carla Esparza
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC) was the first UFC strawweight champion. She lost the belt to Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185 in March 2015.
Esparza is 5-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.
Esparza’s six victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10), Jessica Andrade (seven) and Angela Hill (seven).
Esparza has completed at least one takedown against nine of her 10 UFC opponents.
Esparza’s 33 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are tied with Claudia Gadelha for most in divisional history.
Esparza has earned five of her six UFC victories by decision.
Michelle Waterson
[autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag] (17-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) has completed at least one takedown against seven of her eight UFC opponents.
Waterson’s two submission victories in UFC strawweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Rose Namajunas (three) and Cynthia Calvillo (three).
Waterson lands 52.9 percent of her significant strike attempts in UFC strawweight competition, the third best rate in divisional history behind Suarez (65.8 percent) and Paige VanZant (53 percent).
[autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 8-7 UFC) is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a spinning back kick to the head. Renan Barao and Magomed Mustafaev also accomplished the feat.
Ronaldo Souza
[autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since November 2018.
Souza returns to the UFC middleweight division after an unsuccessful one-fight stint at light heavyweight.
Souza’s 14 victories in UFC/Strikeforce middleweight competition are tied for third most in combined divisional history behind Michael Bisping (16) and Luke Rockhold (15).
Souza’s 12 stoppage victories in UFC/Strikeforce middleweight competition are second most in combined divisional history behind Rockhold (13).
Souza’s seven fight-night bonuses fo UFC middleweight bouts are tie for third most in divisional history behind Anderson Silva (12) and Yoel Romero (eight).
Vicente Luque
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]’s (17-7-1 MMA, 10-3 UFC) has earned 15 of his 17 career victories by stoppage. That includes nine of his 10 UFC wins.
Luque’s nine stoppage victories since 2015 in UFC welterweight competition are most in the division during that span.
Luque’s nine stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Matt Brown (13) and Matt Hughes (12).
Luque is one of seven fighters in UFC history to earn their first nine victories with the promotion by stoppage. Lauzon, Francis Ngannou, Vitor Belfort, Don Frye, Gabriel Gonzaga and Royce Gracie also accomplished the feat.
Luque and Bryan Barberena combined for 332 significant strikes at UFC on ESPN 1, the third most for a three-round fight in UFC history behind Karol Rosa vs. Lara Procopio (336) at UFC on ESPN+ 15 and Diaz vs. Cerrone (334) at UFC 141.
Luque’s two D’Arce choke victories in UFC competition are tied with Dustin Poirier for second most in company history behind Tony Ferguson (three).
Luque is one of 17 fighters in UFC history to earn a submission victory by anaconda choke. He accomplished the feat at UFC on FOX 17.
Niko Price
[autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past five fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN+ 19.
Price’s average fight time of 5:35 in UFC welterweight competition is second shortest among active fighters in the weight class behind Abdul Razak Alhassan (4:57).
Price has earned 13 of his 14 career victories by stoppage. That includes all six of his UFC wins.
Price is one of two fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from an upkick. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN+ 19. Jon Fitch also won with the technique.
Price has earned two of the three knockout victories in UFC history stemming from bottom position. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN+ 19 and UFC Fight Night 133.
Bryce Mitchell
[autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is one of two fighters in UFC history to earn a Twister submission victory. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN 7. Chan Sung Jung also won with the technique.
[autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past seven fights. He won his most recent bout at UFC on ESPN 6.
Rosa has been awarded four fight-night bonuses in his six-fight UFC career.
Rosa’s submission of Sean Soriano at 4:43 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 59 marked the latest finish in a three-round UFC featherweight bout.
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]’s (17-5 MMA, 3-0 UFC) three-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind Jones (four) and Magomed Ankalaev (four).
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag]’s (33-13 MMA, 10-8 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since June 2018.
Alvey is 2-3 since he moved up to the UFC light-heavyweight division in February 2018.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Identifying the most significant storyline for each UFC 249 prelim matchup.
Every UFC fight has a storyline to it. The general public might not always be deeply invested, but whether it’s for a championship or marks a debut, each fight represents a pivotal moment for the athletes.
With every trip to the octagon comes a narrative. What does a win mean in the short term? The long term? What fights are on the horizon with an impressive performance? What new skills or weaknesses will be revealed?
The potential storylines are endless, and we’re here to help identify the most significant one for each fight, this time at UFC 249, which takes place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Today, we look at the prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
[lawrence-related id=514997]
****
ESPN prelims
[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag]
There’s no starvation for narratives in this one as fan favorites Pettis and Cerrone look to shake the public perception of disappointment in their most recent performances and add some stability to their respective careers.
Pettis is coming off arguably his worst loss to date against Diego Ferreira. “Showtime” has bounced around weight classes in hopes of adding some measure of consistency to his results. It’s been to no avail, but now Pettis is being set up to rematch an opponent he already blew past in less than three minutes back in January 2013. It’s critical for Pettis to win if he wants to keep getting big-name fights, because another loss would push his UFC record to sub-.500 territory.
Cerrone is not in danger of having his winning percentage fall below even, but he is facing the longest skid of his career. The last time “Cowboy” lost three straight he rebounded in resounding fashion, but this assignment feels tougher. Cerrone has been stopped in all three of his recent defeats, and the questions have started to come about damage absorbed entering his 35th UFC fight. That’s a concern that’s not going to go away, but Cerrone can evade hard questions about fighting life with a win.
[autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
Does former UFC heavyweight champ Werdum still have it after a layoff of more than two years due to a USADA suspension? That is the big question surrounding his return bout against fellow submission ace Oleinik.
Werdum, now 42, was the best heavyweight in the world for a good time. It’s hard to envision him returning to that point at his age and following so much time off. Even if he beats Oleinik, it’s not exactly the most telling litmus test for where he stands.
The Brazilian is a welcomed readdition to the heavyweight ranks, though, and his ability to get future fights of worthy is heavily dependent on his performance against Oleinik, who will try to beat an ex-UFC champ for the first time.
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag]
It’s been five years since Esparza’s reign as the UFC’s inaugural 115-pound champ came to an end, and dropping some key bouts have prevented her from getting back to the strap. She’s coming off back-to-back wins, though, and if “The Cookie Monster” is ever going to see another title fight, then getting this one against Waterson is essential.
“The Karate Hottie” enters in a similar situation. She’s fallen just shy of securing a title shot on multiple occasions, and opportunities could soon be running out. Beating a former champion like Esparza would be just the statement she needs to continue to connect her name to title contention.
[autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag]
(Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports)
At long last Hall has seemingly found his way since linking up with Fortis MMA. Hall has started to really come into his own over the past couple fights, but his opponents haven’t been of Souza’s caliber. Can he get through the challenge and start churning out results that support all the hype he got entering the UFC?
“Jacare,” on the other hand, is trying to hang on to his final bits of relevance as a middleweight contender and reinforce that he shouldn’t be written off entirely. Souza is one of the best to never fight for a UFC title, but at 40, on the first losing skid of his career, and now returning to 185 pounds after an unsuccessful experiment at light heavyweight, it feels like a win is needed to extend his fighting life.
Not quite the “baddest ever card in MMA history,” but the revamped UFC 249 lineup certainly has some fights of significance.
It might not fit Dana White’s description as the “baddest ever card in MMA history,” but the revamped UFC 249 lineup certainly has some fights of significance.
With the coronavirus pandemic impacting the sports world as a whole, the UFC was not immune. The promotion postponed three events but remained focused on hosting UFC 249 on April 18, even after travel restrictions were implemented around the globe and lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov – who was supposed to fight [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] in the main event – fell off the card.
Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) now meets [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) for the interim lightweight title in the headliner, but the UFC still has not announced an official location, although broadcast partner ESPN reported on Sunday that a venue on the West Coast is close to being finalized.
[lawrence-related id=505126,505116]
The situation has caused UFC matchmakers to shuffle the deck from the original UFC 249 lineup meant for Brooklyn, N.Y. Some fights have fallen off, while others were added.
UFC officials announced on Monday that the strawweight rematch between former champions [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) and [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will remain as the co-main event, and a heavyweight fight between [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) – who were originally booked for UFC on ESPN 8 on March 28 – have been added to the main card.
Other notable matchups include: [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (28-17 MMA, 15-16 UFC) at featherweight; [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) vs. [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) at middleweight; and [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at heavyweight.
The broadcast plans are unknown, but the latest UFC 249 lineup includes:
Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje – for interim lightweight title
Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas
Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan De Castro
[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]
Calvin Kattar vs. Jeremy Stephens
Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Souza
[autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag]
[autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]
[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khama Worthy[/autotag]
[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sarah Moras[/autotag]
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]
A light heavyweight matchup between Paul Craig and Ryan Spann is the latest addition to UFC London.
[vertical-gallery id=463597]
A light heavyweight matchup is the latest addition to UFC London.
[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] (12-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) will take on [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 3-0 UFC), UFC officials announced Thursday morning. The card, which does not yet have a main event, takes place at O2 Arena in London and is expected to either air on ESPN or stream on ESPN+.
Craig is coming off a split draw with former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua last month in Sao Paulo. Prior to that, he submitted Vinicius Moreira in the first round, scoring his third career “Performance of the Night” bonus. He will take on a Fortis MMA fighter for the third time, having split his other two meetings, a win over Kennedy Nzechukwu, followed by a loss to Alonzo Menifield.
Spann was previously scheduled to take on Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 247 in Houston, but the fight was canceled due to undisclosed reasons. He is coming off two straight finishes over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Devin Clark, as he looks to make it 4-0 in the UFC when he takes on Craig.
Both Ovince Saint Preux and Ryan Spann were looking to build off recent momentum – but they’ll have to wait.
[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] and [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] won’t be fighting at UFC 247.
Both Saint Preux (24-13 MMA, 14-9 UFC) and Spann (17-5 MMA, 3-0 UFC) would have been looking to build off of momentum of recent victories, but they’ll have to wait. The matchup between the two light heavyweights scheduled for Feb. 8 in Houston has been canceled, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Junkie on Tuesday.
The exact reason for the fight cancellation isn’t known. However, the person, who asked for anonymity because the promotion hasn’t made an official announcement, informed MMA Junkie that no replacement will be sought for Saint Preux.
Fortis MMA has been among the hottest gyms in the sport of late, and now the benefits of success are coming.
Over the past two years, Fortis MMA has been one of the most successful gyms in the sport. The wins have been stacking up, and now the benefits are coming with it.
The Dallas-based gym, led by head coach Sayif Saud, has one of the highest UFC winning percentages of any team in the sport. It has gone 18-5 in 2019 (it went 16-4 in 2018), with a scheduled matchup between Geoff Neal (12-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and Mike Perry (13-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) still to go at UFC 245 on Dec. 14.
“It’s just been an incredible year,” Saud told MMA Junkie. “If you told me we were going to win 18 fights and only lose five in 2019, I’d be pretty thrilled. Obviously I’d rather we lose no fights, but we’ve taken a step up in competition this year if you look at our opponents.”
Saud isn’t joking about the level of competition. A scan of the matchups shows accepting bouts against tough, underrated opponents are commonplace for the team. In fact, Fortis MMA athletes entered the UFC cage as the betting underdog for the majority of their fights this year.
[lawrence-related id=442477,406902]
A turn appears to be happening going into 2020, though, because the two fights Fortis MMA has booked so far represent breakthrough opportunities. Not only is the team getting the tough fights, but the names to go along with it, too.
[autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), the streaking lightweight who has put together five consecutive wins in arguably the sport’s toughest weight class, is scheduled to fight former UFC and WEC champ Anthony Pettis (22-9 MMA, 9-8 UFC) at UFC 246 on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas.
Ferreira’s past two wins have come over Mairbek Taisumov and Rustam Khabilov, who are not names anyone is calling out at 155 pounds. His reward for winning? Thee clash with “Showtime.”
Pettis is coming off a high-profile defeat to Nate Diaz at UFC 241 in August, and there’s an opportunity for Ferreira to capitalize and take his career to the next level.
“Diego took two hard fights against guys no one wanted to fight that were on streaks,” Saud said. “Two guys everybody said, ‘No’ to. Diego went out there and beat them impressively. He earned that spot with his five-fight win streak.”
A similar opportunity goes to [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at UFC 247. The surging light heavyweight, who is unbeaten in three octagon appearances, gets his most meaningful fight thus far when he meets Ovince Saint Preux (24-13 MMA, 12-8 UFC) on Feb. 8 in Houston.
[vertical-gallery id=451999]
Saint Preux has fought for the interim 205-pound belt and shared the octagon with some of the biggest and best names the weight class has to offer during his lengthy UFC stay. Beating “OSP” means something, and Spann can turn heads as a contender with a win.
“He fought for the interim belt and at just 3-0 we’re fighting a guy that’s got 20 fights in the UFC at light heavyweight,” Saud said. “These guys, they’re moving and some of them might not be loud, but they do their talking in the cage. They’re ready to go.”
As the 2020 schedule continues to fill out, there are several others on the Fortis MMA squad in position to get big opportunities, from Neal to Uriah Hall to Alonzo Menifield to Macy Chiasson and more. The hard work at the ever-expanding Fortis MMA facility (which is adding its own rehab and recovery center next year) is turning into results.
“We’ve got multiple people ranked and the next thing is to penetrate the rankings,” Saud said. “Anything worth anything takes time. That’s going to take time. You win a fight and you get in the top 10, all of those guys are booked and some of them have a lot more name value and it’s going to take time. We’re here to put in the work and get the job done.”
Fortis MMA only got its start in 2017, but Saud’s leadership has produced a significant rise in gym notoriety. The team has still yet to produce a UFC title, but Saud said crowning a champion is merely a natural progression. And he has no intention to stop at just one.
“The goal of the gym is not to just have one belt, but have multiple belts because we’ve got guys and girls in different divisions that can do it,” Saud said. “You should be looking at each fighter and want to take them to the belt. Even if you fall short of that, that’s where you’ve got to be aiming.”
