Said Nurmagomedov not surprised by quick submission win over Muin Gafurov at UFC 294

Said Nurmagomedov reacts to his guillotine choke submission win over Muin Gafurov at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] bounced back from his loss to Jonathan Martinez in Said Nurmagomedov fashion.

The Dagestani fighter made quick work of Muin Gafurov at Saturday’s UFC 294 at Etihad Arena. Nurmagomedov (18-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) submitted Gafurov (18-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) with a guillotine choke at the 1:13 mark of Round 1.

“I’m really happy. I’m really happy,” Nurmagomedov said at the UFC 294 post-fight press conference. “This is already the third time I make it so fast.”

Nurmagomedov is back on the win column after the loss to Martinez snapped a four-fight winning streak. Nurmagomedov is known for his quick guillotine submission wins, and yet, was not surprised his opponent decided to grapple with him early.

“I was not surprised because I knew he always starts so aggressive in his fights, and I had a plan,” Nurmagomedov said.

You can watch Nurmagomedov’s full post-fight interview in the video above.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

UFC 294 post-event facts: Kamaru Usman hits uncharted territory with three-fight skid

Check out the post-event stats from UFC 294, including Kamaru Usman’s shift to a near-record winning streak to three straight losses.

UFC 294 on Saturday marked the promotion’s annual trip to Abu Dhabi, and although the card at Etihad Arena on Yas Island started slow, it ended with a bang.

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) put a bow on the evening when he emerged from his rematch with fellow champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) as the lightweight titleholder courtesy of a first-round head kick knockout.

For more on the numbers coming from the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 294.

[lawrence-related id=2689326]

* * * *

UFC 294 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Khamzat Chimaev gets $6,000 in return bout

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 294 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $237,000.

ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 294 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $237,000.

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 294 took place at Etihad Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+ and YouTube.

The full UFC 294 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $11,000
vs. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ikram Aliskerov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Warlley Alves[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Trevor Peek[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mohammad Yahya[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Abu Azaitar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mike Breeden[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Anshul Jubli[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Viktoriia Dudakova[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jinh Yu Frey[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,888,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,407,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

UFC 294 bonuses: Islam Makhachev’s statement finish a lock for $50K

Check out which fighters took home an extra $50,000 for their performances at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including a statement finish in the main event title fight.

After UFC 294, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

Said Nurmagomedov def. Muin Gafurov at UFC 294: Best photos from Abu Dhabi

Check out the best photos from Said Nurmagomedov’s first-round TKO win over Muin Gafurov at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s first-round TKO win over [autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag] at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. (Photos by Craig Kidwell, USA TODAY Sports; MMA Junkie; and UFC)

UFC 294 results: Said Nurmagomedov needs just 73 seconds to tap Muin Gafurov

Said Nurmagomedov started off the UFC 294 pay-per-view with a fast submission win over Muin Gafurov.

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] didn’t waste much time bringing fans to their feet in the main card opener of UFC 294.

Nurmagomedov (18-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) shared the octagon with Muin Gafurov (18-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) to start off the pay-per-view portion of the event at Ethihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The bantamweights didn’t spend much time in the cage together though, as Nurmagomedov tapped Gafurov at 1:13 of Round 1.

Starting things off working on the outside with quick kicks to the legs and head, Nurmagomedov kept Gafurov’s defense on high alert early. The first takedown attempt would be the last, as Nurmagomedov slapped on a slick guillotine choke that Gafurov couldn’t escape.

Nurmagomedov bounced back into the win column in fast fashion, erasing the memory of a unanimous decision loss to Jonathan Martinez in his last outing in March. Prior to that setback, Nurmagomedov was on a four-fight winning streak that included two other guillotine submissions and one TKO finish.

Gafurov walks away with his second consecutive loss, as he has struggled to find his footing in the UFC. The Tajikistan-born fighter won two consecutive LFA bouts in 2022 leading to his UFC debut in June.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 294 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

UFC 294 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC 294 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event in Abu DHabi.

ABU DHABI – UFC 294 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

You can hear from all the UFC 294 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 11-17)

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 the promotions from Sept. 11-17.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 17-23)

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 17-23

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 22-28)

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 22-28.