UFC Fight Night 221 post-event facts: Merab Dvalishvili sets takedown attempt record

Merab Dvalishvili attempted a historic number of takedowns in his dominant win over Petr Yan in the UFC Fight Night 221 headliner.

The UFC hosted yet another event on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 221, which took place at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) continued to emerge as a contender in the main event when he outworked former champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) to win a unanimous decision with a relentless pace of striking and takedown attempts.

For more on the numbers from the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 221.

UFC Fight Night 221 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $16 million

UFC Fight Night 221 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 221 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $194,000.

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 Fight Night 221 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 221 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Lukasz Brzeski[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]JJ Aldrich [/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tyson Nam[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jared Gooden[/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 2217 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2211 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: $1,634,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $16,153,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC Fight Night 221 with Tupac, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Elvis

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 221 event.

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.

See what the fighters from UFC Fight Night 221 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

Jonathan Martinez def. Said Nurmagomedov at UFC Fight Night 221: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Jonathan Martinez’s unanimous decision win over Said Nurmagomedov at UFC Fight Night 221.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 221 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. (Photos by Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC Fight Night 221 predictions: Petr Yan or Merab Dvalishvili in heated rivalry?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 221 main card, which features Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili at bantamweight.

Yan
vs.
Dvalishvili
Romanov
vs.
Volkov
Krylov
vs.
Spann
Lingo
vs.
Ramos
Martinez
vs.
Nurmagomedov
Petrino
vs.
Turkalj
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
23-14
yan2023
Yan
(56%)
romanov2023
Romanov
(53%)
spann2023
Spann
(59%)
ramos2023
Ramos
(75%)
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
(84%)
petrino2023
Petrino
(71%)
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
27-13
yan2023
Yan
romanov2023
Romanov
krylov2023
Krylov
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Nolan King
@mma_kings
26-14/em>
yan2023
Yan
volkov2023
Volkov
spann2023
Spann
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Matt Erickson
@MattE
26-14
dvalishvili2023
Dvalishvili
romanov2023
Romanov
spann2023
Spann
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
26-14
dvalishvili2023
Dvalishvili
romanov2023
Romanov
spann2023
Spann
lingo2023
Lingo
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
25-15
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion
yan2023
Yan
romanov2023
Romanov
spann2023
Spann
lingo2023
Lingo
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
24-16
yan2023
Yan
romanov2023
Romanov
spann2023
Spann
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
24-16
yan2023
Yan
volkov2023
Volkov
krylov2023
Krylov
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
24-16
dvalishvili2023
Dvalishvili
volkov2023
Volkov
krylov2023
Krylov
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
23-17
trophy copy 2014 Champion
dvalishvili2023
Dvalishvili
romanov2023
Romanov
spann2023
Spann
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
22-18
trophy copy 2017 Champion
yan2023
Yan
romanov2023
Romanov
krylov2023
Krylov
ramos2023
Ramos
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
22-18
dvalishvili2023
Dvalishvili
romanov2023
Romanov
spann2023
Spann
lingo2023
Lingo
snurmagomedov2023
Nurmagomedov
petrino2023
Petrino

The UFC stays in Las Vegas this week with a heated bantamweight rivalry atop the card.

UFC Fight Night 221 takes place Saturday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, former bantamweight champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC). Yan is a -260 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Dvalishvili is +210. But it’s not a blowout. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Yan ahead by the smallest possible margin at 6-5.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) meets [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (35-10 MMA, 9-4 UFC) at heavyweight. Romanov is a slight favorite at -150, but he has a big 8-3 lead in the picks.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag] (29-9 MMA, 10-7 UFC) takes on [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in a fight rescheduled from two weeks ago when Krylov fell ill on fight day at UFC Fight Night 220. Krylov and Spann were set to headline that card. Krylov is a -170 favorite in the light heavyweight rebooted bout, but it’s Spann with a 7-4 picks lead.

[autotag]Austin Lingo[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) are set to tangle at featherweight. Ramos is the biggest favorite on the main card at -370 and he has a big 8-3 lead from our staff members.

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is a -270 favorite against [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at bantamweight and is one of our two 11-0 unanimous picks on the main card.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and [autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) have pick’em odds in their light heavyweight matchup. Despite that, Petrino is our second unanimous pick.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Yan (56 percent), Romanov (53 percent), Spann (59 percent), Ramos (75 percent), Nurmagomedov (84 percent) and Petrino 71 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 221.

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UFC Fight Night 221’s Said Nurmagomedov: ‘I’ve been ready to fight top competition for a long time’

“I’ve been ready to fight the top competition for a long time. It’s just that for some reason I wasn’t given that competition.”

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] has been longing for a step up in competition.

Nurmagomedov (17-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) meets Jonathan Martinez (17-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in a bantamweight bout on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 221 main card at The Theater at Virgin Hotels. The card streams on ESPN+.

Winner of his past four in a row, three by finish, Nurmagomedov says he’s ready to take on the upper echelon of the division, but the UFC hasn’t been matching him up with any.

“I’ve been ready to fight the top competition for a long time,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 221 media day. “It’s just that, for some reason, I wasn’t given that competition. Even those guys that I did fight that are not in the top yet, they’re not any worse than the top fighters. So, I’ve been ready for a long time.”

[lawrence-related id=2605884,2622816,2622617]

Nurmagomedov takes on a fellow streaking contender in Martinez, who’s coming off a signature win over Cub Swanson. Stylistically, Nurmagomedov expects an action-packed fight.

“He’s a great standup fighter, but I’m also a good standup fighter,” Nurmagomedov said. “So I think it’s gonna be a very fiery fight, a good fight, an interesting fight, and the octagon will show. We’ll see.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.

Video: UFC Fight Night 221 media day live stream

Before UFC Fight Night 221 on Saturday, the main card fighters are scheduled to speak to reporters at media day.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC’s busy schedule continues Saturday with UFC Fight Night 221, which takes place at the The Theater at Virgin Hotels and streams on ESPN+.

A critical bantamweight main event serves as the final act on the card, with former champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) slated to clash with streaking contender Merab Dvalishvili (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in a contest scheduled for five rounds.

Before fight night arrives, though, the 12 athletes from the main card are scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday at media day, and MMA Junkie will have a live stream beginning at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT.

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

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 16-22)

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 from Jan. 16-22.

Said Nurmagomedov wants another active year in 2023 – and says he’ll start talking more

After his UFC Fight Night 216 win, Said Nurmagomedov said he might start chirping a little more in the new year and see where it takes him.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] beat Saidyokub Kakhramonov with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 216 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Nurmagomedov, who rallied from a rough first round to pull off a guillotine choke for the win.

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.