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Geoff Neal has a murderer’s row of grapplers ahead in the rankings after his knockout of Vicente Luque at UFC on ESPN 40.
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 40 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
UFC on ESPN 40 was a historic card with all finishes, but Sam Alvey left with a dubious record attached to his name.
UFC opened its August schedule in historic fashion on Saturday. UFC on ESPN 40 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas featured a finish in all 10 fights.
The main event needed the additional rounds, however, because [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) battled with [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (22-11 MMA, 14-10 UFC) in the fourth frame before securing a TKO stoppage that continued to his rise in the light heavyweight division.
For more on the numbers behind the record-setting event, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 40.
UFC on ESPN 40 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 on ESPN 40 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $140,000.
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 on ESPN 40 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 40 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zac Pauga[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Juliana Miller[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brogan Walker[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Erick Gonzalez[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Takashi Sato[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Miranda Granger[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Stephanie Egger[/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 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 $40,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-40 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $5,393,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $11,560,500
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.
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Sam Alvey has a dubious record attached to his name after suffering another defeat at UFC on ESPN 40.
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] has a dubious record attached to his name after suffering another defeat at UFC on ESPN 40.
Alvey’s (33-18-1 MMA, 10-13-1 UFC) now record run of consecutive UFC appearances without a win hit nine fights when he suffered a first-round TKO against [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) on Saturday’s card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
It was one-way traffic for Oleksiejczuk, who dropped Alvey early and then battered him with punches on the mat until referee Herb Dean mercifully stopped the action less than two minutes into the middleweight bout.
Check out the replay of the finish below (via Twitter):
Make that NINE finishes in the first round for Oleksiejczuk 😤 #UFCVegas59 pic.twitter.com/itJooxnB8f
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 7, 2022
Although Oleksiejczuk impressed with a dominant performance in his debut at 185 pounds, the post-fight narrative revolved around Alvey, who came into the event tied with B.J. Penn for longest winless skid in company history.
Alvey now holds that record for himself at nine, and this fight was the last on his UFC contract. He quickly reacted to the result on social media (via Instagram):
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg8NEZmrsRN/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
Well shit… I swear i used to be good. I lost a step somewhere but my family got to see me fight live. I’m fine but my pride hurts right now. Love you guys. (Even the haters)
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 40 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 40.
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Check out the results from the official UFC on ESPN 40 fighter weigh-ins.
LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official UFC on ESPN 40 weigh-ins, where all but one fighter on Saturday’s card hit their marks.
In the main event, former light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos (22-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC) takes on Jamahal Hill (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC). Santos was the first fighter to the scale in the two-hour window and was 206 pounds. Hill weighed in at 205.
The event also features the tournament finals in a pair of divisions from Season 30 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Zac Pauga (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was 239 pounds for his heavyweight final against 236.5-pound Mohammed Usman (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the brother of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
And in the “TUF 30” women’s flyweight final, Juliana Miller (2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was 125 pounds for her fight against Brogan Walker (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who was 125.5.
[autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] (14-7 MMA, 3-4 UFC) who was 128.5 pounds for her women’s flyweight bout against Priscila Cachoeira (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC), who was 125.5. Lipski will be fined 20 percent of her purse. The weight miss was Lipski’s first in what will be her eighth UFC appearance.
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] (33-17-1 MMA, 10-12 UFC) was the final fighter to come to the scale. He was heard telling the commission official, “Just say I’m perfect.” But he was not. He was 187 pounds on his first attempt. Alvey was given an additional hour to hit the non-title middleweight limit of 186 pounds. When he weighed in just near his one-hour limit, he was good at 186. His opponent, Michal Oleksiejczuk (16-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC), was 185.5. Alvey has not won since June 2018 and is 0-7-1 in his past eight fights, most of which, including a submission loss in February, were at light heavyeight.
The weigh-ins took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The same venue hosts Saturday’s card, which airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 40 weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
*Lipski missed the women’s flyweight limit and will be fined 20 percent of her purse.
**Alvey missed the middleweight limit on his first attempt, but was given an additional hour and made weight on his second try.
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Sam Alvey will get to fight out his UFC contract in August.
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] will get to fight out his UFC contract in August.
Alvey (33-17-1 MMA, 10-12-1 UFC) meets [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag] (16-5-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Aug. 6, which doesn’t yet have a publicly known venue or location.
A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Sportowe Fakty was first to report the news.
Winless in his past eight octagon appearances, Alvey will look to pick up his first win since June 2018. The Season 16 “Ultimate Fighter” alum was submitted by Brendan Allen at UFC Fight Night 200 in February and has one fight remaining on his UFC contract, which he has been granted an opportunity to fight out. Alvey’s eight-fight winless skid is tied with B.J. Penn for the longest in UFC history.
Poland’s Oleksiejczuk will be moving back down to middleweight for the first time since his professional MMA debut, which he missed weight in by 5.8 pounds. After picking up back-to-back wins over Modestas Bukauskas and Shamil Gamzatov in 2021, the 27-year-old dropped a unanimous decision to Dustin Jacoby at UFC 272 in March.
With the addition, the Aug. 6 lineup includes:
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Even as the losses have piled up, Sam Alvey says of the UFC: “Every third fight, they’ve increased my pay, usually significantly.”
Despite his current record losing skid, [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] has revealed that he hasn’t been released by the UFC.
Winless in his past eight octagon appearances, Alvey (33-17-1 MMA, 10-12-1 UFC) has one fight remaining on his UFC contract and will be granted the opportunity to fight it out. The 35-year-old admits that he expected to be released after he was submitted by Brendan Allen last month at UFC Fight Night 200.
“We knew what they’re calling for. They’ve got to cut me,” Alvey said on his YouTube channel. “There’d be no hard feelings toward them if they did. Honestly, I’ve been suspecting it coming for a while now because I haven’t won in a while. I’ve had a couple of really good fights that I’ve lost and in a sport like this, you can’t lose.”
But to Alvey’s surprise, the call he received from the UFC was to let him know that whenever he’s ready to compete, he will receive another chance.
“I’m not cut! I get at least one more fight with the UFC,” Alvey said. “My contract is one more fight. The UFC didn’t cut me.”
Alvey’s eight-fight winless skid is tied with B.J. Penn for the longest in UFC history. Alvey, a Season 16 alum on “The Ultimate Fighter,” has logged in 23 octagon bouts. Since September 2018, he has suffered seven losses and one draw.
But “Smile’n Sam” explains that his willingness to fight anyone at anytime didn’t go unnoticed by the UFC, which is why he continuously was given opportunities.
“They’ve been very good to me,” Alvey said. “Every third fight, they’ve increased my pay, usually significantly. Even when I thought they were gonna cut me, they increased it significantly.”
He continued, “‘You guys have been enjoyed by everyone that works for the UFC. Every time you’re anywhere, any time we’ve had anything to do with you, you say yes to every fight, you go out, you fight your heart off,'” Alvey recalled the UFC telling him. “‘You’ve taken some fights on short notice that you probably shouldn’t have, but you are always game. You’ve never said no. Then you show up and you’re happy to be there, you treat everyone well, and we’ve decided that we’re going to let you fight out your contract.'”
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Despite being winless in his past eight bouts, Sam Alvey is determined to bounce back after his latest setback at UFC Fight Night 200.
[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] is not planning on walking away from MMA and is determined to turn his fighting career around.
The longtime UFC fighter suffered a submission loss to Brendan Allen on the UFC Fight Night 200 main card Saturday. The defeat was the continuation of a big career slump for Alvey. He is winless in his past eight bouts with seven losses and one draw since September 2018.
Despite the rough stretch, Alvey won’t let this latest defeat keep him down and said he’s determined to get back in the win column.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t go my way again,” Alvey said in an Instagram video posted Sunday. “It’s very disappointing to me. I’ve put in the work, and I know he has, too, and everyone does, too. I know it’s a sport of inches and I’ve been inches short, so I have to figure it out – and I’m going to.
“I love what I do. I love this sport and everything about it. I’m going to take a little bit of time off – let my brain rest, let my body heal, and I’m not going to miss a day of practice. I’m going to get back in the room this Monday. So I love you guys. I love the support and thanks for everything.”
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Alvey admitted there’s something missing in his game that’s led to his losing skid. The 35-year-old, who has more than 50 professional fights on his record and has been fighting since 2008, said he has no plans to hang up the gloves.
“I’ve lost a step,” Alvey said in a separate video posted to Instagram not long after his loss to Allen. “Something needs to change and I’m going to make the correction. I’m not done fighting, but I love this sport and you know what? God has blessed me. God – I raise God’s name on high. I would not have the career I’ve had without Him, and I really have had a good career. I’ve had a long career.
“I’ve had – shoot, that was my 23rd fight in the UFC. I’ve had a career that people dream of. I’m not done fighting, but I know I need to take a little bit of a hiatus.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZnlOpaJqFZ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZpHmxuNwPM/
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The winless streak continues for “Smile’N” Sam Alvey.
The winless streak continues for [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] – and the most recent extension is thanks to [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag].
After a competitive opening round, Allen (18-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) submitted Alvey (33-17-1 MMA, 10-12-1 UFC) with a rear-naked choke at the 2:10 mark of Round 2.
The light heavyweight bout was part of the UFC Fight Night 200 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN+.
The fight predominantly took place in the striking department with Allen pushing the pace. Alvey, known as more of a counter-striker, found some success. But late in Round 1, Allen rocked Alvey, who was saved by the bell.
In Round 2, the dance continued. It was Allen who landed the first massive shot, and it was a game-changer. Alvey hit the canvas and covered up. Alvey tried to escape damage, but Allen jumped on his back. Allen quickly snuck his arm under the chin. The hooks weren’t locked in, but it didn’t matter. The choke was so deep, Alvey tapped anyway.
Brendan Allen took this fight on TUESDAY 🤯
WHAT a performance from @BrendanAllenMMA! #UFCVegas47 pic.twitter.com/4vej7V1yw2
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) February 6, 2022
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With the victory, Allen reentered the win column after a TKO loss to Chris Curtis in early December. The win came in his light heavyweight debut, a bout that happened at that weight because Alvey’s original opponent, Phil Hawes, withdrew earlier in fight week.
The loss for Alvey extended his winless streak to eight including seven losses and one draw. Since his promotional debut in August 2014, Alvey has competed 23 times for the promotion. With the lengthiest winless stretch in the UFC right now, it’s unknown if Alvey’s bout Saturday was his final one under the promotion’s banner.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 200 results include:
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Sean Strickland enters Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 200 main event with the best striking defense in middleweight history.
The UFC returns to its home base of Las Vegas on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 200 at the UFC Apex. The entire event streams on ESPN+.
A matchup of middleweight contenders is set to headline the card. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (22-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) will return to the main event scene for the fourth time in his career when he takes on the surging [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), who has won his past five bouts.
For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for 30 pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 200.
