Tag: Sam Alvey

Brendan Allen meets Sam Alvey in short-notice bout at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 200

Brendan Allen has agreed to fight Sam Alvey on four days’ notice on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 200.

[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] will be competing at UFC Fight Night 200 on Saturday, after all, but it’s not going to be an easy challenge.

After Phil Hawes withdrew from a middleweight bout against Alvey early in fight week, it appeared “Smile’n” wasn’t going to get a chance to step in the octagon this weekend. However, [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag] has come in to save the day.

Allen (17-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has agreed to step in and fight Alvey (33-16-1 MMA, 10-11-1 UFC) in a matchup that will now be contested in the light heavyweight division. MMA Junkie verified the switch with multiple people close to the situation following an initial report from Eurosport.

UFC Fight Night 200 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card streams on ESPN+.

Allen, 26, will attempt to rebound from an upset loss to Chris Curtis at UFC on ESPN 31 in December. He’s won nine of 10 fights prior to that bout, and after a strong start against Curtis, eventually faltered after taking some hard shots.

Despite claiming after the loss that he would no longer take short-notice fights, Allen is back in for another one with just four days to go.

Alvey, 35, will attempt to capitalize on a potentially vulnerable version of Allen. He’s currently riding a seven-fight winless skid, and has not had his hand raised since June 2018. If he loses this weekend, Alvey would match B.J. Penn for most consecutive fights without a victory in UFC history.

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Jack Hermansson vs. Sean Strickland
  • Nick Maximov vs. Punahele Soriano
  • Carlston Harris vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
  • Bryan Battle vs. Tresean Gore
  • Julian Erosa vs. Steven Peterson
  • Brendan Allen vs. Sam Alvey

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

  • John Castaneda vs. Miles Johns
  • Hakeem Dawodu vs. Mike Trizano
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Chidi Njokuani
  • Phil Rowe vs. Jason Witt
  • Alexis Davis vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Danilo Marques
  • Denys Bondar vs. Malcolm Gordon

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Sam Alvey says Phil Hawes out of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 200

Sam Alvey’s string of bad luck continued with Phil Hawes’ withdrawal from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 200 event.

UFC Fight Night 200 has lost one of its scheduled main card matchups.

[autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag] is out of his planned middleweight matchup with [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] on Saturday’s card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Alvey (33-16-1 MMA, 10-11-1 UFC) on Tuesday announced news of the scratched bout with Hawes (11-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) on social media (via YouTube):

I was supposed to fight on Saturday, and I got the call, and they said it’s canceled. You want to make ‘Smile’n’ Sam stop smiling, take his fight away.

Alvey didn’t know the exact reason for Hawes’ withdrawal but said he heard an unconfirmed story about an injury.

The UFC historically has been proactive about finding short-notice replacements – even during fight week – but Alvey gave no indication the promotion is finding him a new opponent for this card. Moreover, Alvey said he snacked on pizza and cereal after UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard informed his manager the bout was off.

Alvey is currently riding a seven-fight winless skid. If he loses next, Alvey would match B.J. Penn for most consecutive fights without a victory in UFC history.

The latest UFC Fight Night 200 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Jack Hermansson vs. Sean Strickland
  • Nick Maximov vs. Punahele Soriano
  • Carlston Harris vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
  • Bryan Battle vs. Tresean Gore
  • Julian Erosa vs. Steven Peterson

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

  • John Castaneda vs. Miles Johns
  • Hakeem Dawodu vs. Mike Trizano
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Chidi Njokuani
  • Phil Rowe vs. Jason Witt
  • Alexis Davis vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Danilo Marques
  • Denys Bondar vs. Malcolm Gordon

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Skidding Sam Alvey meets Ian Heinisch at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 5

Sam Alvey will be in search of his first octagon win in over three years when he meets Ian Heinisch in February.

[autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] will be in search of his first octagon win in more than three years when he meets [autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag].

Alvey (33-16-1 MMA, 10-11-1 UFC) takes on Heinisch (14-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) on Feb. 5 at UFC Fight Night in an event that doesn’t yet have a publicly known venue or location. Heinisch confirmed the news on his social media after an initial report from MMA Fighting.

Winless in his past seven trips to the octagon, Alvey hasn’t had his hand raised since edging out Gian Villante in June 2018. The Season 16 “Ultimate Fighter” alum’s seven-fight winless skid is the second longest in UFC history, only behind Hall of Famer B.J. Penn (eight).

Meanwhile, Heinisch will also look to snap his losing skid. After scoring a first-round TKO of Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 250, the Dana White’s Contender Series alum has dropped two straight to Kelvin Gastelum and most recently Nassourdine Imavov in July at UFC on ESPN 27.

With the addition, the current Feb. 5 lineup includes:

  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Chidi Njokuani
  • Phil Rowe vs. Jason Witt
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Danilo Marques
  • John Castaneda vs. Miles Johns
  • Hakeem Dawodu vs. Mike Trizano
  • Sam Alvey vs. Ian Heinisch

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 26-Aug. 1)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken 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 July 26-Aug. 1:

Sam Alvey reveals fight against Roman Kopylov is off at UFC on ESPN 28

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)

  • Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland
  • Mounir Lazzez vs. Niklas Stolze
  • Cheyanne Buys vs. Gloria de Paula
  • Kyung Ho Kang vs. Rani Yahya
  • Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ryan Benoit
  • Bryan Barberena vs. Jason Witt

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Nicco Montano vs. Wu Yanan
  • Collin Anglin vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan
  • Rafa Garcia vs. Chris Gruetzemacher
  • Danny Chavez vs. Kai Kamaka
  • Jinh Yu Frey vs. Ashley Yoder
  • Trevin Jones vs. Ronnie Lawrence
  • Orion Cosce vs. Phil Rowe

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UFC on ABC 2 medical suspensions: Mackenzie Dern, five others face potential 6 months

Mackenzie Dern and five others could be out up to six months due injuries sustained during Saturday’s card.

Six fighters face potentially lengthy layoffs as a result of injuries sustained in their UFC on ABC 2 bouts.

On Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of the UFC on ABC 2 medical suspensions handed out by the Nevada Athletic Commission from MixedMartialArts.com, the Associate of Boxing Commission’s official recordkeeper.

Among those potentially suspended for 180 days is co-headliner [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag], who perhaps suffered a broken left hand in his victory over [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag].

Fan favorite [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] also could be out up to six months due to a potentially broken thumb suffered in her win against [autotag]Nina Nunes[/autotag].

[autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag], who defeated [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] by submission, will need his right hand cleared in order to avoid the mandatory 180 days off.

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Also handed a six-month suspension was UFC lightweight veteran [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag], who will need his left foot cleared after his decision loss to [autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag].

Both [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag] (face and foot) and [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag] (nose and hand) received six-month suspensions for multiple potential injuries sustained in their back-and-forth preliminary card war.

The card was headlined by middleweights [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag], who received matching 21-day suspensions for facial lacerations.

The full list of UFC on ABC 2 medical suspensions:

  • Marvin Vettori: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days due to left eyebrow laceration.
  • Kevin Holland: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days due to left eyebrow laceration.
  • Arnold Allen: Suspended 180 days or until left hand x-ray is cleared by an orthopedic doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • Sodiq Yusuff: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
  • Julian Marquez: Suspended 180 days or until right hand x-ray is cleared by orthopedic doctor.
  • Sam Alvey: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • Mackenzie Dern: Suspended 180 days or until right thumb x-ray is cleared by an orthopedic doctor.
  • Nina Ansaroff: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • Joe Solecki: No suspension.
  • Jim Miller: Suspended 180 days or until left foot x-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
  • [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
  • John Makdsessi: Suspended 180 days or until subtle nondisplaced fracture of the right zygomatic arch is cleared by a maxillofacial doctor and right foot displaced fracture of the second metatarsal is cleared by an orthopedic doctor; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
  • Ignacio Bahamondes: Suspended 180 days or until nose x-ray is cleared by a doctor and left hand x-ray is cleared by an orthopedic doctor; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
  • [autotag]Jarjis Danho[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
  • [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Hunter Azure[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Luis Saldana[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Jordan Griffin[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
  • [autotag]Da Un Jung[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]William Knight[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.
  • [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag]: No suspension.
  • [autotag]Sasha Palatnikov[/autotag]: Suspended 21 days with no contact for 14 days.

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UFC on ABC 2 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Venum era begins

UFC on ABC 2 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 ABC 2 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $182,500.

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 on ABC 2 took place at the UFC Apex. The main card aired on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ABC 2 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Nina Ansaroff[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jarjis Danho[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Hunter Azure[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Luis Saldana[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jordan Griffin[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Da Un Jung[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]William Knight[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Impa Kasanganay/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sasha Palatnikov[/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.

UFC on ABC 2 video: Julian Marquez ruthlessly chokes Sam Alvey unconscious

“I just squeezed for dear life like I was trying to pop off his head.”

[autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag] was out to get a finish against [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag], and he did just that.

Marquez stopped Alvey on the main card of Saturday’s UFC on ABC 2 in Las Vegas. Marquez (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) choked out Alvey unconscious with a rear-naked choke at the 2:07 mark of Round 2.

It was a wild fight from the start. Both fighters traded bombs and wobbled each other from start to finish in the first round of their middleweight clash. The second was similar, but Marquez had the better of the exchanges, constantly connecting and hurting Alvey.

In one of the combinations, Alvey dropped to the ground and looked to takedown Marquez with a double leg in hopes to survive and recover from Marquez combinations on the feet. “The Cuban Missile Crisis” sprawled and got behind Alvey where he was able to lock up a rear-naked choke and put Alvey to sleep.

You can watch the finishing sequence below (via Twitter):

“I saw him expose his neck up, so I went in for the rear-naked choke, but I know I can’t put my hooks in on him, so I just grabbed a hold, put my head on the side of his head, and just squeezed for dear life like I was trying to pop off his head,” Marquez said on the broadcast following the fight.

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Marquez is now 2-0 since returning to action from injury. The 30-year-old was out for over two years and made a comeback in 2021.

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UFC on ABC 2: Sam Alvey vs. Julian Marquez odds, picks and prediction

Previewing Saturday’s UFC on ABC 2 fight between Sam Alvey and Julian Marquez, with MMA odds, picks, tips and predictions.

In a middleweight bout on Saturday’s main card, Sam Alvey and Julian Marquez meet at UFC on ABC 2 – also known as UFC Vegas 23 – at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. The early prelims kick off at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN+, the prelims start at noon ET on ESPN/ESPN+ and the main card begins at 3 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN+. Below, we analyze the UFC on ABC 2 Alvey vs. Marquez odds and lines, with picks and predictions.

UFC on ABC 2 Alvey vs. Marquez Odds, spread and lines

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:19 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Alvey +150 (bet $100 to win $150) | Marquez -185 (bet $185 to win $100)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over +105 | Under -125)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +135 | No -160)

Place your legal, online bets at BetMGM Sportsbook. New customer offer, terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

UFC on ABC 2 Alvey vs. Marquez: Odds, lines, predictions and picks

Records: Alvey 33-14-1 | Marquez 8-2

Fight result (2-way line or money line)

ALVEY (+150) heads into this fight on an 0-4-1 skid, and he is likely fighting for his UFC job in this battle. “Smilin’ Sam” picked up a draw last time out at UFC 254 on the Khabib-Gaethje card against Da-Un Jung. He has the four losses in the past five, but setbacks against Ryan Spann, Klidson Abreu, Jimmy Crute and Rogerio Nogueira are certainly nothing to be ashamed about.

Alvey holds a 3.5-inch reach advantage over Marquez (-185). The latter is 2-1 in the past three fights since making his UFC debut, with a loss to Alessio Di Chirico at The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale. He picked up a submission win at UFC 258 against Maki Pitolo after more than a two-year layoff.

The better value here is Alvey as he should head into the octagon with a sense of urgency and desperation.

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Over/Under (O/U)

It’s a little on the moderately expensive side, but NO (-160): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is the play here. While the past three fights for Smilin’ Sam have involved the judges, three of his past seven have finished inside the distance. Marquez has stoppages in six of his past seven fights.

It’s a little risky, but taking Alvey in a three-round block to win is worth playing. ALVEY IN ROUND 1 (+800), ALVEY IN ROUND 2 (+1150) and ALVEY IN ROUND 3 (+1900) could set you up for quite the windfall if he wins inside the distance. Yes, you will lose two rounds, but a stoppage for Alvey will have you quite far ahead.

To watch the early prelims, sign up for ESPN+ now.

Want some action on UFC on ABC 2? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

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