Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
UFC bantamweight Sergey Morozov was victorious Saturday in Las Vegas, which made him even happier because it was the first fight on his new contract.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Sergey Morozov[/autotag] beat Journey Newson by unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 216 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Morozov, who swept the scorecards in the first fight on his new contract.
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.
UFC Fight Night 216 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 216 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $204,500.
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 Fight Night 216 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 216 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
* * * *
[autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000
[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cheyanne Vlismas[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jake Matthews[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Saidyokub Kakhramonov[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Hayisaer Maheshate[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]David Dvorak[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Sergey Morozov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Journey Newson[/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 2167 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2161 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 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Year-to-date total: $8,351,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,529,000
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.
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Check out what the UFC Fight Night 216 winners had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.
LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 216 takes place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex.
You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 216 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.
Bantamweights are booked for what probably will be the final UFC event of 2022.
[autotag]Sergey Morozov[/autotag] and [autotag]Journey Newson[/autotag] are set to square off.
At a UFC Fight Night event on Dec. 17 at a location and venue to be announced, the two bantamweight fighters will each attempt to extend a solo victory into a winning streak.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup Wednesday informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
In June, Morozov (18-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) rebounded from a barnburner loss to Douglas Silva de Andrade when he defeated Raulian Paiva via unanimous decision. The win brought him to 2-1 in his most recent three.
Newson (10-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) snapped a three-fight winless stretch in May when he defeated Fernie Garcia by unanimous decision. The performance marked Newson’s first UFC victory. Newson knocked out Domingo Pilarte in 2020 under the UFC banner, but the win was overturned to a no contest when he tested positive for marijuana.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Dec. 17 includes:
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As a result of their UFC 271 bouts, all 28 fighters were handed medical suspensions of varying durations by the Texas commission.
Two fighters are facing indefinite suspensions as a result of their UFC 271 bouts.
UFC 271 took place Saturday at Toyota Center and featured 14 bouts, including a middleweight title rematch between champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and challenger [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag].
Of the 10 main card competitors, hometown favorite Derrick Lewis received the longest suspension from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) for his upset knockout loss to Tai Tuivasa. He now faces two months on the shelf.
Two preliminary card fighters, Marcelo Rojo and Maxim Grishin, were suspended indefinitely. Unlike many other commissions, TDLR does not release injury details, so specific causes for their suspensions are not known.
On Tuesday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of medical suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the official record keeper of the Association of Boxing Commissions. All fighters’ suspensions can terminate sooner should they be cleared by a doctor.
Check out the full UFC 271 medical suspensions below.
UFC 271 has an early contender for “Fight of the Night.”
HOUSTON – The fans were already buzzing by the time [autotag]Douglas Silva de Andrade[/autotag] and [autotag]Sergey Morozov[/autotag] stepped into the cage. But over the course of their preliminary card matchup, they took the energy up a notch.
When the dust settled, de Andrade (28-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) was the victor via second-round submission by rear-naked choke, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. In the opening round of their UFC 271 preliminary card bout, de Andrade absorbed a bloodying amount of damage from the speedy and powerful Morozov (17-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC).
When Morozov dropped de Andrade early, he made the most of his time on the ground. A strike sliced open de Andrade, but he figured a way back up to the feet. From there, it was rock-em, sock-em.
As the fight progressed, and especially after it crossed over into the second round, de Andrade landed with more frequency. In Round 2, punches, elbows, and kicks connected directly on the noggin of Morozov, who hung tough but hit the mat on multiple occasions.
De Andrade would not let him off the hook. The onslaught continued. The fight hit the mat once again – and this time de Andrade would end it. He worked to the back, sunk in the choke, and that was it.
Silva De Andrade with an epic comeback 😳
Stream #UFC271 on @ESPNPlus ➡️ https://t.co/8nSLNkbqlT pic.twitter.com/CmgLfkLTdC
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 13, 2022
UFC 271 took place Saturday at Toyota Center.
The up-to-the-minute UFC 271 results include:
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Mike Davis and Victoria Leonardo are facing potential six-month suspensions for injuries sustained in their fights.
[autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Victoria Leonardo[/autotag] are facing potential six-month medical suspensions after UFC on ESPN 20.
Davis (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who earned the “Fight of the Night” honor in a unanimous decision win over Mason Jones, needs clearance for his left thumb for his hard-fought battle with Jones.
Joining Davis with a potential 180-day term is Leonardo (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who needs clearance for her right forearm after suffering a second-round stoppage loss to Manon Fiorot.
MMA Junkie on Friday obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.
The full list of UFC on ESPN 20 medical suspensions includes:
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