Su Mudaerji positive he did enough in split decision at UFC 314, calls out Manel Kape

Su Mudaerji was surprised his fight against Mitch Raposo was a split decision when many observers thought he won all three rounds.

MIAMI – [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] met the media Saturday after his win over Mitch Raposo at UFC 314.

Mudaerji (17-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) won a split decision against Raposo (9-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on the prelims at Kaseya Center, but the vast majority of MMA media who scored the fight had it for Mudaerji, and most at 30-27.

“He was constantly looking for a submission, wrestling against me,” Mudaerji said at his post-fight news conference through a translator. “But this was my first time fighting an opponent so much shorter than me, so sometimes he was making moves that were almost invisible to me. It was exhilerating (to win). I was so happy. But now the emotions have settled. I’ve got so much to work on in the future, but I’ll come back stronger.

“The judges made the right decision. After he brought me to the floor, he was trying to control me, but he couldn’t make any real moves on me.”

Mudaerji said he has no injuries from the fight and wants to be more active than he has been in the UFC so far, due to injury struggles. He called out Manel Kape (21-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) for a flyweight fight. Kape is coming off a bonus-winning knockout of Asu Almabayev in March.

Check out Mudaerji’s post-fight news conference in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

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UFC 314 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Michael Chandler, Paddy Pimblett combine for $12,000

Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett combined for a $12,000 payout under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program at UFC 314.

MIAMI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 314 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $300,500.

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 314 took place at Kaseya Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 314 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Nikita Krylov[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Julian Erosa[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Mitch Raposo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Marco Tulio[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tresean Gore[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Hailey Cowan[/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.

Full 2025 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,579,500
2024 total: $8,280,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $33,597,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Su Mudaerji def. Mitch Raposo at UFC 314: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Su Mudaerji’s split decision win over Mitch Raposo at UFC 314.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]’s split decision win over [autotag]Mitch Raposo[/autotag] at UFC 314 at Kaseya Center in Miami. (Photos by Sam Navarro, USA Today Sports; MMA Junkie; UFC)

UFC Fight Night 245 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Darren Elkins’ $21,000 leads card

The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program has now paid out more than $29 million to athletes since its deal began with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 245 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $155,500.

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 245 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 245 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cameron Smotherman[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Asu Almabayev[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jean Matsumoto[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joselyne Edwards[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Elise Reed[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Melissa Martinez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alice Ardelean[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Austen Lane[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/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 2451 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 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,644,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,381,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 245

Momentum is a big factor in Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji at UFC Fight Night 245. Which trend will break?

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 245 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-3
UFC main cards, 2024: 87-77-3

Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji UFC Fight Night 245 preview

Johnson (16-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has seemed to figure things out since a three-fight skid nearly ended his UFC tenure. He enters as a winner of his last three fights, all of which have come in a very busy 2024 campaign. Johnson’s decision win over Azat Maksum in February was a Fight of the Night affair, and his third round finish of Joshua Van in July earned a Performance of the Night bonus. … Mudaerji (16-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) will look to stay above .500, and return to the win column after being finished in back-to-back outings. Mudaerji’s last victory was a unanimous decision nod over Zarrukh Adashev in January 2021.

Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji UFC Fight Night 245 expert pick, prediction

Filling out the main card is a flyweight attraction between Johnson and Mudaerji.

Considering that these two fighters were strangely booked with opposite momentum as far as their winning and losing streaks are concerned, I can see why the betting public is getting behind Johnson.

Many, including myself, have seen solid glimpses of Johnson’s skills and potential and have wanted to see him do well since stepping onto the UFC stage. And though the wins and losses have come down to the wire, Johnson appears to be hitting his stride as a fighter.

Mudaerji, on the other hand, has dealt with everything from injuries and inactivity to continual tough matchmaking.

Mudaerji appears to have been spending the last two fight camps at Team Alpha Male alongside Song Yadong, so I’m curious if we finally start to see the 28-year-old Tibetan turn a corner in his career as well.

Although this should be an easy pick to make for Johnson, I find myself semi-reluctantly wanting to take a flier on the other side.

Aside from the fact that it would be hilarious to see an Asian fighter ice “Inner G” after the borderline racist tweet he sent out this week (which, according to Johnson’s logic, is okay since “he likes anime”), Johnson has traditionally struggled with southpaws, officially standing at a shaky 1-2 opposite UFC-level lefties.

Even though my personal bias is admittedly at play, considering how fed up I am over repeated incidents like this involving Asian athletes in this sport/sports culture, in general, I’ll stand by my pick here.

All personal gripes aside, Johnson is one of the least trustworthy fighters from a gambling perspective, so I stay away from his fights – particularly when he’s the one who is favored.

The official pick is for Mudaerji to serve Johnson some much-needed humble pie with a surprising first-round knockout.

Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji UFC Fight Night 245 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the American fighter, listing Johnson -225 and Su +180 via FanDuel.

Charles Johnson vs. Su Mudaerji UFC Fight Night 245 start time, how to watch

Johnson and Mudaerji are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:05 p.m. ET (5:05 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Su Mudaerji: Charles Johnson doesn’t really want to stand and trade at UFC Fight Night 245

Su Mudaerji has been down this one particular road in MMA, and he isn’t sure he wants to trust taking it again.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] has been down this one particular road in MMA, and he isn’t sure he wants to trust taking it again.

On it, against Tim Elliott this past December, he maybe kinda sorta thought he had a gentleman’s agreement in place to stand and trade in their flyweight fight. Instead, he soon found himself on the canvas and was submitted in the first round. Credit to Elliott, certainly, but Mudaerji knows now, he says, that hoping to stand and bang and actually standing and banging are two different things.

“Those promises often are broken, even like my last fight – Tim was telling me the same thing: Let’s bang. Let’s (go for a) knockout.’ And within a minute and a half, he start taking me down relentlessly. So I don’t believe in that anymore,” Mudaerji said Wednesday at a media day at the UFC Apex.

The next flyweight who might try to have Mudaerji (16-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) think he wants to stand and trade is Charles Johnson (16-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC). The two meet on the UFC Fight Night 245 (ESPN+) main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“I was very excited when I found out the opponent was him because he’s also a striker – a standup fighter like me, so I think we’re going to put on a show for the fans,” Mudaerji said. “But I do think my opponent will fear striking with me because he’s seen my videos. Most likely, he’ll try to take me down. He wouldn’t want to stand with me, striking with me.”

Hear Mudaerji discuss that, his recent layoff, marriage and family life and more in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Tatsuro Taira fills UFC 302 opening, fights Joshua Van

Two of the UFC’s most promising flyweights, Tatsuro Taira and Joshua Van will collide in Newark.

Two of the UFC flyweight division’s most promising rising fighters will collide this June.

With [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] out of UFC 302, [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] has signed on to fight [autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag] at the June 1 event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The matchup was announced Thursday by Iridium Sports Agency, which manages both fighters.

Taira (15-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) has passed each test he’s had in the promotion with flying colors. With three finishes in five promotional appearances, Japan’s Taira rides high off a TKO victory over Carlos Hernandez in December.

Van (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) went 3-0 in his first seven months with the UFC as he accumulated wins over Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Kevin Borjas, and Felipe Bunes. He was scheduled to fight Lucas Rocha in April, but was removed from the card when his opponent withdrew.

With the addition, the UFC 302 lineup includes:

  • Champion Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier – for lightweight title
  • Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa – five-round co-main event
  • Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez
  • Su Mudaerji vs. Tatsuro Taira
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov
  • Joselyne Edwards vs. Ailin Perez
  • Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez
  • Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
  • Jake Matthews vs. Phil Rowe
  • Andre Lima vs. Hyun Sung Park
  • Niko Price vs. Jeremiah Wells
  • Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov

UFC Fight Night 233 post-event facts: Khalil Rountree inches closer to Chuck Liddell’s KO record

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 233, which saw Khalil Rountree move closer to Chuck Liddell’s longstanding knockout record.

There’s just one event left on the UFC’s 2023 schedule after UFC Fight Night 233 came to a conclusion on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

An underwhelming lineup fell in the shadow of UFC 296 this weekend, and the main event wasn’t particularly memorable as [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) proved to be too much for [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (20-6-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in their bantamweight matchup en route to a unanimous decision win.

For more on the numbers to come out of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts about UFC Fight Night 233.

* * * *

UFC Fight Night 233 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $22 million

UFC Fight Night 233 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 233 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $159,500

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 233 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 233 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Andre Muniz[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Junyong Park[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]HyunSung Park[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shannon Ross[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Melquizael Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Luana Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Stephanie Egger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Talita Alencar[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Rayanne Amanda[/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 2331 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: $7,848,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,367,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

UFC Fight Night 233 video: Tim Elliott chokes out Su Mudaerji on five days’ notice

Tim Elliott admitted his “title run is kind of over” despite choking out Su Mudaerji in dominant fashion at UFC Fight Night 233.

[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] earned one of the more impressive wins of his career Saturday when he defeated [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag] on just five days’ notice at UFC Fight Night 233.

According to Laura Sanko on commentary, Elliott (20-14-1 MMA, 9-11 UFC) had just two training sessions to prepare for the bantamweight bout at the UFC Apex. It didn’t look like it in the octagon as Elliott landed some good strikes on the feet, got Mudaerji (16-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) to the mat then locked in an arm-triangle choke that led to the technical submission at the 4:02 mark of Round 1.

Check out the replay of the finish below (via X):

After losing a key fight to Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 294 in October, Elliott jumped on the opportunity to fight Mudaerji as a replacement.

Elliott, 36, admitted his time at the highest level of competition might be dwindling, but his fighting spirit remains strong, and he’s ready to step in the cage as often as possible.

“I’m never really satisfied in here,” Elliot said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “There’s things I want to do that I’ve never got to do in my career, and I’m running out of time, and I want to show that now. The goal right now is to get back in here. I’m ready next weekend if they need me. …

“I feel like my title run is kind of over now, and all I really have is excitement. But the UFC knows they can call me anytime, and I’ll show up, make weight and fight hard. And if I continue to do that, I’ll be here forever.”

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Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 233 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.