Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 192, which saw Anthony Smith extend his winning streak with a main event finish.
UFC Fight Night 192 featured a rare first-round submission finish in the main event as [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] put away [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag].
Saturday’s event, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, featured a key light heavyweight matchup in the headliner. Smith (35-16 MMA, 11-6 UFC) shined once again to close a fight card, as he managed to hurt Spann (19-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) on the feet before closing the show with a rear-naked choke.
“Lionheart” almost never sees the judges, and that track record is starting to show itself on his overall UFC resume.
For more on the numbers, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC Fight Night 192.
UFC Fight Night 192 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 192 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $162,000.
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 192 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 192 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
Two light heavyweights will look to get back in the win column this September.
A light heavyweight fight is in the works for this September.
At the UFC Fight Night event Sept. 18, Cameroon’s [autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/autotag] is targeted to meet New England’s [autotag]Mike Rodriguez[/autotag], pending bout finalization. The card doesn’t currently have a publicly known location or venue.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently confirmed the targeted booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Nchukwi (5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) lost for the first time as a professional when he was defeated by Jun Yong Park by unanimous decision in May. The fight was Nchukwi’s sophomore promotional appearance after a successful debut bid against Jamie Pickett.
Rodriguez (11-6 MMA, 3-4 UFC) enters the event after back-to-back losses. The first of the two, however, was controversial. When Rodriguez kneed Ed Herman in the chest, referee Chris Tognoni deemed it illegal and a timeout was called rather than a stoppage. After the fight restarted, Herman finished Rodriguez bu submission.
In his most recent outing, which took place in January, Rodriguez was submitted by Danilo Marques.
UFC on ESPN 24 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 24 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $143,000.
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 24 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN 24 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
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 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
“UFC on ESPN 24: Rodriguez vs. Waterson” – $143,000
Check out all the facts and figures from UFC Fight Night 183, which saw Stephen Thompson beat Geoff Neal in Las Vegas.
The UFC closed out its 2020 schedule on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 183, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The 41st and final headliner of the year saw [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] (16-4-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC) put on a classic striking clinic against [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) to secure a unanimous decision victory in the matchup of ranked welterweights.
For more on the numbers behind the card, as well as the rest of the event, check below.
UFC Fight Night 183 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 183 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $170,000.
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 183 took place at UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 183 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
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 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
“UFC Fight Night 183: Thompson vs. Neal” – $170,000
There was a significant delay on the UFC broadcast as Al Matavao remained on the canvas.
Like vicious knockouts? Then you’ll love [autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/autotag]’s thunderous head kick knockout at DWCS 32.
In Tuesday’s main event, Nchukwi (4-0) stiffened his main event opponent [autotag]Al Matavao[/autotag] midway through the second round of their light heavyweight fight. The first round was perhaps more competitive than some anticipated, with the underdog Matavao (8-3) acting fearlessly for the first five minutes.
In the second round, Nchukwi, who was largely patient throughout the fight, finally found his shot. As Matavao ducked and scrambled away, Nchukwi punted him in the noggin. Matavao went crashing to the mat, head bouncing off the canvas.
Long after the fight was waved off, Matavao was still down, flat on the canvas. The broadcast was slightly delayed as commentators Brendan Fitzgerald and Michael Bisping did their best to keep the natural conversation going.
As everyone stood around and waited for Matavao to get up, the decision was delayed. Eventually, Matavao sat up and was met with an ovation from the few in the venue.
Check out Tafon Nchukwi’s violent finish, Dana White’s reaction, and MMA Junkie editor John Morgan’s analysis in the video below:
DWCS 32 took place Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streamed on ESPN+.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
Meet the UFC hopeful who plans on becoming the promotion’s next Cameroonian star.
Prior to [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]’s UFC debut in 2015, Cameroon didn’t have a prominent place in the MMA space.
Ngannou changed that in swift fashion and over the span of five years became one of the UFC’s biggest names. Ngannou, along with UFC champion Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya, has since proved to the world that Africans have a lot to offer at the highest level of mixed martial arts.
Undefeated light heavyweight prospect [autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/autotag] (3-0) is aiming to be the next fighter to continue that trend – and he has the opportunity to take one step closer when he takes on Al Matavao (8-2) at Dana White’s Contender Series 32 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Born in Bamenda, Cameroon, Nchukwi moved to the U.S. in 2005 at age 10. Nchukwi has fond memories of Cameroon and playing outside with all the other children. However, he recognizes his experiences were confined to childhood ideology.
His family moved to the U.S. in hope of opportunity, Nchukwi recently explained to MMA Junkie. When they settled into their new living environment, there were some things Nchukwi needed to get used to.
“It was a culture shock, for sure, to adjust,” Nchukwi told MMA Junkie. “It took me a little bit, but not too much, because my first language was already English. The main thing I had to adapt to was how fast people over here speak and trying to dial in on their tones and accents and ways of talking. Adjusting to that, that was really mainly it. Other than that, it was weird to get more access to a lot. There were more opportunities. The first time I came here, I was stunned by all the technology and stuff – big TVs, cars everywhere. When I first came here, it was definitely a lot to take in.”
Image via Tafon Nchukwi/SuckerPunch Entertainment
Getting settled into school, Nchukwi started playing soccer. In high school, he picked up football. After graduation, Nchukwi moved on to college – but found MMA when he saw a 30-day free trial advertisement for a local gym.
As a result, Nchukwi dropped out of college – a move his parents weren’t thrilled with.
“Your parents come here to give you better opportunities, and you tell them you’re trying to go be a fighter,” Nchukwi said. “They’re not too happy to hear that.”
Three fights into his pro MMA career, Nchukwi’s family have warmed up to his pursuit of fist-fight glory. Positive feelings go both ways. Reflecting on his upbringing, Nchukwi said he draws inspiration from his immigrant parents.
His parents’ blue-collar past motivates Nchukwi, but he also is driven by visions of his own future. By making Cameroon’s flag more noticeable and more meaningful on the world’s stage, Nchukwi hopes he’ll tip the scales in making the first UFC card in Africa happen.
“It would mean a lot, too,” Nchukwi said. “Especially to my people, who are always watching and giving me support. I’m definitely using this platform to definitely show out for my country and my people. I’ll let them know we out here. … We’re coming to take over. We’re born fighters.”
Image via Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC)
While success is great, Nchukwi said he doesn’t want his career to be all about him, however. He hopes his success can be absorbed by thousands who come from similar places or situations.
“Coming where I come from, there are not many opportunities,” Nchukwi said. “Then coming here, I’m about to be on one of the biggest stages in the world. That’s definitely something I’m humbled by. I know this going to be an inspiration to many others coming from this same position as me.
“I’m aiming to be an inspiration to them, hopefully – so they can see this path and stick to it knowing if they work hard to chase what they want, they’re going to get there. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. As long as you work hard and basically don’t give up, you’re going to get there.”
Dana White’s Contender Series season 4 is right around the corner. Check out 10 light heavyweights who could be featured.
Dana White’s Contender Series has become a key platform for fighters on the regional scene. Since its conception, the UFC Fight Pass-turned-ESPN+ summer original removed some of the guesswork for up-and-comers trying to make it big.
With UFC president Dana White and matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby cage-side, the stakes are high. Have an impressive, exciting win on the show, you’re in.
Rumored for a late-June 2020 start date, the fourth season of DWCS isn’t that far off almost. The lineups haven’t been announced yet, but advanced planning is underway. While there are hundreds of fighters qualified to compete on the show, we’ll narrow each divisional pool to 10 fighters who you should see compete on the show this summer.
Up next, the light heavyweights.
Ibo Aslan*
Record: 8-0 Age: 23 Height: 6’2″
Birthplace: Austria
A main training partner of light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic, [autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag] is the next beastly light heavyweight to come out of Austria. Looking at Aslan’s physique, it’s no surprise his strength and power are above average. He fits the part. A ground-and-pound specialist, Aslan has finished the majority of his opponents inside the distance. Competing for top Austrian regional promotions Vendetta and Austrian FC, Aslan has taken out the who’s who of fighters in his home country – and he’ll look to continue that success on the summer series.
* = Aslan’s participation in DWCS season 4 has already been confirmed
Dustin Jacoby*
Record: 11-5 Age: 31 Height: 6’4″
Birthplace: Fort Morgan, Colo.
Fans who only follow mainstream promotions may recognize [autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]. A pro MMA fighter since 2010, Jacoby has competed in the UFC (twice), WSOF (once), Titan FC (once), and Bellator (twice). Jacoby has also competed 11 times in GLORY kickboxing. Despite some struggles in his kickboxing career early on, Jacoby turned a corner in 2015. He won his last five GLORY fights – all of which he finished inside the distance. The Factory X member will test the waters at 205 pounds and propel himself to the ranks of the UFC.
* = Jacoby’s participation in DWCS season 4 has already been confirmed
