Tag: Tai Tuivasa

Don’Tale Mayes pulled from UFC on ESPN 21; Tai Tuivasa needs new opponent

The plan is for Tai Tuivasa to remain on the card against a new opponent.

The UFC is seeking a new opponent for [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag].

His originally scheduled UFC on ESPN 21 matchup, [autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag], will no longer be fighting Saturday. Mayes (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) was not medically cleared and subsequently pulled from the event.

Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the change Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Tuivasa (10-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) most recently competed at UFC 254 in October when he snapped a three-fight losing skid with a first-round knockout of Stefan Struve.

UFC on ESPN 21 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2.

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland
  • Gregor Gillespie vs. Brad Riddell
  • Tai Tuivasa vs. TBA
  • Gustavo Lopez vs. Adrian Yanez
  • Max Griffin vs. Song Kenan
  • Cheyanne Buys vs. Montserrat Ruiz

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Macy Chiasson vs. Marion Reneau
  • Grant Dawson vs. Leonardo Santos
  • Roman Dolidze vs. Trevin Giles
  • Montel Jackson vs. Jesse Strader
  • Julia Avila vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • J.P. Buys vs. Bruno Silva
  • Anthony Birchak vs. Johnny Eduardo

UFC on ESPN 21: Make your predictions for Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event in Las Vegas.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 21 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN 21 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN 21 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Tai Tuivasa vs. Don’Tale Mayes added to UFC Fight Night on March 20

Tai Tuivasa will look to string together consecutive wins for the first time since 2018 when he faces Don’Tale Mayes at UFC Fight Night on March 20.

[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] will look to string together consecutive wins for the first time since 2018.

Tuivasa (10-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) faces [autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on March 20, which does not currently have a publicly announced location or venue.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

After starting out his UFC tenure at 3-0 including a win over Andrei Arlovski, Tuivasa went on to lose three straight to Junior dos Santos, Blagoy Ivanov and Sergey Spivak. However, in his past outing in October, Tuivasa rebounded with a first-round knockout of Stefan Struve at UFC 254.

Contender Series graduate Mayes was also able to snap his losing skid in his past octagon appearance, defeating Roque Martinez via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 182 in November.

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With the addition, the UFC Fight Night on March 20 lineup includes:

  • Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland
  • Cheyanne Buys vs. Kay Hansen
  • Julia Avila vs. Julija Stoliarenko
  • Max Griffin vs. Song Kenan
  • Gustavo Lopez vs. Adrian Yanez
  • Dricus Du Plessis vs. Trevin Giles
  • Paul Craig vs. Jamahal Hill
  • Don’Tale Mayes vs. Tai Tuivasa

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UFC 254 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Khabib, Gaethje combine for $80k total

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 254 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $215,000.

ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 254 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $215,000.

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 254 took place at Flash Forum at Yas Island. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

The full UFC 254 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $40,000
def. [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag]: $40,000

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Jacob Malkoun[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Liliya Shakirova[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Da Un Jung[/autotag]: $3,500
vs. [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Yakovlev[/autotag]: $5,000

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:

Year-to-date total: $5,405,500
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $36,410,000

Of course Tai Tuivasa eventually celebrated his UFC 254 win with a shoey

There was no stopping “Bam Bam” from his beloved celebration.

[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] snapped a three-fight losing streak and won for the first time in more than two years Saturday when he knocked out Stefan Struve in the first round of their heavyweight bout.

Right after the finish, Tuivasa jumped out of the cage looking to do you know what: a shoey.

Unfortunately for Tuivasa, no beer allowed inside the Flash Forum, but that didn’t stop “Bam Bam” going straight to the fridge backstage for his trademark celebration.

I’ll never understand the shoey, but it makes Tuivasa a happy man, and that’s good enough for me.

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.

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UFC 254 results: Tai Tuivasa knocks out Stefan Struve in last second of first round

Both fighters badly needed a win, but it was Tai Tuivasa who got the job done.

Both [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] and [autotag]Stefan Struve [/autotag] came into their UFC 254 bout in need of a win.

Tuivasa (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) had three straight losses entering their heavyweight fight, while Struve (29-13 MMA, 13-11 UFC) had dropped four of his past five. Tuivasa was better able to translate his sense of urgency into action in the cage, as he pushed the pace and caused the “Skyscraper” to topple in the final second of the opening round. The time of the TKO finish was 4:59 of the opening round at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

“It’s been awhile, been awhile,” Tuivasa said afterward. “It’s good to be back.”

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The 7-foot-tall Struve attempted to dictate the fight’s range by throwing kicks in the early going, but Tuivasa wasn’t having it. He immediately started in on leg kicks and often followed up by throwing looping combos and then closing the distance. Struve would inevitably clinch, but this became less effective as the fight wore on.

By late in the round, Tuivasa dictated the tempo, closed the distance and really picked up the pace. It appeared Struve was going to survive a big final flurry, but Tuivasa connected on an uppercut to the jaw, which dropped Struve and ended the fight.

The win was the ninth KO/TKO finish of Tuivasa’s career. Struve’s second straight loss was also the 10th time he’s been finished in his career.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 254 results:

  • Tai Tuivasa def. Stefan Struve via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:59
  • Casey Kenney def. Nathaniel Wood via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Alex Oliveira via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:40
  • Sam Alvey vs. Da Un Jung ends in split draw (28-29, 29-28, 28-28)
  • Miranda Maverick def. Liana Jojua via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 1, 5:00
  • Joel Alvarez def. Alexander Yakovlev via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:00

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Stefan Struve vs. Tai Tuivasa added to UFC 254

Tai Tuivasa returns to the octagon at UFC 254 when he takes on Stefan Struve.

[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] is set to make his return to the octagon on “Fight Island.”

Tuivasa (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) will face [autotag]Stefan Struve[/autotag] (29-12 MMA, 13-10 UFC) in a heavyweight bout at UFC 254, which takes place on Oct. 24 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UFC officials announced on Thursday.

After amassing a perfect 9-0 record with three UFC wins, Tuivasa has dropped his past three to Junior dos Santos, Blagoy Ivanov and, most recently, Sergey Spivak at UFC 243 in October.

Struve has also been struggling as of late, losing four of his past five fights. His lone win came in a “Performance of the Night” submission of Marcos Rogerio de Lima in February 2019.

With the addition, the UFC 254 lineup includes:

  • Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje – for UFC lightweight title
  • Jared Cannonier vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Rafael dos Anjos vs. Islam Makhachev
  • Walt Harris vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba
  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Lauren Murphy
  • Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Sergey Morozov
  • Sam Alvey vs. Da Un Jung
  • Liana Jojua vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
  • Phil Hawes vs. Jacob Malkoun
  • Stefan Struve vs. Tai Tuivasa

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UFC 252 free fight: Junior Dos Santos hands Tai Tuivasa his first career defeat

Relive Junior Dos Santos’ finish of Tai Tuivasa in the main event of UFC Fight Night 142.

Former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] reminded everyone why he’s no stepping stone.

Dos Santos (21-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) faced formerly unbeaten [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] in the main event of UFC Fight Night 142 in Australia, where he was determined to take out the surging contender on enemy territory.

Tuivasa charged at Dos Santos and put the pressure on him right off the bat. Dos Santos remained calm, and utilized his jab to keep Tuivasa at bay, but “Bam Bam” did a great job of cutting him off. Tuivasa continued to lunge forward at Dos Santos and forced the Brazilian against the fence before landing with a heavy leg kick. He then followed up with a nice combination and finished an encouraging first round by clipping Dos Santos before the buzzer.

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Tuivasa continued his aggressive approach in Round 2 as he backed Dos Santos up against the cage once more, before tagging him with big overhand rights. However, Tuivasa started to get reckless and Dos Santos clipped him hard with a big counter right that dropped the Australian to the canvas. Dos Santos followed his man to the ground, transitioned to full mount and claimed the finish with ground strikes.

Dos Santos went on to take out Derrick Lewis and extend his winning run to three in a row, but then suffered back-to-back stoppage losses to Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes.

Dos Santos returns to action on Aug. 15 when he meets Jairzinho Rozenstruik (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at UFC 252, which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

Before he faces Rozenstruik, relive Dos Santos’ finish of Tuivasa in the video above.

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House B, with Diaz brothers and Sean O’Malley, leads pack on MMA Junkie’s fighter house lockdown poll

House B seems to be a popular choice, wonder why…

Well, the people have spoken.

In a world where most of us have been told by their governments to practice social distancing and stay in our homes to help stop the spread of COVID-19,  MMA Junkie asked its reader which hypothetical fighter house they would rather spend lockdown in to ride out these tough times in the global pandemic.

The following houses were the options in play:

  • House A: [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], [autotag]Artem Lobov[/autotag], [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag]
  • House B: [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag], [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag], [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]
  • House C: [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]
  • House D: [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag], [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag], [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]

From a deep dive into the comment section on MMA Junkie’s Instagram, House B seemed to be the post popular choice followed by House D, House C, and House A. Do you agree with the fan picks?

Below you can find our reader’s choices on which fighter house they would rather spend lockdown in: