Thomas Petersen elated after scoring first UFC win against Usman name

Dana White’s Contender Series alum Thomas Petersen rebounded from his UFC debut loss with a sound performance vs. Kamaru Usman’s brother.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Thomas Petersen[/autotag] defeated Mohammed Usman on Saturday night at UFC on ESPN 60.

Petersen (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) took the fight to Usman (10-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) over the course of 15 minutes to earn a clean-sweep unanimous decision by scores of 30-27 from all three judges at the UFC Apex. Afterward, Petersen, a Dana White Contender Series alum, was elated to have rebounded from his promotional debut defeat and earn his first UFC victory over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman’s brother.

“I expected an athlete. I expected, you know – the Usman blood is strong, tough,” Petersen said afterward. “Those guys are monsters. They’re specimens. I was just excited to fight, baby. I don’t know what to say.”

You can watch Petersen’s complete UFC on ESPN 60 post-fight session with reporters in the video above.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 60.

UFC on ESPN 60 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $27 million

The UFC has issued more than $27 million in Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay to fighters after UFC on ESPN 60.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 60 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $139,000.

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 60 took place at the UFC Apex. The main card ESPN and streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 60 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kaynan Kruschewsky[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Hyder Amil[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jeong Yeong Lee[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dione Barbosa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Thomas Petersen[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mohammed Usman[/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 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 $4,600; 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 $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-60 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $4,268,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $27,005,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 60.

UFC Fight Night 235 post-event facts: Randy Brown is on the rise

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 235, which saw Randy Brown continue his run of success in the loaded welterweight division.

The UFC opened its four-event February schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 235, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) achieved his first octagon main event win to close out the card when he outworked [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) to a majority decision in their matchup of ranked UFC middleweights.

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 235.

UFC Fight Night 235 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Drew Dober’s $21,000 tops card

UFC Fight Night 235 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 235 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $170,500.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 235 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Aliaskhab Khizriev[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Charlie Radtke[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gilbert Urbina[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Azat Maksum[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Pete Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jeong Yeong Lee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Blake Bilder[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Julija Stoliarenko[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marquel Mederos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Landon Quinones[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamal Pogues[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Thomas Petersen[/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 2351 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: $615,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,322,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Nov. 6-12)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported 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 or officially announced by the promotions from Nov. 6-12.

Fresh Ink: Meet the 30 fighters the UFC signed in August 2023

Find out who joined the UFC in August and learn more about them here.

The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.

Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, “Dana White’s Contender Series” signees, or rare straight-up additions. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.

“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.

Check out the August 2023 list below.

DWCS 60 winner Thomas Petersen would love opportunity to avenge lone career loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Now a UFC fighter, Thomas Petersen hopes he gets to run things back with Waldo Cortes-Acosta in the octagon.

LAS VEGAS – Now a UFC fighter, [autotag]Thomas Petersen[/autotag] hopes he gets to run things back with Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

Petersen (8-1) earned a UFC contract Tuesday when he submitted Chandler Cole with a second-round keylock in their heavyweight bout at Dana White’s Contender Series 60.

That’s now three wins in a row for the LFA veteran, who has only one loss on his record to fellow Contender Series graduate Cortes-Acosta – and he wants it back.

“Oh yes, but the time will come whenever it happens,” Petersen told reporters during the DWCS 60 post-fight press conference. “But hopefully we meet at the belt. I wish Waldo Cortes the best. I like his coach, he’s a good man too. Yeah, I’d like to fight him, I’d like to beat him, but I have nothing bad to say about the guy.”

The majority of Petersen’s finishes have come in the first round. But going up against a fellow furious finisher, he knew he had to be cautious.

“I know Chandler Cole is a very good opponent, and he’s gotten way better since his last fight,” Petersen said. “I was totally OK with this going to three rounds. I just wanted to dominate. I didn’t have to get him out. I didn’t have to make any mistakes because he’s a dangerous guy. The guy throws like a freaking cannon when he’s throwing so, I just didn’t want to get lit. Not that I couldn’t take it, but I tried to be smart and deadly is what was my plan.”

[lawrence-related id=2675122]

Dana White’s Contender Series 60 results: Three fighters get UFC contracts; two denied

Season 7, Week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series goes down Tuesday, and MMA Junkie will have live results from on-site at the UFC Apex.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene at Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series 69 event.

Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.

The fourth episode of Season 7 saw 10 fighters compete for their shot at a UFC contract. A welterweight contest between Mitch Ramirez (7-1) and Carlos Prates (17-6) served as the featured matchup of the five-bout lineup.

Also on the card was Yousri Belgaroui (5-3), a former Glory Kickboxing standout who competed against both Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira. He took on Marco Tulio Silva (9-2).

Full results of Dana White’s Contender Series 60 include:

  • Carlos Prates def. Mitch Ramirez via TKO (punch) – Round 2, 1:14
  • Marco Silva def. Yousri Belgaroui via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Tim Cuamba def. Mateo Vogel via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Thomas Petersen def. Chandler Cole via submission (keylock) – Round 2, 1:08
  • Bolaji Oki def. Dylan Salvador via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:46

Continue reading below for more details about each fight.

Dana White’s Contender Series 60 weigh-in results: 10 UFC hopefuls on point – including Glory Kickboxing standout

Check out the results from the official Dana White’s Contender Series 60 fighter weigh-ins in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene at Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 60 fighter weigh-ins.

The weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in Las Vegas and lasted less than 15 minutes. The UFC Apex hosts Tuesday’s card, which streams on ESPN+.

Ten fighters will vie for UFC contracts in their fights, including welterweights [autotag]Mitch Ramirez[/autotag] (7-0) and [autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag] (16-6), who headline the show.

Also on the card is [autotag]Yousri Belgaroui[/autotag] (5-2), a former Glory Kickboxing standout who competed against both Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira. He takes on [autotag]Marco Silva[/autotag] (9-1).

The full Dana White’s Contender Series 60 weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Carlos Prates (170) vs. Mitch Ramirez (171)
  • Yousri Belgaroui (186) vs. Marco Silva (185.5)
  • Tim Cuamba (145.5) vs. Mateo Vogel (144.5)
  • Chandler Cole (264) vs. Thomas Petersen (264)
  • Bolaji Oki (156) vs. Dylan Salvador (155)

LFA 113 results: Thomas Petersen claims vacant heavyweight title with first-round TKO

Thomas Petersen is the new LFA heavyweight champion after his fifth knockout in as many career fights.

[autotag]Thomas Petersen[/autotag] entered LFA 113 ready to wrestle, but he didn’t need it.

Petersen needed just 1:02 to earn a scintillating TKO finish of [autotag]Vernon Lewis[/autotag] to claim the vacant LFA heavyweight championship Friday at Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas. It was Petersen’s fifth knockout in as many career professional fights.

Petersen (5-0) and Lewis (8-5) both came out tentatively to open the fight. They circled each other cautiously until Petersen shot in for a takedown that was stuffed by Lewis. After disengaging, the two fighters circled each other again until Petersen, 20 pounds lighter than the 264-pound Lewis, rushed in with a 1-2 combo right down the pipe.

The jab stunned Lewis, and the cross landed flush and dropped him. Petersen hurried for the finish with follow-up punches and nearly let Lewis off the hook by backing off too soon, but he rushed back in. When Lewis dropped to the canvas for a second time, the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

Afterward, Petersen had nothing but praise for Lewis, a police officer from Waco who was fighting in front of his hometown fans.

Complete LFA 113 results:

  • Thomas Petersen def. Vernon Lewis via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:02
  • Ricky Camp def. Greg Fischer split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Chris Brown def. Glaucio Eliziario via verbal submission (slam) – Round 2, 4:59
  • Alden Coria def. Donnie Ballou via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 3:35
  • Giovanna Canuto def. Kathy Solorzano via verbal submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 2:10
  • Cezly Collard def. Patrick Ferguson via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 0:44