UFC on ESPN+ 31 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $34.5 million

UFC on ESPN+ 31 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 on ESPN+ 31 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $103,500.

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 on ESPN+ 31 took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card streamed ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN+ 31 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Frankie Saenz[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Johnny Munhoz[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Vincent Cachero[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $3,500

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: $3,601,000
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: $34,605,500

Trevin Giles faints prior to walkout; UFC on ESPN+ 31 bout with Kevin Holland canceled

Trevin Giles vs. Kevin Holland was scrapped from UFC on ESPN+31 just moments before the fight was supposed to happen.

The phrase “last-minute fight fallout” is thrown around a lot when bouts are canceled near fight night, but it was literal at UFC on ESPN+ 31.

Just moments before the main-card opener at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night was scheduled to go down, [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] fainted before making his walk to the octagon. This forced the Nevada Athletic Commission to cancel his middleweight matchup against [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] due to precautionary reasons.

The news was announced during the UFC broadcast.

Giles (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) was shown on the broadcast sitting on his own power. He wanted to fight against Holland (17-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC), but the NAC didn’t allow the bout to go ahead. No further details on the situation were revealed.

Below was the UFC’s announcement on the cancellation:

Meanwhile, Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports reported the UFC attempted to make a makeshift bout between Holland and Ed Herman, who had his scheduled fight with Gerald Meerschaert fall out earlier in the day when the latter tested positive for COVID-19. However, Herman got the first flight out of Vegas after his fight dropped out, which ended that possible scenario.

Holland, meanwhile, cast some doubt on Giles’ withdrawal in an interview with reporters, including MMA Junkie.

“In the back of my head, I’m honestly believing that he held his breath until he passed out, so that way, he didn’t get the smackdown,” Holland said.

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Trevin Giles plans on knocking Kevin Holland out of his comfort zone at UFC on ESPN+ 31

Trevin Giles says the key to victory against Kevin Holland is to knock the confident middleweight out of his comfort zone.

[autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] knows he has to tame [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]’s theatrics.

Giles (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) faces Holland on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 31, which takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.

Giles is well aware of what “Big Mouth” Holland (17-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC), who often talks to his opponents during his fights, brings to the table and isn’t planning on getting caught up in his antics.

“I expect him to be in there trying to have fun,” Giles told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Thursday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 virtual media day. “When he gets in there he seems like he’s enjoying himself and he’s getting his momentum going and stuff, and I feel like he gets to talking and it makes him a little more comfortable. It gives him some sort of momentum, but that’s what I expect. That’s Holland, that’s how he fights, that’s what he does.

“So I expect him to do that, and I expect him to move around and be athletic. He has a very carefree fight style so I expect him to be like that, and I expect him to use his length and for him to be relaxed and trying to have fun and it’s gonna be my job to not let him do that.”

It’s the second time Giles, who was originally scheduled to face Jun Yong Park, has had a last-second opponent change. In his past outing at UFC 247 in February, he edged out James Krause, who stepped in on just 24-hours notice.

Now he will look to secure back-to-back wins for the second time in his UFC career with victory against Holland in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 predictions: Who’s picking Derek Brunson to halt Edmen Shahbazyan’s charge?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN+ 31 main card in Las Vegas.

Brunson
vs.
Shahbazyan
Calderwood
vs.
Maia
Brown
vs.
Luque
Green
vs.
Vannata
Giles
vs.
Holland
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2020: 71-46
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan (76%)
calderwood2020
Calderwood (72%)
luque2020
Luque (90%)
vannata2020
Vannata (53%)
holland2020
Holland (86%)
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2020: 84-33
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan
calderwood2020
Calderwood
luque2020
Luque
vannata2020
Vannata
holland2020
Holland
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2020: 83-34
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan
calderwood2020
Calderwood
luque2020
Luque
bgreen2020
Green
holland2020
Holland
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2020: 82-35
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan
calderwood2020
Calderwood
luque2020
Luque
vannata2020
Vannata
holland2020
Holland
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2020: 80-37
trophy copy 2014 Champion
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan
calderwood2020
Calderwood
luque2020
Luque
vannata2020
Vannata
giles2020
Giles
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2020: 79-38
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan
calderwood2020
Calderwood
luque2020
Luque
vannata2020
Vannata
holland2020
Holland
Simon Head
@simonhead
2020: 78-39
trophy copy 2019 Champion*
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan
calderwood2020
Calderwood
luque2020
Luque
bgreen2020
Green
holland2020
Holland
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2020: 78-39
trophy copy 2017 Champion
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan
calderwood2020
Calderwood
luque2020
Luque
bgreen2020
Green
holland2020
Holland
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2020: 77-40
trophy copy 2018 Champion
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan
calderwood2020
Calderwood
luque2020
Luque
bgreen2020
Green
holland2020
Holland
Dave Doyle
@davedoylemma
2020: 76-41
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan
jennifermaia2020
Maia
luque2020
Luque
vannata2020
Vannata
holland2020
Holland
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2020: 75-42
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan
calderwood2020
Calderwood
luque2020
Luque
bgreen2020
Green
holland2020
Holland
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2020: 73-44
brunson2020
Brunson
calderwood2020
Calderwood
luque2020
Luque
bgreen2020
Green
holland2020
Holland
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2020: 72-45
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan
calderwood2020
Calderwood
luque2020
Luque
vannata2020
Vannata
holland2020
Holland
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2020: 72-45
shahbazyan2020
Shahbazyan
calderwood2020
Calderwood
luque2020
Luque
vannata2020
Vannata
holland2020
Holland
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2020: 49-68
brunson2020
Brunson
maia2020
Maia
rbrown2020
Brown
bgreen2020
Green
giles2020
Giles

The UFC returns home to Las Vegas with a pair of ranked middleweight contenders at the top of the bill, looking to catapult themselves toward the top of the division with a statement victory.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is the clear favorite to defeat [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC), with 12 of our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts selecting the undefeated prospect to continue his surge up the middleweight division. He’s also the favorite with our readers, too, with 76 percent backing him to get the win.

In the co-main event, Scotland’s [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) received similar backing from our panel, with 12 of the MMA Junkie team picking “JoJo” to get the victory over [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC).

Brazilian welterweight [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (18-7-1 MMA, 11-3 UFC) is the most popular fighter on the card with our voting readers, with a whopping 90 percent picking him to prevail in his main card clash against [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC). Thirteen of our 14 panelists also sided with Luque in their staff picks.

A fascinating striking battle is in prospect as lightweights [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (25-10-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC) and [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] (10-4-2 MMA, 3-4-2 UFC) face off, and the vote is suitably split, with Vannata edging the fan poll with 53 percent of the vote. The pair also split our staff picks panel, too, with each man receiving seven votes each.

The middleweight main card opener offers an interesting clash, too, but the panel and the fans seem much more unified in their assessment, with 86 percent of readers, and 12 of our panelists, picking [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) to take the victory over [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC).

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Shahbazyan (76 percent), Calderwood (72 percent), Luque (90 percent), Vannata (53 percent), and Holland (86 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

UFC on ESPN+ 31: Make your predictions for Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 event in Las Vegas.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 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+ 31 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 31 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams live on ESPN+.

Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:

Kevin Holland replaces Jun Yong Park, meets Trevin Giles at UFC event on Aug. 1

It’ll be Texas vs. Texas in Las Vegas.

It’ll be Texas vs. Texas in Las Vegas at the UFC’s Aug.1 event.

With Korea’s [autotag]Jun Yong Park[/autotag] out due to travel issues, [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] has stepped in on short notice to fight [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] at 185 pounds.

The event is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The promotion announced a finalized lineup, including Holland vs. Giles on Thursday.

Prior to signing on, Holland (17-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) was most recently booked to fight Daniel Rodriguez on May 30. However, a shoulder injury forced Holland out of the fight just days prior. On May 16, Holland quickly defeated Anthony Hernandez with a 39-second TKO.

Giles (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC), a Houston area police officer, won in his own backyard at UFC 247 in February. Taking on one-day-notice replacement James Krause, Giles grinded and punched his way to a split decision victory.

With the change, the UFC’s Aug. 1 lineup includes:

  • Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
  • Markus Perez vs. Eric Spicely
  • Trevin Giles vs. Kevin Holland
  • Ed Herman vs. Da Un Jung
  • Joanne Calderwood vs. Jennifer Maia
  • Randy Brown vs. Vicente Luque
  • Jonathan Martinez vs. Frankie Saenz
  • Ray Borg vs. Nathan Maness
  • Chris Gutierrez vs. Luke Sanders

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Trevin Giles signs on for Jun Yong Park matchup on UFC’s Aug. 1 card

A middleweight bout between Trevin Giles and Jun Yong Park is the latest addition to the UFC’s growing lineup on Aug 1.

A middleweight bout between [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] and [autotag]Jun Yong Park[/autotag] is the latest addition to the UFC’s growing lineup on Aug 1.

Giles (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) posted a signed bout agreement for the matchup with Park (11-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on his social media with all the details included.

The unnamed UFC card on Aug. 1 is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Broadcast plans have not been finalized.

Giles, 27, will make his return to the octagon after edging James Krause in the “Fight of the Night” at UFC 247 in February. It was a key victory for Giles, who had compiled back-to-back losses after starting his career with 11 consecutive wins.

Park, 29, competes in the UFC for the third time after splitting results over his first two appearances. He’s coming off a win, though, having topped Marc-Andre Barriault by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN+ 23 in December.

With the addition, the latest lineup for UFC’s Aug. 1 event includes:

  • Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana
  • Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
  • Trevin Giles vs. Jun Yong Park

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MMA and coronavirus: Police officers Trevin Giles, Ashley Cummins offer unique perspectives

When Trevin Giles and Ashley Cummins aren’t fighting inside the MMA cage, they’re fighting to maintain law and order outside of it.

When [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] and [autotag]Ashley Cummins[/autotag] aren’t fighting inside the MMA cage, they’re fighting to maintain law and order outside of it.

Both Giles (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC), a UFC middleweight, and Cummins (7-5 MMA), an Invicta atomweight, serve their communities as police officers. The coronavirus pandemic has made their day-to-day work lives a little bit busier.

Trevin Giles

“Work is getting busier; I’d say it’s a good 10-to-15 percent busier,” Giles, a Houston police officer, recently told MMA Junkie. “The reason for that is a lot of people aren’t at work right now. That means more people are home, which means more reason to call. We have to respond to all of those calls. Also, you’ve got the people that don’t really take the virus too seriously. They’re taking them not having to work as them being out on some kind of break. Instead of being in the house, they’re out and about outside. They’re having a little vacation for themselves. I think that’s part of the problem.”

Cummins, an officer in the San Diego area, echoed most of Giles’ sentiments. She said she saw an initial uptick in crime – especially violent crime.

“Where I patrol, I’d say the first week when the virus was bad and they made all of those announcements, it was quiet that week,” Cummins told MMA Junkie. “After that, violent crime got bad. People started taking advantage of the situation knowing that cops may be busy in other areas helping people because of the virus. Where I patrol, I’ve seen a spike in robberies and assaults.”

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While most of the world is quarantining at home and avoiding the virus at all costs, Giles and Cummins have to face the virus head on. When 9-1-1 is called, they have to answer.

Both are outstanding members of their communities, but Giles and Cummins are still human. The prospect of contracting COVID-19 still worries them, but they agreed the feat is less about themselves than it is about their loved ones. Giles has a wife and a baby; Cummins a fiancee.

“I’m obviously concerned about it, especially when I come back home and I have a wife here and an almost 1-year-old boy,” Giles said. “It’s not just me. I’d be a lot less worried if it was just me. I’ve got a family here, so if I come home sick, I can get somebody else sick. It’s just not a good deal. I’m worried all the time.

As for Cummins, there are multiple ports of entry for the coronavirus to enter her household as she isn’t the only one helping the community on the frontlines.

Ashley Cummins

“My fiancee is a nurse, so she’s on the frontlines of all this – even more so than me,” Cummins said. “I am worried we’re going to get it. She has COVID-19 patients on her floor. Me as a police officer, I’ve been going to calls where people have fevers and they’re coughing. We transport them and help medics. I’m around these people, and I don’t know if they’re positive or not. Do they have the normal flu? Or do they have COVID-19? I’m being exposed. She’s being exposed.

“I’m young enough and healthy enough where I know I can fight it off. She can fight it off, most likely. We don’t have asthma or diabetes or anything. I’m mainly worried about my parents because they’re older. … I’m not worried about myself, but I’m concerned about the public. I don’t want to see people sick. Hopefully this gets better soon and we can all go back to normal.”

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Over the past month, the UFC attempted to keep as many of their plans intact as possible. UFC president Dana White and company tried to proceed as planned but were forced to follow the lead of other major sports organizations when ESPN recommended they postpone all upcoming events.

Being both first responders and MMA fighters, Giles and Cummins have a unique perspective on the COVID-19 situation pertaining to fighting. Both fighters agree the safest option is to wait until there is an elevated level of clearance from government and public health officials.

“I think it’s smart as far as business goes, but as far as the fighters’ health, I’m sure they’re taking all the precautions they need to take as far as finding out if the fighters are sick or anything like that,” Giles said. “Obviously, the best thing you can do as far as health is to just not have the fights – just hold off. Again, it sucks because if that’s the case then these fighters were already expecting this payday, they don’t get paid now. I can see both sides of it.”

Ashley Cummins

Cummins added, “I understand why they’re shutting down and people are pissed off. This virus is serious. People are dying at the end of the day. Is it really worth someone possibly dying? It’s not. That’s what I said my last fight. My opponent didn’t make weight. Everything thought I was going to talk all this (expletive) and be mad. I was like, ‘No. I’m just glad she’s healthy and didn’t end up in the hospital.’ At the end of the day, this sport isn’t worth our health.”

Note: MMA Junkie’s interviews with Giles and Cummins were conducted prior to the cancellation of upcoming UFC events.

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Manager Jason House very confident James Krause’s loss to Trevin Giles at UFC 247 will get overturned

After filing an appeal, Manager Jason House is confident that James Krause’s loss to Trevin Giles at UFC 247 gets overturned.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]James Krause[/autotag]’s manager is confident that his client’s most recent loss will be overturned.

Krause stepped in on just 24 hours’ notice to face [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] at February’s UFC 247 in Houston in a middleweight bout, losing a controversial split decision.

But it wasn’t losing a tightly-contested bout that Krause’s team had an issue with; it was the fact that one of the Texas judges, Joe Soliz, had a potential conflict of interest in the bout.

Soliz previously trained at Elite MMA under Eric Williams, who cornered Giles in the fight. Soliz earned a black belt at the academy before leaving in 2010.

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Soliz scored the bout in favor of Giles and was the only judge who awarded him Round 1, which saw Krause control much of the action on the floor. Giles won the bout 29-28 on two of the judges’ scorecards.

Krause’s manager, Iridium Sports CEO Jason House, decided to file an appeal and said he’s confident it will result in the fight getting overturned.

“I’m very confident that we will get this fight overturned,” House told MMA Junkie. “The conflict of interest that existed between the judges and our opponent is pretty crystal clear, and I’m hoping that once the Texas commission takes the time to review all the facts and evidence regarding the situation that they will see that it should be a no contest.”

The loss snapped Krause’s six-fight winning streak.

To hear more from House, check out the video above.