UFC on ESPN 51 – Page 3 – Syndication Server

UFC on ESPN 51 post-event facts: Event ties modern-era record for first-round finishes

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 51, which saw a record-tying number of first-round stoppage results.

The UFC returns to its home base of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday following three weeks on the road with UFC on ESPN 51, which saw nine of 13 fights end inside the distance.

The main event was one of few that needed the judges. [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) managed to outwork former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (33-15 MMA, 21-13 UFC) to a unanimous decision in the welterweight bout and used a lot of grappling to get it done.

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 on ESPN 51.

UFC on ESPN 51 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Two veterans earn max non-title sum of $21,000

UFC on ESPN 51 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 51 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $173,000.

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 51 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 51 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Hakeem Dawodu[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Polyana Viana[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]AJ Dobson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tafon Nchukwi[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]JP Buys[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Mike Breeden[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Isaac Dulgarian[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Martin Buday[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Josh Parisian[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jaqueline Amorim[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Montserrat Conejo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jose Johnson[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Luana Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Juliana Miller[/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 $4,510; 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 $51,000 while title challengers get $51,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-51 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

“UFC on ESPN 50: Luque vs. dos Anjos” – $173,000
“UFC on ESPN 50: Sandhagen vs. Font” – $170,500
“UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2” – $271,500
“UFC Fight Night 224: Aspinall vs. Tybura” – $225,000
“UFC on ESPN 49: Holm vs. Bueno Silva” – $126,500
“UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez” – $319,500
“UFC on ESPN 47: Strickland vs. Magomedov” – $144,500
“UFC on ABC 5: Emmett vs. Topuria” – $174,000
“UFC on ESPN 46: Vettori vs. Cannonier” – $140,000
“UFC 289: Nunes vs. Aldana” – $236,500
“UFC on ESPN 45: Kara-France vs. Albazi” – $199,500
“UFC Fight Night 224: Dern vs. Hill” – $179,500
“UFC on ABC 4: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida” – $267,500
“UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo” – $267,500
“UFC Fight Night 223: Song vs. Simon” – $144,500
“UFC Fight Night 222: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes” – $181,500
“UFC on ESPN 44: Holloway vs. Allen” – $254,500
“UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2” – $274,500
“UFC on ESPN 43: Vera vs. Sandhagen” – $137,000
“UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3” – $266,500
“UFC Fight Night 221: Yan vs. Dvalishvili” – $194,000
“UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane” – $282,500
“UFC Fight Night 220: Muniz vs. Allen” – $126,000
“UFC Fight Night 219: Andrade vs. Blanchfield” – $158,000
“UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski” – $263,000
“UFC Fight Night 218: Lewis vs. Spivac” – $136,000
“UFC 283: Teixeira vs. Hill” – $359,500
“UFC Fight Night 217: Strickland vs. Imavov” – $137,000

Year-to-date total: $5,395,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $19,984,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC on ESPN 51 with the return of the Eminem Curse, but at least no Jason Aldean

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 51 event, which once again thankfully featured no Jason Aldean.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

See what the fighters from UFC on ESPN 51 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

Cub Swanson unsure of decision win over Hakeem Dawodu: ‘In my mind, I was down two rounds’

Cub Swanson thought he lost to Hakeem Dawodu at UFC on ESPN 51.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag] isn’t too sure he should’ve had his hand raised Saturday.

The UFC featherweight thought he lost a decision to Hakeem Dawodu in the co-main event at UFC on ESPN 51, but to his surprise, he was awarded a 29-28 victory across all three judges’ scorecards.

“I’m always hard on myself,” Swanson said when asked about the decision of the fight at the UFC on ESPN 51 post-fight press conference. “I didn’t think I won the first round. Everyone in my corner said I did, and that it was an easy one to call. I thought that he picked up some steam in the second, but I know I hurt him at the end of the second.

“So in my mind, I was down two rounds, and I was like, ‘I need to push the pace.’ He was powerful, and it was taking a toll on me, but my conditioning was good, so I was just trying to stay in his face. But I was mostly just mad about myself for not being a bit more active. It was a chess match in there. It was a difficult one, but I have to watch it again. It sounds like everyone (on my team) thought I at least won two rounds, so it’s cool.”

[lawrence-related id=2669337,2669334]

With the victory, Swanson (29-13 MMA, 14-9 UFC) was able to bounce back from a TKO loss to Jonathan Martinez in a failed bantamweight debut this past October.

The 39-year-old has been fighting professionally since 2004 and knows retirement is looming. As far as what’s next, Swanson has no preference. He’s just focused on doing what he loves – fighting.

“I’m close to the end,” Swanson said. “I’m just having fun at this point. That was my goal: to have some fun tonight. I’ve been fortunate to make some good money and make some investments, and I’m just trying to make sure my family is taken care of.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.

Vicente Luque ‘would love to welcome’ Dustin Poirier to welterweight after UFC on ESPN 51 win

Vicente Luque wants big fights only after winning his comeback fight from injury at UFC on ESPN 51, and Dustin Poirier applies.

[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] wants big fights only after winning his comeback fight from injury at UFC on ESPN 51, and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] applies.

Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) returned to competition after a yearlong layoff on Saturday to defeat former champion Rafael dos Anjos (33-15 MMA, 21-13 UFC) by unanimous decision in a welterweight main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The result snapped a two-fight losing skid, and allowed him to regain confidence after his career was nearly ended due to a brain bleed stemming from his first and only knockout loss to Geoff Neal.

After the fight, Luque said he’s keen to share the octagon with any top-five fighter at 170 pounds. If that doesn’t work out timing-wise, though, he was warm to the idea of fighting former interim UFC champ Poirier (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) who has teased the idea of moving up from lightweight several times over the years and has no clear next move after his head kick knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in their “BMF” title bout at UFC 291 this past month.

[lawrence-related id=2669334,2668855]

“An interesting fight as well, I think I would love to welcome Dustin Poirier, if he needs somebody,” Luque said on the UFC on ESPN 51 post-fight show. “He said he might go to 170, so who knows? We could make that work.”

Whether Poirier has any interest in taking a fight with Luque remains to be seen. However, he could fit Poirier’s desired criteria of a dangerous opponent who gives him fear.

Luque’s win over dos Anjos was his second decision win over out of 15 career UFC triumphs. He landed a career-best eight takedowns in the five-round contest.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 51.

UFC on ESPN 51 bonuses: Da’Mon Blackshear twists his way to $50K

Four bonuses were handed out after UFC on ESPN 51, including one for just the third twister submission in promotion history.

After UFC on ESPN 51, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

UFC on ESPN 51: Best photos from Las Vegas

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC on ESPN 51 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC on ESPN 51 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos courtesy of the UFC via Getty Images)

Oct 17, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; ESPN Sportcenter announcer/analyst Steve Levy during Monday Night Football between the Arizona Cardinals game against the New York Jets at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Big Bertha B-21 has a lot of offset to help golfers square the face more easily. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Callaway gave the Big Bertha B-21 a cup face design and internal tungsten weights in the heel and toe. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The Big Bertha B-21 irons have a thick topline and lots of offset. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The Big Bertha B-21 has a cup face design. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

UFC on ESPN 51: Official scorecards from Las Vegas

Check out the official scorecards from all 13 bouts at UFC on ESPN 51 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Twitter reacts to Vicente Luque returning from brain bleed to beat Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 51

See the top social media reactions to Vicente Luque’s win over Rafael dos Anjos in the UFC on ESPN 51 main event.

[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] added another former UFC champion to his resume on Saturday when he defeated [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 51 headliner.

Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) returned from a concerning brain injury and yearlong layoff and earned a unanimous decision victory over dos Anjos (33-15 MMA, 21-13 UFC) in the welterweight main event, which took place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Luque’s win over dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 51.

* * * *

UFC on ESPN 51 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 51 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 51 took place Saturday, and MMA Junkie provided live play-by-play and official results.

UFC on ESPN 51 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

In the main event, Vicente Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) took on former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (32-15 MMA, 21-13 UFC) at welterweight. In the featherweight co-feature, Hakeem Dawodu (13-4-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) went after what arguably would have been the biggest win of his career against Cub Swanson (29-13 MMA, 14-9 UFC).

Follow along with our round-by-round updates and official results below. You also can get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@kenshathaway) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.