Video: UFC Fight Night 224 media day interviews

Before UFC Fight Night 224 arrives, 12 athletes from the main card are scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday at media day.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC schedule for May closes out Saturday with UFC Fight Night 224, which takes place at the UFC Apex with a full card that streams on ESPN+.

A strawweight main event serves as the final act on the card. [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] will take on [autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag] in a matchup of fighters looking to take the next step forward in the division.

Before fight night arrives, though, 11 athletes spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day, and MMA Junkie was in attendance.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (March 13-19)

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 from March 13-19.

UFC Fight Night 211 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2022 total hits $6.5 million

UFC has paid out $6.5 million in Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay to its athletes this year after UFC Fight Night 211.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 211 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $164,500.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 211 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Trevin Jones[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Don Shainis[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Daniel Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Chelsea Chandler[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Julija Stoliarenko[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Randy Costa[/autotag]: $6,000

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 2117 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2111 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 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,491,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $12,658,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 211.

UFC Fight Night 211 predictions: Four unanimous picks and two blowouts in Las Vegas

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 211 main card, which features Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xiaonan at strawweight.

Dern
vs.
Xiaonan
Brown
vs.
Trinaldo
Barcelos
vs.
Jones
Shainis
vs.
Yusuff
Castaneda
vs.
Santos
Borschev
vs.
Davis
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
154-93
dern2022
Dern
(77%)
brown2022
Brown
(77%)
barcelos2022
Barcelos
(80%)
yusuff2022
Yusuff
(90%)
castaneda2022
Castaneda
(76%)
davis2022
Davis
(66%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
165-87
trophy copy 2018 Champion
dern2022
Dern
brown2022
Brown
barcelos2022
Barcelos
yusuff2022
Yusuff
castaneda2022
Castaneda
davis2022
Davis
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
161-91
dern2022
Dern
brown2022
Brown
barcelos2022
Barcelos
yusuff2022
Yusuff
castaneda2022
Castaneda
davis2022
Davis
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
159-93
trophy copy 2014 Champion
dern2022
Dern
brown2022
Brown
barcelos2022
Barcelos
yusuff2022
Yusuff
castaneda2022
Castaneda
borschev2022
Borschev
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
157-95
dern2022
Dern
brown2022
Brown
barcelos2022
Barcelos
yusuff2022
Yusuff
castaneda2022
Castaneda
davis2022
Davis
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
156-96
dern2022
Dern
brown2022
Brown
barcelos2022
Barcelos
yusuff2022
Yusuff
castaneda2022
Castaneda
davis2022
Davis
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
155-97
dern2022
Dern
brown2022
Brown
barcelos2022
Barcelos
yusuff2022
Yusuff
castaneda2022
Castaneda
borschev2022
Borschev
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
155-97
dern2022
Dern
brown2022
Brown
barcelos2022
Barcelos
yusuff2022
Yusuff
castaneda2022
Castaneda
borschev2022
Borschev
Nolan King
@mma_kings
148-104
dern2022
Dern
brown2022
Brown
barcelos2022
Barcelos
yusuff2022
Yusuff
castaneda2022
Castaneda
davis2022
Davis
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
147-105
trophy copy 2017 Champion
dern2022
Dern
brown2022
Brown
barcelos2022
Barcelos
yusuff2022
Yusuff
castaneda2022
Castaneda
davis2022
Davis
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
138-114
dern2022
Dern
brown2022
Brown
barcelos2022
Barcelos
yusuff2022
Yusuff
castaneda2022
Castaneda
davis2022
Davis
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
123-128
dern2022
Dern
trinaldo2022
Trinaldo
barcelos2022
Barcelos
yusuff2022
Yusuff
castaneda2022
Castaneda
davis2022
Davis

The UFC is back on its home turf after a week off, and a pair of women’s strawweight contenders headline the card.

UFC Fight Night 211 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at 115 pounds. Dern is a -240 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Xiaonan is +180. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Dern as one of four unanimous picks on the main card at 11-0.

The co-main event features [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) vs. [autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag] (28-8 MMA, 18-7 UFC) at welterweight. Brown is a -350 favorite, but he’s not unanimous. One of our pickers is taking Trinaldo to pull off the upset.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Trevin Jones[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in a bantamweight bout. Barcelos is a -260 favorite and one of our four unanimous picks.

UFC newcomer [autotag]Don Shainis[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will have a tough task on his hands for his promotional debut when he meets [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) at featherweight. Yusuff is the biggest favorite on the card at 11-1, and not surprisingly is a unanimous pick from our staff members.

Our fourth unanimous nod is [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] (19-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in his fight against [autotag]Daniel Santos[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC), which will take place at a contracted 140-pound catchweight. Castaneda is the smallest favorite on the man card at -190, but he pitched an 11-0 shutout in the picks.

And to open the main card, we have our most contentious bout from a picks standpoint. [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at lightweight. Davis is a 2-1 favorite at the betting window and has a big 8-3 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Dern (77 percent), Brown (77 percent), Barcelos (80 percent), Yusuff (90 percent), Castaneda (76 percent) and Davis (66 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 211.

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UFC on ESPN 33 salaries: Curtis Blaydes leading earner as four fighters crack six figures

UFC on ESPN 33 was one of the rare events in the modern climate where disclosed fighter salaries have trickled into the public.

UFC on ESPN 33 was one of the rare events in the modern climate where fighter salaries have trickled into the public.

Curtis Blaydes (16-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), who defeated Chris Daukaus (13-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) by second-round TKO in the main event of the card this past Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, was the highest paid athlete on the card, netting $262,000 in disclosed earnings from the event.

The total salaries from the 12-bout card was $1,434,000, with just four names cracking the six-figure mark with their payouts.

MMAFighting.com received salary information from the Ohio State Athletic Commission on Tuesday.

Check out the full fight purses for UFC on ESPN 33.

UFC on ESPN 33 post-event facts: Neil Magny ties Georges St-Pierre’s win record, sets another

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 33, which saw Neil Magny tie Georges St-Pierre’s long-held wins records.

The UFC returned in front of crowds for non-PPV events in the U.S. on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 33 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The 12-fight card was capped off by a sensational showing from [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who used his hands and no wrestling to crush [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) into a second-round TKO and remind everyone that he’s still a young and evolving player in the heavyweight division.

Blaydes set some personal records in the win, but there were other bits of UFC history across the card, as well. For more on the numbers, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 33.

UFC on ESPN 33 predictions: Who’s our lone unanimous pick in Columbus?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 33 main card, featuring Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus.

Blaydes
vs.
Daukaus
Grasso
vs.
Wood
Barberena
vs.
Brown
Askarov
vs.
Kara-France
Latifi
vs.
Oleinik
Borshchev
vs.
Diakiese
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
47-19
blaydes2022
Blaydes
(75%)
grasso2022
Grasso
(79%)
brown2022
Brown
(72%)
askarov2022
Askarov
(64%)
latifi2022
Latifi
(51%)
borshchev2022
Borshchev
(76%)
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
45-21
blaydes2022
Blaydes
wood2022
Wood
brown2022
Brown
askarov2022
Askarov
oleinik2022
Oleinik
borshchev2022
Borshchev
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
44-22
trophy copy 2014 Champion
blaydes2022
Blaydes
grasso2022
Grasso
brown2022
Brown
askarov2022
Askarov
latifi2022
Latifi
borshchev2022
Borshchev
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
44-22
trophy copy 2018 Champion
blaydes2022
Blaydes
wood2022
Wood
brown2022
Brown
askarov2022
Askarov
oleinik2022
Oleinik
borshchev2022
Borshchev
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
43-23
blaydes2022
Blaydes
grasso2022
Grasso
brown2022
Brown
askarov2022
Askarov
latifi2022
Latifi
borshchev2022
Borshchev
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
42-24
blaydes2022
Blaydes
grasso2022
Grasso
brown2022
Brown
askarov2022
Askarov
latifi2022
Latifi
diakiese2022
Diakiese
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
41-25
blaydes2022
Blaydes
grasso2022
Grasso
brown2022
Brown
askarov2022
Askarov
latifi2022
Latifi
diakiese2022
Diakiese
Nolan King
@mma_kings
41-25
blaydes2022
Blaydes
grasso2022
Grasso
barberena2022
Barberena
askarov2022
Askarov
latifi2022
Latifi
borshchev2022
Borshchev
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
40-26
blaydes2022
Blaydes
wood2022
Wood
brown2022
Brown
askarov2022
Askarov
oleinik2022
Oleinik
borshchev2022
Borshchev
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
39-27
blaydes2022
Blaydes
grasso2022
Grasso
barberena2022
Barberena
askarov2022
Askarov
latifi2022
Latifi
borshchev2022
Borshchev
brian Garcia
@thegoze
38-28
trophy copy 2017 Champion
blaydes2022
Blaydes
grasso2022
Grasso
brown2022
Brown
karafrance2022
Kara-France
latifi2022
Latifi
diakiese2022
Diakiese
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
28-38
blaydes2022
Blaydes
grasso2022
Grasso
brown2022
Brown
askarov2022
Askarov
latifi2022
Latifi
borshchev2022
Borshchev

The UFC makes its long-awaited return to Ohio this week with a heavyweight bout at the top of the bill.

UFC on ESPN 33 takes place Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) takes on [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at heavyweight. Blaydes is a heavy -450 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Daukaus is +310. With Blaydes the biggest favorite on the main card, it’s no surprise our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have him in our only unanimous pick at 11-0.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is a -250 favorite in her women’s strawweight bout against [autotag]Joanne Wood[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC). Grasso has a big 8-3 lead in our picks.

Also on the main card, hometown fan favorite [autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag] (23-18 MMA, 16-12 UFC) nearly is a unanimous pick against [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag] (16-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in their welterweight bout. Although Barberena is a -115 favorite to -110 to Brown, Brown has a 10-1 rout in the picks.

[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] (14-0-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC) is a -420 favorite at flyweight against [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and is a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.

[autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) takes on [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (59-16-1 MMA, 8-7 UFC) in a heavyweight bout. Latifi is a -210 favorite at the betting window, and he’s got an 8-3 lead in the picks.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag] (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is a mild -160 favorite against [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC), and he has a big 8-3 picks lead.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Blaydes (75 percent), Grasso (79 percent), Brown (72 percent), Askarov (64 percent), Latifi (51 percent) and Borshchev (76 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Marc Diakese in the works for UFC Columbus

A lightweight fight is on tap for UFC Columbus.

A lightweight fight is on tap for UFC Columbus.

[autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marc Diakese[/autotag] is in the works for the UFC Fight Night event on March 26 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus Ohio. Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the lightweight matchup on Friday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion hasn’t made an announcement.

Borshchev (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will look to maintain the momentum of his promotional debut two weeks ago when he stopped Dakota Bush in the first round with a liver shot. Borshchev is riding a four-fight winning streak, which also includes a knockout win last October on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Diakese (14-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) will enter the fighting seeking to snap a two-fight skid. He’s coming off back-to-back losses to Rafael Fiziev by decision and most recently a first-round submission against Rafael Alves this past Novemer. Diakese is 2-5 since opening his career 12-0.

With the addition, the UFC Columbus lineup includes:

  • Aleksandar Rakic vs. opponent TBA
  • Amanda Ribas vs. Michelle Waterson
  • Sara McMann vs. Karol Rosa
  • Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France
  • Bryan Barberena vs. Matt Brown
  • Alexa Grasso vs. Joanne Wood
  • Max Griffin vs. Neil Magny
  • Seungwoo Choi vs. Tucker Lutz
  • Danaa Batgerel vs. Montel Jackson
  • David Dvorak vs. Matheus Nicolau
  • Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
  • Nate Landwehr vs. Lerone Murphy
  • Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Marc Diakiese

UFC on ESPN 32 post-event facts: Katlyn Chookagian sets dubious decision record

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 32, which saw history made on the promotion’s first event of 2022.

The first UFC event of the year took place Saturday with UFC on ESPN 32 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A 10-fight card that was ravaged by lineup changes ultimately concluded with a strong performance from [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (23-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC), who returned from a career-long layoff to battle [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision in the matchup of featherweight contenders.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 35 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 32.

UFC on ESPN 32 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Court McGee leads charge with $20,000

UFC on ESPN 32 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 32 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $132,000.

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

The full UFC on ESPN 32 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Rogerio Bontorin[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Viacheslav Borshchev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dakota Bush[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joseph Holmes[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Court McGee[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Ramiz Brahimaj[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Croom[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]TJ Brown[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag]: $11,000

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 $4,500; 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 20-32 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

  • “UFC on ESPN 32: Kattar vs. Chikadze” – $132,000

Year-to-date total: $132,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $6,299,500

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