Tag: Vicente Luque

UFC on ESPN 54 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $24.5 million

UFC on ESPN 54 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 54 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 54 took place at Boardwalk Hall. The main card aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 54 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nursulton Ruziboev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Nate Landwehr[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Herbert Burns[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Dennis Buzukja[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Connor Matthews[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Anton Turkalj[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jacob Malkoun[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Caolan Loughran[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Angel Pacheco[/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 $4,540; 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 $54,000 while title challengers get $54,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-54 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,842,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,579,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 play-by-play, live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 54 in Atlantic City.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – UFC on ESPN 54 took place Saturday, and MMA Junkie live play-by-play and official results. UFC on ESPN 54 (ESPN/ESPN+) took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

In the main event, Erin Blanchfield (12-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) took on Manon Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in a likely women’s flyweight title eliminator. Joaquin Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) took on Vicente Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) in the welterweight co-feature, and former middleweight champion Chris Weidman (16-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) returned against Bruno Silva (23-11 MMA, 4-5 UFC).

Below, you can check out the results and play-by-play from UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 results: Joaquin Buckley unloads heavy ground and pound to stop Vicente Luque

Joaquin Buckley picked up a big win by stopping Vicente Luque in the UFC on ESPN 54 co-main event.

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] picked up the biggest win of his UFC career thus far with an impressive stoppage of Vicente Luque.

The welterweight bout was the UFC on ESPN 54 co-main event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Buckley (18-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) was patient early, but gradually ramped up his offense until he stopped Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) at 3:17 of Round 2.

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The opening round was spent on the feet with the explosive welterweights searching for openings. Buckley worked from the outside, darting in and out with strikes, while Luque stayed light on his feet from the center, looking for counters. It was a relatively even first round.

Buckley unleashed flying attacks early in Round 2, connecting with a nice knee. A blitz of punches a few moments later caused Luque to cover up against the fence, but did not appear hurt when he returned to the center of the cage. However, Buckley started to sit down on his punches, connecting with a couple of flush left hands.

A Luque takedown attempt was easily reversed by Buckley, who then postured up and began raining down hard ground and pound. The referee stepped in closer and closer as Buckley continued the onslaught. Eventually, the barrage was stopped and Buckley scored the TKO finish.

Buckley may have found his true home at welterweight. The former middleweight made the move after a pair of setbacks in 2022. However, he moved to 170 in 2023, and has since won three straight fights, with a promotional ranking likely to follow this result.

The UFC-ranked No. 11 welterweight Luque entered on the heels of a victory over former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, but failed to keep the momentum going.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 54 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Joaquin Buckley def. Vicente Luque at UFC on ESPN 54: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Joaquin Buckley’s second-round TKO win over Vicente Luque at UFC on ESPN 54.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]’s second-round TKO win over [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 54 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. (Fight and venue photos by Ed Mulholland, USA Today Sports)

UFC on ESPN 54: Vicente Luque vs. Joaquin Buckley odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 54 odds between Vicente Luque vs. Joaquin Buckley, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round welterweight bout on the main card, Vicente Luque and Joaquin Buckley meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 54 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ESPN 54: Luque vs. Buckley odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 7 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN2/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET, also on ESPN/ESPN+.

Records: Luque (22-9-1) | Buckley (17-6-0)

Luque is coming off a unanimous-decision win over Rafael dos Anjos in mid-August in his most recent fight. That halted a 2-bout losing skid with a KO/TKO setback against Geoff Neal in Aug. 2022, and a UD loss to Belal Muhammad in the main event in mid-April of 2022.

Buckley ended up with a UD win over Alex Morono last time out in early October, and he had a 2nd-round KO/TKO against Andre Fialho prior to that. His last loss was a KO/TKO in the 2nd round against Chris Curtis at UFC 282. Buckley has picked up wins in 5 of the past 7 fights, going the distance 3 times.

The southpaw Buckley holds a slight half-inch reach advantage, while Luque has a 5.17-to-3.87 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. The favorite is way more accurate on those strikes, too, hitting 56.04%, while Buckley throws punches wildly, with just a 35.56% significant strikes accuracy percentage.

In the takedown game, Buckley has 1.51-to-1.04 advantage, although, again, Luque is more accurate at 60.87%, while Buckley has just a 36.67% takedown accuracy percentage.

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UFC on ESPN 54: Luque vs. Buckley

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:35 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Luque -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | Buckley +110 (bet $100 to win $110)
  • Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over -175 | Under +135)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +150 | No -210)

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UFC on ESPN 54: Luque vs. Buckley picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

LUQUE (-135) is just a little more polished. He is 32 years old, and he lands a lot more significant strikes per minute, and he does so with much greater accuracy. And in the takedown department, he is much more accurate there, too.

Luque has gone the distance in 2 of his past 3 fights, and Buckley has ended up going the distance in 3 of his past 5 full fights which weren’t ended via doctor’s stoppage. If the judges decide, Luque will win by a mile, as he just does all of the little things better to rack up points throughout the course of a fight.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (-175) is a little on the pricey side, but it’s worth the risk. These 2 fighters should feel each other out in the 1st round, and it’s unlikely to be a quick finish. As mentioned above, these fighters have both ended up going the distance frequently lately.

YES (+150): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is also worth a look at plus-money, and LUQUE BY DECISION/TECHNICAL DECISION (+500) on the 7-way line for a chance to multiply up by 5 times is worth a roll of the dice. That’s a tremendous value.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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UFC on ESPN 54 full card faceoff highlights from Atlantic City

The 28 UFC fighters competing in Atlantic City on Saturday came face-to-face for the final time pre-fight.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – The competitors lined up to fight at UFC on ESPN 54 came face-to-face for the final time at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins at Boardwalk Hall, the same venue that hosts Saturday’s event.

Among those faced off were headliners [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC), co-headliners [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) and [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC), and middleweights [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) and [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 4-4 UFC).

MMA Junkie was onsite for Friday’s ceremonial weigh-in and faceoffs. Check out full video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

UFC on ESPN 54 official weigh-in results: Fighter somehow gains weight between attempts, misses mark

The UFC on ESPN 54 weigh-ins ended oddly as Julio Arce somehow gained 0.25 pounds between attempts and his team was scratching their heads.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Ahead of Saturday’s fights at Boardwalk Hall, the 28 fighters involved in UFC on ESPN 54 hit the scales at the host hotel. One missed weight.

Atop the event, which airs on ESPN/ESPN+, is a pivotal women’s flyweight main event between top contenders [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

In the co-main event, welterweight standouts [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) and [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) collide. Also on the card, former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) attempts to reenter the win column against [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 4-4 UFC).

All of those fighters made weight, but one from the prelims. [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] missed the featherweight limit after previously missing at bantamweight in April 2022. He was given two attempts and gained 0.25 pounds between attempts.

Arce’s re-weigh was the last weigh-in of the day. A different New Jersey State Athletic Commission (NJSAC) representative than who weighed in the other 27 fighters and Arce’s first attempt, weighed in Arce the second time. This caused further frustration and disbelief from Arce’s team, who said they had weighed 146 on their own scale. Arce was fined 20 percent of his purse and the fight will continue as scheduled.

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Check out the full UFC on ESPN 54 weigh-ins results below:

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

  • Erin Blanchfield (125) vs. Manon Fiorot (125.25)
  • Joaquin Buckley (170) vs. Vicente Luque (170)
  • Bruno Silva (186) vs. Chris Weidman (186)
  • Sedriques Dumas (185) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev (185)
  • Bill Algeo (146) vs. Kyle Nelson (145)
  • Rhys McKee (170.25) vs. Chidi Njokuani (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Nate Landwehr (145.25) vs. Jamall Emmers (145)
  • Loopy Godinez (115) vs. Virna Jandiroba (115)
  • Julio Arce (147)* vs. Herbert Burns (145)
  • Dennis Buzukja (145.25) vs. Connor Matthews (145)
  • Ibo Aslan (205) vs. Anton Turkalj (205)
  • Viktoriia Dudakova (125) vs. Melissa Gatto (125)
  • Jacob Malkoun (185) vs. Andre Petroski (186)
  • Caolan Loughran (135) vs. Angel Pacheco (135)

* Arce missed featherweight limit by 1 pound; 20 percent fine

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Despite failed booking, Vicente Luque thinks he’ll eventually fight Ian Machado Garry

Vicente Luque thinks he’ll eventually cross paths with Ian Machado Garry.

Unfortunately, the [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] matchup got away, but that might just be a thing of the moment.

Luque strongly thinks he’ll eventually see Garry’s name on a contract again, but with the result of them actually fighting each other. The two were booked to fight at UFC 296 in December. Both fighters got through camp, but on fight week, Garry was forced to withdraw due to pneumonia, and the bout was scrapped.

It was a big hit for the event, as many fans were looking forward to the matchup. Yet, despite the failed booking, Luque doesn’t think the matchup got away forever and expects to run into Garry in the future.

“I think that if he keeps doing what he’s doing, which is rising, my plan is also the same: climb as high as possible,” Luque told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “So if we both keep advancing, I think we’re going to fight. I think we now have it cleared up. We’re both ready to fight each other, so I think it’s something that makes sense.”

Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) returns to the cage this Saturday, as he takes on Joaquin Buckley (17-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 54 in Atlantic City, N.J.

Many expected Luque and Garry to get rebooked after the cancellation, and were puzzled to see Garry get matched up against Geoff Neal for UFC 298 in February, , a fight he won by split decision, and then see Luque booked for UFC on ESPN 54.

The Brazilian revealed that the UFC did try to keep the matchup, but unfortunately, the dates didn’t align and both had to go their separate ways.

“The truth is that they tried to rebook the fight for January or early February, but I had a whole camp for December, and I was ready to fight,” Luque explained. “I came down to 178 pounds (from 190), so I dropped a lot of weight and I needed to respect my body. I also had a trip to Orlando for the holidays, and all my family from Brazil was coming. I told the UFC that I always accept any fight, but this time, I couldn’t for January or February.

“I told them I could be ready to fight him in March or April anywhere. I’d be ready. Let’s do it. I also wanted to fight with Kevin Holland (at UFC 296 in December), but they didn’t want the 180-pound catchweight. So, in the end, we just agreed to look for another fight in March, and we found this one.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Why UFC on ESPN 54’s Vicente Luque accepted dangerous Joaquin Buckley replacement

Vicente Luque explains why he had no issue accepting dangerous replacement Joaquin Buckley for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 54.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] accepted what many fighters would’ve rejected in his position – a replacement fight with a dangerous, lesser-ranked opponent on a lesser spot on the card.

The UFC welterweight veteran was supposed to headline UFC on ESPN 54 against Sean Brady, who’s ranked No. 8 on the UFC’s official rankings. Instead, he ended up pitted against unranked striking powerhouse [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] in the co-main event of Saturday’s event.

This change came as a consequence of Brady’s injury, which didn’t allow him to compete on the card. In response, Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) accepted to fight Buckley (17-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) as a replacement – something he had no issue doing.

“I’ve been in that position before, like in Buckley’s position,” Luque said at the UFC on ESPN 54 media day on Wednesday. “I’ve been the guy outside the rankings that people were concerned about because we’re good, we’re dangerous. Fighting is always risk, but I feel the more risk I take, the more reward I’m going to get from that. That’s how I look at this fight.

“Yeah, he’s not ranked, and he is dangerous, but I’m dangerous as well, and I’ll give him the opportunity to try to come in and beat me.”

On top of wanting to challenge himself and also give an opportunity to someone looking to enter the rankings, there were other things to consider for Luque.

“Everyone says, ‘You don’t always get what you want,’ but on the bright side, I get to fight in front of my family, I get to fight in New Jersey, and in the month I wanted to – so many things that are favorable,” Luque said. “The training camp was great for the time frame that I had and getting a guy in Buckley that yeah – he’s not ranked, we’re not going to be the main event, but he has a lot of hype behind him, and he has a style that people love to watch.

“I have a style that people love to watch, so at the end of the day it’s a fight that people are going to watch and are going to be supporting. I can showcase my skills and my work my way up in the division.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 12-18)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights 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, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 12-18.