Victor Altamirano – Syndication Server

UFC Fight Night 243 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Renato Moicano’s $16,000 among top earners

UFC Fight Night 243 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $173,500.

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 243 took place at Accor Arena in Paris. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 243 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Benoit Saint Denis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]William Gomis[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Morgan Charriere[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gabriel Miranda[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Ivan Erslan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Oumar Sy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Darya Zheleznyakova[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Daniel Barez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jacqueline Cavalcanti[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Bolaji Oki[/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 2431 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:

“UFC Fight Night 243: Moicano vs. Saint Denis” – $173,500
“UFC 306: Riyadh Season Noche UFC” – $239,500
“UFC Fight Night 242: Burns vs. Brady” – $157,500
“UFC on ESPN 62: Cannonier vs. Borralho” – $166,500
“UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya” – $243,500
“UFC on ESPN 61: Tybura vs. Spivac 2” – $128,000
“UFC on ABC 7: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov” – $211,000
“UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad 2” – $307,500
“UFC on ESPN 60: Lemos vs. Jandiroba” – $139,000
“UFC on ESPN 59: Namajunas vs. Cortez” – $180,500
“UFC 303: Pereira vs. Prochazka 2”, – $311,500
“UFC on ABC 6: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov” – $186,000
“UFC on ESPN 58: Perez vs. Taira” – $116,000
“UFC on ESPN 57: Cannonier vs. Imavov” – $186,500
“UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier” – $281,500
“UFC Fight Night 241: Barboza vs. Murphy” – $158,500
“UFC on ESPN 56: Lewis vs. Nascimento” – $186,000
“UFC 301: Pantoja vs. Erceg” – $280,000
“UFC on ESPN 55: Nicolau vs. Perez” – $175,000
“UFC 300: Pereira vs. Hill” – $460,000
“UFC Fight Night 240: Allen vs. Curtis 2” – $162,500
“UFC on ESPN 54: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot” – $173,000
“UFC on ESPN 53: Ribas vs. Namajunas” – $148,000
“UFC Fight Night 239: Tuivasa vs. Tybura” – $189,500
“UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera 2” – $359,000
“UFC Fight Night 238: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev” – $133,500
“UFC Fight Night 237: Moreno vs. Royval 2” – $135,500
“UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria” – $243,000
“UFC Fight Night 236: Hermansson vs. Pyfer” – $236,500
“UFC Fight Night 235: Dolidze vs. Imavov” – $170,500
“UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis” – $285,500
“UFC Fight Night 234: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2” – $159,500

Year-to-date total: $5,895,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $28,632,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.

UFC Fight Night 237 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Headliners get combined $17,000

UFC Fight Night 237 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

MEXICO CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 237 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $135,500.

UFC Fight Night 237 took place at Mexico City Arena. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 237 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Fransisco Prado[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Sam Hughes[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Chris Duncan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Cristian Quinonez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jesus Aguilar[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mateus Mendonca[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Lacerda[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Claudio Puelles[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Denys Bondar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Felipe dos Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Erik Silva[/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 2371 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:

“UFC Fight Night 237: Moreno vs. Royval 2” – $135,500
“UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria” – $243,000
“UFC Fight Night 236: Hermansson vs. Pyfer” – $236,500
“UFC Fight Night 235: Dolidze vs. Imavov” – $170,500
“UFC 297: Strickland vs. Du Plessis” – $285,500
“UFC Fight Night 234: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2” – $159,500

Year-to-date total: $1,228,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,935,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

Victor Altamirano says fighting in Mexico was on his bucket list

For the first time in his career, including as an amateur dating back nearly 10 years, Victor Altamirano has a home fight this week.

MEXICO CITY – For the first time in his career, including as an amateur dating back nearly 10 years, [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag] has a home fight this week.

Altamirano (12-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) will try to get back in the conversation at flyweight and look to reverse a loss that snapped a two-fight streak when he takes on Felipe dos Santos (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 237 (ESPN+) on Saturday at Mexico City Arena.

Altamirano got his feet wet as a pro for LFA, then got to the UFC after a win on Dana White’s Contender Series. But now, with the UFC in Mexico for the first time since he’s been with the promotion, the timing is perfect for him to fight in front of friends and family.

“I look forward to every fight, but it’s the first time that two of my passions in life are existing in the same place – one of them being the sport that I love, and the other being the family I love. And they both get to exist at the same time, in the same place,” Altamirano told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day. “Most definitely it’s a big bucket list (to fight in Mexico).”

Check out Altamirano’s full media day interview in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Nov. 13-19)

All the UFC 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.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Nov. 13-19.

UFC on ESPN 45 post-event facts: Is Jim Miller’s record resume UFC Hall of Fame worthy?

Check out the facts and stats to come out of UFC on ESPN 45, where Jim Miller continued to stack historic figures on his resume.

The UFC opened a non-stop schedule of summer events on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 45, which took place at the promotion’s home base of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The main event saw [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) remain undefeated inside the octagon and take the next step as a flyweight contender when he edged [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (24-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC) by split decision.

There were a number of other noteworthy results on the card. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 45.

* * * *

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UFC on ESPN 45 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $18 million

UFC on ESPN 45 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 45 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $199,500.

UFC on ESPN 45 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card aired on ESPN following prelims streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 45 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Jesse Butler[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ketlen Souza[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Daniel Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Johnny Munoz[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Don’Tale Mayes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Elise Reed[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jinh Yu Frey[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Luan Lacerda[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Maxim Grishin[/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 $4,500; 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 $45,000 while title challengers get $45,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-45 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

“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: $3,414,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $18,003,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.

UFC on ESPN 45 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC on ESPN 45 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 45 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 224 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.

UFC on ESPN 45: Tim Elliott vs. Victor Altamirano odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 45 odds and lines between Tim Elliott vs. Victor Altamirano with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a flyweight bout on the main card, Tim Elliott and Victor Altamirano meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 45 — also known as UFC Vegas 74 — at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ESPN 45: Elliott vs. Altamirano odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims are on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET, with the main card on ESPN/ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

Elliott takes the walk to the octagon looking to build off of his unanimous decision win at UFC 272 against Tagir Ulanbekov in March 2022. It was a solid win after his unanimous decision setback against Matheus Nicolau in Oct. 2021 in his previous bout. He has gone the distance in each of his last 4 outings.

Altamirano has registered consecutive wins against Daniel Lacerda in March and Vinicius Salvador in August 2022. It has been a nice bounce back after El Magnifico’s split-decision setback against Carlos Hernandez in his UFC debut in late Feb. 2022. He’s gone the distance in 4 of his last 5 pro bouts.

UFC on ESPN 45: Elliott vs. Altamirano odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:02 a.m. ET.

Fight result (2-way line): Elliott -185 (bet $185 to win $100) | Altamirano +150 (bet $100 to win $150)
Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -225 | No +165)

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UFC on ESPN 45: Elliott vs. Altamirano picks and predictions

Records: Elliott (19-12-1) | Altamirano (12-2-0)

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

The southpaw Elliott (-185) is a rather heavy favorite despite the fact he’s an inch shorter than his counterpart and has a 4-inch reach disadvantage. Elliott is also 4 years older than his opponent.

The Mexican ALTAMIRANO (+150) has a 6.15 significant strikes landed per minute to just 3.58 for the southpaw Elliott. Altamirano is much more accurate, too, landing his significant strikes at 65.97%, although Elliott is still rather accurate at 59.52%.

This won’t be easy, but the value play is on the underdog.

Over/Under (O/U)

Will the fight go the distance? Yes (-225) is too expensive, as it will cost you more than 2 times your potential return.

Look instead to the round betting or method of victory, and take ALTAMIRANO ON POINTS (+300) for a chance to triple up if he pulls off the victory after going the distance.

I believe this will be a very close fight, and a split decision or majority decision could be in play. As a result, YES (+375): FIGHT TO BE WON BY SPLIT OR MAJORITY DECISION is worth a small-unit wager.

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. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.

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UFC on ESPN 45 predictions: Is anyone picking Kai Kara-France over Amir Albazi?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN 45 main card in Las Vegas, featuring Kai Kara-France vs. Amir Albazi at flyweight.

	Kara-France vs. Albazi	Caceres vs. Pineda	Altamirano vs. Elliott	Silva vs. Souza	Nurmagomedov vs. Zaleski dos Santos
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 77-52	Kara-France (56%)	Caceres (75%)	Elliott (60%)	Silva (74%)	Nurmagomedov (59%)
Matt Erickson @MattE 86-43	Albazi	Caceres	Altamirano	Souza	Nurmagomedov
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 81-48	Albazi	Caceres	Altamirano	Souza	Nurmagomedov
Simon Samano @SJSamano 81-48	Albazi	Caceres	Altamirano	Silva	Nurmagomedov
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 78-51	Albazi	Pineda	Altamirano	Silva	Nurmagomedov
Nolan King @mma_kings 78-51	Albazi	Caceres	Elliott	Silva	Nurmagomedov
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 76-53 2014 Champion	Kara-France	Caceres	Altamirano	Silva	Nurmagomedov
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway -74-55 2018, 2022 Champion	Albazi	Caceres	Altamirano	Silva	Zaleski dos Santos
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 72-57	Albazi	Caceres	Elliott	Silva	Nurmagomedov
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 70-59	Albazi	Pineda	Altamirano	Silva	Nurmagomedov
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 70-59	Albazi	Caceres	Altamirano	Silva	Nurmagomedov
Brian Garcia @thegoze 68-61 2017 Champion	Albazi	Caceres	Altamirano	Silva	Zaleski dos Santos

Editor’s note: The main card fight between Jim Miller and short-notice replacement Jesse Butler was added too late for our picks deadline and is not included.)

After a week off, the UFC is back in Las Vegas with a key flyweight fight at the top of the bill.

UFC on ESPN 45 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. 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]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] (24-10 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will try to bounce back into contention after an interim flyweight title loss to Brandon Moreno in July 2022 when he meets [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who has yet to lose in the UFC.

Although the odds at most sportsbooks are a pick’em, it’s Albazi who is our closest thing to a unanimous pick on the main card this week. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have it as a 10-1 blowout for Albazi.

In the co-feature, [autotag]Alex Caceres[/autotag] (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) meets [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] (28-14 MMA, 5-5 UFC) in a featherweight bout. Caceres has won six of his past seven fights, is a -175 favorite at the betting window, and has a big 9-2 picks lead.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) takes on former flyweight title challenger [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] (18-12-1 MMA, 7-10 UFC). Elliott nearly is a 2-1 betting favorite, but our pickers have Altamirano in a 9-2 blowout.

[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meets [autotag]Ketlen Souza[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in an all-Brazil women’s flyweight scrap. Silva is more than a 2-1 favorite and has a big 9-2 lead from our staff members.

And to open the main card at welterweight, [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-3-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 9-3 UFC). The fight has nearly even odds with Nurmagomedov at -115, but our staff members have him with a huge 9-2 picks win, as well.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Kara-France (56 percent), Caceres (75 percent), Elliott (60 percent), Silva (74 percent) and Nurmagomedov (59 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.

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Victor Altamirano embraces introduction to UFC-ranked opposition: ‘There’s no glory without a challenge’

Ahead of UFC on ESPN 45, Victor Altamirano explained why he’s enthused to fight such a tricky opponent in Tim Elliott.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag] rides into UFC on ESPN 45 with the momentum of a two-fight winning streak and the confidence instilled by fighting ranked opposition in what will be his fourth promotional bout.

On Saturday at the UFC Apex, Altamirano (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) faces former UFC flyweight title challenger Tim Elliott (18-12-1 MMA, 7-10 UFC) on the main card.

Fighting someone with a number in the official UFC rankings delights Altamirano, who has full faith he’s on the right track to move up the ladder.

“There’s no risk without reward,” Altamirano told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a news conference Wednesday. “There’s no glory without a challenge. If that’s what we’re aiming for, if that’s what we want, then we have to be able to do things that are required to do so.

“Taking (a step) into the rankings, going into the fight with higher ranked opponents, that’s what is required for us to grow. That is what is required of us to climb the ladder and achieve what it is that we want. We want glory. We want legacy. We want the championship. So if I say I want that, I better show it with my words and my actions.”

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Elliott, 36, challenged then-champion Demetrious Johnson for the promotion’s 125-pound at the TUF 24 Finale in December 2016. Despite a unanimous decision defeat, Elliott multiplied his fanbase with his gutsy showing and whacky fighting style.

Since then, Elliott has established the reputation as one of the trickier puzzles to figure out. His movement and unorthodox strikes are not duplicated. For Altamirano, however, the challenges Elliott presents are the same all his opponents bring.

“It’s all about rhythm,” Altamirano said. “It’s really impossible to say I’m going to expect this technique and I’m going to expect this sort of movement. It’s very difficult to be able to predict exactly what someone is going to do.

“The most important part of understanding a fight is to understand the rhythm. When are they going to do something? If you can anticipate when, then your skills will take care of the rest and navigate you through the skills required to defend a specific technique. All you have to do is make sure you’re in rhythm and you’re ready for the win.”

Should he win, Altamirano doesn’t know where he’ll land in the rankings. He has his sights set on one goal and that’s the be champion.

“We’re going for No. 1,” Altamirano said. “That is the ultimate goal. That is why we’re fighting. That’s why we took Tim Elliott on a semi-short notice. That is why we took him two weeks after my fight. That’s why, because we want to make sure we make it to the top. ”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.