UFC 301 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jose Aldo nets $21k for potential final UFC fight

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 301 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $280,000.

RIO DE JANEIRO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 301 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $280,000.

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 301 took place at Rio Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC 301 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Joanderson Brito[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jack Shore[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Iasmin Lucindo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Karolina Kowalkiewicz[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Myktybek Orolbai[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Elves Brener[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mauricio Ruffy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Dione Barbosa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ernesta Kareckaite[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ismael Bonfim[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Vinc Pichel[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Alessandro Costa[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Kevin Borjas[/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 $4,500; 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:

Year-to-date total: $2,920,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $25,657,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

Ismael Bonfim def. Vinc Pichel at UFC 301: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Ismael Bonfim’s unanimous decision win over Vinc Pichel at UFC 301.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Ismael Bonfim[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Vinc Pichel[/autotag] at UFC 301 at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. (Fight and venue photos by Jason Silva, USA Today Sports)

Vinc Pichel blasts Ismael Bonfim after UFC cancellation: ‘I decided to take away his ability to fight and make money’

After opponent Ismael Bonfim came in heavy, Vinc Pichel decided to pull the plug on their UFC Sao Paulo bout.

[autotag]Vinc Pichel[/autotag] isn’t pleased with should-have-been opponent [autotag]Ismael Bonfim[/autotag]’s blunder on the scale Friday in Sao Paulo.

Hours after Bonfim’s weight miss during the UFC Fight Night 231 official weigh-ins, Pichel (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) released a statement that voiced his displeasure. Bonfim (19-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) missed by 3.5 pounds and did not re-weigh in. Pichel initially weighed 157, but used additional time to come in at 155.5, under the lightweight limit.

Shortly after the fighters touched the scales, the promotion announced the fight was canceled. While it was not explicitly stated, Pichel indicated he declined the fight so as not to be complicit with an opponent who did not fulfill contractual obligations.

“So as you know my fight is cancelled,” Pichel wrote. “My opponent didn’t even try to make weight and I decided to take away his ability to fight and make money for this unprofessionalism which I’m sure he regrets. I am huge on self responsibility and he showed none by his actions and by missing weight by so much so I decided to give him some for his actions. I’m sorry to everyone who was excited to watch me throw down and also happy to ruin parlays against me at the same time. In my 15+ year career, I have never missed weight. If you are upset about my decision, I’m sorry but there is no one else to blame but my opponent. You will see me fight again soon!”

Pichel, 40, has not competed since a March 2022 loss to Mark Madsen that snapped a three-fight winning streak. Bonfim had a 13-fight winning sneak snapped in July when he was submitted by Benoit Saint-Denis.

The full UFC Fight Night 231 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis
  • Gabriel Bonfim vs. Nicolas Dalby
  • Don’Tale Mayes vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Caio Borralho vs. Abus Magomedov
  • Armen Petrosyan vs. Rodolfo Vieira

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Elves Brener vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky – 165-pound contract weight
  • Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Vitor Petrino
  • Denise Gomes vs. Angela Hill
  • Montserrat Conejo vs. Eduarda Moura – 119.5 catchweight (Moura missed weight)
  • Marc Diakiese vs. Kaue Fernandes

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.

UFC Sao Paulo: Ismael Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel, Victor Hugo vs. Daniel Marcos scrapped after weight misses

The UFC’s return to Sao Paulo for the first time in nearly four years will go on with a couple fewer Brazilians than planned.

The UFC’s return to Sao Paulo for the first time in nearly four years will go on with a couple fewer Brazilians than planned.

Two UFC Fight Night 231 bouts were canceled Friday following the event’s official weigh-ins, where four fighters missed their marks on their first attempts. Ultimately, three missed weight – which led to a pair of cancellations, the UFC announced.

[autotag]Ismael Bonfim[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was set to open the main card against [autotag]Vinc Pichel[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at lightweight. Bonfim came in at 159.5 pounds and didn’t attempt to cut additional weight. Pichel missed on his first attempt, too, at 157 – but used his extra hour to get official at 155.5. After that, though, the fight was scrapped.

Bonfim, from Brazil, was set to fight a few bouts before his brother, Gabriel Bonfim, a welterweight who takes on Nicolas Dalby in the co-main event. Bonfim and Dalby each made weight.

On the prelims, Brazil’s [autotag]Victor Hugo[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was set to make his UFC debut on less than three weeks’ notice against [autotag]Daniel Marcos[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC). Marcos was 136 pounds, but Hugo came in at 138.5. He didn’t attempt to cut additional weight, and the bantamweight bout was scrapped after the weigh-ins.

With the changes, the UFC Fight Night 231 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis
  • Gabriel Bonfim vs. Nicolas Dalby
  • Don’Tale Mayes vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Caio Borralho vs. Abus Magomedov
  • Armen Petrosyan vs. Rodolfo Vieira

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Elves Brener vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky – 165-pound contract weight
  • Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Vitor Petrino
  • Denise Gomes vs. Angela Hill
  • Montserrat Conejo vs. Eduarda Moura – 119.5 catchweight (Moura missed weight)
  • Marc Diakiese vs. Kaue Fernandes

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 11-17)

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 or officially announced by the promotions from Sept. 11-17.

UFC Sao Paulo adds Ismael Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel

UFC lightweights Ismael Bonfim and Vince Pichel look to get back in the win column when they fight in Sao Paulo.

A lightweight bout is the newest addition to UFC Sao Paulo.

[autotag]Ismael Bonfim[/autotag] and [autotag]Vinc Pichel[/autotag] look to bounce back from losses when they fight each other in a lightweight bout Nov. 4 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Bonfim (19-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) looks to bounce back from a first-round submission loss to Benoit Saint-Denis in July. The defeat snapped a 13-fight winning streak that included a flying knee knockout of Terrance McKinney in Bonfim’s promotional debut. Bonfim’s brother, Gabriel, fights Nicolas Dalby on the same card.

Pichel (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has not competed since April 2022 when he lost a unanimous decision to Mark Madsen. The appearance was his only since August 2021. Pichel is 3-1 in his most recent four outings dating back to June 2019.

With the addition, the UFC Sao Paulo lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida
  • Elves Brener vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
  • Denise Gomes vs. Angela Hill
  • Don’Tale Mayes vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Vitor Petrino

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Caio Borralho vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
  • Armen Petrosyan vs. Rodolfo Vieira
  • Gabriel Bonfim vs. Nicolas Dalby
  • Ismael Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel
  • Daniel Marcos vs. Daniel Santos
  • So Yul Kim vs. Eduarda Moura

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

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 22-28)

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 or officially announced by a promotion from May 22-28.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 16-21)

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 or officially announced by a promotion from May 16-21.

UFC 273 predictions: Who are our two unanimous picks in Jacksonville?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC 272 main card, which features two title fights in Florida.

Volkanovski
vs.
Jung
Sterling
vs.
Yan
Burns
vs.
Chimaev
Dern
vs.
Torres
Madsen
vs.
Pichel
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
47-19
volkanovski2022
Volkanovski
(76%)
yan2022
Yan
(82%)
chimaev2022
Chimaev
(72%)
dern2022
Dern
(68%)
madsen2022
Madsen
(62%)
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
47-25
trophy copy 2014 Champion
volkanovski2022
Volkanovski
yan2022
Yan
chimaev2022
Chimaev
dern2022
Dern
madsen2022
Madsen
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
47-25
volkanovski2022
Volkanovski
yan2022
Yan
chimaev2022
Chimaev
dern2022
Dern
madsen2022
Madsen
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
46-26
volkanovski2022
Volkanovski
yan2022
Yan
chimaev2022
Chimaev
dern2022
Dern
madsen2022
Madsen
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
46-26
trophy copy 2018 Champion
volkanovski2022
Volkanovski
yan2022
Yan
chimaev2022
Chimaev
dern2022
Dern
madsen2022
Madsen
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
45-27
volkanovski2022
Volkanovski
sterling2022
Sterling
chimaev2022
Chimaev
dern2022
Dern
madsen2022
Madsen
Nolan King
@mma_kings
45-27
volkanovski2022
Volkanovski
yan2022
Yan
chimaev2022
Chimaev
dern2022
Dern
madsen2022
Madsen
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
45-27
volkanovski2022
Volkanovski
sterling2022
Sterling
burns2022
Burns
dern2022
Dern
madsen2022
Madsen
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
42-30
trophy copy 2017 Champion
volkanovski2022
Volkanovski
yan2022
Yan
burns2022
Burns
dern2022
Dern
madsen2022
Madsen
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
42-30
volkanovski2022
Volkanovski
sterling2022
Sterling
chimaev2022
Chimaev
torres2022
Torres
madsen2022
Madsen
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
41-31
volkanovski2022
Volkanovski
sterling2022
Sterling
burns2022
Burns
dern2022
Dern
madsen2022
Madsen
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
31-41
volkanovski2022
Volkanovski
yan2022
Yan
burns2022
Burns
torres2022
Torres
madsen2022
Madsen

The UFC is back in Florida this week with two title fights at the top of the card.

UFC 273 takes place Saturday at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) takes on challenger [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC). Volkanovski is a huge -800 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on Jung is +470. With Volkanovski the biggest favorite on the main card, it’s no surprise our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have him as one of two unanimous picks at 11-0.

In the co-feature, bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) meets interim champ and former titleholder [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC). Yan lost their first fight by disqualification. He’s a -475 favorite in the rematch and has a 7-4 lead in the picks.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is a 5-1 favorite to stay unbeaten against former welterweight title challenger [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC). Chimaev has a 7-4 picks lead.

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Tecia Torres[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in a women’s strawweight bout with tight betting odds. Dern is -115, with Torres at -110. But Dern has a heavy 9-2 lead in the picks from our staff members.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is an underdog at lightweight against [autotag]Vinc Pichel[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), who is a a-130 favorite. The comeback on Madsen is +105. Yet all 11 of our pickers are going with Madsen as our second unanimous choice.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Volkanovski (76 percent), Yan (82 percent), Chimaev (72 percent), Dern (68 percent) and Madsen (62 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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[listicle id=2535625]

UFC 273 pre-event facts: Will Khamzat Chimaev remain untouchable?

Go inside the numbers for the loaded UFC 273 event where Khamzat Chimaev will attempt to build on his insane 254-2 strike differential.

After a week hiatus, the UFC returns Saturday to open its April schedule with UFC 273, which takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

A championship doubleheader takes center stage atop the card. In the main event, [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (23-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) is set to put his featherweight title on the line against [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC). The co-main event will see bantamweight titleholder [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) meet interim champion [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in a unification bout rematch.

Several other ranked and notable fighters are scheduled to compete at UFC 273, as well, and for more on the numbers, check below for 70 pre-event facts.