Tag: Vinicius Oliveira

‘LokDog’ gets next UFC assignment: Vinicius Oliveira vs. Said Nurmagomedov booked

This one has UFC Fight of the Night written all over it.

“LokDog” is ready to go on another walk to the UFC cage.

[autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag] will battle [autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag] at the UFC Fight Night event Feb. 1 at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Both fighters recently confirmed the booking on social media after an initial report by Ag.Fight.

Oliveira (21-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) aims for his third UFC win in less than 11 months. He made his promotion debut in March when he landed an incredible flying knee knockout on Bernardo Sopaj. In June, he returned and defeated Ricky Simon by unanimous decision.

Nurmagomedov (18-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) has been snakebitten when it comes to getting to the cage as of late. His 2024 schedule has consisted of three cancellations. A win here would make it two in a row and five out of six for the Dagestani.

With the addition, the UFC Saudi Arabia lineup includes:

  • Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz
  • Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira
  • Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues
  • Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
  • Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen
  • Lucas Alexander vs. Bogdan Grad
  • Damir Hadzovic vs. Terrance McKinney
  • Abdul-Kerim Al-Selwady vs. Jordan Leavitt

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

Vinicius Oliveira calls out Umar Nurmagomedov after UFC 303: ‘He keeps running’

Just one fight into his UFC career, Vinicius Oliveira shot a reasonably big shot Saturday in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – Just one fight into his UFC career, [autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag] shot a reasonably big shot Saturday in Las Vegas.

Oliveira (20-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) outworked Ricky Simon (20-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) for a unanimous decision to open up UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena, the anchor of International Fight Week. Then he called out unbeaten bantamweight standout [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag], cousin of former UFC champ Khabib.

“I’d like to fight so much against Umar Nurmagomedov,” Oliveira said at his UFC 303 post-fight news conference. “He was changing some bad words on Instagram, on social media. But he’s scared of me right now. He must have watched my last fight here and he knows that it’s not easy to put me on the ground. I’m a nightmare for him.

“I think he will refuse to fight against me, so I would like to fight against Dominick Cruz, maybe, I know that (Nurmagomedov has a fight), but I think he was running away from me.”

While asking for Nurmagomedov may seem like Oliveira is fast-tracking himself, he’s got a plan in place.

“I don’t need many fights to fight for the belt,” he said. “I think in around two years, I’ll be fighting for the belt. And Dana (White) – Mr. D, how I say his name – Mr. D, my boss, he can put me to fight for the belt this year. The end of the year, I’ll be ready to fight for the belt, but he can choose all my fights that I’ll be prepared for anyone.”

Watch Oliveira’s full post-fight interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

UFC 303 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Alex Pereira leads card with $42,000

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 303 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $306,500.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 303 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $311,500.

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 303 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 303 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Macy Chiasson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Mayra Bueno Silva[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Payton Talbott[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yanis Ghemmouri[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Martin Buday[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Rei Tsuruya[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Simon[/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 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,948,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,685,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Vinicius Oliveira def. Ricky Simon at UFC 303: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Vinicius Oliveira’s unanimous decision win over Ricky Simon at UFC 303.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] at UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos by Mark J. Rebilas and Per Haljestam, USA Today Sports)

‘LokDog’ Vinicius Oliveira gets Ricky Simon in first fight since UFC Knockout of the Year candidate

Vinicius Oliveira made quite the first UFC impression and now he fights Ricky Simon on the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler undercard.

[autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag] pulled off an all-time knockout in his UFC debut and the performance has earned him a big-name opponent for his second promotional outing.

“LokDog” will take on [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] in a three-round bantamweight bout at UFC 303, the promotion’s June 29 pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card is headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Ag. Fight first reported the news.

Oliveira (20-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) bludgeoned fellow debutant Bernardo Sopaj with a flying knee in March. The win was his third in a row and first since he brutally knocked out Victor Madrigal on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn his UFC deal. Since his promotional debut, Oliveira has repeatedly called for a fight vs. top contender Umar Nurmagomedov.

Simon (20-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) aims to snap a two-fight losing skid after defeats to Song Yadong and Mario Bautista. Prior to the consecutive losses, Simon was on a five-fight winning streak that included victories over Raphael Assuncao and Jack Shore among others.

With the addition, the UFC 303 lineup currently includes:

  • Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
  • Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree
  • Andre Fili vs. Cub Swanson
  • Gillian Robertson vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
  • Carlos Hernandez vs. Rei Tsuruya
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Joe Pyfer
  • Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
  • Vinicius Oliveira vs. Ricky Simon

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Vinicius Oliveira wants ‘easy fight’ Umar Nurmagomedov for second UFC outing: ‘He just has wrestling’

After a UFC Knockout of the Year candidate, ‘Lok Dog’ Vinicius Oliveira shared some not-so-flattering thoughts about Umar Nurmagomedov.

LAS VEGAS – Not many, if any, are chomping at the bit to fight [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] – besides “Lok Dog,” that is.

Following his early Knockout of the Year contender at UFC Fight Night 238, [autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag] officially made it known his hand is raised for one of the more unpopular matchups in the division.

“I would like to (fight) against Umar Nurmagomedov,” Oliveira (20-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “… I’m sure if I fight against Umar Nurmagomedov, it will be an easy fight for me because he just has wrestling. He would be able to put me on the ground, but I’ve worked so hard on my defense.”

Nurmagomedov also competed Saturday, as he defeated newcomer Bekzat Almakhan by unanimous decision. Oliveira spoke as the fight was unfolding and didn’t seem impressed as it progressed.

“I’m almost sure I’d be able to defeat this guy in the first round, because my mistake today was only my takedown defense,” Oliveira said. “Now, I go back to the gym and I train so hard so it doesn’t happen again.”

[lawrence-related id=2721039,2721036]

Regardless of what happens from here, “Lok Dog” has his tape etched in the eternal UFC highlight reel. His flying knee knockout of fellow newcomer  Bernardo Sopai (11-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was instantly praised by some as one of the best of its kind in promotion history.

Biased, sure, Oliveira agrees.

“I totally agree,” Oliveira said. “This knockout flying knee was amazing. I never seen it before. It would be a mark on the history of the UFC. My debut in the UFC was amazing. It will be a mark for a long time. All people will be talking about the knockout. So when some people are talking about the flying knee knockouts, the people will remember my name: ‘Lok Dog.'”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 238.

UFC Fight Night 238 post-event facts: Umar Nurmagomedov on the rise in bantamweight books

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 238, which saw Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Muhammad Mokaev and Umar Nurmagomedov make noise.

The UFC opened its March schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 238, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The main event saw [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) overcome a slow start to batter [autotag]Shamil Gaziev[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a referee TKO stoppage after the end of the fourth round, putting him back on the winning track.

For more on the numbers behind the card, which featured six finishes in 11 fights – and a couple of them unique – check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 238.

UFC Fight Night 238 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $24 million

UFC Fight Night 238 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 Fight Night 238 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $133,500.

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

The full UFC Fight Night 238 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Shamil Gaziev[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tyson Pedro[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Bekzat Almakhan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Pickett[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bernardo Sopaj[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Aiemann Zahabi[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Christian Leroy Duncan[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Claudio Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]A.J. Cunningham[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady[/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 2381 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: $1,362,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,069,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 238.

UFC Fight Night 238 video: Vinicius Oliveira scores KO of the Year contender with vicious flying knee

Vinicius Oliveira scored one of the greatest knockouts by a debuting fighter in history with a brilliant flying knee at UFC Fight Night 238.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Vinicius Oliveira[/autotag] scored one of the greatest knockouts by a debuting fighter in history against [autotag]Bernardo Sopaj[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 238.

After getting beat up badly by Sopaj (11-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the first half of the bantamweight fight at the UFC Apex, Oliveira (20-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) flipped the script and dominated throughout the majority of the second and into the third and final round.

With just 19 seconds remaining, Sopaj stumbled away after taking a shot. Oliveira charged at him and flew into the air with a knee that landed flush across the jaw. Sopaj immediately folded to the canvas and was out cold for a good while at the 4:41 mark of Round 3, but he eventually regained consciousness and was helped out of the octagon by his team.

Check out the replay of the Knockout of the Year contender below (via X):

After the fight, Oliveira pleaded for a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus during his interview with Daniel Cormier. It would be nothing short of shocking if that didn’t come his way after an all-time highlight in his debut appearance.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 238 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 238.