4/12/24: Dana White Says UFC 300 Performance Bonuses Will Be Worth $300,000 Each
Also: UFC's next trip to Abu Dhabi confirmed
Welcome to a Friday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue includes a preview of tonight’s top MMA events, plus a few small news details that have come out over the past 24 hours. We’ll be back tomorrow with reports on the top shows from Friday, plus a preview of Saturday and any other important news stories.
Dana White Says UFC 300 Bonuses Will Be Worth $300,000 Each
The stakes just got a little higher for the fights on Saturday’s UFC card.
UFC CEO Dana White announced Thursday evening that the bonuses given out as part of the UFC 300 card will be worth $300,000 each.
The bonuses, of which there are usually four given out per event, typically award fighters an extra $50,000 on top of the money they had already negotiated in their contract. In a rare one-off instance, the bonuses will go up into the six figures for a few select performers.
White seemingly suddenly decided to raise the bonus amount for Saturday’s event during a press conference. When reporter Mike Bohn was asking a question to White, he mentioned requests that main card fighters Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje wanted for the card.
He first stated their hopes that UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman could be the one to present the “BMF” title after their bout on Saturday, which White immediately agreed to. The topic of bonuses then came up.
“They would love to see the bonuses raised from $50,000,” Bohn mentioned.
“What should it be raised to?” White replied. After shouts from many of the fighters at the press conference, White agreed to a figure that was mentioned a few times: “300. It’s done,” he said.
For what is likely a large amount of the lineup, a bonus of $300,000 might more than double the amount of money they would earn on Saturday. This weekend’s UFC card features more prominent names than most PPV events, meaning it’s hard to assume what the payouts could be like in comparison to recent top events where pay was disclosed. But for reference, UFC 298 in February saw three fighters earn more than $300,000, with 10 others making within the range of $100,000 to $300,000.
The payouts for events in Nevada are not regularly released anymore, meaning it is highly unlikely that we will actually know what fighters on Saturday’s card earn.
UFC 308 Set For Abu Dhabi on October 26th
UFC’s annual pay-per-view trip to Abu Dhabi has been made official.
UFC 308 will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 26th, per an announcement made Thursday.
In partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, the Etihad Arena has been a Fall PPV destination for the UFC since 2021. UFC 294 took place in the UAE last year, with a lightweight title bout between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski headlining the evening.
Previews
Impa Kasanganay Begins Back-To-Back Title Quest
Despite PFL crowning six different champions in 2023, only one is returning this year in hopes of going back-to-back: Impa Kasanganay. Due to a division closing, a fighter retiring, another waiting for their a against Francis Ngannou and some other complications, Kasanganay is the sole champ coming back in hopes of making it to the finals of yet another PFL season.
His goal at capturing a title will begin this weekend when PFL’s light heavyweight and lightweight divisions compete at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Kasanganay will headline the card in a 205-pound bout against Alex Polizzi. Even though Kasanganay had a five-win run in 2023, he’s entering this weekend with the hopes of getting back into the win column. He last appeared just two months ago, losing a split decision to Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen in a non-title fight. The loss not only ended his winning streak but more importantly meant that this weekend is a quick turnaround for him before what is expected to be a gruelling season.
Polizzi is making the move over to PFL after a seven-fight run in Bellator. His time in Bellator ended with a pair of losses, getting stopped by Yoel Romero in 2022 and dropping a decision to Karl Moore last year.
There are many other returning big players in the light heavyweight division. Looking to recreate the championship year that he had in 2022, Rob Wilkinson will face UFC alum Tom Breese in the co-main event. Wilkinson, who was originally booked to battle against former Bellator talent Phil Davis on this card, had his 2023 season cut short after failing a drug test. He had an impressive season the year prior, finishing all four of his opponents to capture gold.
Another returning champ, 2021 winner Antonio Carlos Junior, will also compete on the main card against RIZIN and Bellator vet Simon Biyong. The light heavyweight lineup also includes names like 2022 welterweight winner Sadibou Sy, 2023 finalist Joshua Silveira, and Bellator alum Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov.
A first-time PFL champ will be crowned on the lightweight side of things this weekend. One of the longest-tenured PFL fighters competing this weekend, Clay Collard, will take on the incredibly experienced Patricky Pitbull on Friday’s main card. Collard has come so close in many PFL seasons but failed to ever win the title: In 2023, he lost in the finals to Olivier Aubin-Mercier. Two years before then, he was stopped in the semi-finals by Raush Manfio. He’ll be entering his fourth PFL season this weekend.
Across from him is Pitbull, a 26-fight Bellator vet who will be in the PFL cage for the very first time. After dropping his Bellator lightweight belt in 2022, Pitbull stopped Roberto Satoshi Souza and lost a decision to Alexander Shabliy in 2023.
The acquisition of Bellator is strongly represented in the lightweight lineup, as half of the weight class this year are fighters coming over from the promotion and having their rookie PFL season. Adam Piccolotti, Mads Burnell, Brent Primus, and Gadzhi Rabadanov will also be making the switch to PFL this weekend.
Unlike last week, all fighters made weight on Thursday. Because of this, nobody will receive point deductions in the standings prior to their fights. This weekend will be the first of two regular season appearances of lightweight and light heavyweight talents. Wins in either performance earn a fighter three points, with up to another three points being acquired if a finish is attained. The top four fighters after all regular season events will be moved into a single-elimination bracket to determine the champion.
All fights on Friday night will be season bouts, except for a heavyweight showcase between Marcelo Nunes and Jordan Heiderman that will kick off the evening. Here’s the bout order:
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 6:00PM PDT) (ESPN2)
Bout 11: Impa Kasanganay (15-4) vs. Alex Polizzi (10-3) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 10: Rob Wilkinson (17-2) vs. Tom Breese (18-4) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 9: Clay Collard (24-12) vs. Patricky Pitbull (25-12) (Lightweight)
Bout 8: Mads Burnell (18-5) vs. Michael Dufort (12-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 7: Sadibou Sy (16-7-2) vs. Josh Silveira (12-2) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 6: Antonio Carlos Junior (15-5) vs. Simon Biyong (9-3) (Light Heavyweight)
Preliminary Card (6:30PM EDT / 3:30PM PDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 5: Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (21-7-1) vs. Jakob Nedoh (8-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 4: Bruno Miranda (16-4) vs. Brent Primus (12-3) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Gadzhi Rabadanov (20-4-2) vs. Solomon Renfro (11-4) (Lightweight)
Bout 2: Adam Piccolotti (14-5) vs. Elvin Espinoza (9-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 1: Marcelo Nunes (10-2) vs. Jordan Heiderman (7-1) (Heavyweight)
Prospects At Lightweight, Heavyweight Collide In Title Fights At CFFC 131
CFFC 131 was meant to be a much grander show than it is now, but it’s certainly still a solid lineup from the U.S.-based regional promotion.
The original plan for Friday’s CFFC card from the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA was for a total of four title fights to take place. However, after light heavyweight champ Luke Fernandez lost his bout against Will Dicke and Frank Wells withdrew from a featherweight fight against Anthony Dilemme, the card was left with just a pair of championship bouts.
CFFC still has a title fight doubleheader in its lineup, with four different notable prospects competing for gold. A pair of undefeated lightweights will duke it out in the main event, as Robert Varricchio and Morquez Forest will meet with a vacant interim title on the line.
Varricchio has quickly attained five wins since turning pro in 2021. All of his victories have come via finish, with just one fight going longer than one round. His quickest win, an appearance on a CES card in 2022, saw him finish the fight in just 31 seconds.
Forest will be looking for a big win to cap off his rookie year as a pro. The 30-year-old debuted just under a year ago in CFFC and has strung together four wins since then. His last fight, a performance against Jordan Harrington, saw him earn a first-round rear naked choke submission.
A long-time heavyweight champ will meet a rising prospect in the co-main event. Greg Velasco will try to defend his title for the second time when he faces Bailey Schoenfelder.
Velasco captured the CFFC Heavyweight Championship in 2022, beating Kevin Sears on scorecards. He then defended the title five months later, handing Ronald Coleman his first loss with a second-round finish. He is coming back to the promotion after a failed UFC roster push, suffering a submission loss to Shamil Gaziev on “Dana White’s Contender Series” last Fall. This weekend gives Velasco a chance to bounce back from his first loss while protecting a title that never left him.
Schoenfelder is entering CFFC after previously earning four wins as a pro. He has appeared on Bellator and LFA cards in his home state of South Dakota since 2021, earning finishes in all four appearances. This weekend will be a big step up in competition for him, as none of his prior opponents had more than one win on their record when he faced them.
Many strong prospects will compete lower on Friday’s lineup, including Mark Grey, Kevin Pease, Thomas Picciano and others. Here’s how the CFFC lineup looks:
Main Card (9:00PM EDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 12: Robert Varricchio (5-0) vs. Morquez Forest (4-0) (Vacant Interim CFFC Lightweight Championship)
Bout 11: Greg Velasco (6-1) vs. Bailey Schoenfelder (4-0) (CFFC Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 10: Anthony Dilemme (5-0) vs. Wendel Araujo (7-4) (Featherweight)
Bout 9: Mark Grey (6-0) vs. Vilson Ndregjoni (8-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 8: Eric Nolan (4-3) vs. R’Mandel Cameron (7-5) (Welterweight)
Bout 7: Kevin Pease (4-0) vs. CJ LaFragola (2-1) (Welterweight)
Preliminary Card (7:00PM EDT) (Onlyfans)
Bout 6: Armando Gjetja (8-4) vs. Kaecy Raddon (4-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 5: Matt Hammerstone (0-0) vs. Riley Palmer (1-0) (Catchweight 140 lbs)
Bout 4: Ricardo Fuentes (5-3) vs. Braydon Akeo (5-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 3: Russ Korbul (3-0) vs. Nick Galanti (1-0) (Middleweight)
Bout 2: Thomas Picciano (4-2) vs. Jartavis Jackson (2-0) (Catchweight 140 lbs)
Bout 1: Mike Curiel (0-0) vs. Giorgi Kvirchishvilli (0-0) (Heavyweight)
Notes On: UFC & KSW
Joel Alvarez (20-3) has withdrawn from his April 27th UFC bout against Mateusz Rebecki (19-1), per Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Alvarez’s last fight was a submission win over Marc Diakiese. Rebecki has earned three wins since joining the UFC roster early last year.
Two more fights have reportedly joined UFC’s June 8th card.
Punahele Soriano (9-4) will come down to welterweight for the first time in his career later this year to face Miguel Baeza (10-3), as first reported by Mike Heck of MMA Fighting. Soriano has lost four of his last five, including a late 2023 submission defeat against Dustin Stoltzfus. Baeza will be making his return, competing for the first time since April 2022. He will be trying to snap a three-fight skid in the upcoming appearance.
A bantamweight fight between Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1) and Ricky Turcios (12-3) has been re-booked once again, per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. A matchup between Rosas Jr. and Turcios was cancelled at last minute in February after Rosas Jr. suffered an illness. There was briefly a plan to move the fight to a card the following week, although the idea didn’t culminate. Rosas Jr. bounced back from his first pro loss last year, stopping Terrence Mitchell in 54 seconds. Turcios is also coming off a win, beating Kevin Natividad in late 2022.
Carlos Hernandez (9-3) has received a new matchup for UFC 303 on June 29th, as first reported by Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes. Hernandez, who was originally booked to meet Cody Durden (16-5-1), will now fight undefeated flyweight prospect Rei Tsuruya (9-0). Tsuruya is debuting after winning the 2023-24 “Road To UFC” tournament, earning three wins in the bracket. Hernandez last appeared in December 2023, suffering a finish against Tatsuro Taira.
Featherweight prospect Shamad Erzanukaev (2-0) will return to action at KSW 95 against Patryk Surdyn (7-4) on June 7th. Erzanukaev debuted in late 2021 at KSW 65 and then picked up his second pro win roughly a year later. He’ll be returning this time around after a year-and-a-half layoff. Surdyn is coming back to KSW with the hopes of snapping a two-fight skid that he developed in 2023.