Each and every Friday, unless we miss one, we will bring you five stories that we found the most interesting from the world of mixed martial arts.
Five things that happened in MMA this week
1. Reebok Pay Structure Revealed
After months of speculation, the UFC has finally revealed the pay structure for the Reebok sponsorship deal. UFC President Dana White, as well as UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and UFC Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Epstein announced the full details during a media call on Tuesday.
Fighters with 1 to 5 fights will receive $2,500, 6 to 10 fights will get $5,000, 11 to 15 fights will get $10,000, 16 to 20 fights will get $15,000 and 21 fights and above will get $20,000.
In addition to those numbers, title challengers will receive $30,000 and champions will receive $40,000.
2. UFC planning all-new Hall of Fame
UFC announced that after 12 years and with 12 inductees already enshrined, the UFC Hall of Fame is evolving into a unique four-category system, enabling UFC, media and fans to celebrate and commemorate the greatest achievements in the organization’s history in a well-defined historical context.
The four new UFC Hall of Fame categories are:
Modern era wing: commemorating fighters who made their pro MMA debut in the modern era
Pioneers era wing: commemorating fighters who made their pro MMA debut in the pioneers era
Contributors wing: commemorating significant contributions outside of active competition
Fight wing: commemorating the greatest and most important bouts in the sport’s history
The UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2015 will feature a new member in each of these new categories. The Class of 2015 will be announced in the coming weeks. The existing Hall of Famers – already inducted over the last 12 years – will be retrospectively inaugurated into the most fitting of these four categories.
3. Anthony Pettis tells Khabib Nurmagomedov to humble himself
In an exclusive interview with MMASucka.com, Anthony Pettis said, “He was talking big crap when I was injured – how I was a paper champ, and I’m scared to fight people. Injuries happen, man, and there’s nothing you can do about it. He’s got a little taste of his own medicine.
“He probably didn’t wish injuries (on others), but you talk about injuries and you talk about other people when they are hurt, it happens to you. And that is why I said it to him.
“I don’t wish injury on him. Hopefully he gets better. And if he is one of the best in the lightweight division, we should see it coming up in a couple of months here. But he needs to quiet down a little bit, humble himselfm and focus on getting better.”
4. Ronda Rousey named ‘Most Dominant Athlete on Earth’
Business Insider put together a list of the most dominant athletes alive. They had a list of 50 and at the very top was none other than UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey.
“Rowdy” beat out the likes of LeBron James, Serena Williams, Cristiano Ronaldo, Usain Bolt, as well as 45 other well known athletes.
5. Melvin Guillard signs with Bellator
On Monday it was announced that former UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard has signed a multi-fight, multi-year deal.
At only 32 years of age, “The Young Assassin” has amassed 50 professional bouts in a career that dates back to 2002. With 21 victories coming by KO, Guillard has generated a large fan base with his exciting fighting style.
No word as to when and where Guillard will make his debut with the organization.
