UGP, DONOVAN STRIKE MONUMENTAL DEAL

CHICAGO — We are nearly a week away from UGP 13, where we continue on with the 2019 Grand Prix Championship Tournaments. Finally, we will see Middleweight Champion Robert Guilliman defend his title against Aries Reed; and also 2-time Heavyweight Champion Derrick La'Bell go toe-to-toe against Donnie Calabrese in their third installment as our headline title fights. However, right now I want to talk about the contract negotiations leading into this event. Below, we talk about a restructure, three new signings, and a renegotiation.

It's no secret, but Robert Guilliman has restructured his exclusive contract clause in order to allow himself to compete in other promotions. It's reported that he will continue with the original 5-fight deal, however, the payout has been reduced to $375k per fight. Guilliman, always the honorable competitor, is not one who simply looks for the big payday. It's been reported he chose to restructure his deal with Union Grand Prix so he could expand his opportunities to compete.

UGP President Dante Reed continues his round the clock scouting, and has come to terms with three new prospects. Zach Bennett will be competing in the Heavyweight Division while he currently trains at the UGP Performance Institute, Bellamy DeSilva will be training at 9th World Performance Institute to get ready to debut in the Lightweight Division, and Arnie Huynh has called the 36th Street MMA facility his home as he prepares to make his debut in the newly established Bantamweight Division.

And finally, the juiciest nugget of them all, top Lightweight Contender and ScrapYard MMA ambassador Delaney Donovan has reached a new deal prior to his fight against Jeremiah Ford at UGP 13. It is being reported that Donovan has inked an exclusive 10-fight deal, garnering $800k per fight. On top of that, he will also be earning 1% of the Gate Revenue for every event he competes in. There has been some speculations that the deal has other non-monetary agreements, however those were not disclosed.

Also of note, several fighters are nearing the end of their current deals, and with the Championship Grand Prix Tournaments currently underway, expect to see more deals in the near future. Those with two fights left in their current deals include: Maxine Ball, Byron McCall, and Zari Aliyah. Those with just one fight left in their current deals include: Amani Crawford, Bobbi London, Jakko Wirman, Saffron Harris, and Lauren Moore.

As always, I will be keeping everyone updated with any developments.