UFC 203
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | September 10, 2016 |
| Headquarters | Cleveland , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem was a mixed martial arts event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 10, 2016, held at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Background
This event represented the UFC's inaugural appearance in Cleveland.
The main attraction was a UFC Heavyweight Championship fight featuring Cleveland native champion Stipe Miocic facing off against former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion and 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix victor Alistair Overeem.
Additionally, the card showcased the MMA professional debut of ex-professional wrestler CM Punk, who had signed with UFC in December 2014 but postponed his first fight due to injuries and training demands. He competed against Mickey Gall in a welterweight contest.
Ben Rothwell was originally slated to battle former heavyweight titleholder Fabrício Werdum, but withdrew because of injury. He was replaced by Travis Browne, setting up a rematch from their 2014 encounter which Werdum won.
A lightweight matchup between Erik Koch and Drew Dober, previously canceled due to injury, was rescheduled; however, Koch withdrew again and was substituted by promotional newcomer Jason Gonzalez (fighter).
Mairbek Taisumov was removed from his scheduled bout with Nik Lentz due to visa complications, with newcomer Michael McBride (fighter) stepping in. McBride failed to make weight at 158 pounds and was penalized 20% of his purse, which was awarded to Lentz.
The lightweight fight between Damir Hadžović and Yusuke Kasuya was deferred until October's UFC Fight Night because of Hadžović's visa issues.
Ray Borg pulled out of his fight against Ian McCall (fighter) citing illness; without a replacement, McCall was also removed from the lineup.
On the day of the event, C.B. Dollaway sustained a back injury caused by a hotel elevator malfunction and withdrew from his bout with Francimar Barroso, who was consequently also taken off the card.
Bonus awards
Each fighter awarded bonuses of $50,000:
- Fight of the Night: Stipe Miocic vs. Alistair Overeem
- Performance of the Night: Jéssica Andrade and Yancy Medeiros
Reported payout
The Ohio Athletic Commission disclosed total fighter payouts amounting to $3,056,000, excluding sponsorship earnings and additional UFC bonuses.
- Stipe Miocic: $600,000 (no win bonus) defeated Alistair Overeem: $800,000
- Fabrício Werdum: $375,000 (including $125,000 win bonus) defeated Travis Browne: $120,000
- Mickey Gall: $30,000 (including $15,000 win bonus) defeated CM Punk: $500,000
- Jimmie Rivera: $48,000 (including $24,000 win bonus) defeated Urijah Faber: $160,000
- Jéssica Andrade: $46,000 (including $23,000 win bonus) defeated Joanne Calderwood: $25,000
- Bethe Correia: $50,000 (including $25,000 win bonus) defeated Jessica Eye: $25,000
- Brad Tavares: $56,000 (including $28,000 win bonus) defeated Caio Magalhães: $20,000
- Nik Lentz: $76,000 (including $38,000 win bonus) defeated Michael McBride: $12,000^
- Drew Dober: $38,000 (including $19,000 win bonus) defeated Jason Gonzalez: $10,000
- Yancy Medeiros: $48,000 (including $24,000 win bonus) defeated Sean Spencer: $17,000
^ Michael McBride incurred a 20% purse penalty for missing weight; this amount was awarded to Nik Lentz by the Ohio Athletic Commission.