UFC 215
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
| Website | www |
UFC 215: Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2 was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 9, 2017, hosted at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Background
Initially, this event was scheduled as a pay-per-view for August 19 in the United States, likely in Seattle, with UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson headlining. However, these plans were abruptly canceled on June 26 without any official reason provided. As a result, the UFC event originally numbered UFC 216, set for Edmonton on September 9, was rebranded as UFC 215.
This occasion represented the UFC’s debut event in Edmonton and its second in the province of Alberta, following UFC 149 held in 2012. Previously, the promotion had also conducted a World Extreme Cagefighting event in Edmonton back in 2010.
A UFC Flyweight Championship showdown between reigning champion Demetrious Johnson and challenger Ray Borg was anticipated to serve as the main attraction, with Johnson pursuing an unprecedented eleventh consecutive title defense. Unfortunately, Borg withdrew due to illness just one day before the fight; this issue was unrelated to weight cutting. The bout was subsequently postponed to UFC 216.
The headline fight featured UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes defending her belt against multiple-time Muay Thai world champion Valentina Shevchenko. Their first encounter took place at UFC 196, where Nunes secured a unanimous decision victory. This rematch was originally slated for UFC 213 but was delayed after Nunes withdrew because of illness despite being medically cleared. Following the cancellation of Johnson vs. Borg, this matchup was elevated to main event status.
Additionally, a women’s bantamweight contest between Sara McMann and Ketlen Vieira was transferred from UFC 214 to this card.
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos was removed from the lineup after receiving notification from USADA regarding a potential anti-doping violation involving hydrochlorothiazide detected in an out-of-competition sample collected on August 10. His team aimed to determine if supplements caused the positive result. Consequently, his opponent Francis Ngannou was also pulled from the event due to the absence of an appropriate replacement fighter.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were awarded to:
- Fight of the Night: Jeremy Stephens vs. Gilbert Melendez
- Performance of the Night: Rafael dos Anjos and Henry Cejudo