UFC 219
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
| Website | www |
UFC 219: Cyborg vs. Holm was a mixed martial arts spectacle organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 30, 2017, hosted at the T-Mobile Arena located in Paradise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas metropolitan region.
Background
The main attraction featured a UFC Women's Featherweight Championship clash, where the defending titleholder Cris Cyborg, who also holds former Strikeforce and Invicta FC Featherweight titles, faced off against ex-UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm.
Originally, former WEC and two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz was scheduled to compete against Jimmie Rivera, but he withdrew in November due to an arm fracture. His substitute, John Lineker, later exited the bout because of urgent dental surgery. After a proposed fight with former WSOF Bantamweight Champion Marlon Moraes did not materialize, Rivera was ultimately removed from the event lineup.
Gökhan Saki was set to battle Khalil Rountree Jr., but following Saki's knee injury, debutant promotional fighter Michał Oleksiejczuk stepped in as his replacement.
A welterweight contest between Kamaru Usman and Emil Weber Meek was postponed due to Meek encountering visa complications and was rescheduled for UFC 220. Likewise, the welterweight rematch featuring Abdul Razak Alhassan and Sabah Homasi, initially arranged for UFC 219 after their contentious UFC 218 encounter, was shifted to UFC 220.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were granted to:
- Fight of the Night: Cris Cyborg vs. Holly Holm
- Performance of the Night: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tim Elliott
Reported payout
The disclosed fighter earnings reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, excluding sponsorship deals and UFC "fight night" bonuses, amounted to a total of $1,795,000.
- Cris Cyborg: $500,000 (no victory bonus) defeated Holly Holm: $300,000
- Khabib Nurmagomedov: $160,000 (including an $80,000 win bonus) defeated Edson Barboza: $75,000
- Dan Hooker: $48,000 (with a $24,000 win bonus) defeated Marc Diakiese: $24,000
- Carla Esparza: $72,000 (including a $36,000 win bonus) defeated Cynthia Calvillo: $41,000
- Neil Magny: $140,000 (including a $70,000 win bonus) defeated Carlos Condit: $115,000
- Michał Oleksiejczuk: $24,000 (with a $12,000 win bonus) versus Khalil Rountree Jr.: $19,000
- Myles Jury: $66,000 (includes a $33,000 win bonus) defeated Ricky Glenn: $22,000
- Marvin Vettori: $32,000 fought to a draw with Omari Akhmedov: $29,000
- Matheus Nicolau: $28,000 (including a $14,000 win bonus) defeated Louis Smolka: $32,000
- Tim Elliott: $56,000 (includes a $28,000 win bonus) defeated Mark De La Rosa: $12,000
Aftermath
On January 17th, Cynthia Calvillo was found positive for marijuana metabolites based on an in-competition drug test conducted during the event.
On January 25th, Michal Oleksiejczuk received notification from USADA regarding a potential violation of the Anti-Doping Policy connected to an in-competition sample. Subsequently on June 12th, USADA imposed a one-year suspension on him. This penalty runs concurrently with an earlier one-year ban by the NSAC, and his victory against Rountree Jr. was overturned to a no contest.
This event also marked the final time "Big" John McCarthy served as a referee—a pivotal official since the promotion’s second event. His last officiated bout was the co-main event featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Edson Barboza.