UFC 232
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | 2018-12-29 |
| Headquarters | Inglewood, California , United States |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC 232: Jones vs. Gustafsson 2 was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 29, 2018, at The Forum located in Inglewood, California.
Background
The main event featured a contest for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship between former titleholder Jon Jones and his previous challenger Alexander Gustafsson. Since the current champion Daniel Cormier was concentrating on defending his UFC Heavyweight Championship, he was stripped of the light heavyweight belt, making the victor of the Jones versus Gustafsson match the undisputed champion. The two fighters had previously clashed at UFC 165, where Jones successfully defended his championship by unanimous decision. A rematch planned for UFC 178 in 2014 was canceled due to an injury sustained by Gustafsson. One day prior to UFC 232, Cormier voluntarily vacated the title.
Initially scheduled to be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the event was shifted to The Forum in Inglewood following a drug testing complication involving Jones. A residual amount of turinabol was found from an earlier positive test, leading the UFC to move the event to California, where the local athletic commission approved Jones’s license. UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky characterized the test outcome as a "pulsing" effect rather than evidence of recent use.
Among the highlights of UFC 232 was the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship matchup between reigning champion Cris Cyborg, who is also a former Strikeforce and Invicta FC featherweight titleholder, and former bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. This encounter represented the first instance in UFC history where two active female champions competed against each other.
A women's flyweight fight involving Sijara Eubanks and Jessica Eye had been scheduled but was canceled after Eubanks was reassigned to headline for the vacant flyweight championship at UFC 230. That championship bout was eventually canceled as well, with both athletes later participating in separate fights.
Tom Duquesnoy withdrew from his bout against Nathaniel Wood because of a rib injury; consequently, Wood faced Andre Ewell on short notice.
A bantamweight contest between Brian Kelleher and Montel Jackson, originally arranged for UFC 230 but canceled due to Kelleher’s medical condition, was rescheduled for UFC 232. At the weigh-ins, Jackson weighed one pound over the limit and was penalized 20% of his fight purse; despite this, the match proceeded as a catchweight bout.
Results
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Bonus awards
The following competitors each received $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Chad Mendes versus Alexander Volkanovski
- Performance of the Night: Amanda Nunes and Ryan Hall
Reported payout
The total fighter compensation reported to the California State Athletic Commission amounted to $3,506,000, not including sponsorship earnings or UFC "fight night" bonuses:
- Jon Jones: $500,000 defeated Alexander Gustafsson: $500,000
- Amanda Nunes: $350,000 defeated Cris Cyborg: $500,000
- Michael Chiesa: $96,000 (including a $48,000 victory bonus) defeated Carlos Condit: $115,000
- Corey Anderson: $130,000 (with a $65,000 win bonus) defeated Ilir Latifi: $90,000
- Alexander Volkanovski: $125,000 (comprising a $60,000 win bonus) defeated Chad Mendes: $87,000
- Walt Harris: $72,000 (including a $36,000 win bonus; fined $4,000) defeated Andrei Arlovski: $300,000
- Megan Anderson: $60,000 (with a $30,000 victory bonus) defeated Cat Zingano: $50,000
- Petr Yan: $52,000 (featuring a $26,000 win bonus) defeated Douglas Silva de Andrade: $21,000
- Ryan Hall: $38,000 (including a $19,000 win bonus) defeated B.J. Penn: $150,000
- Nathaniel Wood: $24,000 (with a $12,000 win bonus) defeated Andre Ewell: $12,000
- Uriah Hall: $110,000 (comprising a $55,000 win bonus) defeated Bevon Lewis: $12,000
- Curtis Millender: $36,000 (including an $18,000 victory bonus) defeated Siyar Bahadurzada: $33,000
- Montel Jackson: $16,000* ($10,000 win bonus) defeated Brian Kelleher: $27,000
* Montel Jackson incurred a 20% fine on his purse for failing to make weight; this amount was awarded to Brian Kelleher.
Aftermath
Amanda Nunes made history by becoming the first female and third overall fighter—following Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier—to hold two UFC championships simultaneously. Additionally, she became the sixth athlete to claim titles in multiple weight divisions.
On January 23, 2019, Walt Harris tested positive for LGD-4033, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM), during fight-night drug screening. This resulted in a provisional suspension by the CSAC. Subsequently, on February 28, Harris was handed a four-month suspension retroactive to the event date and fined $4,000 after demonstrating that the substance originated from a contaminated supplement. Consequently, his victory over former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski was changed to a no contest.