UFC 233

UFC 233
Company type	Mixed martial arts event
Industry	Sports entertainment
Founded	January 26, 2019; 7 years ago
Fate	Cancelled
Headquarters	Anaheim, California, United States

UFC 233 was an Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts event planned for January 26, 2019, at the Honda Center located in Anaheim, California. On December 12, 2018, the promotion declared that the event would be "postponed" and rescheduled; however, it was eventually cancelled.

Background

Originally, the main event was scheduled to feature a UFC Flyweight Championship clash between Henry Cejudo, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, and T.J. Dillashaw, a two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion. Had Dillashaw secured victory, he would have become the fourth athlete in UFC history to simultaneously hold titles in two weight classes. The flyweight division was also anticipated to be discontinued by the UFC during 2019. Nevertheless, this bout was shifted to headline the organization's inaugural ESPN+ event a week prior, leading UFC officials to search for an alternative headliner.

In mid-December, due to the inability to finalize a compelling main event, UFC 233 was postponed. All fights originally booked for this card were expected to be redistributed across other events while the numbering of future events remained unchanged. This situation marked the fourth occasion where the UFC cancelled an event because of the absence of a prominent main fight.

A lightweight matchup between James Vick and Paul Felder, initially arranged for July 2018 but canceled when Vick stepped in for an injured competitor against Justin Gaethje, was rescheduled for this event.

Islam Makhachev was slated to compete against Francisco Trinaldo but withdrew; Alexander Hernandez replaced him. Subsequently, Hernandez was reassigned to face Donald Cerrone at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw.

A women's flyweight contest featuring newcomer Ariane Lipski, who holds the KSW Women's Flyweight title, and Joanne Calderwood was first included on the card but later moved to headline the first ESPN+ event.

A bantamweight bout between former WEC Bantamweight Champion and two-time UFC bantamweight titleholder Dominick Cruz and John Lineker was planned but cancelled after Cruz incurred a shoulder injury. After UFC 233's cancellation, Lineker competed against Cory Sandhagen at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw.

Background

See also