UFC 248
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | March 7, 2020 |
| Headquarters | Paradise, Nevada , United States |
Area served | Worldwide (via broadcast) |
Key people | Israel Adesanya, Yoel Romero, Zhang Weili, Joanna Jędrzejczyk |
UFC 248: Adesanya vs. Romero was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 7, 2020, hosted at the T-Mobile Arena located in Paradise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas metropolitan region.
Background
The main event showcased a contest for the UFC Middleweight Championship featuring the reigning champion Israel Adesanya against former interim title contender and 2000 Olympic silver medalist Yoel Romero. The event’s co-headliner was a UFC Women's Strawweight Championship clash between current titleholder Zhang Weili and ex-champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk.
Originally, a middleweight matchup between ex-champion Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier was set, but Whittaker withdrew in January. Cannonier was designated as a backup for the headline bout; however, he later sustained a torn pectoral muscle, which forced him out for several months.
A bantamweight encounter involving Sean O'Malley and José Alberto Quiñónez was shifted to this card after being removed from previous events due to O'Malley’s USADA suspension.
A featherweight bout between Calvin Kattar and Jeremy Stephens was planned but had to be postponed because Stephens suffered an injury; this fight was rescheduled for UFC 249.
Douglas Silva de Andrade was substituted by debutant Jamall Emmers to face Movsar Evloev, who subsequently withdrew due to injuries from a vehicular accident and was replaced by Giga Chikadze.
The middleweight fight between Derek Brunson and Edmen Shahbazyan was relocated to UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris.
During the weigh-ins, Emily Whitmire came in 1.5 pounds over the limit and was penalized with a 20% fine of her purse; although her bout against Polyana Viana was initially set to continue at catchweight, it was ultimately canceled on the day of the event after Whitmire was hospitalized.
Bonus awards
Each bonus recipient earned $50,000:
- Fight of the Night: Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk
- Performance of the Night: Beneil Dariush and Sean O’Malley
Reported payout
The total disclosed fighter compensation reported by the Nevada State Athletic Commission amounted to $2,086,000, not including sponsorship earnings or UFC "fight night" bonuses:
- Israel Adesanya: $500,000 defeated Yoel Romero: $350,000
- Zhang Weili: $200,000 (including a $100,000 victory bonus) defeated Joanna Jędrzejczyk: $106,000
- Beneil Dariush: $140,000 (with a $70,000 win bonus) defeated Drakkar Klose: $40,000
- Neil Magny: $152,000 (including a $76,000 win bonus) defeated Li Jingliang: $64,000
- Alex Oliveira: $128,000 (with a $64,000 victory bonus) defeated Max Griffin: $35,000
- Sean O'Malley: $70,000 (including a $35,000 win bonus) defeated José Alberto Quiñónez: $33,000
- Mark Madsen: $66,000 (with a $33,000 victory bonus) defeated Austin Hubbard: $12,000
- Rodolfo Vieira: $28,000 (including a $14,000 win bonus) defeated Saparbek Safarov: $22,000
- Gerald Meerschaert: $60,000 (with a $30,000 victory bonus) defeated Deron Winn: $12,000
- Giga Chikadze: $24,000 (including a $12,000 win bonus) defeated Jamall Emmers: $10,000
- Danaa Batgerel: $20,000 (with a $10,000 win bonus) defeated Guido Cannetti: $14,000
Aftermath
On September 3, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NAC) imposed a nine-month suspension on Deron Winn and levied a $1,800 fine following a positive test for amphetamines connected to this event. The suspension period is counted retroactively from the date of the test.