UFC 250
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | June 6, 2020 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 6, 2020, at the UFC Apex venue located in Enterprise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area of the United States. Originally, the event was planned for May 9 at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a postponement. On April 21, the UFC rescheduled UFC 249 for May 9 and moved UFC 250 to June 6. By late May, it was confirmed that UFC 250 would be held in Las Vegas without an audience.
Background
The main event was initially arranged as a UFC Bantamweight Championship contest featuring reigning champion Henry Cejudo (also a former Flyweight Champion and 2008 Olympic gold medalist) against former two-time Featherweight Champion José Aldo. Aldo withdrew on April 8 due to visa complications related to the event’s anticipated relocation to the United States. He was replaced by former two-time bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.
As co-main event, a UFC Women's Featherweight Championship fight was scheduled between champion Amanda Nunes (who also holds the Bantamweight title) and former Invicta FC Featherweight Champion Felicia Spencer. However, on April 20, Nunes stated she would not compete at a proposed May 9 date, citing the necessity of a full training camp.
COVID-19 pandemic
The original venue, Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil, was converted into a field hospital amid the COVID-19 crisis, forcing the event’s relocation. The shift to the United States resulted in several fight cancellations due to travel restrictions:
- The light heavyweight matchup between former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Maurício Rua and Antônio Rogério Nogueira was canceled and later rescheduled for July 25 at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till.
- Women’s bantamweight fights including Ketlen Vieira vs. Marion Reneau, and former title contender Bethe Correia vs. Pannie Kianzad, were called off; the Correia vs. Kianzad bout was subsequently rescheduled for July.
- Heavyweight bouts such as Augusto Sakai versus former WSOF Heavyweight Champion Blagoy Ivanov, and Carlos Felipe against Sergey Spivak, were postponed to future UFC cards.
On April 9, UFC president Dana White announced an indefinite suspension of all upcoming events starting with UFC 249. Although UFC 250 was officially canceled on April 20, a new event targeting the same date was planned without using the original UFC 250 designation. The bantamweight title clash between Cejudo and Cruz, alongside a heavyweight bout featuring former champion Fabrício Werdum versus Aleksei Oleinik, were moved to UFC 249.
By May 10, UFC 250 was officially reinstated for June 6 in the United States, with the featherweight title fight between Nunes and Spencer expected to headline. The fight card also incorporated athletes from previously canceled events.
A bantamweight contest between former champ Cody Garbrandt and Raphael Assunção, initially booked for March 28 at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik but canceled due to Garbrandt’s kidney problems, was rescheduled for this event.
On June 4, fighter Ian Heinisch was temporarily withdrawn from his bout against Gerald Meerschaert after a cornerman tested positive for COVID-19; newcomer Anthony Ivy was considered as a substitute. After retesting cleared the cornerman, Heinisch was reinstated to face Meerschaert as originally planned.
Bonus awards
Each fighter awarded a $50,000 bonus:
- Fight of the Night: No recipient selected.
- Performance of the Night: Cody Garbrandt, Aljamain Sterling, Sean O'Malley, and Alex Perez
Reported payout
The total disclosed payout submitted to the Nevada State Athletic Commission was $2,293,000, not including sponsorship earnings or UFC "fight night" bonuses:
- Amanda Nunes: $500,000 (which includes a $150,000 victory bonus) defeated Felicia Spencer: $125,000
- Cody Garbrandt: $260,000 (with a $130,000 win bonus) defeated Raphael Assunção: $79,000
- Aljamain Sterling: $152,000 (including a $76,000 win bonus) defeated Cory Sandhagen: $80,000
- Neil Magny: $158,000 (including a $79,000 win bonus) defeated Anthony Rocco Martin: $48,000
- Sean O'Malley: $80,000 (with a $40,000 victory bonus) defeated Eddie Wineland: $46,000
- Alex Caceres: $116,000 (which includes a $58,000 win bonus) defeated Chase Hooper: $27,000
- Ian Heinisch: $80,000 (including a $40,000 win bonus) defeated Gerald Meerschaert: $33,000
- Cody Stamann: $72,000 (with a $36,000 victory bonus) defeated Brian Kelleher: $33,000
- Maki Pitolo: $20,000 (including a $10,000 win bonus) defeated Charles Byrd: $12,000
- Alex Perez: $80,000 (which includes a $40,000 win bonus) defeated Jussier Formiga: $98,000
- Devin Clark: $96,000 (including a $48,000 victory bonus) defeated Alonzo Menifield: $14,000
- Herbert Burns: $24,000 (with a $12,000 win bonus) defeated Evan Dunham: $60,000