UFC 256
| Industry | Mixed martial arts event promotion |
|---|---|
| Founded | December 12, 2020 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts event |
UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno was a mixed martial arts event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, taking place on December 12, 2020, at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, USA.
Background
Initially, the main event for UFC 256 was set to feature a Welterweight Championship clash between reigning champion Kamaru Usman and challenger Gilbert Burns. This bout had been arranged for UFC 251 but was canceled after Burns received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Subsequently, Usman faced Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251 instead. Usman later withdrew from UFC 256 due to injury rehabilitation, leading to the fight being postponed.
The promotion also intended to showcase a Women's Featherweight Championship contest between Amanda Nunes, who held titles in both bantamweight and featherweight divisions, and Megan Anderson. However, Nunes pulled out because of an injury, resulting in the matchup being delayed until 2021.
A Bantamweight Championship matchup between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling was planned as the co-main event but was called off due to visa complications affecting Yan; this fight is anticipated to be rescheduled.
Following his initial title defense at UFC 255, Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo headlined UFC 256 against Brandon Moreno. This bout represented the quickest turnaround between title defenses in UFC history, occurring just 21 days apart. Manel Kape was designated as a potential backup fighter.
Carla Esparza was briefly slated to compete against Amanda Ribas but withdrew for undisclosed reasons; Ribas was subsequently matched with Michelle Waterson at UFC 257.
A middleweight rematch between Omari Akhmedov and Marvin Vettori was arranged but canceled when Akhmedov withdrew. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza stepped in as Akhmedov's replacement, while Kevin Holland took on Souza after Vettori shifted to headline another event.
The featherweight bout between Billy Quarantillo and Gavin Tucker proceeded after an earlier postponement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Renato Moicano versus Rafael Fiziev was rescheduled for this card following Moicano's prior positive COVID-19 test.
Andrea Lee was expected to face Gillian Robertson but pulled out due to a broken nose; Robertson later fought Taila Santos at a different event.
Several fights were impacted by COVID-19 during the week before UFC 256:
- Angela Hill tested positive and was replaced by Sam Hughes in her bout against Tecia Torres.
- Karl Roberson's positive test led to postponement of his fight with Dalcha Lungiambula.
- Dwight Grant withdrew from his welterweight matchup with Li Jingliang due to COVID-19; no substitute opponent was secured.
- Jared Vanderaa pulled out two days before the event after testing positive, canceling his heavyweight bout with Sergey Spivak.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were awarded as follows:
- Fight of the Night: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno
- Performance of the Night: Kevin Holland and Rafael Fiziev
Aftermath
This event earned the 2020 Event of the Year distinction from UFC Honors, as determined by fan voting.