UFC 273
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports |
| Founded | April 9, 2022 |
| Headquarters | Jacksonville, Florida , United States |
Area served | Mixed martial arts fans |
UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 9, 2022, hosted at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States.
Background
Initially planned to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the event was ultimately shifted to Jacksonville.
The main event featured a title defense for the UFC Featherweight Championship with reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski facing off against former contender Chan Sung Jung.
Also on the card was a significant UFC Bantamweight Championship unification bout between reigning champion Aljamain Sterling and former titleholder/interim champion Petr Yan. Their prior meeting at UFC 259 concluded controversially when Sterling won by disqualification following an illegal knee strike from Yan. The rematch experienced several postponements due to Sterling’s neck injury before being confirmed for UFC 273.
A heavyweight clash between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Marcin Tybura, originally scheduled for an earlier event, was relocated here but later canceled after Tybura withdrew because of illness.
Lightweight fighters Mark Madsen, who earned a silver medal in wrestling at the 2016 Olympics, and Vinc Pichel had their bout rescheduled from UFC 271 to UFC 273.
The middleweight segment saw multiple alterations involving bouts with former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum, Nassourdine Imavov, Dricus du Plessis, Chris Curtis, Anthony Hernandez, Albert Duraev, and Josh Fremd due to injuries and visa complications. Ultimately, Gastelum pulled out one week prior to the event, resulting in the cancellation of his fight against du Plessis.
A women's bantamweight matchup initially set between Aspen Ladd and Irene Aldana changed when Aldana withdrew; she was replaced by former title challenger Raquel Pennington.
The heavyweight contest featuring Aleksei Oleinik versus Ilir Latifi faced multiple postponements due to Latifi’s health issues and withdrawals; Jared Vanderaa stepped in as Latifi’s replacement for this event.
At the official weigh-ins, Kay Hansen and Julio Arce failed to make weight, leading to catchweight contests with fines imposed on them. These penalties were deducted from their fight purses and awarded to their respective opponents.
Bonus awards
The following competitors were awarded $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gilbert Burns
- Performance of the Night: Alexander Volkanovski and Alexey Oleynik
Beginning with this event, the UFC launched three "Fan Bonus of the Night" prizes sponsored by Crypto.com, paid out in bitcoin. Fans cast votes during the pay-per-view broadcast for bonuses of $30,000 for first place, $20,000 for second place, and $10,000 for third place. The first recipients of these awards were:
- First Place: Khamzat Chimaev
- Second Place: Alexander Volkanovski
- Third Place: Petr Yan
See also
References
- Articles with short description
- Flagship events of Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Mixed martial arts in 2022
- Sports events in the United States during April 2022
- Florida sports activities in 2022
- Mixed martial arts competitions held in Florida
- Sports tournaments in Jacksonville, Florida
- Events in Jacksonville, Florida in 2022
- Ultimate Fighting Championship flagship events