UFC 295
| Company type | Event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | November 11, 2023 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC 295: Procházka vs. Pereira was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, taking place on November 11, 2023, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Background
This event represented the UFC's tenth occurrence in New York City and its first since UFC 281 held in November 2022.
Originally, the headline was set to be a UFC Heavyweight Championship clash featuring then-titleholder and former two-time light heavyweight champion Jon Jones against former two-time heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. However, this bout was called off on October 25 after Jones sustained a pectoral injury necessitating surgery. Consequently, the promotion substituted it with an interim heavyweight championship match between alternate contender Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall, which served as the co-main event.
The main attraction became a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship fight for the vacant belt, contested by former titleholder Jiří Procházka—who was also the first Rizin Light Heavyweight Champion—and former UFC Middleweight Champion Alex Pereira, holder of previous Glory Middleweight and Light Heavyweight belts. Initially slated as the co-headliner, this matchup was elevated to main event status following the cancellation of Jones vs. Miocic. The championship was vacated by ex-champion Jamahal Hill due to an Achilles tendon injury.
Additional bouts included a flyweight contest between Joshua Van and Kevin Borjas, which had been scheduled for Dana White's Contender Series but was postponed to UFC 295.
A middleweight matchup between Derek Brunson and Roman Dolidze was planned but ultimately canceled after Brunson's exit from the UFC.
In the flyweight division, Matt Schnell was set to face Steve Erceg, but Schnell withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Alessandro Costa.
Lightweight competitors Mateusz Rębecki and Nurullo Aliev were expected to fight; however, Aliev pulled out due to injury and veteran Roosevelt Roberts returned as his replacement. At the official weigh-ins, Roberts weighed in at 158 pounds—two pounds over the limit—resulting in a catchweight bout and a 20% fine on his purse.
During weigh-ins, featherweight fighter Jamall Emmers also missed weight by one pound for his fight against Dennis Buzukja. This led to their bout proceeding at catchweight with Emmers forfeiting 20% of his earnings.
Bonus awards
The following competitors were awarded $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Nazim Sadykhov
- Performance of the Night: Alex Pereira, Tom Aspinall, Jéssica Andrade, Benoît Saint-Denis, and Diego Lopes