UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 3
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | November 7, 2015 |
| Headquarters | São Paulo , Brazil |
Area served | Brazil |
UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 3—also referred to as UFC Fight Night 77'—was a mixed martial arts event that took place on November 7, 2015, at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera located in São Paulo, Brazil.
Background
This event represented the UFC's fourth appearance in São Paulo and the twenty-fourth event held in Brazil overall. The headline bout was a middleweight trilogy clash between renowned multi-division champions Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson. Their initial meeting occurred in 2006 at Pride 32, where Henderson secured a unanimous decision victory. Belfort then evened the score in their 2013 rematch by knocking Henderson out in the first round.
Originally, Tom Lawlor was set to face Fábio Maldonado, but an injury forced Lawlor to withdraw. He was subsequently replaced by light heavyweight competitor Corey Anderson, who earned his spot as the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 19.
In December 2015, lightweight athlete Gleison Tibau was provisionally suspended by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) due to potential violations from both out-of-competition and competition drug screenings. By February 2016, Tibau accepted a two-year ban after admitting to using erythropoietin (EPO). USADA imposed a retroactive suspension on Tibau, which led to the reversal of his victory into a loss following the regulations of the Comissão Atlética Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA). This adjustment consequently transformed Abel Trujillo's previous defeat into a win.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were distributed as follows:
- Fight of the Night: No award given
- Performance of the Night: Vitor Belfort, Thomas Almeida, Alex Oliveira, and Thiago Tavares