UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir
| Company type | Event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | February 22, 2015 |
| Headquarters | Porto Alegre , Brazil |
| Products | Mixed martial arts event |
UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir, also referred to as UFC Fight Night 61, was a mixed martial arts event that took place on February 22, 2015, at the Ginásio Gigantinho located in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Background
This event represented the UFC's inaugural appearance in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Originally, a light heavyweight matchup between Rashad Evans and Glover Teixeira was scheduled to headline the card. However, Teixeira withdrew on January 7 due to a persistent knee injury, prompting Evans to be reassigned to a separate event with a different opponent.
The main attraction was a heavyweight contest featuring Antônio Silva against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. This bout was relocated from UFC 184 to serve as the headline for this event.
A welterweight bout between Wendell Oliveira and TJ Waldburger was called off on the day of weigh-ins after Waldburger fainted during the weight-cutting process; both athletes were compensated with their show money despite the cancellation.
According to Nielsen ratings, the main card broadcast on Fox Sports 1 drew an average of 1.21 million viewers in the United States, which is 35% higher than the network’s usual Fight Night average. The preliminary fights attracted an audience of 831,000. The highest viewership peak, reaching 1.392 million, occurred during the Saenz versus Alcântara matchup.
Remarkably, this event witnessed an extraordinary upset trend, with underdogs prevailing in 10 out of 11 fights following the opening bout. This outcome led to substantial financial losses for online sportsbook Bovada—amounting to nearly $1 million—including a single parlay payout of $48,291 on a $1 wager. These results posed significant challenges for profitability within combat sports betting throughout 2015.
Bonus awards
The following competitors were awarded $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: No award given
- Performance of the Night: Frank Mir, Sam Alvey, Marion Reneau, and Matt Dwyer