UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos
| Company type | Event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | January 25, 2020 |
| Headquarters | Raleigh, North Carolina , United States |
Area served | Global (UFC audience) |
UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos—also referred to as UFC Fight Night 166 and UFC on ESPN+ 24'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 25, 2020. The event took place at the PNC Arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States.
Background
This event represented the UFC's inaugural appearance in Raleigh and marked its first occasion back in North Carolina since January 2018. The headline bout showcased a heavyweight clash featuring Curtis Blaydes against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos.
Initially, a bantamweight matchup was planned between ex-UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and Cory Sandhagen. However, Edgar was reassigned to compete against Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie after Brian Ortega sustained an injury. Consequently, Sandhagen was removed from the lineup without a substitute opponent.
In the middleweight division, Bevon Lewis was scheduled to face Alen Amedovski, who withdrew due to injury. Dequan Townsend stepped in as Amedovski’s replacement.
Strawweight Brianna Van Buren pulled out for undisclosed reasons and was succeeded by former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Angela Hill, who fought Hannah Cifers.
Featherweight fighters Josh Emmett and Nad Narimani both withdrew because of injuries. As a result, Arnold Allen and Nik Lentz were matched against each other for this event.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were awarded to the following fighters:
- Fight of the Night: Brett Johns vs. Tony Gravely
- Performance of the Night: Alex Perez and Herbert Burns