UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan
| Company type | Event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | August 1, 2020 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
Area served | Global (UFC audience) |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan—also referred to as UFC Fight Night 173, UFC on ESPN+ 31, and UFC Vegas 5'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 1, 2020, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, United States.
Background
Originally, the main event was scheduled to be a women's bantamweight clash between former titleholder Holly Holm and Irene Aldana. However, Aldana's positive COVID-19 test forced her withdrawal, resulting in Holm's removal from the card and the bout being postponed to October's UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana. Consequently, the middleweight fight between Derek Brunson and Edmen Shahbazyan was elevated to headline status. This matchup had experienced several delays due to calendar adjustments and complications arising from the pandemic.
A women's flyweight contest featuring former Invicta FC Flyweight Champion Jennifer Maia versus Viviane Araújo was rescheduled from June to this event because of travel limitations. Araújo later withdrew after testing positive for COVID-19, with Joanne Calderwood stepping in as her replacement.
The welterweight bout between Vicente Luque and Randy Brown, initially planned for April but postponed amid pandemic disruptions, was rescheduled for this card.
Additional bouts underwent alterations: a women's bantamweight match between Ketlen Vieira and former Invicta FC champion and UFC featherweight contender Yana Kunitskaya was shifted to the following week; South Korean fighters Park Jun-yong and Jung Da Un withdrew due to travel restrictions, leading to replacements by Kevin Holland and Gerald Meerschaert respectively. On event day, Meerschaert tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in the cancellation of his fight against Ed Herman. Moreover, Trevin Giles fainted prior to his walkout, causing his scheduled bout with Holland to be called off.
Luke Sanders pulled out of his bout against Chris Gutiérrez, with promotional newcomer Cody Durden taking his place. Similarly, days before the event, Timur Valiev was removed and replaced by Vincent Cachero in his contest against Jamall Emmers.
On weigh-in day, former UFC Flyweight title challenger Ray Borg withdrew; consequently, Nate Maness faced Johnny Muñoz Jr. in a featherweight matchup instead.
Eric Spicely was also withdrawn at weigh-ins due to health complications related to weight cutting. Charles Ontiveros replaced him but failed to make weight, resulting in the cancellation of his fight against Markus Perez.
At the weigh-ins, Jonathan Martinez missed the limit by 4.5 pounds; despite this, his bout proceeded at catchweight with a 30% purse penalty allocated to opponent Frankie Saenz.
Owing to these extensive last-minute modifications and cancellations, only eight fights took place at the event—the smallest UFC card since August 2014's UFC 177.[1]
Results
{{MMAevent bout |Featherweight |Nate Maness |def. |Johnny Muñoz Jr. |Decision (unanimous) (29–27, 29–27, 29–27) |3 |5:00 |}
Bonus Awards
A sum of $50,000 was awarded as bonuses to the following fighters:
- Fight of the Night: Bobby Green vs. Lando Vannata
- Performance of the Night: Jennifer Maia and Vicente Luque
See also
References
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