UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | October 23, 2021 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori—also referred to as UFC Fight Night 196, UFC Vegas 41, and UFC on ESPN+ 54—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. This event took place on October 23, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States.
Background
The main event featured a middleweight clash between former contenders for the UFC Middleweight Championship, Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori. Owing to difficulties encountered by Costa during his weight reduction process, the bout's weight class was first modified to a 195-pound catchweight, then further adjusted to light heavyweight. Additionally, Costa agreed to surrender 20% of his fight purse to Vettori.
Originally scheduled bantamweight confrontation between Aaron Phillips and Kris Moutinho underwent several alterations: after Moutinho’s withdrawal, Jonathan Martinez stepped in as his substitute; subsequently, Phillips pulled out due to illness, leading to promotional debutant Zviad Lazishvili accepting the fight on just three days' notice.
A welterweight contest involving Dwight Grant and Gabriel Green experienced a change when Green withdrew for undisclosed reasons. Francisco Trinaldo was named as the replacement fighter.
The middleweight bout featuring Jamie Pickett versus Laureano Staropoli was postponed from an earlier card because Pickett’s coach tested positive for COVID-19.
A lightweight rematch between Alan Patrick and Mason Jones was planned following their previous no-contest result caused by an accidental eye poke. However, Patrick withdrew late from the event and was replaced by newcomer David Onama.
Results
{{MMAevent bout |Women's Strawweight |Randa Markos |def. |Lívia Renata Souza |Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) |}
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were awarded as follows:
- Fight of the Night: Gregory Rodrigues vs. Jun Yong Park
- Performance of the Night: Marvin Vettori and Alex Caceres