UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill
| Industry | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 20, 2023 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise , United States |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill—also referred to as UFC Fight Night 223, UFC Vegas 73, and UFC on ESPN+ 81'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 20, 2023. The event took place at the UFC Apex venue located in Enterprise, Nevada, United States.
Background
The event was originally set to be headlined by a women's bantamweight rematch between Raquel Pennington, a former contender for the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship, and Irene Aldana. Their first encounter occurred at UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards in 2019, where Pennington secured a split decision victory. The matchup was also briefly scheduled to headline UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen but was later canceled. In early May, Aldana withdrew to step in for an injured fighter in a title fight against reigning champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 289, with Pennington designated as the alternate.
As a result, the main event was shifted to a women's strawweight contest featuring Mackenzie Dern against former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Angela Hill, moved from UFC on ABC: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida to this card.
Additionally, a women's strawweight fight between former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Emily Ducote and Polyana Viana was rescheduled from UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Simón to this event. However, Viana withdrew and was replaced by former LFA Women's Strawweight Champion Lupita Godinez, who competed at a catchweight of 120 pounds.
A middleweight bout initially planned between Abdul Razak Alhassan and Brunno Ferreira was relocated to UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov for undisclosed reasons.
The flyweight clash between Clayton Carpenter and Stephen Erceg was postponed due to visa complications affecting Erceg.
During weigh-ins, both Vanessa Demopoulos and Orion Cosce failed to make weight by 1.5 pounds each. Consequently, their fights proceeded at catchweight with each incurring a penalty of 20% of their fight purses, which were awarded to their respective opponents—former UFC Women's Strawweight challenger and ex-KSW Women's Flyweight Champion Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Gilbert Urbina.
Bonus awards
A $50,000 bonus was awarded to fighters for exceptional displays:
- Fight of the Night: Mackenzie Dern vs. Angela Hill
- Performance of the Night: Carlos Diego Ferreira and Viacheslav Borschev