UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | October 16, 2021 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont—also identified as UFC Fight Night 195, UFC Vegas 40, and UFC on ESPN+ 53—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 16, 2021. The event took place at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas metropolitan region.
Background
Initially, the event was set to be headlined by a women's bantamweight clash between Ketlen Vieira and former champion of both Strikeforce and UFC, Miesha Tate. However, this bout was canceled after Tate tested positive for COVID-19. Consequently, the main event slot was reassigned to a women's featherweight matchup featuring former bantamweight titleholder Holly Holm against Norma Dumont. Holm later withdrew due to injury, and Aspen Ladd stepped in as her replacement.
A bantamweight contest between Timur Valiev and Daniel Santos was planned but ultimately removed from the card following Valiev’s injury-related withdrawal, with Santos subsequently pulling out for undisclosed reasons.
The card also included a women's flyweight encounter between Manon Fiorot and Mayra Bueno Silva, which had previously been postponed from UFC 266 because of COVID-19 safety measures.
Originally scheduled as a women's flyweight bout between Luana Carolina and Maryna Moroz, the fight underwent changes when Moroz withdrew and was replaced by Sijara Eubanks. Eubanks later withdrew due to COVID-19 protocols, prompting last-minute inclusion of Lupita Godinez. Godinez set a UFC record by competing again just seven days after her prior fight, marking the fastest turnaround in UFC history.
A light heavyweight fight featuring Kennedy Nzechukwu versus Da Un Jung was deferred to a future event.
During the official weigh-ins, Julian Marquez was pulled from his middleweight matchup against Jordan Wright due to health concerns unrelated to COVID-19, leading to the cancellation of their bout.
Bonus awards
The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: No award given.
- Performance of the Night: Jim Miller, Nate Landwehr, Bruno Silva, and Danaa Batgerel