UFC Fight Night: Lamas vs. Penn
| Industry | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 15, 2016 |
| Fate | Cancelled |
| Headquarters | Pasay , Philippines |
UFC Fight Night: Lamas vs. Penn (also known as UFC Fight Night 97) was an Ultimate Fighting Championship event planned for October 15, 2016, at the Mall of Asia Arena located in Pasay, Philippines.
Background
This would have marked the UFC's second visit to the Philippines, following the May 2015 event, UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber. The full lineup was intended to be broadcast live via UFC Fight Pass.
The headlining fight was set to be a featherweight contest between former title contender Ricardo Lamas and ex-UFC Lightweight and Welterweight Champion B.J. Penn. Nevertheless, Penn withdrew on October 4 due to injury concerns, which led the UFC to cancel the entire event on October 6.
Although the event was called off, all fighters were compensated with their agreed show purses and were subsequently rescheduled for upcoming cards. This cancellation represented the third occasion where the UFC scrapped an event because of losing a marquee main event, after UFC 151 in 2012 and UFC 176 in 2014.
A lightweight matchup featuring Damir Hadžović and Yusuke Kasuya, initially planned for UFC 203, was postponed to this card due to Hadžović encountering visa complications. Furthermore, promotional newcomer Alexander Volkanovski stepped in for the injured Mehdi Baghdad to face off against Jon Tuck.