UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare
| Industry | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 21, 2015 |
| Headquarters | Rio de Janeiro , Brazil |
UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare (also known as UFC Fight Night 62) was held on March 21, 2015, at the Ginásio do Maracanãzinho located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Background
This event represented the UFC's inaugural Fight Night hosted in Rio de Janeiro, following earlier pay-per-view cards conducted at this arena and other events at the HSBC Arena.
Initially, the headline bout was planned as a bantamweight rematch featuring Urijah Faber against Raphael Assunção, but Assunção withdrew on February 2 due to an ongoing ankle injury. Consequently, the UFC removed Faber from the lineup and promoted the welterweight contest between Demian Maia and Ryan LaFlare to serve as the main event.
The fight card underwent several modifications because of injuries: Matt Wiman pulled out of his scheduled fight with Leonardo Santos citing a back injury and was replaced by Anthony Rocco Martin. Additionally, Josh Thomson withdrew from his matchup against Gilbert Burns due to injury, leading Burns to face promotional newcomer Alex Oliveira. Furthermore, Ben Saunders was forced to pull out against Erick Silva, with Josh Koscheck stepping in as his replacement; notably, Koscheck had competed just 21 days earlier at UFC 184.
A lightweight bout between Leandro Silva and Drew Dober concluded controversially after referee Eduardo Herdy prematurely halted the contest. Although Silva was initially declared the winner, the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) later reversed the outcome to a no-contest due to the erroneous stoppage.
Following the event, Jorge de Oliveira tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol and received a one-year suspension retroactive to the date of the fight.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were distributed as follows:
- Fight of the Night: No award given
- Performance of the Night: Gilbert Burns, Godofredo Pepey, Kevin Souza, Fredy Serrano