UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | 2021-10-02 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
Area served | Mixed martial arts fans worldwide |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker—also referred to as UFC Fight Night 193, UFC Vegas 38, and UFC on ESPN+ 51—was a mixed martial arts competition hosted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 2, 2021. The event took place at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States.
Background
The main event featured a light heavyweight clash between former UFC Light Heavyweight Championship contender Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker.
A scheduled women's bantamweight matchup between Aspen Ladd and The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters featherweight champion Macy Chiasson was canceled after Ladd failed to make weight by one pound. This bout had previously been postponed due to a foot injury sustained by Chiasson.
Originally, a light heavyweight contest between Jimmy Crute and Jamahal Hill was planned but later deferred to a subsequent UFC card.
A lightweight encounter involving Carlos Diego Ferreira and Grant Dawson was called off following Ferreira’s injury withdrawal. Subsequently, Dawson competed against Ricky Glenn at a different event.
The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2 welterweight victor Leonardo Santos was scheduled to face Alexander Hernandez, but withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Mike Breeden.
During the weigh-ins, both Mike Breeden (158.5 lbs) and former UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship challenger Bethe Correia (138.5 lbs) missed their respective weight limits. Their bouts proceeded at catchweight, with each fighter penalized 20% of their earnings, which were awarded to their opponents, Alexander Hernandez and Karol Rosa, respectively.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were distributed as follows:
- Fight of the Night: No award was given.
- Performance of the Night: Casey O'Neill, Jamie Mullarkey, Douglas Silva de Andrade, Alejandro Pérez