UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | July 16, 2022 |
| Headquarters | Elmont, New York , United States |
UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez, also referred to as UFC on ABC 3, was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 16, 2022. The event took place at UBS Arena located in Elmont, New York, United States.
Background
The main event featured a featherweight clash between former UFC Featherweight Championship contender Brian Ortega and Yair Rodríguez, who earned recognition as the featherweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America.
A flyweight match was initially scheduled between ex-UFC Flyweight Championship challenger Alex Perez and Askar Askarov. However, Askarov withdrew for undisclosed reasons, leading to the bout's cancellation. Subsequently, Perez faced Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 277.
In the women's strawweight division, a fight was arranged between former UFC challenger and first Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Jessica Penne and former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Brianna Fortino. After Fortino pulled out, another former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion, Emily Ducote, stepped in as her replacement.
A women's flyweight matchup involving former Strikeforce and UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate and ex-Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion and UFC Flyweight contender Lauren Murphy experienced multiple postponements due to Murphy testing positive for COVID-19. The encounter eventually occurred at this event.
Two featherweight bouts underwent changes caused by injuries: originally planned matches of Bill Algeo versus Billy Quarantillo and Herbert Burns against Khusein Askhabov were disrupted when Quarantillo and Askhabov withdrew. Consequently, Burns and Algeo were paired to compete against each other.
A welterweight fight between Philip Rowe and Abubakar Nurmagomedov was called off because of Rowe’s injury combined with Nurmagomedov’s visa complications preventing travel.
Bonus awards
Participants were granted $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Matt Schnell vs. Su Mudaerji
- Performance of the Night: Amanda Lemos, Li Jingliang, Punahele Soriano, Ricky Simón, Bill Algeo, and Dustin Jacoby