UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | August 28, 2021 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
Area served | Worldwide (UFC audience) |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze—also identified as UFC on ESPN 30 and UFC Vegas 35'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 28, 2021. The event took place at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas metropolitan region.
Background
The headline fight featured a featherweight clash between Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze. Additionally, the card included the concluding bouts of The Return of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega season, showcasing finals in both the middleweight and bantamweight categories. Due to injury, Tresean Gore withdrew from the middleweight final and was succeeded by Gilbert Urbina.
A light heavyweight contest was initially planned between Dustin Jacoby and Askar Mozharov; however, Mozharov pulled out, with Darren Stewart stepping in as his replacement.
A welterweight matchup involving former interim UFC Lightweight Championship contender Kevin Lee and Sean Brady had been postponed after Lee sustained an injury. Subsequently, Brady withdrew owing to a foot infection, leading to Daniel Rodriguez entering as his substitute.
The flyweight bout pitting former UFC Flyweight Championship challenger Alex Perez against Matt Schnell faced multiple reschedulings due to injuries and undisclosed issues, ultimately being shifted to a subsequent UFC Fight Night event.
A women's bantamweight encounter between Joselyne Edwards and Zarah Fairn Dos Santos was called off after Edwards was reassigned to compete against Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC Fight Night 196.
Kevin Croom was slated to face Marcelo Rojo in a featherweight bout but withdrew; Rojo was later matched with Jonathan Martinez at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till.
Middleweight bouts involving Antônio Braga Neto versus Abdul Razak Alhassan and Alessio Di Chirico versus Aliaskhab Khizriev were affected by withdrawals. Neto pulled out of his fight, while Khizriev withdrew due to injury, resulting in Di Chirico being paired with Alhassan instead.
Sara McMann, silver medalist in wrestling at the 2004 Olympics and former UFC Women's Bantamweight title challenger, was scheduled for a rematch against Ketlen Vieira, but McMann withdrew following a reinjury.
In a women's flyweight matchup, Tracy Cortez withdrew due to injury from her fight against JJ Aldrich, with promotional newcomer Vanessa Demopoulos stepping in as her replacement.
A bantamweight bout between Mario Bautista and Guido Cannetti was canceled after Bautista tested positive for COVID-19. Mana Martinez replaced Bautista but missed weight by four pounds, resulting in the fight proceeding at catchweight with Martinez incurring a 30% purse deduction.
During weigh-ins, Martinez weighed in at 140 pounds, exceeding the bantamweight limit. The contest continued at catchweight with Martinez forfeiting a portion of his earnings to Cannetti.
Results
Bonus awards
A total of four competitors were granted $50,000 bonuses:
- Performance of the Night: Giga Chikadze, Gerald Meerschaert, Abdul Razak Alhassan, and Pat Sabatini
- There was no bonus given for Fight of the Night.