UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | June 20, 2020 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov—also referred to as UFC on ESPN 11 and UFC Vegas 3, was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which took place on June 20, 2020, at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas metropolitan region.
Background
Initially, this event was scheduled to occur at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC president, Dana White, announced a series of postponements beginning with UFC 249, leading to the cancellation of this event. This would have marked UFC’s second appearance in Saskatoon since August 2015. The Canadian event was officially called off on May 21.
The headline fight was a heavyweight clash featuring Curtis Blaydes against Alexander Volkov, a former Bellator Heavyweight Champion.
A welterweight bout between ex-Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good and Belal Muhammad was rescheduled several times owing to Good’s prior USADA violation and a COVID-19 diagnosis. They eventually competed at this event.
Joe Solecki was originally slated to face Austin Hubbard but withdrew for undisclosed reasons; he was replaced by debutant Max Rohskopf.
Matt Frevola was removed from his scheduled fight with Frank Camacho after one of Frevola’s cornermen tested positive for COVID-19, despite Frevola himself testing negative. Justin Jaynes, making his promotional debut, stepped in as Camacho’s opponent.
During weigh-ins, Frank Camacho failed to make weight by two pounds. The bout proceeded at catchweight, with Camacho fined 20% of his purse, which was awarded to Jaynes.
Bonus awards
The UFC awarded $50,000 bonuses to the following fighters:
- Fight of the Night: Josh Emmett vs. Shane Burgos
- Performance of the Night: Jim Miller and Justin Jaynes
Reported payout
The disclosed fighter payouts submitted to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) do not include sponsorship earnings or UFC "fight night" bonuses. The total reported payout for this event amounted to $1,655,000.
- Curtis Blaydes: $180,000 (including a $90,000 win bonus) defeated Alexander Volkov: $80,000
- Josh Emmett: $152,000 (including a $76,000 win bonus) defeated Shane Burgos: $75,000
- Raquel Pennington: $126,000 (including a $63,000 win bonus) defeated Marion Reneau: $38,000
- Belal Muhammad: $100,000 (including a $50,000 win bonus) defeated Lyman Good: $28,000
- Jim Miller: $208,000 (including a $104,000 win bonus) defeated Roosevelt Roberts: $25,000
- Bobby Green: $72,000 (including a $36,000 win bonus) defeated Clay Guida: $73,000
- Tecia Torres: $96,000 (including a $48,000 win bonus) defeated Brianna Van Buren: $14,000
- Marc-André Barriault: $28,000 (including a $14,000 win bonus) defeated Oskar Piechota: $20,000
- Gillian Robertson: $50,000 (including a $25,000 win bonus) defeated Cortney Casey: $53,000
- Justin Jaynes: $29,000 (including a $12,000 win bonus) defeated Frank Camacho: $20,000 ^
- Lauren Murphy: $76,000 (including a $38,000 win bonus) defeated Roxanne Modafferi: $50,000
- Austin Hubbard: $50,000 (including a $25,000 win bonus) defeated Max Rohskopf: $12,000
^ Camacho was penalized 20% of his purse ($5,000) for missing weight; this amount was awarded to his opponent.
Aftermath
On August 5, the NSAC imposed a provisional suspension on Marc-André Barriault following a positive test for ostarine linked to this competition. This suspension was upheld pending a disciplinary hearing set for September. Four months afterward, Barriault was handed a nine-month suspension effective from the date of the fight; additionally, the outcome of his match was changed to a no contest due to the infraction. He was also penalized with a $2,100 fine and required to cover a prosecution fee of $254.38 before being eligible for re-licensing in Las Vegas.