UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | August 21, 2021 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
Area served | Mixed martial arts fans worldwide |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum—also referred to as UFC on ESPN 29 and UFC Vegas 34'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 21, 2021. The event took place at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area.
Background
Initially, the main event was planned to showcase a middleweight clash between former UFC Middleweight Championship contender Paulo Costa and Jared Cannonier. However, Costa withdrew from the fight on June 4 due to undisclosed circumstances. He was subsequently replaced by Kelvin Gastelum, a former interim title challenger and winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen. Costa later revealed that he had not signed the fight contract and mentioned financial disagreements as a potential reason for his withdrawal, though he did not officially confirm this.
A heavyweight matchup featuring Chase Sherman versus Parker Porter was included after being postponed from a previous card because Porter had pulled out.
The bantamweight pairing of Brian Kelleher and Domingo Pilarte finally took place after their originally scheduled bout in 2018 was canceled due to Pilarte sustaining an injury.
A bantamweight contest initially set between debuting fighter Mana Martinez and Jesse Strader underwent changes: Strader withdrew roughly one week prior to the event and was replaced by Trevin Jones. Subsequently, Martinez pulled out during fight week, leading Jones to face newcomer Saidyokub Kakhramonov instead. Kakhramonov failed to make weight by 2.5 pounds, converting the bout into a catchweight contest and resulting in a 20% fine of his fight purse.
A women's flyweight fight between Cortney Casey and Liana Jojua was planned but postponed owing to visa complications affecting Jojua; this matchup is anticipated to be rescheduled.
The middleweight bout between Antônio Braga Neto and Abdul Razak Alhassan was deferred to the following week's event, UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were granted as follows:
- Fight of the Night: No award was given.
- Performance of the Night: Alexandre Pantoja, Josiane Nunes, William Knight, Ignacio Bahamondes