UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | 2022-04-30 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
Area served | Worldwide (via broadcast) |
UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Vera—also referred to as UFC on ESPN 35 and UFC Vegas 53'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 30, 2022. The event took place at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas metropolitan region.
Background
The main event featured a bantamweight clash between Rob Font and Marlon Vera. Font weighed in at 138.5 pounds, surpassing the non-title fight limit by 2.5 pounds. Consequently, the bout proceeded at catchweight, with Font surrendering 20% of his fight purse to Vera as a penalty.
A scheduled women's strawweight contest between former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion and UFC title contender Jessica Penne and Luana Pinheiro was rebooked for this card following earlier cancellations but was ultimately removed due to an injury sustained by Pinheiro.
The lightweight matchup involving Joe Lauzon and former UFC Lightweight title challenger Donald Cerrone was shifted to UFC 274 for undisclosed reasons.
Jared Gordon competed against substitute opponent Grant Dawson, who replaced Rafael Alves after Alves withdrew from the fight.
In heavyweight action, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski stepped in for Justin Tafa to face off with Jake Collier following Tafa's withdrawal.
A women's flyweight bout between Antonina Shevchenko and Cortney Casey was postponed to UFC Fight Night in July due to a knee injury affecting Shevchenko.
The heavyweight pairing of Alexander Romanov versus Chase Sherman was rescheduled from an earlier event after Sherman experienced a minor health setback.
A flyweight debut featuring Tatsuro Taira against Carlos Candelario was canceled shortly before the event because of Candelario’s illness and later rescheduled for another card.
Bonus awards
The following competitors received $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Marlon Vera vs. Rob Font
- Performance of the Night: Joanderson Brito and Francisco Figueiredo
Due to Font's weight miss, he was rendered ineligible for the Fight of the Night bonus; his portion was granted entirely to Vera.