UFC on ESPN: Hall vs. Strickland
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
|---|---|
| Founded | July 31, 2021 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
UFC on ESPN: Hall vs. Strickland—also referred to as UFC on ESPN 28 and UFC Vegas 33'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 31, 2021. The event took place at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area.
Background
Initially planned for UFC 265, the middleweight clash between Uriah Hall and Sean Strickland was rescheduled to serve as the main event for this card.
Jinh Yu Frey, former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion, was slated to compete against newcomer Istela Nunes; however, Nunes withdrew because of visa complications and was substituted by Ashley Yoder.
A flyweight matchup featuring Zarrukh Adashev and Juancamilo Ronderos was arranged but Ronderos pulled out, leading to Ryan Benoit stepping in as his replacement. Notably, their prior scheduled fight at UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson was canceled after Benoit failed to make weight.
An anticipated flyweight contest between ex-title contender Alex Perez and Askar Askarov was canceled when Askarov suffered a broken hand. Subsequently, Perez faced Matt Schnell at UFC Fight Night 191.
A bantamweight bout between Ronnie Lawrence and John Castañeda was planned; however, Castañeda withdrew and was replaced by Trevin Jones. The matchup was ultimately called off after Lawrence did not appear at the weigh-ins due to health issues.
Featherweight fighters Choi Doo-ho and Danny Chavez were expected to compete, but Choi withdrew because of injury and was replaced by Kai Kamaka III.
The heavyweight pairing of Shamil Abdurakhimov versus Chris Daukaus faced multiple postponements attributed to COVID-19 protocols and undisclosed factors.
Roman Kopylov was booked to face Sam Alvey, but this bout was canceled owing to Kopylov’s visa difficulties.
Welterweight fighters Mounir Lazzez and Niklas Stolze were scheduled to fight; Lazzez withdrew due to visa issues and was substituted by Jared Gooden. Despite last-minute concerns related to COVID-19 protocols, the fight proceeded as planned.
At the official weigh-ins, former UFC Women's Flyweight Champion Nicco Montaño missed weight by seven pounds, causing her contest against Wu Yanan to be canceled. Meanwhile, welterweight Philip Rowe also failed to make weight but his fight continued at catchweight with an imposed fine.
A bantamweight bout between Kang Kyung-ho and Rani Yahya, which had been anticipated as the co-main event, was called off hours before the event after Yahya tested positive for COVID-19.
Bonus awards
The following competitors earned $50,000 performance bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Jason Witt vs. Bryan Barberena
- Performance of the Night: Cheyanne Buys and Melsik Baghdasaryan