UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige
UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige—also identified as UFC on ESPN 13 and UFC Fight Island 1—was a mixed martial arts event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It took place on July 16, 2020, at the du Forum located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Background
This event marked the second installment out of four UFC Fight Island events hosted during July 2020, created to facilitate fighters impacted by travel restrictions from the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Conducted without a live audience, the card was arranged to align with North American prime time television, with the main card commencing at 6:00 a.m. local time.
The featured headline bout was a featherweight clash between Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige.
Numerous matchups experienced alterations due to COVID-19 complications and travel limitations. The middleweight contest initially scheduled between John Phillips and Duško Todorović underwent several reschedulings; Todorović eventually withdrew owing to health concerns and was substituted by newcomer Khamzat Chimaev.
A bantamweight fight pairing Pedro Munhoz with former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar was originally slated for UFC 251 but was canceled after Munhoz returned a positive COVID-19 test; this fight was subsequently moved to UFC 252.
Light heavyweight bouts involving Vinicius Moreira and Anderson dos Santos were scrapped after both fighters tested positive for COVID-19. Their replacements were Andreas Michailidis and Aaron Phillips, respectively.
A women’s strawweight matchup between former Invicta FC and UFC Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez was called off following a positive COVID-19 test within Rodriguez’s corner team; this fight was later rescheduled for UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till.
The light heavyweight bout initially booked between Timo Feucht and Kenneth Bergh saw Feucht removed from the card due to revelations about past Neo-Nazi affiliations, with Jorge Gonzalez stepping in as his replacement. However, the fight was canceled on weigh-in day because Bergh encountered issues during his weight cut.
At the official weigh-ins, Abdul Razak Alhassan (174 pounds) and Chris Fishgold (149 pounds) failed to make their contracted weight limits. Both bouts proceeded at catchweight conditions, with Alhassan and Fishgold fined accordingly; these penalties were awarded to their respective opponents Mounir Lazzez and Jared Gordon.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were granted as follows:
- Fight of the Night: Mounir Lazzez vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
- Performance of the Night: Khamzat Chimaev, Lerone Murphy, Modestas Bukauskas
Note: Due to missing weight, Abdul Razak Alhassan was deemed ineligible for the Fight of the Night bonus; consequently, an additional Performance of the Night bonus was distributed.