UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | June 29, 2019 |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis, Minnesota , United States |
Area served | United States |
UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos (also referred to as UFC on ESPN 3) was a mixed martial arts competition hosted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 29, 2019, at the Target Center located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.
Background
This event represented the UFC's third occasion hosting an event in Minneapolis and the first since October 2012.
Originally, the main attraction was planned to be a welterweight rematch between former UFC Welterweight Champions Tyron Woodley and Robbie Lawler. Woodley had secured victory in their initial encounter with a first-round knockout in July 2016. Nevertheless, Woodley pulled out in May 2019 due to a hand injury, which resulted in Lawler being removed from the fight card as well.
The headline bout was subsequently changed to a heavyweight clash featuring former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos against previous title contender Francis Ngannou. This fight had been arranged twice before but was canceled on both occasions.
Additional significant adjustments included:
- A light heavyweight match initially set between Roman Dolidze and Vinicius Moreira saw Dolidze replaced by Eryk Anders for undisclosed reasons.
- The featherweight contest between Chas Skelly and Jordan Griffin was canceled after Skelly withdrew due to injury. Griffin was then scheduled to face promotional debutant Vince Murdock, who later withdrew because of medical clearance issues; Murdock subsequently received a USADA suspension for a prohibited substance and disclosed a serious brain condition impacting his career.
- The bantamweight matchup involving Sergio Pettis and Ricardo Ramos underwent modification when Pettis withdrew for undisclosed reasons, with newcomer Journey Newson stepping in as his replacement.
- In the light heavyweight division, the bout featuring Justin Ledet versus Dalcha Lungiambula saw Ledet removed shortly before the event and replaced by debuting fighter Dequan Townsend.
Bonus awards
The following competitors were granted $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: No award given.
- Performance of the Night: Francis Ngannou, Joseph Benavidez, Alonzo Menifield, and Eryk Anders