UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | December 7, 2019 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik—also referred to as UFC on ESPN 7'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 7, 2019, at the Capital One Arena located in Washington, D.C., United States.
Background
This event represented the UFC's second occasion hosting a show in Washington, D.C., the first being UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson back in 2011. Named 'Fight Like Hell Night,' the occasion paid tribute to the late ESPN broadcaster Stuart Scott, who passed away from cancer in 2015.
The initial main event was planned as a heavyweight clash featuring former K-1 World Grand Prix and Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem against Walt Harris. However, Harris withdrew on November 1 due to a personal family loss and was subsequently replaced by Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
In the women's strawweight category, former title contender Cláudia Gadelha was scheduled to fight Cynthia Calvillo, but after Gadelha pulled out because of injury, she was substituted by Marina Rodriguez. Another strawweight matchup initially set between Cortney Casey and ex-Invicta FC champion Virna Jandiroba experienced multiple changes: Casey withdrew for unspecified reasons and was first replaced by former Invicta champion Lívia Renata Souza, who also later withdrew, leading to promotional debutant Mallory Martin stepping in.
A middleweight bout originally arranged between Alonzo Menifield and Trevor Smith underwent alteration when Menifield withdrew and was replaced by Makhmud Muradov. Furthermore, a fight featuring former interim UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit against Mickey Gall was canceled after Condit suffered a detached retina.
Featherweight fighter Chris Fishgold pulled out from his scheduled contest with Billy Quarantillo, with Jacob Kilburn taking his place.
During weigh-ins, both Cynthia Calvillo and Matt Sayles failed to make weight for their respective bouts; Calvillo weighed in at 120.5 pounds (4.5 pounds over the limit), while Sayles came in at 148.5 pounds (2.5 pounds over). Their fights proceeded at catchweight, with penalties imposed as fines amounting to 30% of Calvillo’s purse and 20% of Sayles’s purse being awarded to their opponents, Marina Rodriguez and Mitchell respectively.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were awarded to:
- Fight of the Night: Rob Font vs. Ricky Simón
- Performance of the Night: Bryce Mitchell and Makhmud Muradov