UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Dana White (CEO) |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
| Website | www |
UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas—also referred to as UFC on ESPN 53 and UFC Vegas 89, was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 23, 2024. The event took place at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas Valley, United States.
Background
The headline fight featured a women's flyweight contest between Amanda Ribas and former two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Rose Namajunas.
Originally, a heavyweight clash between Chris Barnett and Mohammed Usman, the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Peña vs. Team Nunes heavyweight division, was planned. However, Barnett withdrew citing undisclosed reasons and was substituted by Mick Parkin.
A middleweight bout was scheduled between Edmen Shahbazyan and Duško Todorović, but Todorović pulled out due to a severe knee injury. His replacement became A.J. Dobson.
In the women's strawweight division, Shauna Bannon was set to face Stephanie Luciano. Bannon withdrew for unspecified reasons and Julia Polastri stepped in as her replacement. The fight was ultimately canceled after Luciano contracted dengue fever.
For the heavyweight category, Junior Tafa was slated to compete against Karl Williams but accepted a short-notice fight at UFC 298, filling in for his injured brother Justin Tafa. After suffering a TKO defeat there, Junior withdrew from this event, leading Justin Tafa to take his place against Williams.
Featherweights Billy Quarantillo and Gabriel Miranda were booked to meet; however, Miranda was replaced by Youssef Zalal for unknown reasons.
A bantamweight matchup between Cody Gibson and Davey Grant experienced a change when Grant withdrew due to injury. Former LFA Bantamweight Champion Miles Johns stepped in as his substitute.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were granted to:
- Fight of the Night: Jarno Errens vs. Steven Nguyen
- Performance of the Night: Payton Talbott and Fernando Padilla
Aftermath
In what marked the UFC's first disqualification due to biting, CEO Dana White presented André Lima with a unique $50,000 "Bite of the Night" award after his bout ended when opponent Igor Severino bit his arm. Following this incident, Severino was released from his UFC contract. The Nevada Athletic Commission withheld Severino's fight purse and intends to impose a significant fine along with a suspension during its April session.