UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | April 29, 2023 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón—also referred to as UFC on ESPN 45, or UFC Vegas 72'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 29, 2023. The event took place at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, United States.
Background
Initially, the event was set to be headlined by a lightweight clash between Arman Tsarukyan and Renato Moicano. However, this main event was canceled two weeks before the date due to an injury sustained by Moicano. As a result, the bantamweight contest featuring Song Yadong and former LFA Bantamweight Champion Ricky Simón, which had been scheduled for UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes, was elevated to serve as the new headline for this card.
The middleweight matchup between Cody Brundage and Rodolfo Vieira, which had previously been postponed following Vieira’s withdrawal from their originally planned bout at UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cuțelaba, was successfully rescheduled for this event.
A heavyweight battle between Jake Collier and Martin Buday, initially booked for two weeks earlier at UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Allen, was deferred and took place during this fight night.
Several alterations to the fight lineup occurred during the week leading up to the event: the women’s strawweight fight between former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Emily Ducote and Polyana Viana was shifted to UFC Fight Night: Pennington vs. Aldana 2; Ange Loosa withdrew from his welterweight matchup against Joshua Quinlan and was replaced by LFA Welterweight Champion Trey Waters; additionally, the lightweight bout involving Natan Levy and Pete Rodriguez was postponed to UFC on ABC: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida.
Furthermore, bantamweight Brian Kelleher pulled out of his contest with Journey Newson. Marcus McGhee stepped in as his replacement, with their fight conducted at a 140-pound catchweight.
At the official weigh-ins, newcomers Irina Alekseeva and Hailey Cowan missed the women’s bantamweight non-title weight limit by four pounds and one and a half pounds respectively. Despite this, both matches proceeded at catchweight conditions, with Alekseeva fined 30% of her purse and Cowan 20%, both penalties awarded to their opponents, Stephanie Egger and Jamey-Lyn Horth.
Bonus Awards
Four competitors received $50,000 bonuses:
- Performance of the Night: Song Yadong, Caio Borralho, Rodolfo Vieira, and Marcus McGhee
- Fight of the Night: No bonus was given.