UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | July 26, 2020 |
| Headquarters | Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates |
Area served | International |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till, also referred to as UFC on ESPN 14 and UFC Fight Island 3, was a mixed martial arts event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 26, 2020. The competition took place at the du Forum located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Background
This marked the fourth and concluding UFC Fight Island event held on Yas Island, which was established to accommodate fighters impacted by U.S. travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The main event showcased a middleweight clash between former Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker and ex-UFC Welterweight Championship contender Darren Till. Originally, this matchup was scheduled for an August 2020 card in Dublin.
Notable bouts on the card included:
- A light heavyweight trilogy between former Light Heavyweight Champion Maurício Rua and Antônio Rogério Nogueira, with Nogueira intending to retire following this fight. This contest had previously been canceled due to changes in event locations.
- A women's bantamweight encounter featuring former title challenger Bethe Correia against Pannie Kianzad, which was postponed from UFC 250.
- A welterweight bout initially planned for UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards between Danny Roberts and Nicolas Dalby. Due to injury, Roberts was replaced by seasoned competitor Jesse Ronson.
- A heavyweight matchup between Tom Aspinall and Jake Collier, also rescheduled from the canceled Woodley vs. Edwards event.
Further adjustments involved:
- Welterweight fight: After Shavkat Rakhmonov withdrew because of injury, Ramazan Emeev faced a substitute opponent, Niklas Stolze.
- Bantamweight contest: Promotional newcomer John Castañeda stepped in for Umar Nurmagomedov, who pulled out following the passing of his uncle, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
- Women's strawweight rematch between ex-champion Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez, rearranged after a COVID-19 related cancellation.
- Heavyweight fight: Tanner Boser took the place of Justin Tafa, who withdrew for undisclosed reasons.
At the official weigh-ins, Francisco Trinaldo failed to make weight by four pounds for his lightweight bout. The fight proceeded at catchweight, with Trinaldo forfeiting 30% of his purse to opponent Jai Herbert as a penalty.
Bonus awards
The following competitors were awarded $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: No award granted.
- Performance of the Night: Fabrício Werdum, Paul Craig, Khamzat Chimaev, Jesse Ronson, Tom Aspinall, and Tanner Boser
Records set
With 15 fights scheduled, this event tied the record set by UFC 2 for the highest number of bouts on a single UFC card. This record was later equaled by events such as UFC 259, UFC 283, UFC 286, and UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura. Additionally, Khamzat Chimaev established a new record for the fastest interval between UFC victories at just 10 days (excluding early one-night tournament formats).
Aftermath
On November 18, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) imposed a 20-month suspension on Jesse Ronson after he tested positive for metandienone during an out-of-competition test conducted on July 22. Ronson had failed to disclose his use of the substance in his onboarding paperwork prior to rejoining the UFC. His suspension is retroactive, making him eligible to compete again starting March 22, 2022. Furthermore, Ronson’s win was overturned to a no contest as a consequence of this violation.