UFC 251

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal
The poster for UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal
Information
PromotionUltimate Fighting Championship
DateJuly 12, 2020 (2020-07-12)
Venuedu Forum
CityAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
AttendanceNone (behind closed doors)[1]
Buyrate1,300,000[2]
Event chronology
UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige

UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 12, 2020 at the du Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.[3] It was originally planned to take place on June 6 at Perth Arena in Perth, Australia.[4] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was eventually postponed on April 9 (see section below).[5] In early June, it was confirmed that the event would instead take place in Abu Dhabi.[3]

Background

The event would have marked the promotion's second visit to Perth, following UFC 221 in February 2018. However, the promotion later announced on May 5 that it would officially postpone the realization of this event in Perth due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

While not officially announced by the organization, a

UFC Featherweight Championship rematch between current champion Alexander Volkanovski and former champion Max Holloway was originally expected to headline the event on June 6.[7] The pairing first met at UFC 245, where Volkanovski defeated Holloway via unanimous decision to capture the title.[8] Volkanovski indicated in late March that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he would postpone his title defense on the initial June 6 date.[9]

A

Joanne Calderwood was expected to take place on the event's first date.[10] However, Shevchenko was forced to withdraw from the event on March 31 due to a leg injury and the bout was postponed.[11]

Yas Island was also the site for three previous UFC events in Abu Dhabi. One of them, UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson, was held at du Arena. The other two Yas Island events, UFC 112 and UFC 242, were held at temporary venues.

COVID-19 pandemic, relocation to Abu Dhabi

UFC president

travel restrictions.[12][13]

On June 9, the UFC revealed that the "Fight Island" site would be Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and that it would also host four events in July.[3] This event was the fourth UFC event held on Yas Island overall, succeeding UFC 242 in September 2019. Additionally, there is a 10 square mile (16 km) "safety zone" on the island restricted to essential personnel. The designated area includes access to amenities such as hotels, restaurants and a training cage on the beach.[14] The fights took place inside the du Forum — an indoor events arena. It does not have communal areas and those entering the site must go through "mist tunnels" to disinfect themselves from surface bacteria.[15][16]

Gulf Standard Time.[17]

A

UFC Welterweight Championship bout between current champion Kamaru Usman (also The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians welterweight winner) and Gilbert Burns was expected to headline the event.[18] However, it was announced on July 3 that Burns was pulled from the contest after he and his coach, Greg Jones, tested positive for COVID-19.[19] Pending pre-fight testing and a 24-hour quarantine, Jorge Masvidal was expected to serve as his replacement.[20] After he passed his initial test, the new main event was confirmed.[21]

The previously mentioned UFC Featherweight Championship rematch between Volkanovski and Holloway co-headlined the event.[22]

A

UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo also took place at the event.[23] Former champion Henry Cejudo announced immediately after his title defense at UFC 249 that he would be relinquishing the title and retiring from the sport.[24]

The following fights were also rescheduled for this event, after being scrapped due to different reasons from their original bookings:

A bantamweight bout between

UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar was briefly linked to the event. However, promotion officials elected to schedule the pairing for UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige four days later.[35]

A heavyweight bout between Marcin Tybura between Alexander Romanov was scheduled for the event. However, Romanov was pulled from the event after testing positive for COVID-19 and replaced by promotional newcomer Maxim Grishin.[36][37]

At the weigh-ins, Raulian Paiva and Vanessa Melo missed weight for their respective bouts. Paiva weighed in at 129 pounds, three pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. Melo weighed in at 141 pounds, five pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. Both of their bouts proceeded at a catchweight and they were each fined 20% and 30% of their individual purses, which went to their opponents Zhalgas Zhumagulov and Karol Rosa.[38]

Results

Main card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Welterweight Kamaru Usman (c) def. Jorge Masvidal Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 50–45, 49–46) 5 5:00 [a]
Featherweight Alexander Volkanovski (c) def. Max Holloway Decision (split) (47–48, 48–47, 48–47) 5 5:00 [b]
Bantamweight Petr Yan def. José Aldo TKO (punches) 5 3:24 [c]
Women's Strawweight Rose Namajunas def. Jéssica Andrade Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) 3 5:00
Women's Flyweight Amanda Ribas def. Paige VanZant Submission (armbar) 1 2:21
Preliminary Card (ESPN / ESPN+)
Light Heavyweight Jiří Procházka def. Volkan Oezdemir KO (punch) 2 0:49
Welterweight Muslim Salikhov def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Decision (split) (30–27, 28–29, 29–28) 3 5:00
Featherweight Makwan Amirkhani def. Danny Henry Technical Submission (anaconda choke) 1 3:15
Lightweight Leonardo Santos def. Roman Bogatov Decision (unanimous) (29–26, 29–26, 29–26) 3 5:00 [d]
Early Preliminary Card (ESPN / ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Heavyweight Marcin Tybura def. Maxim Grishin Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–26) 3 5:00
Catchweight (129 lb) Raulian Paiva def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Catchweight (141 lb) Karol Rosa def. Vanessa Melo Decision (unanimous) (30–26, 30–26, 30–27) 3 5:00
Bantamweight Davey Grant def. Martin Day KO (punch) 3 2:38
  1. UFC Welterweight Championship
    .
  2. UFC Featherweight Championship
    .
  3. UFC Bantamweight Championship
    .
  4. ^ Bogatov was deducted 2 points in round 3 for multiple low blows and an illegal knee.

[39]

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.[40]

  • Fight of the Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Jéssica Andrade
  • Performance of the Night: Jiří Procházka and Davey Grant

Records set

The event had a total fight time of 3 hours, 7 minutes and 27 seconds, surpassing the previous record holder UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura.[41] The record was later broken by UFC 263 with 3:19:32.[42]

See also

References

  1. ^ Thomas Ling (2020-07-09). "Where is UFC Fight Island? Inside UFC 251 location in pictures". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  2. ^ Mike Coppinger (2020-07-13). "Sources: UFC 251 generates around 1.3 million PPV buys, most since 2018". theathletic.com. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  3. ^
    Gannett Company
    . Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  4. ^ Staff (2020-02-25). "Valentina Shevchenko vs. Joanne Calderwood title fight heads to UFC 251 in Perth, Australia". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  5. ^ Damon Martin (2020-04-09). "UFC 249, upcoming events postponed due to coronavirus pandemic, Dana White promises 'Fight Island' will proceed". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  6. ^ Staff (2020-05-05). "UFC officially pulls plug on Perth's UFC 251 date". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  7. ^ Mookie Alexander (2020-02-25). "Alex Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway rematch to headline UFC 251". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  8. ^ Danny Segura (2019-12-15). "UFC 245 results: Alexander Volkanovski dethrones Max Holloway, captures UFC featherweight belt". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
  9. ^ Sam Bruce (2020-03-29). "Alexander Volkanovski puts UFC title defense on ice amid coronavirus pandemic". espn.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  10. ^ Mike Bohn (2020-02-20). "Champ Valentina Shevchenko meets Joanne Calderwood at UFC 251 in June". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  11. ^ Danny Segura (2020-03-31). "Valentina Shevchenko injured; UFC 251 title fight vs. Joanne Calderwood on hold". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  12. MMAFighting.com. Vox Media
    . Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  13. ^ Brett Okamoto (2020-04-07). "UFC's White: Secured private island for fights". ESPN. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  14. ^ Brett Okamoto (2020-06-09). "White: Fight Island is in UAE, will host UFC 251". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  15. ^ Kevin Iole (2020-07-07). "Abu Dhabi's 'Fight Island' could become a lot more familiar if COVID-19 shuts down Las Vegas again". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
  16. ^ Ben Collins (2020-07-10). "UFC 251: 'Beautiful, surreal, insane' - what's Fight Island really like?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
  17. ^ Wagenheim, Jeff (2020-06-11). "What we know and don't know about 'Fight Island'". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  18. ^ Farah Hannoun (2020-06-09). "Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns headlines UFC 251 on 'Fight Island' in Abu Dhabi". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  19. ^ Mike Bohn (2020-07-03). "Gilbert Burns tests positive for COVID-19, out of UFC 251 headliner vs. Kamaru Usman". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  20. ^ Mike Bohn and John Morgan (2020-07-05). "Jorge Masvidal steps in on six days' notice to fight Kamaru Usman at UFC 251". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  21. ^ Mike Bohn (2020-07-06). "Jorge Masvidal passes COVID-19 test; UFC makes Kamaru Usman title fight official". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  22. ^ Nolan King (2020-06-09). "Jorge Masvidal passes COVID-19 test; UFC makes Kamaru Usman title fight official". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  23. ^ Farah Hannoun (2020-06-09). "Jose Aldo vs. Petr Yan bantamweight title fight set for UFC 251 on 'Fight Island'". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  24. ^ Matt Erickson (2020-05-10). "Shocker: Henry Cejudo stops Dominick Cruz, then announces MMA retirement at UFC 249". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  25. ^ Dave Doyle and Mike Bohn (2020-06-03). "Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade rematch booked for UFC's July 11 card". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  26. ^ Sohail Syed (2019-05-12). "UFC 237 results – Jessica Andrade KO's Rose Namajunas in round 2, wins strawweight belt". mmaindia.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  27. ^ Mike Bohn (2020-01-09). "Rose Namajunas, Jessica Andrade agree to rematch at UFC 249 in Brooklyn". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  28. ^ Marc Raimondi and Ariel Helwani (2020-04-08). "Rose Namajunas pulls out of UFC 249 bout vs. Jessica Andrade". espn.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  29. ^ Newswire (2020-04-09). "Manager: Rose Namajunas withdrew from UFC 249 after COVID-19 deaths in family". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  30. ^ Staff (2020-05-10). "Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Ciryl Gane at UFC 251's IFW week event". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2020-06-09. (in Dutch)
  31. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2020-03-05). "Ciryl Gane out of UFC 249 fight with Shamil Abdurakhimov". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  32. ^ Staff (2020-04-14). "Sergei Pavlovich encounters Ciryl Gane during the August 8 event". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2020-06-15. (in Dutch)
  33. ^ Raphael Marinho (2020-05-21). "Fight between Amanda Ribas and Paige VanZant is rescheduled for July 11 by UFC". globoesporte.globo.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09. (in Portuguese)
  34. ^ Jay Pettry (2020-01-24). "Report: Paige VanZant out, Randa Markos in against Amanda Ribas at UFC Brasilia". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  35. ^ Ross Markey (2020-06-16). "Pedro Munhoz vs. Frankie Edgar moved to UFC event on July 15th". fightbookmma.com. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  36. ^ Staff (2020-07-03). "Former WFCA champion Maxim Grishin makes UFC debut on July 11 at UFC 251". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2020-07-03. (in Dutch)
  37. ^ Nolan King (2020-07-09). "Gym: Alexander Romanov was removed from UFC 251 due to positive COVID-19 tests". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  38. ^ Alexander K. Lee (2020-07-10). "UFC 251 weigh-in results: Kamaru Usman, Jorge Masvidal make weight, all title fights official". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
  39. ^ "UFC 251: Usman vs. Masvidal". Ultimate Fighting Championship. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  40. ^ Dave Doyle (2020-07-12). "UFC 251 bonuses: Rose Namajunas-Jessica Andrade war nets 'Fight of the Night' honors". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  41. ^ Mike Bohn (2020-12-29). "UFC in 2020: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids, and records". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  42. MMAjunkie.com
    .
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=UFC_251&oldid=1177339622"