UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman explained
UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman (also known as UFC Fight Night 129) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 19, 2018, at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile.[2]
Background
The event marked the promotion's first visit to Chile.[3]
A welterweight bout between welterweight winner Kamaru Usman and Santiago Ponzinibbio was expected to serve as the event headliner.[4] However, Ponzinibbio pulled out on April 21 due to injury.[5] He was replaced by former UFC Welterweightand Middleweight Championship challenger Demian Maia.[6]
A flyweight bout between former UFC Flyweight Championship challenger Ray Borg and Brandon Moreno was originally expected to take place at . However, due to a minor injury sustained by Moreno, the pairing was postponed and rescheduled to take place at UFC 223.[7] The bout was delayed again, after Borg had issues related to glass shards in his eye as a result of the former UFC Featherweightand Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor and crew bus melee.[8] The pairing was scheduled again and was expected to take place at this event.[9] However, Borg withdrew from the bout to take care of his child, who required brain surgery.[10] He was replaced by Alexandre Pantoja.[11]
A light heavyweight bout between former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Maurício Rua and former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir was expected to take place at this event. However, it was reported on April 13, 2018, that Oezdemir was pulled from the event due to alleged visa issues stemming from a previous legal transgression, restricting his travel to Chile.[12] The pairing was left intact and rescheduled for July 22, 2018, at .[13]
Results
[14]
Bonus awards
The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses:[15]
- Fight of the Night: Andrea Lee vs. Veronica Macedo
- Performance of the Night: Gabriel Benítez and Claudio Puelles
See also
Notes and References
- News: UFC Fight Night 129 attendance: Chilean debut draws announced 11,082 fans. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2018-05-20. 2018-05-20.
- News: Next UFCevent: full schedule of UFC events for 2018. express.co.uk. Chisanga Malata. 2018-02-10. 2018-02-10.
- News: Fight! UFC has reserved the Movistar Arena to present on May 19 in Chile. redgol.cl. Felipe Kaponi. 2017-12-19. 2018-01-31. es.
- News: Kamaru Usman vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio official for UFC Fight Night 129 headliner. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2018-03-24. 2018-03-26.
- News: UFC Chile main, co-main events fall apart with Santiago Ponzinibbio, Volkan Oezdemir out. mmajunkie.com. Mike Bohn. 2018-04-21. 2018-04-21.
- News: Ultimate announces Demian Maia as substitute for Ponzinibbio at UFC Chile. sportv.globo.com. Raphael Marinho. 2018-04-26. 2018-04-26. pt.
- News: Injury postpones Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno to UFC 223 in Brooklyn. mmafighting.com. Danny Segura. 2018-01-31. 2018-01-31.
- News: Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno pulled from UFC 223 in latest Conor McGregor incident casualty. mmafighting.com. Dave Doyle. 2018-04-05. 2018-04-06.
- News: Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno rebooked for UFC Chile . mmafighting.com. Danny Segura. 2018-04-11. 2018-04-11.
- News: Ray Borg withdraws from UFC Chile bout vs. Brandon Moreno due to child's surgery. mmafighting.com. Alexander K. Lee. 2018-04-27. 2018-04-28.
- News: Alexandre Pantoja replaces Ray Borg in bout against Brandon Moreno at UFC Santiago. sportv.globo.com. Raphael Marinho. 2018-04-28. 2018-04-29. pt.
- News: Oezdemir is forbidden to leave the US and the Shogun bout will be rescheduled. sportv.globo.com. Marcelo Barone and Raphael Marinho. 2018-03-13. 2018-03-13. pt.
- News: Volkan Oezdemir vs. 'Shogun' rebooked, now headlines UFC Fight Night 134 in Hamburg. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2018-04-23. 2018-04-23.
- Web site: UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman. Ultimate Fighting Championship. 2018-02-26.
- Web site: UFC Fight Night 129 bonuses: Early finishes among $50,000 winners. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2018-05-20. 2018-05-20.
