''UFC 215: Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2'' was a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

event produced by the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

held on September 9, 2017, at

Rogers Place Rogers Place is a multi-use indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Construction started in March 2014, and the building officially opened on September 8, 2016. The arena has a seating capacity of 18,347 as a ice hockey, hockey venue and 20,73 ...

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Background

The promotion was initially planning a PPV event for August 19 at a venue to be in announced in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(presumably

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

), possibly with UFC Flyweight Champion and Seattle-area resident Demetrious Johnson. However, those plans were nixed on June 26, though no exact reason was given. Therefore, an originally scheduled UFC 216 to be held at

, on September 9 was renamed as UFC 215. While the UFC has hosted many events across Canada, the event was the first held in Edmonton (second in Alberta, after UFC 149 in 2012). Zuffa hosted a World Extreme Cagefighting event, WEC 49, at Rexall Place in Edmonton in June 2010. A UFC Flyweight Championship bout between current champion Demetrious Johnson and Ray Borg was expected to serve as the event headliner. If successful in his title defense, Johnson would have become the UFC fighter with most title defenses of all time, with a total of eleven. In turn, the fight was canceled a day before the event, as Borg was forced to withdraw from the fight on Thursday evening due to illness. According to multiple sources, Borg was battling an illness and was deemed unfit to fight by UFC doctors. His illness was unrelated to his weight cut, sources say. The fight was later rescheduled for UFC 216 the following month. A UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between current champion Amanda Nunes and multiple-time

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

world champion Valentina Shevchenko took place at this event. The pairing met previously in March 2016 at UFC 196, with Nunes winning by unanimous decision. The pairing was initially expected to meet again at

UFC 213 ''UFC 213: Romero vs. Whittaker'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 8, 2017, at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas–Paradise, NV MSA, Las Vegas metropolitan area. B ...

. However, the bout was canceled just hours before the event started as Nunes pulled out, citing an illness despite being medically cleared to fight. Due to the cancelation of the Johnson-Borg bout, this fight acted as the new main event. A women's bantamweight bout between Sara McMann and

Ketlen Vieira Ketlen Vieira da Silva (born 26 August 1991) is a Brazilian professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who currently competes in the women's Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 8 ...

was expected to take place at UFC 214, but on July 7 it was announced that the bout was moved to this event. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos was expected to face Francis Ngannou, but on August 18 it was announced that he was pulled from the card after being notified by USADA of a potential doping violation. He was flagged after an out-of-competition drug test conducted August 10. Dos Santos tested positive for

hydrochlorothiazide Hydrochlorothiazide, sold under the brand name Hydrodiuril among others, is a diuretic medication used to treat hypertension and swelling due to fluid build-up. Other uses include treating diabetes insipidus and renal tubular acidosis and t ...

and his team is currently working on testing supplements as a possible source for it. In turn, Ngannou was removed from the card after promotion officials deemed that a suitable opponent could not be arranged.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses: *Fight of the Night: Jeremy Stephens vs. Gilbert Melendez *Performance of the Night: Rafael dos Anjos and Henry Cejudo

References

{{2017 in mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship flagship events Events in Edmonton 2017 in mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts in Canada Sports competitions in Edmonton September 2017 sports events in Canada

Background

Results

Bonus awards

See also

References