''UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Till'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 118'') 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 October 21, 2017 at

Ergo Arena Ergo Arena (Hala Gdańsk-Sopot) is a multi-purpose indoor arena that was opened in 2010. The boundary between two cities – Sopot and Gdańsk – runs through the very middle of the hall. The arena has a capacity of 11,409 people for sports eve ...

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Background

This event was the first that the UFC has hosted in Gdańsk and the second in Poland, after UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 in April 2015. The promotion was initially targeting a middleweight bout between

Thiago Santos Thiago de Lima Santos (born January 7, 1984) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division. Santos competed in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and in the Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

and promotional newcomer

Michał Materla Michał Materla (born April 10, 1984) is a Polish mixed martial artist. He currently competes for the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW), where he is former KSW Middleweight Champion. , He is currently ranked #6 in KSW Middleweight rankings. Back ...

to headline the event. However it was revealed on 1 September that Materla had reneged on his agreement with the UFC and was re-signing with the Polish regional promotion KSW. In turn, Santos was removed from the card and faced

Jack Hermansson Jack Berndhard Hermansson (born 10 June 1988) is a Swedish and Norwegian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former middleweight champion in ...

a week later at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida. Subsequently, a welterweight bout between former

UFC Lightweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

challenger

Donald Cerrone Donald Anthony Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname "Cowboy", is an American former professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and actor. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight divisions of the Ultima ...

and

Darren Till Darren Till (born 24 December 1992) is an English professional mixed martial artist, former Muay Thai fighter, and professional boxer. Born in Liverpool, Till started his Muay Thai training at the age of 12 and turned professional three years la ...

was tabbed as the event headliner. A heavyweight bout between

Dmitry Smolyakov Dmitry (); Church Slavic form: Dimitry or Dimitri (); ancient Russian forms: D'mitriy or Dmitr ( or ) is a male given name common in Orthodox Christian culture, the Russian version of Demetrios (, ). The meaning of the name is "devoted to, dedic ...

and promotional newcomer Adam Wieczorek was initially scheduled to take place at

UFC 214 ''UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on July 29, 2017, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background A PPV event was initially planned for Anaheim on Ja ...

. However, the bout was removed from that card for undisclosed reasons on July 17 and was expected take place at this event. In turn, Smolyakov was removed from the event on October 4 and was replaced by Anthony Hamilton. The bout was scratched a day before the event due to "safety concerns," as a few

Lechia Gdańsk Lechia Gdańsk () is a Polish football (soccer), football club based in Gdańsk. As of the 2025–26 Ekstraklasa, 2025–26 season, they compete in the Ekstraklasa. The club was founded in 1945 by people Polish population transfers (1944–1946 ...

ultras Ultras are a type of association football fans who are known for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tendency ...

– extreme and sometimes violent

supporters In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up. Historically, supporters were left to an individual's fr ...

of the local football team – showed up just prior to the weigh-ins. Wieczorek is a supporter of

Ruch Chorzów Ruch Chorzów () is a Polish professional association football, football club based in Chorzów, Upper Silesia. It is one of the most successful football teams in Poland, having won fourteen List of Polish football champions, Polish Championship ...

, a Lechia Gdańsk rival team. The fighters were absent from ceremonial weigh-ins due to that reason, but the bout was eventually canceled and rescheduled for UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura a month later. Promotional newcomer Przemysław Mysiala was expected to face

Jimi Manuwa Babajimi Abiola "Jimi" Manuwa (born 18 February 1980) is an American-born English retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Light heavyweight (MMA), light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. E ...

at the event. However, Mysiala could not resign from

Absolute Championship Berkut Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), formerly known as Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), is a Chechen mixed martial arts, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu organization and one of the leading promotions in Europe. To date, most events have been ...

, therefore the bout never materialized.

Teemu Packalén Teemu Packalén (born May 22, 1987) is a retired Finnish mixed martial artist. He was the Amateur Champion of Finland and the Finnish Open Championship winner in 2010. Packalén competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champi ...

was expected to face

Marcin Held Marcin Held (born January 18, 1992) is a Polish mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). He is currently ranked #5 in the Konfrontacj ...

at the event. However Packalen pulled out of the fight on October 5 citing a knee injury. He was replaced by promotional newcomer Nasrat Haqparast. Trevor Smith was expected to face

Ramazan Emeev Ramazan Dadaevich Emeev (; born May 20, 1987) is a Russian mixed martial artist. He is Combat Sambo World Champion who currently fights in the Welterweight division. He is a former M-1 Global middleweight champion and fought in the Ultimate Fig ...

at the event. However, Smith pulled out of the bout in early October citing injury and was replaced by

Sam Alvey Sam Alvey (born May 6, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the current Karate Combat Heavyweight Champion. A professional MMA competi ...

. On October 15, it was announced that

Jim Wallhead Jim Wallhead (born 14 March 1984) is an English former professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division. He has competed for BAMMA, Bellator MMA, Bellator, and M-1 Challenge and ...

pulled out of his welterweight bout against The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 middleweight winner

Warlley Alves Warlley Alves (born 4 January 1991) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2011, Warlley made a name for himsel ...

due to an injury. He was replaced by promotional newcomer

Salim Touahri Salim Touahri (born September 28, 1989) is a Polish mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Early career Touahri amassed a professional mixed martial a ...

. At the weigh-ins, Alvey missed the middleweight limit of 185 pounds, coming in at 189 pounds. He was fined 20% of his purse and his bout with Emeev proceeded at a catchweight.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses: * Fight of the Night: Brian Kelleher vs. Damian Stasiak * Performance of the Night: Darren Till and Jan Błachowicz

References

{{UFC Events UFC Fight Night 2017 in mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts in Poland Sports competitions in Gdańsk October 2017 sports events in Europe 21st century in Gdańsk

Background

Results

Bonus awards

See also

References