''UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Aldo'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 31'' and ''UFC Vegas 44'') 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 ( ...
that took place on December 4, 2021, at the
UFC Apex
UFC Apex (stylized as UFC APEX) is a live events and production center in Enterprise, Nevada, operated and owned by TKO Group Holdings (TKO). The venue hosts events held by TKO's two divisions, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE, as ...
facility in
Enterprise, Nevada
Enterprise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas Valley in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 221,831 at the 2020 U.S. census, up from 14,676 at the 2000 census. It was founded on December 17, 1996. As in other uninc ...
, part of the
Las Vegas Metropolitan Area
Clark County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Nevada with 2,265,461 residents as of the 2020 census. The county is the location of the state's three largest cities, Las Vegas (the county seat), Henderson, and North Las Vegas ...
, United States.
Background
A bantamweight bout between
Rob Font and former
WEC and two-time
UFC Featherweight Champion
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 clas ...
José Aldo
José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júnior (; born 9 September 1986), known as José Aldo, is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer who competed in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions of the Ultimate F ...
served as the event headliner.
Jimmy Crute and
Jamahal Hill were expected to meet in a light heavyweight bout at
UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker, but they were eventually rescheduled for this event.
A heavyweight bout between
Tanner Boser and
Sergei Pavlovich was scheduled for this event. However, the bout was scrapped due to travel issues.
A middleweight bout between
Maki Pitolo and
Duško Todorović
Duško Todorović (born May 19, 1994) is a Serbian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight (MMA), Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Background
Todorović started training taekwond ...
took place at the event. They were originally scheduled for
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai, but Pitolo pulled out due to undisclosed reasons.
A women's strawweight bout featuring
Montserrat Ruiz and
Mallory Martin was expected to take place at the event. However, Ruiz pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by
Cheyanne Vlismas.
Brad Tavares was expected to face
Brendan Allen in a middleweight bout. He eventually pulled out in mid November and was replaced by
Roman Dolidze.
In turn, Dolidze was forced to pull out due to complications in his recovery from
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
and was replaced by
Chris Curtis.
[ ]
A light heavyweight bout between
William Knight and
Alonzo Menifield
Alonzo Theodoro Menifield (born October 18, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2015, he has formerly fought in Bellato ...
took place at this event.
[ ] They were previously expected to meet at
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gane and
UFC 260, but the contest was cancelled both times due to
positive COVID-19 tests from Menifield and Knight, respectively.
A welterweight bout between
Matt Brown and
Bryan Barberena was scheduled for the event. However, on November 23, Brown was removed from the contest due to
testing positive for COVID-19.
He was replaced by Darian Weeks.
Philipe Lins was expected to face
Azamat Murzakanov in a light heavyweight bout at the event. However, Lins withdrew from the event due to undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by
Jared Vanderaa, therefore changing the bout to heavyweight.
[ ] Shortly after the weigh-ins, officials had announced that the bout had been cancelled due to Vanderaa not being medically cleared.
A welterweight bout between
Jake Matthews and
Jeremiah Wells was expected to take place at the event. However, just hours before taking place, the bout was cancelled after one of Wells' cornermen
tested positive for COVID-19.
Results
Bonus awards
The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.
* Fight of the Night: Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Mallory Martin
* Performance of the Night: Rafael Fiziev, Jamahal Hill, Clay Guida, and Chris Curtis
See also
*
List of UFC events
List of UFC events is a list of events held and scheduled by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. UFC's first event, UFC 1, took place on November 12, 1993. Each UFC event contains ...
*
List of current UFC fighters
This list of current UFC fighters records current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters' information, country origins, recent fighter signings and departures, fight schedules and results and the champion of each division. , the UFC roster c ...
*
2021 in UFC
References
{{2021 in mixed martial arts
UFC on ESPN
2021 in mixed martial arts
December 2021 sports events in the United States
2021 in sports in Nevada
Ultimate Fighting Championship events in Enterprise, Nevada