''UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 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 ( ...

that was held on March 30, 2019 at the

Wells Fargo Center Wells Fargo Center may refer to: * Wells Fargo Center (Los Angeles), California * Wells Fargo Center (Sacramento), California * Wells Fargo Center (San Francisco), California * Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, California * Wells Fargo C ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Background

This was the third UFC event in Philadelphia and the first since

UFC 133 ''UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 6, 2011, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of mun ...

in August 2011. A lightweight bout between

Edson Barboza Edson Mendes Barboza Júnior (born January 21, 1986) is a Brazilian and American professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ...

and former WSOF Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje served as the event headliner. A strawweight bout between

Alexa Grasso Karen Alexa Grasso Montes (born August 9, 1993) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is a former UFC Women's Flyweight Champion. Gr ...

and

Marina Rodriguez Marina Alcalde Rodriguez (born April 29, 1987) is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist. She competed in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), achieving an 8-5 record, with 2 draws in the promotion. ...

was scheduled at UFC Fight Night: Assunção vs. Moraes 2. However, it was reported on December 17, that Rodriguez pulled out of the event due to a hand injury. The pairing was left intact and rescheduled for this event. In turn, it was reported that Grasso was pulled from the bout due to injury and replaced by former WSOF Women's Strawweight Champion Jessica Aguilar. A bantamweight bout between former

UFC Flyweight 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 classe ...

challenger

Ray Borg Ray Borg (born August 4, 1993), is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor until 2023, Borg is best known for his 12–fight tenure in the Ultima ...

and

Liu Pingyuan Liu Pingyuan (born February 13, 1993) is a Chinese mixed martial artist (MMA), who competed in the bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Early career Liu started his professional MMA car ...

was scheduled to take place at the event. However, it was reported on March 13, that Liu was replaced by newcomer

Kyler Phillips Kyler John Phillips (born June 12, 1995) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 27, 2024, he is #12 in the UFC bantamweight ra ...

for an undisclosed reason. In turn, Phillips was removed from the card on March 25 for undisclosed reasons and replaced by Casey Kenney. At the weigh-ins, Borg weighed in at 137.75 lb, 1.75 lb over the bantamweight non-title fight limit of 136 lb. He was fined 20% of his fight purse and his bout against Kenney proceeded at catchweight.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses: *Fight of the Night: Justin Gaethje vs. Edson Barboza *Performance of the Night: Jack Hermansson and Paul Craig

References

{{2019 in mixed martial arts UFC on ESPN 2019 in mixed martial arts 2019 in sports in Pennsylvania March 2019 sports events in the United States Mixed martial arts in Pennsylvania Sports competitions in Philadelphia Events in Philadelphia

Background

Results

Bonus awards

See also

References