Gökhan Saki was scheduled to face Khalil Rountree Jr. at the event. However, Saki was removed from the card on November 28 after sustaining a knee injury. Subsequently, promotional newcomer Michał Oleksiejczuk was secured as his replacement.[9]
A welterweight bout between Abdul Razak Alhassan and Sabah Homasi was originally scheduled for this event, but later shifted to UFC 220. The pairing met previously at UFC 218, when Alhassan won via a controversial TKO.[11][12]
The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses:[14]
Fight of the Night: Cris Cyborg vs. Holly Holm
Performance of the Night: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tim Elliott
Reported payout
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses. The total disclosed payout for the event was $1,795,000.[15]
Cris Cyborg: $500,000 (no win bonus) def. Holly Holm: $300,000
Tim Elliott: $56,000 (includes $28,000 win bonus) def. Mark De La Rosa: $12,000
Aftermath
On January 17, it was announced that Calvillo tested positive for marijuana metabolites, stemming from an in-competition sample collected in conjunction with the event.[16]
On January 25, Oleksiejczuk was notified by USADA due to a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an in-competition sample collected in conjunction with this event.[17] On June 12, it was announced that he was suspended for one year by USADA. He was already suspended one year in March by the NSAC and his win over Rountree Jr. was overturned to a no contest. The suspensions will run concurrently.[18]
This was the final event refereed by "Big" John McCarthy, who was with the promotion since the second event. His final match refereed was the co-main event between Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Edson Barboza.
