UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya
PromotionUltimate Fighting Championship
DateOctober 6, 2019
VenueMarvel Stadium
CityMelbourne, Australia
Attendance57,127[1]
Gate$5,470,000[1]
PreviouseventUFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier
FollowingeventUFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson

UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 6, 2019, at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.[2][3]

Background

The event was the fourth that the promotion had contested in Melbourne and second at the venue, following UFC 193 in November 2015.[3]

A UFC Middleweight Championship unification bout between the champion Robert Whittaker (also The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes welterweight winner) and undefeated interim champion Israel Adesanya served as the event's headliner.[4]

A women's bantamweight bout between former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm and former title challenger Raquel Pennington was expected to take place at this event.[5] The pairing previously met at UFC 184 in February 2015, when Holm won via split decision in her UFC debut.[6] However, on September 27, it was revealed that Holm withdrew from the bout due to a hamstring injury and the bout was cancelled.[7]

At the weigh-ins, Khalid Taha and Ji Yeon Kim missed the required weight for their respective fights. Taha weighed in at 137 pounds, 1 pound over the bantamweight non-title fight limit of 136. Meanwhile, Kim weighed in at 128 pounds, 2 pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit of 126. Both bouts were held at catchweight. Taha and Kim were fined 20% and 30% of their purse respectively, which went to their opponents Bruno Gustavo da Silva and Nadia Kassem.[8]

Results

[9]

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.[10]

  • Fight of the Night: Brad Riddell vs. Jamie Mullarkey
  • Performance of the Night: Israel Adesanya and Yorgan de Castro

Records set

UFC 243 broke the attendance record for a UFC event with a total of 57,127 people. The previous record (56,214) had been set at the same venue in November 2015 at UFC 193.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ Staff (2019-10-06). "UFC 243 sets new UFC attendance record, Adesanya gets a bonus". asiamma.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-06. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  2. ^ Staff (2019-07-23). "UFC 243, Robert Whiitaker v Israel Adesanya fight set for Melbourne on October 5". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  3. ^ Nick Walshaw (2019-07-23). "Record crowd expected for Aussie UFC blockbuster". dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  4. ^ Tyler Conway (2019-07-23). "Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya to headline UFC 243 card in Melbourne". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  5. ^ Paul Kasabian (2019-08-07). "Report: Holly Holm to Face Raquel Pennington at UFC 243". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  6. ^ Brent Brookhouse (2015-02-28). "UFC 184 results, photos: Heavily hyped Holly Holm takes split from Raquel Pennington". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  7. ^ Damon Martin (2019-07-29). "Holly Holm reveals the injury that forced her out of the fight against Raquel Pennington at UFC 243". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  8. ^ Staff (2019-10-04). "UFC 243 weigh-in results: Two miss weight, but Whittaker vs. Adesanya official". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  9. ^ "UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  10. ^ Alexander Lee (2019-10-06). "UFC 243 bonuses: Israel Adesanya rewarded for championship-winning knockout". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2019-10-06.