| UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The poster for UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker | ||||
| Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
| Date | June 27, 2020 (2020-06-27) | |||
| Venue | UFC Apex | |||
| City | Enterprise, Nevada, United States | |||
| Attendance | None (behind closed doors)[1] | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker (also known asUFC on ESPN 12 andUFC Vegas 4) was amixed martial arts event produced by theUltimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 27, 2020 at theUFC Apex facility inEnterprise, Nevada, part of theLas Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States.[2][3]
The event was initially scheduled to take place at theFrank Erwin Center inAustin, Texas.[4] Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, UFC presidentDana White announced on April 9 that starting withUFC 249, all future events were indefinitely postponed.[5] The event would have marked the promotion's fourth visit to Austin, followingUFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros in February 2018.[4] On May 21, the UFC announced the cancelation of the event in Austin.[2]
A lightweight bout between former interimUFC Lightweight ChampionDustin Poirier andDan Hooker headlined the event.[6][7] The pairing was previously expected to headlinean event on May 16 inSan Diego,California.[8] That event was effectively canceled on April 20, after theCalifornia State Athletic Commission (CSAC) extended a moratorium on combat sports events through May 31 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][9]
A women's flyweight bout betweenAlexa Grasso andJi Yeon Kim was initially scheduled for this event.[10] However, the bout was rescheduled and would take place on August 29 atUFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakić.[11]
Ian Heinisch was expected to faceBrendan Allen at the event. However, Heinisch pulled out of the matchup in mid-June citing injury and was replaced by promotional newcomerKyle Daukaus.[12]
A women's flyweight bout between formerInvicta FC Flyweight ChampionJennifer Maia andViviane Araújo was initially scheduled for this event.[13] However, the bout was rescheduled in mid-June and moved toUFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan on August 1 after both participants facedtravel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]
A women's bantamweight bout betweenAspen Ladd and formerUFC Women's Bantamweight Championship challenger (also2004 Olympic silver medalist in wrestling)Sara McMann was scheduled for the event. However, the bout was scrapped after Ladd suffered an injury and was forced to withdraw from the event, tearing both heranterior cruciate ligament (ACL) andmedial collateral ligament (MCL) in training.[15]
A catchweight bout betweenSean Woodson andKyle Nelson was scheduled for the event. However, Nelson was pulled from the event due to avisa issue and replaced byJulian Erosa.[16]
A women's flyweight bout betweenMiranda Maverick andMara Romero Borella was scheduled for the event. However, Maverick was forced to pull out due to injury and the bout was scrapped.[17]
Ramiz Brahimaj was scheduled to faceTakashi Sato at the event. However, Brahimaj was pulled from the fight during the week leading up to the event in an abundance of caution, after acornerman of histested positive for COVID-19. Promotional newcomerJason Witt stepped in as a replacement to face Sato.[18]
| Main card (ESPN) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Lightweight | Dustin Poirier | def. | Dan Hooker | Decision (unanimous) (48–47, 48–47, 48–46) | 5 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Mike Perry | def. | Mickey Gall | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Heavyweight | Maurice Greene | def. | Gian Villante | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | 3 | 3:44 | |
| Middleweight | Brendan Allen | def. | Kyle Daukaus | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Takashi Sato | def. | Jason Witt | TKO (punches) | 1 | 0:48 | |
| Catchweight (150 lb) | Julian Erosa | def. | Sean Woodson | Submission (D’Arce choke) | 3 | 2:44 | |
| Preliminary card (ESPN) | |||||||
| Lightweight | Khama Worthy | def. | Luis Peña | Submission (guillotine choke) | 3 | 2:53 | |
| Heavyweight | Tanner Boser | def. | Philipe Lins | KO (punches) | 1 | 2:41 | |
| Women's Strawweight | Kay Hansen | def. | Jinh Yu Frey | Submission (armbar) | 3 | 2:26 | |
| Featherweight | Youssef Zalal | def. | Jordan Griffin | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.[20]
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to theNevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). 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 $1,140,000.[21]
On August 5, it was announced that the NSAC issued a temporary suspension forLuis Peña, after he tested positive formarijuana in his pre-fight screenings.[22] On September 3, the NSAC announced that Peña was suspended four and a half months and fined 15% of his fight purse. The reduced suspension was due to his fight being taken on short notice.[23]
