UFC 291

''UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 29, 2023, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.

Background

The event marked the promotion's third visit to Salt Lake City and first since UFC 278 in August 2022.

A lightweight rematch between former interim UFC Lightweight Champions Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje (also former WSOF Lightweight Champion) headlined the event. They also competed for the symbolic "BMF" (''baddest motherfucker'') title, which was vacated after the original holder Jorge Masvidal retired in April. The pairing first met at UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje in April 2018 which Poirier won by fourth-round TKO. The fight was considered "Fight of the Year" by several media channels.

A welterweight bout between former UFC Welterweight Championship challenger Stephen Thompson and Michel Pereira was expected to take place at UFC 289, but contracts were never signed and the bout was rescheduled for this event instead. At the weigh-ins, Pereira weighed in at 174 pounds, three pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit. As a result, the bout was scrapped.

Matthew Semelsberger and Yohan Lainesse were scheduled to meet in a welterweight bout at the event. However on July 10, Lainesse was removed from the event for undisclosed reasons and replaced by Uroš Medić.

Joanne Wood was expected to face Priscila Cachoeira in a women's flyweight bout on the preliminary card. However, Wood pulled out in mid-July due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Miranda Maverick.

A welterweight matchup between Jake Matthews and Miguel Baeza was booked for this event. However on July 19, Baeza pulled out due to an undisclosed reason. He was replaced by promotional newcomer Darrius Flowers.

Former UFC Middleweight Championship challenger Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov were expected to meet at the event. However, the promotion opted to scrap the pairing and instead move them to UFC 294 in October matching them up with Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov, respectively.

At the weigh-ins, Vinicius Salvador weighed in at 128.5 pounds, two and an half pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. His bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 20 percent of his purse, which went to his opponent C.J. Vergara.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.
*Fight of the Night: No bonus awarded.
*Performance of the Night: Justin Gaethje, Derrick Lewis, Bobby Green, and Kevin Holland

Reported payout

The following is the limited reported payout to the athletes as reported to the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission. The athletes were able to choose whether or not they wanted to disclose their purse to the public. It does not include sponsor money or "locker room" bonuses often given by the UFC.
*Kevin Holland: $356,000 (includes $178,000 win bonus) def. Michael Chiesa
*Bobby Green: $300,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus) def. Tony Ferguson
*CJ Vergara: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus) def. Vinicius Salvador
*Gabriel Bonfim: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Trevin Giles

See also

* List of UFC events
* List of current UFC fighters
* 2023 in UFC

References

{{2023 in mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship flagship events
2023 in mixed martial arts
July 2023 sports events in the United States
Mixed martial arts in Utah
Sports competitions in Salt Lake City
2023 in sports in Utah