''UFC on ESPN: Smith vs. Clark'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 18'' and ''UFC Vegas 15'') was a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

event produced by the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

that took place on November 28, 2020, at the

UFC Apex UFC Apex (stylised as UFC APEX) is a live events and production center in Enterprise, Nevada, operated and owned by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The facility was chosen in part due to its close proximity to the UFC Performance Instit ...

facility in

Enterprise, Nevada Enterprise is an Unincorporated towns in Nevada, unincorporated town in the Las Vegas Valley in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 221,831 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, up from 14,676 at the United Stat ...

, part of the

Las Vegas Metropolitan Area The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area is ...

, United States.

Background

A heavyweight bout between

Curtis Blaydes Curtis Lionell Blaydes (born February 18, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, Blayde ...

and former

UFC Heavyweight 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

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts ...

was expected to serve as the event headliner. However, Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19 a day before the event and the bout was cancelled.

Shamil Gamzatov Shamil Radzhabovich Gamzatov (russian: Шамиль Раджабович Гамзатов; born August 9, 1990, in Dagestan) is a Russian mixed martial artist competing in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional since 2012, he has compet ...

was briefly linked to a fight with Devin Clark at the event. However, Gamzatov was removed from the bout in mid-October due to alleged

visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

issues and replaced by former

UFC Light Heavyweight 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 Anthony Smith. Originally scheduled to be a three-round co-main event, this bout was promoted to serve as the new five-round headliner after the cancellation of the original main event. A featherweight bout between

Sean Woodson Sean Woodson (born June 7, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Growing up in North County, Sean Woodson’s dad was the driving in ...

and Jonathan Pearce was scheduled for the event. However, Woodson withdrew a week before the event due to unknown reasons and was replaced by

Kai Kamaka III Jonathan Kai Kamaka III (born January 5, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of Bellator MMA. He also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Kai started training martia ...

Renato Moicano Renato Alves Carneiro better known as Renato Moicano (born May 21, 1989) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2010, Moicano made a ...

and

Rafael Fiziev Rafael Fiziev (born March 5, 1993) is an Azerbaijani professional mixed martial artist and Muay Thai fighter, who currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 24, 2022, he is #6 in the ...

were expected to meet in a lightweight bout at this event. However, Moicano pulled out on November 21 after testing positive for COVID-19 and the bout was rescheduled for

UFC 256 ''UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 12, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. A flyweight bout between

Amir Albazi Amir Albazi (born October 27, 1993) is an Iraqi mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the UFC. As of December 19, 2022, he is #7 in the UFC flyweight rankings. Early life Amir was born in Baghdad. When he was seven y ...

and

Zhalgas Zhumagulov Zhalgas Mukhambet (born August 29, 1988) better known as Zhalgas Zhumagulov, is a retired Kazakh mixed martial artist who competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early career Zhumagulov ...

was expected to take place at this event. However, it was announced on November 24 that Zhumagulov pulled out due to visa issues and the bout was rescheduled for

UFC 257 ''UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 24, 2021 at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background Starting with ...

. At the weigh-ins, Norma Dumont Viana weighed in at 139.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the women's bantamweight non-title fight limit. Her bout proceeded at catchweight and she was fined 30% of her individual purse, which went to her opponent

Ashlee Evans-Smith Ashlee Nicole Evans-Smith (born July 9, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's women's flyweight and bantamweight divisions. She has her own podcast called Sex & Violence with Rebel Girl. Mix ...

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses. *Fight of the Night: No bonus awarded. *Performance of the Night: Anthony Smith, Miguel Baeza, Su Mudaerji and Nathan Maness

References

{{2020 in mixed martial arts UFC on ESPN 2020 in mixed martial arts 2020 in sports in Nevada Mixed martial arts in Las Vegas Sports competitions in Las Vegas November 2020 sports events in the United States

Background

Results

Bonus awards

See also

References