''UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 161'' or '' UFC on ESPN+ 19'') was a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

event produced by the

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

that took place on October 12, 2019 at

Amalie Arena Amalie Arena (officially stylized as AMALIE Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Tampa, Florida, United States, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, arena football, concerts, and other events. It is mainly used as the home for the Tamp ...

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

Background

Officially announced by the organization, the event was initially linked to the newly constructed

Chase Center Chase Center is an indoor arena in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It is the home of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Golden State Valkyries of the Women's National Basketball A ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, which would have marked the promotion's first visit to the city. It would have also been the first trip to the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

since UFC 117 in 2010. However, the plans for a San Francisco debut fizzled and the promotion confirmed that the event would instead take place in Tampa, Florida. The event marked the promotion's third visit to Tampa and its second visit to Amalie Arena, following UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs. Evans in April of 2016. A women's strawweight bout between former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion

Joanna Jędrzejczyk Joanna Jędrzejczyk (, born August 18, 1987) is a Polish former professional mixed martial artist, Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. Jędrzejczyk competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she holds several records and is a forme ...

and former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion

Michelle Waterson Michelle Eileen Waterson-Gomez (born January 6, 1986) is an American former mixed martial artist, actress, stuntwoman, and model who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is the former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. Betwe ...

served as the event headliner. A middleweight bout between The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia light heavyweight winner Andrew Sanchez and Marvin Vettori was originally scheduled for September 14 at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje. However, the bout was canceled after Sanchez was pulled during the week leading up to the event due to an eye infection. In turn, the pairing was left intact and rescheduled for this event. Promotional newcomer Brok Weaver was scheduled to face Thomas Gifford in a lightweight out at the event. However, Weaver pulled out of the bout on October 6 for undisclosed reasons. He was replaced by Mike Davis.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses. *Fight of the Night: Cub Swanson vs. Kron Gracie *Performance of the Night: Niko Price and Marlon Vera

References

{{2019 in mixed martial arts UFC Fight Night 2019 in mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts in Florida Sports competitions in Tampa, Florida Events in Tampa, Florida

Background

Results

Bonus awards

See also

References