''UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 29'' and ''UFC Vegas 34'') 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 August 21, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, 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 middleweight bout between former

UFC Middleweight 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

Paulo Costa Paulo Henrique Costa (born 21 April 1991) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 1, 2022, he is #6 in the UFC middleweight ...

and

Jared Cannonier Jared Cannonier (born March 16, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently fights in the Middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 15, 2022, he is #3 in the UFC middleweight ran ...

was expected headline this event. However, on June 4, Costa withdrew from the bout due to unknown reasons and was replaced by former interim title challenger and The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen middleweight winner

Kelvin Gastelum Kelvin Gastelum (born October 24, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Gastelum has competed for the UFC since he won '' The Ul ...

. Costa later claimed he never signed the bout agreement and had issues with his payment, while not confirming them as the reason for his withdrawal. A heavyweight bout between

Chase Sherman Chase Sherman (born November 16, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former bare-knuckle boxer. A professional MMA competitor since 2014, he has competed for the UFC and Titan FC. Background Born and raised in D'Ibervill ...

and

Parker Porter Parker Frederick Porter (born April 22, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Porter played baseball, lacrosse and football in his youth. After high s ...

took place at this event. The pairing was previously scheduled to take place at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum, but Porter was removed from that contest due to undisclosed reasons.

Brian Kelleher Brian Matthew Kelleher (born August 19, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Kelleher currently competes in the Bantamweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Kelleher ...

and Domingo Pilarte met in a bantamweight bout at this event. The pairing was previously scheduled to take place in November 2018 at

UFC 230 ''UFC 230: Cormier vs. Lewis'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on November 3, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Background A UFC Heavyweight Championship bo ...

, but Pilarte pulled out due to injury. A bantamweight bout between Mana Martinez and Jesse Strader was expected to take place at this event. However, just over a week before the event, Strader withdrew from the bout for unknown reasons and was replaced by

Trevin Jones Trevin Anthony Jones (born August 4, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist living on the US Territory of Guam, who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Jones started his MMA career when he fi ...

. In turn, Martinez pulled out during fight week due to undisclosed reasons. Jones was then matched up with Saidyokub Kakhramonov. At the weigh-ins, Kakhramonov weighed in at 138.5 pounds, two and a half pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and he forfeited 20% of his purse to Jones. A women's flyweight bout between

Cortney Casey Cortney Ann Casey (born 5 May 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division. She is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Casey is of Mexican descent. A former Divisio ...

and

Liana Jojua Liana Jojua (born March 22, 1995) is a Georgian mixed martial artist who competed in the Flyweight division. She has formerly fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and is also the former Fight Nights Global Women's Bantamweight Cham ...

in women's flyweight was scheduled for this event. However, Jojua was forced out of the fight due to visa issues. The matchup is expected to remain intact and be rescheduled for a later event.

Antônio Braga Neto Antônio Braga Neto (born October 29, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and grappler. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a gold medalist in both the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship and Pan American Champi ...

and Abdul Razak Alhassan were expected to meet in a middleweight bout at this event. They were eventually rescheduled for UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze the following week.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses. *Fight of the Night: No bonus awarded. *Performance of the Night: Alexandre Pantoja, Josiane Nunes, William Knight and Ignacio Bahamondes

References

{{2021 in mixed martial arts UFC on ESPN 2021 in mixed martial arts August 2021 sports events in the United States 2021 in sports in Nevada Events in Enterprise, Nevada Ultimate Fighting Championship events in Las Vegas

Background

Results

Bonus awards

See also

References