UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal (also known as UFC Fight Night 79) was a mixed martial arts event held on November 28, 2015, at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea.[2][3]
| UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The poster for UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal | ||||
| Information | ||||
| Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
| Date | November 28, 2015 | |||
| Venue | Olympic Gymnastics Arena | |||
| City | Seoul, South Korea | |||
| Attendance | 12,156[1] | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background edit
The event was the first that the organization hosted in South Korea.[2]
A welterweight bout between former WEC and UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson and former top contender Thiago Alves was expected to headline the event.[3] However, on November 14, Alves pulled out the bout due to a broken rib and was replaced by Jorge Masvidal, who was originally scheduled to face Dong Hyun Kim.[4] Kim in turn faced Dominic Waters.[5]
A featherweight bout between Doo Ho Choi and Sam Sicilia was originally booked for UFC 173 and later UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee. However, Choi pulled out both times due to an injury and undisclosed reasons, respectively.[6][7] The fight was later rescheduled for this event.[8]
A heavyweight bout between the 2006 Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix champion and 2012 K-1 World Grand Prix champion Mirko Filipović and Anthony Hamilton was expected to serve as the co-main event. However, on November 10, Filipović abruptly announced his retirement, citing a shoulder injury as the main reason and also a series of recurring injuries and other effects of ageing.[9] Subsequently, on the following day, UFC officials confirmed that Filipović had in fact failed a drug test. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) notified both Filipović and the UFC that he has been provisionally suspended due to a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation. Filipovic revealed he had taken HGH (Human Growth Hormone) to help recover from his injuries. Promotion officials also announced that Hamilton had been removed from the card and would be rescheduled for a new bout at a future event.[10]
Hyun Gyu Lim was expected to face Dominique Steele at the event. However, Lim pulled out of the bout on November 20 and was replaced by promotional newcomer Dong Hyun Kim .[11]
Results edit
| Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)[12] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Welterweight | Benson Henderson | def. | Jorge Masvidal | Decision (split) (47–48, 48–47, 49–46) | 5 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Dong Hyun Kim | def. | Dominic Waters | TKO (punches) | 1 | 3:11 | |
| Welterweight | Alberto Mina | def. | Yoshihiro Akiyama | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Featherweight | Choi Doo-ho | def. | Sam Sicilia | TKO (punches) | 1 | 1:33 | |
| Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass) | |||||||
| Middleweight | Yang Dongi | def. | Jake Collier | TKO (punches) | 2 | 1:50 | |
| Featherweight | Mike De La Torre | def. | Yui Chul Nam | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Lightweight | Tae Hyun Bang | def. | Leo Kuntz | Decision (split) (28–29, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Women's Strawweight | Seo Hee Ham | def. | Cortney Casey | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Flyweight | Fredy Serrano | def. | Yao Zhikui | TKO (arm injury) | 1 | 0:44 | |
| Bantamweight | Marco Beltrán | def. | Ning Guangyou | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Dominique Steele | def. | Dong Hyun Ma | KO (slam) | 3 | 0:27 | |
Bonus awards edit
The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses:[13]
- Fight of the Night: Seo Hee Ham vs. Cortney Casey
- Performance of the Night: Doo Ho Choi and Dominique Steele
Aftermath edit
On November 24, 2017 at the Seoul Central District Court in South Korea, Tae Hyun Bang was sentenced to a 10-month in prison, for accepting bribes in connection to throw his fight against Leo Kuntz for US$92,160, where he bet half of the bribe money on Kuntz. The three "brokers" who set up the plot were also sentenced. UFC officials warned both fighters of potential fight fixing when they noticed a big odd shift in the betting lines leading into the event. Therefore, Bang abandoned his plan and went on to win the fight. It was also reported that some mafia members issued death threats on Bang for they had bet US$1.7 million in favor of Kuntz to win.[14]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Staff (2015-11-28). "UFC Fight Night 79 draws reported 12,156 attendance for first event in South Korea". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
- ^ a b Dave Doyle (2015-05-16). "UFC announces debut South Korean event will be held on Nov. 28". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ a b Staff (2015-08-23). "Main Card Announced For First Seoul Event". ufc.com. Retrieved 2015-08-24.
- ^ Guilherme Cruz (2015-11-14). "Jorge Masvidal in for injured Thiago Alves vs. Ben Henderson at UFC Fight Night 79". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
- ^ Staff (2015-11-15). "Dong Hyun Kim draws Dominic Waters at UFC Fight Night 79". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ Staff (2014-05-05). "Sam Sicilia now meets newcomer Aaron Phillips at UFC 173 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
- ^ Staff (2015-06-28). "Doo Ho Choi forced out of featured UFC Fight Night 71 prelim". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
- ^ Staff (2015-09-01). "Doo Ho Choi vs. Sam Sicilia added to UFC Fight Night 79". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
- ^ Staff (2015-11-10). "'Cro Cop' pulls out of UFC Fight Night 79 co-headliner, announces MMA retirement". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
- ^ Staff (2015-11-11). "Officials: Recently retired 'Cro Cop' first UFC fighter to fail USADA drug test". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
- ^ Staff (2015-11-20). "The "Maestro" replaces Lim on Seoul card". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Masvidal". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2015-08-24.
- ^ Staff (2015-11-28). "UFC Fight Night 79 bonuses: Dominique Steele's slam KO is a $50,000 no-brainer". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
- ^ Staff (2017-11-24). "Report: Tae Hyun Bang sentenced to 10-month prison term for fight-fixing scheme at UFC Fight Night 79". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-11-24.