UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill

UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill
The poster for UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill
Information
Promotion	Ultimate Fighting Championship
Date	September 12, 2020 (2020-09-12)
Venue	UFC Apex
City	Enterprise, Nevada, United States
Attendance	None (behind closed doors) [1]
Event chronology
UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley

UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill (also known as UFC Fight Night 177, UFC on ESPN+ 35 and UFC Vegas 10) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 12, 2020, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ^[2]

Background

A light heavyweight bout between former UFC Light Heavyweight Championship challengers Thiago Santos and Glover Teixeira was originally scheduled to serve as the event headliner. ^[3] However, it was announced on September 3 that Teixeira tested positive for COVID-19 and the bout was rescheduled for October 3 at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana. ^[4]

A women's strawweight bout between former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Michelle Waterson and former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Angela Hill was initially scheduled to take place three weeks earlier at UFC on ESPN: Munhoz vs. Edgar. ^[5] However, due to undisclosed personal reasons for Waterson, the bout was moved to this event. ^[6] Subsequently, the pairing was announced as the new main event after the postponement of Santos/Teixeira. ^{[7] [8]} This was the first time in UFC history that a bout involving an African-American woman served as the event headliner. ^[9]

A lightweight bout between Roosevelt Roberts and Matt Frevola was previously scheduled to take place at another event earlier in the year. ^[10] However, that event was cancelled in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[11] The pairing was rescheduled for this event. ^[12] In turn, Frevola pulled out of the fight on September 11 citing an injury and was replaced by Kevin Croom. ^[13]

A light heavyweight bout between Ed Herman and Gerald Meerschaert was previously scheduled for August 1 at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan. ^[14] However, on the day of the event it was announced that the bout had been scrapped from the card after Meerschaert tested positive for COVID-19. ^[15] The pairing was left intact and was rescheduled for this event. ^[16] In turn, Meerschaert once again pulled out of the bout and was replaced by John Allan. Allan already had a bout booked against Roman Dolidze on November 21 at UFC 255, but was expected to compete in both of them. ^[17] Herman then suffered another opponent change on September 3, as Allan pulled out due to visa issues and was replaced by Mike Rodríguez. ^[18]

A lightweight bout between Khama Worthy and Ottman Azaitar was previously scheduled to take place earlier this year at UFC 249. ^[19] However, the event was cancelled in early April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[20] The pairing was then rescheduled for UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai a week earlier. ^[21] In turn, they were moved to this event due to undisclosed reasons. ^[22]

A lightweight bout between Alan Patrick and Rodrigo Vargas was scheduled for this event, but Vargas was removed from the card in early September for undisclosed reasons and replaced by Bobby Green. ^[23]

A flyweight bout between promotional newcomer Tagir Ulanbekov and Bruno Gustavo da Silva was expected to take place at this event. ^[24] However, due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pairing was rescheduled and expected to take place four weeks later at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen. ^[25]

Frank Camacho was scheduled to face Brok Weaver in a lightweight bout at this event. However, Camacho was removed from the bout during the week leading up to the fight after testing positive for COVID-19. Weaver instead faced Jalin Turner in a catchweight bout of 165 pounds. ^[26]

A flyweight bout between Matt Schnell and Tyson Nam was expected to take place at this event. However, Schnell was removed from the fight on the day of the event's weigh-in for health issues related to his weight cut. As a result, the fight was canceled. ^[27]

Results

Main card (ESPN+)
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Women's Strawweight	Michelle Waterson	def.	Angela Hill	Decision (split) (47–48, 49–46, 48–47)	5	5:00
Lightweight	Ottman Azaitar	def.	Khama Worthy	TKO (punches)	1	1:33
Women's Flyweight	Roxanne Modafferi	def.	Andrea Lee	Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)	3	5:00
Light Heavyweight	Ed Herman	def.	Mike Rodríguez	Submission (kimura)	3	4:01
Lightweight	Bobby Green	def.	Alan Patrick	Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)	3	5:00
Featherweight	Billy Quarantillo	def.	Kyle Nelson	KO (punch)	3	0:07
Preliminary card (ESPN+)
Women's Bantamweight	Sijara Eubanks	def.	Julia Avila	Decision (unanimous) (29–27, 29–27, 29–27)	3	5:00
Lightweight	Kevin Croom	vs.	Roosevelt Roberts	No Contest (overturned)	1	0:31	[lower-alpha 1]
Heavyweight	Alexander Romanov	def.	Roque Martinez	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	2	4:22
Catchweight (165 lb)	Jalin Turner	def.	Brok Weaver	Submission (rear-naked choke)	2	4:20
Welterweight	Bryan Barberena	def.	Anthony Ivy	Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28)	3	5:00
Women's Flyweight	Sabina Mazo	def.	Justine Kish	Submission (rear-naked choke)	3	3:57

1. Originally a submission (guillotine choke) win for Croom; overturned after he tested positive for marijuana. ^[28]

^[29]

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses. ^[30]

• Fight of the Night: Michelle Waterson vs. Angela Hill
• Performance of the Night: Ottman Azaitar and Kevin Croom

Aftermath

On September 18, it was announced that Mike Rodríguez will appeal his submission loss against Ed Herman citing a referee error. During the second round, Rodríguez landed a knee to Herman's body in a clinch up against the cage. Herman immediately dropped and before Rodríguez was able to deliver more strikes, referee Chris Tognoni stepped in and called a pause to the action due to a possible low blow. Herman was allowed five minutes to recover as a standard procedure and eventually won the fight in the third round. Also of note in the appeal, Rodríguez's team alleged that during the finishing sequence Herman illegally had his toes in the fence to sweep into top position and gain more leverage for the hold. ^[31] Subsequently, the request for an appeal was denied by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). ^[32]

On November 4, it was announced that the NSAC issued a four and a half month suspension for Kevin Croom, after he tested positive for marijuana in a pre-fight drug test. They also announced that Croom's victory was overturned to a no contest due to the violation. He was fined $1,800 and before he is re-licensed in Las Vegas, Croom will also have to pay a prosecution fee of $145.36. ^[28]

See also

• Martial Arts portal
• United States portal

• List of UFC events
• List of current UFC fighters
• 2020 in UFC

References

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2. Graeme Harper (2020-07-02). "Roxanne Modafferi vs. Andrea Lee II slated for September". readmma.com. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
3. Mike Bohn (2020-07-07). "Thiago Santos vs. Glover Teixeira in the works to headline UFC's Sept. 12 event". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
4. Damon Martin (2020-09-03). "Glover Teixeira tests positive for COVID-19, fight against Thiago Santos rescheduled for UFC event on Oct. 3". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
5. Nolan King (2020-06-30). "Angela Hill meets Michelle Waterson on UFC's Aug. 22 card". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
6. Harry Davies (2020-08-13). "Report: Michelle Waterson vs. Angela Hill off UFC Vegas 7, rescheduled for September 12". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
7. Ariel Helwani (2020-09-04). "Michelle Waterson vs. Angela Hill new headliner on Sept. 12". espn.com. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
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10. Nolan King (2020-02-13). "Matt Frevola vs. Roosevelt Roberts added to UFC on ESPN+ 31". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
11. Damon Martin (2020-04-09). "UFC 249, upcoming events postponed due to coronavirus pandemic, Dana White promises 'Fight Island' will proceed". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
12. Staff (2020-08-10). "Roosevelt Roberts vs. Matt Frevola rescheduled for September 12 in Las Vegas". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2020-08-10.(in Dutch)
13. Newswire (2020-09-11). "Matt Frevola out, Kevin Croom steps in to fight Roosevelt Roberts at UFC Vegas 10". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
14. Jay Pettry (2020-07-23). "UFC releases 'Brunson vs. Shahbazyan' bout lineup for Aug. 1 Fight Night". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
15. Mike Bohn (2020-08-01). "Gerald Meerschaert tests positive for COVID-19; Ed Herman fight off UFC on ESPN+ 31". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
16. David Tees (2020-08-15). "Ed Herman vs. Gerald Meerschaert rebooked for UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Teixeira". fightful.com. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
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18. Alexander K. Lee, Steven Marrocco, and Damon Martin (2020-09-03). "Ed Herman to fight Mike Rodriguez at Sept. 12 UFC event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
19. Newswire (2020-01-29). "Khama Worthy vs. Ottman Azaitar join UFC 249 lineup". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
20. Damon Martin (2020-04-09). "UFC 249, upcoming events postponed due to coronavirus pandemic, Dana White promises 'Fight Island' will proceed". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
21. Staff (2020-08-12). "Khama Worthy vs. Ottman Azaitar rescheduled for September 5th in Las Vegas". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2020-08-12.(in Dutch)
22. Staff (2020-08-29). "Worthy vs. Azaitar and Simón vs. Kelleher will not party at UFC event on September 5". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2020-08-30.(in Dutch)
23. Staff (2020-09-02). "Bobby Green steps in for Rodrigo Vargas vs. Alan Patrick at UFC on ESPN+ 35". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
24. Newswire (2020-07-18). "Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Bruno Silva slated for UFC event on Sept. 12". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
25. Alexander Petzel-Gligorea (2020-09-06). "Who is fighting against whom? KW 36/2020". gnp1.de. Retrieved 2020-09-09.(in German)
26. Farah Hannoun (2020-09-10). "With Frank Camacho out, Jalin Turner targeted to face Brok Weaver at UFC on ESPN+ 35". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
27. Staff (2020-09-11). "Weight-cutting issues scrap Tyson Nam from Matt Schnell fight at UFC on ESPN+ 35". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
28. John Morgan (2020-11-04). "Kevin Croom, Jose Flores issued NAC suspensions for marijuana use; Niko Price also cited". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
29. "UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill". Ultimate Fighting Championship. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
30. Stephie Haynes (2020-09-12). "UFC Vegas 10 post-fight bonuses: Hill-Waterson put on FOTN thriller". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
31. Marc Raimondi (2020-09-18). "Mike Rodriguez appeals loss to Ed Herman over ref's low-blow ruling". espn.com. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
32. Farah Hannoun and Nolan King (2020-11-23). "NAC rejects Mike Rodriguez's appeal of UFC loss". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-11-23.