UFC on ESPN: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot

UFC on ESPN: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot
The poster for UFC on ESPN: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot
Promotion	Ultimate Fighting Championship
Date	March 30, 2024 (2024-03-30)
Venue	Boardwalk Hall
City	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Attendance	12,198 [1]
Total gate	$2,180,601 [1]
Event chronology
UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas UFC on ESPN: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Curtis 2

UFC on ESPN: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot (also known as UFC on ESPN 54) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 30, 2024, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. ^{[2] [3]}

Background

The event marked the promotion's tenth visit to Atlantic City and first since UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee in April 2018. ^[3]

A women's flyweight bout between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot headlined the event. ^[4] The bout was promoted to main event status when the original announced headliner, a welterweight bout between Sean Brady and Vicente Luque, fell through when Brady indicated he never signed a bout agreement due to dealing with an injury. ^{[5] [6]} Luque was instead matched up with Joaquin Buckley in the co-main event. ^[7]

A light heavyweight bout between former UFC Light Heavyweight Championship challenger Dominick Reyes and Carlos Ulberg was scheduled UFC 297, but it was postponed due to an injury sustained by Ulberg and was rescheduled for this event. ^[8] However, Reyes pulled out due to deep vein thrombosis and was replaced by Alonzo Menifield. ^{[9] [10]} In turn, the promotion opted to move the pairing to UFC on ESPN 56 on May 11 due to undisclosed reasons. ^[11]

A featherweight bout between Nate Landwehr and Pat Sabatini was expected to take place at the event. ^[12] However, Sabatini withdrew for unknown reasons and was replaced by Jamall Emmers. ^[13]

At the weigh ins, Julio Arce weighed in at 147.25 pounds, one and a quarter pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. His bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 20 percent of his purse which went to his opponent Herbert Burns. ^[14]

A women's flyweight bout between Viktoriia Dudakova and Melissa Gatto was scheduled for this event. ^[15] Despite both women weighing in, the bout was cancelled during the broadcast due to a Dudakova illness. ^[16]

Results

Main card (ESPN / ESPN+)
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Women's Flyweight	Manon Fiorot	def.	Erin Blanchfield	Decision (unanimous) (50–45, 50–45, 50–45)	5	5:00
Welterweight	Joaquin Buckley	def.	Vicente Luque	TKO (punches)	2	3:17
Middleweight	Chris Weidman	def.	Bruno Silva	Technical Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)	3	2:18	[a]
Middleweight	Nursulton Ruziboev	def.	Sedriques Dumas	TKO (punches)	1	3:18
Featherweight	Kyle Nelson	def.	Bill Algeo	TKO (punches)	1	4:00
Welterweight	Chidi Njokuani	def.	Rhys McKee	Decision (split) (28–29, 30–27, 30–27)	3	5:00
Preliminary card (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Featherweight	Nate Landwehr	def.	Jamall Emmers	KO (punches)	1	4:43
Women's Strawweight	Virna Jandiroba	def.	Loopy Godinez	Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 30–27)	3	5:00
Catchweight (147.25 lb)	Julio Arce	def.	Herbert Burns	TKO (punches)	2	2:00	[b]
Featherweight	Dennis Buzukja	def.	Connor Matthews	TKO (punches)	3	0:22
Light Heavyweight	Ibo Aslan	def.	Anton Turkalj	TKO (punch)	3	1:32
Middleweight	Jacob Malkoun	def.	Andre Petroski	TKO (soccer kick to the body)	2	0:39
Bantamweight	Caolán Loughran	def.	Angel Pacheco	Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–26)	3	5:00

1. Originally ruled a TKO (punches) win for Weidman; changed to a decision by the athletic commission due to Silva suffering an eye poke leading to the stoppage.
2. Burns was deducted 1 point in round 1 due to repeated illegal groin strikes.

^[17]

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses. ^[18]

• Fight of the Night: Ibo Aslan vs. Anton Turkalj
• Performance of the Night: Nate Landwehr and Dennis Buzukja

See also

• Martial Arts portal

• 2024 in UFC
• List of current UFC fighters
• List of UFC events

References

1. Mike Bohn (2024-03-31). "UFC on ESPN 54 post-event facts: Strange event matches all-time TKO record". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
2. Steven Marrocco (2023-12-15). "UFC confirms event dates, locations including UFC 299, UFC 300". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
3. J. Staas Haught (2023-12-16). "UFC in AC? Fight promoter is returning to Atlantic City next year. What to know". courierpostonline.com. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
4. Mike Heck (2024-02-15). "Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot promoted to UFC Atlantic City main event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
5. Steven Marrocco (2024-01-12). "Vicente Luque vs. Sean Brady headlines UFC Atlantic City event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
6. Nolan King, Mike Bohn, and Farah Hannoun (2024-01-31). "UFC Atlantic City loses headliner as Sean Brady vs. Vicente Luque fizzles". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
7. Mike Bohn (2024-02-15). "Vicente Luque remains on UFC Atlantic City with co-main event vs. Joaquin Buckley". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
8. Staff (2024-01-09). "Dominick Reyes vs. Carlos Ulberg rebooked for UFC Atlantic City in March". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
9. Damon Martin (2024-01-23). "Dominick Reyes out, Alonzo Menifield now faces Carlos Ulberg at UFC Atlantic City". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
10. Danny Segura (2024-02-01). "Dominick Reyes reveals blood clots forced him out of UFC return: 'I'm lucky to be alive right now'". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
11. Nolan King (2024-02-20). "Alonzo Menifield vs. Carlos Ulberg moves from UFC Atlantic City to new date". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
12. Tristen Critchfield (2024-02-24). "UFC on ESPN 54 Update: Nate Landwehr, Pat Sabatini to Clash in Atlantic City". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
13. Harvey Leonard (2024-03-17). "UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (3/4-3/17): Michel Pereira Booked For Quick Return After UFC 299 Win, Eight Cancellations". mmanews.com. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
14. Alexander K. Lee (2024-03-29). "UFC Atlantic City weigh-in results: Erin Blanchfield, Manon Fiorot set for No. 1 contender fight; One fighter misses". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
15. Vipin Raghuwanshi (2024-02-06). "UFC Atlantic City: Melissa Gatto vs Viktoriia Dudakova Booked". itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
16. Jay Anderson (2024-03-30). "Victoria Dudakova vs. Melissa Gatto Scrapped with UFC Atlantic City Underway". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
17. "UFC on ESPN: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
18. Matt Erickson (2024-03-31). "UFC on ESPN 54 bonuses: Lion-sized bonus for Aslan after promotional debut TKO win". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-03-31.