UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz


UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 13, 2022, at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California, United States.

Background

A bantamweight bout between Marlon Vera and former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz headlined the event.
Viviane Araújo was expected to face Alexa Grasso in a women's flyweight bout. The pair was previously scheduled to meet at UFC 270, but Araújo was forced to pull out from the event due to injury. In turn, Grasso pulled out due to visa issues and the bout was scrapped.
A women's strawweight bout between Yazmin Jauregui and Istela Nunes was expected to take place at the event. However, Nunes withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Iasmin Lucindo.
Cynthia Calvillo and Nina Nunes were previously scheduled to meet in a women's flyweight bout at UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Fiziev. In turn, Nunes fell ill on the day of that event and the bout was postponed to this date.
A flyweight bout between Malcolm Gordon and Allan Nascimento was expected to take place at this event. However, Gordon pulled out in late July due to an undisclosed injury and the bout was scrapped.
A women's bantamweight bout featuring Aspen Ladd and 2004 Olympic silver medalist in wrestling and former UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship challenger Sara McMann was expected to take place at the event. They were supposed to fight at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker in June 2020, but Ladd was forced to withdraw from that event after tearing both her anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in training. The pairing was once again scrapped as Ladd tested positive for COVID-19 this time. They were rescheduled for UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song on September 17.
A bantamweight bout between Youssef Zalal and Cristian Quiñonez was expected to take the event. However, Quiñonez was pulled from the fight due to alleged visa issues which restricted his travel and was replaced by Da'Mon Blackshear.
A welterweight bout between Jason Witt and Josh Quinlan was expected to take place one week prior at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Hill, but it was moved to this event after Quinlan was pulled for an atypical drug finding: long-term metabolite of the steroid dehydrochloromethyltestosterone in his urine sample. They met in a catchweight of 180 pounds.
Former KSW Women's Flyweight Champion Ariane Lipski and Priscila Cachoeira were previously scheduled to meet in a flyweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Jacaré, but the fight was cancelled after Cachoeira was suspended due to use of a diuretic. They were then expected to meet at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Hill, but after Lipski missed weight and was not medically cleared, they were rescheduled for this event in a bantamweight bout.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.
  • Fight of the Night: Nate Landwehr vs. David Onama
  • Performance of the Night: Marlon Vera and '''Tyson Nam'''

    Reported payout

The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the California State Athletic Commission. It is important to note the amounts do not include sponsor money, discretionary bonuses, viewership points or additional earnings. The total disclosed payout for the event was $1,708,000.
  • Marlon Vera: $300,000 def. Dominick Cruz: $175,000
  • Nate Landwehr: $60,000 def. David Onama: $24,000
  • Yazmin Jauregui: $50,000 def. Iasmin Lucindo: $12,000
  • Azamat Murzakanov: $24,000 def. Devin Clark: $75,000
  • Priscila Cachoeira: $80,000 def. Ariane Lipski: $40,000
  • Gerald Meerschaert: $140,000 def. Bruno Silva: $40,000
  • Angela Hill: $190,000 def. Lupita Godinez: $45,000
  • Martin Buday: $24,000 def. Łukasz Brzeski: $10,000
  • Nina Nunes: $80,000 def. Cynthia Calvillo: $70,000
  • Gabriel Benítez: $100,000 def. Charlie Ontiveros: $12,000
  • Tyson Nam: $50,000 def. Ode' Osbourne: $28,000
  • Josh Quinlan: $20,000 def. Jason Witt: $23,000
  • Da'Mon Blackshear: $12,000 vs. Youssef Zalal: $24,000