City Seoul, South Korea Date 28 November 2015 | Attendance 12,156 Venue Olympic Gymnastics Arena | |
 | ||
Promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC Fight Night Henderson vs. Masvidal UFC Fight Night Namajunas vs. VanZant Location Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Songpa District, South Korea | ||
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.
Contents
Background
The event was the first that the organization hosted in South Korea.
A welterweight bout between former WEC and UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson and former top contender Thiago Alves was expected to headline the event. 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. Kim in turn faced Dominic Waters.
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. The fight was later rescheduled for this event.
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. 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.
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.
Bonus awards
The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses: