A middleweight bout between former interim
UFC Middleweight Championship challenger and
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen middleweight winner
Kelvin Gastelum and
Nassourdine Imavov was scheduled to headline the event. The pair was previously scheduled to meet at
UFC 273, but Imavov was forced to withdraw due to visa issues. However, the week of the event, Gastelum withdrew due to a mouth injury and was replaced by
Sean Strickland, with the bout taking place at light heavyweight. A heavyweight bout between
Jailton Almeida and
Shamil Abdurakhimov was originally announced for this date. However the UFC issued a correction a short time later announcing the fight was set for
UFC 283 the following week. A flyweight bout between
Jeff Molina and Jimmy Flick was expected to take place at the event. However, Molina withdrew from the event due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by
Charles Johnson. A few weeks later it was announced that Molina was under suspension by the
Nevada Athletic Commission as he has been linked to an investigation around the
Nov. 5 fight between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. Welterweights
Geoff Neal and
Shavkat Rakhmonov were expected to meet at this event. However on December 29, Neal pulled out due to undisclosed injury and the bout was rescheduled for
UFC 285.
Omar Morales was expected to face
Mateusz Rębecki in a lightweight bout. However, Morales withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Nick Fiore. Isaac Dulgarian was expected to face Daniel Argueta in a featherweight bout. However, Dulgarian withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Nick Aguirre. A Featherweight bout between Jarno Errens and
David Onama was scheduled for this event. Errens however sustained a shoulder injury in December and the bout was scrapped. A women's flyweight bout between
Priscila Cachoeira and
Sijara Eubanks was expected to take place at the event. However, the day before the event, Eubanks was forced to withdraw due to weight management issues and the bout was scrapped. ==Results==