A heavyweight bout between former UFC Heavyweight Championship challenger Derrick Lewis and Serghei Spivac headlined the event.[2] The pair was previously expected to headline UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cuțelaba in November 2022, but while the event was in progress, Lewis was forced to withdraw due to non-COVID, non-weight-cutting illness, and the bout was cancelled.[4] However, Lewis later confirmed that he had, in fact, contracted COVID-19.[5]
A women's Strawweight bout between Loma Lookboonmee and Elise Reed was scheduled for the event.[6] However, the pair was moved to
UFC 284 for undisclosed reasons.[7]
ESPN reporter Laura Sanko made her UFC color commentary debut at this event, becoming the first female color commentator in the modern UFC era to call an event from the booth.[9]
A women's flyweight bout between Kim Ji-yeon and Mandy Böhm was expected to take place at the event.[10] However, Böhm was forced to withdraw before the event started due to illness, and the bout was cancelled.[11]