A middleweight bout between Anthony Hernandez and Dustin Stoltzfus was scheduled for the event.[6] However, Hernandez withdrew from the event due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by newcomer Caio Borralho.[7] In turn, Borralho and Gerald Meerschaert's opponent, Abusupiyan Magomedov, were forced to withdraw from the fight due to visa issues, thus the UFC matched Meerschaert and Stoltzfus against each other for the event.[8]
A bantamweight bout between Raoni Barcelos and Trevin Jones was scheduled for the event.[12]
However, Jones withdrew from the fight due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Victor Henry.[13] The pairing was then cancelled just hours before taking place due to COVID-19 protocols.[14]
At the weigh-ins, three fighters missed weight for their respective bouts. Justin Tafa weighed in at 267 pounds, one pound over the heavyweight non-title fight limit (marking the first time in UFC history that a fighter missed weight in that division); Sijara Eubanks weighed in at 127.5 pounds, 1.5 pounds over the women's flyweight non-title fight limit; and Macy Chiasson weighed in at 148.5 pounds, 2.5 pounds over the women's featherweight non-title fight limit. All three bouts proceeded at a catchweight with Tafa, Eubanks and Chiasson each fined a percentage of their purses, which went to their opponents Harry Hunsucker, Melissa Gatto and Raquel Pennington respectively.[15]