UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Velasquez (also known as UFC on ESPN 1) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on February 17, 2019 at Talking Stick Resort Arena, now known as Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States.
[3][4] As a result of the cancellation of UFC 233, fights between Cortney Casey and Cynthia Calvillo, James Vick and Paul Felder, Benito Lopez and Manny Bermudez and Aleksandra Albu and Emily Whitmire respectively, were rescheduled for this event.
[5][6] A women's flyweight bout between former Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion Lauren Murphy and Ashlee Evans-Smith was expected to take place at the event.
However, on December 19, Murphy announced she will need more time off to recover from surgery and won't make it to this event.
[9] In turn, Penne pulled out of her bout against Jodie Esquibel, as she severely sprained her ankle while warming up the morning of the event.