Morono is replacing the recently released Diego Sanchez.
Donald Cerrone will remain on UFC Vegas 26 after all.
Following a report from C. Contreras Legaspi, MMA Junkie confirmed that Cerrone is set to take on Alex Morono on this Saturday’s show from Las Vegas. Cerrone was initially scheduled to fight Diego Sanchez, but recent incidents concerning Sanchez’s cornerman/trainer Joshua Fabia led to Sanchez’s release from the UFC roster.
Morono (18-7, 1 NC) is looking to get back in the win column after taking a unanimous decision defeat to former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis last December. His overall UFC mark is 7-4 (1 NC), including stoppage wins over Josh Burkman and Zak Ottow, but in 2020 he went 1-2 with the aforementioned Pettis loss, a decision over Rhys McKee, and a quick KO defeat to Khaos Williams. He’s yet to lose consecutive fight sin his entire MMA career.
Cerrone (36-15, 2 NCs) is without a win over his last five fights, although the good news for him is he didn’t lose against Niko Price in his most recent outing this past September. Originally ruled a majority draw, Price tested positive for marijuana and the result was flipped to a no contest. His four-fight losing streak came against Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, Conor McGregor, and Anthony Pettis. The last win for ‘Cowboy’ came against Al Iaquinta at 155 lbs back in May of 2019.
UFC Vegas 26 was supposed to be headlined by former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw against Cory Sandhagen, but that matchup has been postponed after Dillashaw suffered a cut in training. A flyweight bout between women’s strawweight contenders Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez is slated to be the replacement main event, but that’s not set just yet.