Author: Dan Hiergesell

A botched weight cut has cost UFC Vegas 25 a “Prelims” matchup tomorrow night (Sat., May 1, 2021) live on ESPN2/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev., as Jonathan Pearce has pulled out of his clash with Gabriel Benitez after “Moggly” missed weight.

The two featherweights were expected to collide on the undercard of UFC Vegas 25 in a crucial matchup at 145 pounds. However, Benitez ended up missing weight by 4.5 pounds during Friday’s official weigh ins (replay HERE). At the time, it was expected that Pearce would still accept the fight and Benitez would have to hand over a portion of his purse.

That’s usually the way things work when two guys train for weeks and one drops the ball at weigh ins, but Pearce isn’t having it this time around. According to a recent post to his Instagram, “JSP” is not going to reward Benitez with a fight after the failed weigh in.

“Unfortunately, my opponent came in almost 5lb overweight and our fight is off. I did my part by showing up and making weight and I won’t reward him by accepting a fight and giving away any advantage. I’m trying to be smart about my career, and I hope to be back in the cage soon.”

It’s rare that a fighter doesn’t accept a fight after a weight miss, but Pearce have every right to deny Benitez. It was Benitez’s job to come in on weight and provide an even playing field for his featherweight clash with Pearce this weekend. It is unknown at this time if UFC officials are looking to reschedule this matchup for a future event.

With the cancelation of Benitez vs. Pearce, UFC Vegas 25 will now proceed with the following lineup:

UFC Vegas 25 Main Card on ESPN2/ESPN+:

205 lbs.: Dominick Reyes vs. Jiri Prochazka
145 lbs.: Giga Chikadze vs. Cub Swanson
205 lbs.: Ion Cutelaba vs. Dustin Jacoby
185 lbs.: Krzysztof Jotko vs. Sean Strickland
135 lbs.: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cody Stamann
125 lbs.: Poliana Botelho vs. Luana Carolina

UFC Vegas 25 Prelims Card on ESPN2/ESPN+:

115 lbs.: Randa Markos vs. Luana Pinheiro
145 lbs.: TJ Brown vs. Kai Kamaka III
115 lbs.: Sam Hughes vs. Loma Lookboonmee
185 lbs.: K.B. Bhullar vs. Andreas Michailidis
145 lbs.: Felipe Colares vs. Luke Sanders

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 25 fight card below, starting with the ESPN2/ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN2/ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.

Kamaru Usman scored a massive main event finish last night (Sat., Apr. 24, 2021) at UFC 261 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., when the UFC welterweight champion put Jorge Masvidal down with a one-punch knockout (highlights HERE)

In addition to the welterweight headliner, a collection of main card and “Prelims” matchups produced memorable action from start to finish. Check them out below:

• Women’s strawweight prospect Ariane Carnelossi sparked the “Prelims” undercard with an impressive TKO finish of Na Liang (see it HERE)
• Danaa Batgerel showcased his bantamweight punching power with an impressive first-round TKO finish over Kevin Natividad
• Rising middleweight contender Brendan Allen scored a slick heel hook finish over veteran striker Karl Roberson (highlights HERE)
• Flyweight prospects Jeff Molina and Aoriqileng threw down in a wild “Prelims” bout that saw Molina land 189 significant strikes and capture the unanimous decision

• Randy Brown earned a rare one-arm rear-naked choke finish in a wild welterweight clash with “Cowboy” Alex Oliveira
• Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith earned a big TKO win over rising contender Jimmy Crute
• Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman suffered a nasty broken leg in his 17-second fight with Uriah Hall (highlights HERE)
• Valentina Shevchenko defended her UFC women’s strawweight title with a dominant TKO win over veteran fighter Jessica Andrade
• Rose Namajunas captured her second UFC women’s strawweight title with a blistering head-kick KO over champion Zhang Weili (highlights HERE)

In order to sift through the action and see which fighters took home an extra $50,000, we take a closer look at the official UFC 261 bonus winners below:

Fight of the Night: Jeff Molina vs. Aoriqileng

Performance of the Night: Kamaru Usman

Performance of the Night: Rose Namajunas

For complete UFC 261 results and coverage click here.

Kamaru Usman turned in arguably his best Octagon performance to date last night (Sat., Apr. 24, 2021) at UFC 261 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., when the UFC welterweight champion slept Jorge Masvidal with a vicious second-round knockout (punches).

Masvidal came out strong with hard leg kicks, but it was Usman who landed the first big punch. The champion eventually secured his first takedown of the fight and landed a good elbow from the top. Masvidal was able to get back up to his feet but Usman was there for another right hand. “Gamebred” returned the favor with a flying knee at the end of the first.

Masvidal went back to the leg kicks in the second round and started to have some success. That’s when Usman moved in forward and landed a massive right hand that crashed into Masvidal’s chin. Masvidal’s head snapped back and he quickly fell to the canvas. “Gamebred” was already out but Usman’s follow-up punches really did him in.

Check out the full fight video highlights below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

For complete UFC 261 results and coverage click here.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will be back in action later tonight (Sat., Apr. 24, 2021) to stage UFC 261 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., with a welterweight rematch between UFC champion Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal serving as the main event. This will be the first time UFC is having a sold out crowd since the COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020.

Before the welterweight rematch unfolds a collection of UFC 261 PPV and “Prelims” matchups will play out in violent fashion. From a co-main event between reigning UFC women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunas to a women’s flyweight clash pitting current titleholder Valentina Shevchenko against Jessica Andrade, UFC 261 should be able to deliver the goods from start to finish.

We will compile the best of the best below — with all video footage courtesy of UFC and ESPN — and will continue to share the action as it rolls in. Enjoy!

---

Ariane Carnelossi def. Na Liang via second-round TKO (punches)

---

Jeffrey Molina def. Aoriqileng via Unanimous Decision

---

Kazula Vargas def. Rong Zhu via Unanimous Decision

---

Danaa Batgerel def. Kevin Natividad via first-round TKO (punches)

---

Patrick Sabatini def. Tristan Connelly via Unanimous Decision

---

Brendan Allen def. Karl Roberson via first-round submission (heel hook)

---

Dwight Grant def. Stefan Sekulic via Split Decision

---

Randy Brown def. Alex Oliveira via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)

---

Anthony Smith def. Jimmy Crute via first-round TKO (doctor stoppage)

---

Uriah Hall def. Chris Weidman via first-round TKO (leg injury)

---

Valentina Shevchenko def. Jessica Andrade via second-round TKO (punches and elbows)

---

Rose Namajunas def. Zhang Weili via first-round knockout (head kick)

---

Kamaru Usman def. Jorge Masvidal via second-round knockout (punch)

---

For complete UFC 261 results and coverage click here.

Rose Namajunas pulled off another upset finish to win her second UFC women’s strawweight title last night (Sat., Apr. 24, 2021) at UFC 261 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., stopping champion Zhang Weili via first-round knockout (head kick).

Weili came out strong with hard leg kicks and strong punches inside. Namajunas was constantly moving and trying to time her jab. Out of nowhere “Thug” launched a perfectly-timed head kick that caught the champion on the chin and dropped her to the canvas. Weili was out of sorts and Namajunas moved in for vicious hammer fists and the title-winning finish.

Check out the full fight video highlights below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:

For complete UFC 261 results and coverage click here.

One of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year will go down later tonight (Sat., Apr. 24, 2021) at UFC 261 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., as Kamaru Usman puts his UFC welterweight title on the line in a main event rematch against Jorge Masvidal.

This is a massive rematch seeing as the two welterweights collided at UFC 251 in July 2020. Usman ended up defeating Masvidal via unanimous decision in the “Fight Island” throwdown, but “Gamebred” only had six days to prepare for the short-notice title fight. This time around, Masvidal has had a full camp and will give Usman all he can handle tonight in Jacksonville.

For Usman, this is his opportunity to win his first rematch in UFC competition. The reigning welterweight king is already in the discussion for greatest 170-pound fighter of all time, but Usman can really separate himself from the pack if he can work his way through the division’s top contenders a second time.

It’s going to be one of the most talked about main events of the year, but when will Usman and Masvidal actually make their respective walks to the Octagon later tonight at UFC 261?

With four other fights taking place on the PPV main card starting at 10:00 p.m. ET, Usman vs. Masvidal 2 is likely to begin sometime around 12:00 a.m. ET (Sunday). The main card will also feature a women’s strawweight title fight between Zhang Weili and Rose Namajunes, as well as a women’s flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade. If either one of those five-round bouts go the distance the main event rematch between “Nigerian Nightmare” and “Gamebred” could very well be delayed.

If things run late (or early) Mania will be sure to provide an updated start time for tonight’s Usman vs. Masvidal 2 main event. You won’t want to miss it!

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 261 fight card right HERE, starting with the early ESPN2/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.