Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is locked and loaded for the upcoming UFC Vegas 26 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, scheduled for this Sat. night (May 8, 2021) on ESPN and ESPN+ from inside APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining duties fall to strawweight veterans Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson, who will compete at flyweight to account for the last-minute promotion to main event. Shortly before that 25-minute battle gets underway, Donald Cerrone returns to welterweight to collide with Alex Morono.
To see which bouts got canceled at Friday’s chaotic weigh ins click here and here.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 26 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” bouts at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN/ESPN+ main card start time at 8 p.m. ET.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Rodriguez vs. Waterson.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Vegas 26 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
UFC VEGAS 26 QUICK RESULTS:
125 lbs.: Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson — Rodriguez def. Waterson by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46 x2) — HIGHLIGHTS
170 lbs.: Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Morono — Morono def. Cerrone by TKO (punches) at 4:40 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS
170 lbs.: Neil Magny vs. Geoff Neal — Magny def. Neal by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
265 lbs.: Maurice Greene vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima — de Lima def. Greene by unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 30-27)
155 lbs.: Diego Ferreira vs. Gregor Gillespie — Gillespie def. Ferreira by TKO (punches) at 4:51 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS115 lbs.: Angela Hill vs. Amanda Ribas CANCELED
185 lbs.: Kyle Daukaus vs. Phil Hawes — Hawes def. Daukaus by unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 29-27)
145 lbs.: Ludovit Klein vs. Mike Trizano — Trizano def. Klein by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
185 lbs.: Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jun Yong Park — Park def. Nchukwi by majority decision (30-25, 29-26, 28-28)
170 lbs.: Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris — Harris def. Aguilera by technical submission (anaconda choke) at 2:52 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS
UFC VEGAS 26 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
125 lbs.: Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson
Round 1: Tentative start to the fight. Counter left from Waterson. Low kick to body kick. One minute in. Hard flurry by Rodriguez. Waterson with a sneaky hook kick, Rodriguez blitzes in return. Body kick from Rodriguez two minutes in. Waterson tries to tie up, cannot do so. They trade right hands near the fence. Rodriguez tries a Superman punch, lands a body kick. Two minutes to go.
They trade hands. Low kick from Waterson. Harder one soon after. Rodriguez stuffs a takedown, walks through a side kick to fire combinations. One minute to go. Body kick from Rodriguez, then a leg kick. She slips, Waterson can’t capitalize. Waterson landing kicks , eats some heavy knees at the bell. 10-9 Waterson?
Round 2: Rodriguez sends out kicks from range. Waterson tries a high kick. Right hand from Rodriguez behind a kick. Continuing to advance. One minute in. Body kick and left hook from Rodriguez. Waterson shoots, denied, lands a right hand. Rodriguez chases her on the break. Back to the clinch against the fence. Hard knee to the body before they separate two minutes in. Side kick lands for Waterson. Head kick attempt. Rodriguez walks through a teep to the face, lands knees in the clinch. Two minutes to go.
Waterson tries to send out some kicks. Lead right lands for Rodriguez. One minute to go. Low kick exchange. Waterson lands a teep off the back foot, then tries a takedown. Rodriguez denies it, blitzes with punches and knees. Big elbow. 10-9 Rodriguez.
Round 3: Waterson slips right off the bat, pops back up. Sneaky head kick from Rodriguez. Waterson puts her on the fence in response. They separate a minute in. Flurry from Rodriguez on the fence. Waterson shoots, denied. Another flurry by Rodriguez, who gets knocked over by a side kick and caught with a low kick. Two minutes in. Low kick from Waterson. Rodriguez stuffs a takedown and lands a right hand, then a body kick. Big right hands. Two minutes to go
Knee and combo by Rodriguez. Body kick lands. Head kick and straight left by Waterson, who eats a three-piece in return. Rodriguez just walking her down. One minute to go. Head kick attempt, another three-piece flurry. Waterson body kick. Rodriguez 1-2. Brutal counters and elbows from Rodriguez, who shrugs off an uppercut and right hand. Rodriguez storms after her in the waning seconds. 10-9 Rodriguez.
Round 4: [Technical difficulties]
Round 5: [Technical difficulties]
Final result: Rodriguez def. Waterson via unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Morono
Round 1: Morono charges out and gets clinched up. Morono puts him on the fence. Trading knees inside. Good uppercut by Morono on the break. Swinging heat. Body kick from Cerrone. One minute in. Another good body kick. Morono hurls some right hands that fall short. Cerrone jab, leg kick checked. Morono lands a lead right. Another good boy kick by Cerrone. Overhand right by Morono two minutes in. Another Cerrone body kick. He shoots, tripped down. Morono lets him up and lands a right hand as he rises. Teep from Morono, who eats a knee. Two minutes to go.
Counter right from Morono. Cerrone body and low kicks. Big 1-2 rattles Cerrone. Cerrone comes back with jabs. One minute to go. Low kick from Morono. Counter right hurts Cerrone again and Morono pours it on. Vicious knees. Cerrone reeling and the ref calls it.
Final result: Morono def. Cerrone by TKO (punches)
170 lbs.: Neil Magny vs. Geoff Neal
Round 1: Early body kick and head kick from Magny. NEal knocks him back with a straight left. Neal tries a takedown, stymied by a fence grab, remains attached. Knee from Magny. One minute in. Neal gets a bit of space, fires a lengthy combo. Magny responds with a series of kicks, gets cracked by a straight left. Magny initiates the next clinch, gets pressed against the fence. Two minutes in. Jockeying for position. Short knees by Magny. Neal separates. Left hands miss. Two minutes to go.
Magny tries a combo, lands a body kick. Neal with a straight left. Magny rushes, gets taken to the fence. Level change to rear body lock. Knees to the butt. One minute to go. Neal scrambles up. Magny body kick, Neal ties up. Knee connects for Magny. 10-9 Neal.
Round 2: Good right cross from Magny, starting to take the front foot. Head kick attempt. Neal tries to come back with a body shot, lands a left up top. Neal warned for outstretched fingers, then back to the high-speed exchanges. Magny body kick. Lots of volume from Magny this round. Right hook lands for Neal. Good takedown against the fence. Hard left hand on the way up. Magny looks for combinations, shoots, denied. Neal puts him on the fence two minutes in. They separate. Hard 3-2 from Neal and Magny responds with a level change. Two minutes to go.
Magny looking for the back. Neal returns to his feet, gets a more favorable fence position. Three-piece from Magny. One minute to go. Left hook lands for him. Body kick, jab. Neal puts him on the fence. They separate. Neal ties up again, lands a right on the break. Good left hand. 10-9 Magny.
Round 3: Neal advancing, Magny circling. Magny tries to go low-high with kicks. Combination by Neal against the fence a minute in. Magny with his own combo, well-timed body kick. Body shot from Magny. He shoots, denied, tries a 3-2 on the exit. Right hand in the clinch. Two minutes in. Magny just outworking him these last two rounds. Four-piece from Neal into the clinch. Magny looks to throw on the exit. Jabs piling up. Two minutes to go.
Neal just can’t corral him like he did in the first. Brief clinch. Magny shoots, denied, lands knees. One minute to go. There’s a nice left hand by Neal. Magny comes back with combinations, calling Neal on. 10-9 Magny.
Final result: Magny def. Neal by unanimous decision
265 lbs.: Maurice Greene vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Round 1: Both men landing early. Overhand right and body shot by de Lima. He puts Greene on the fence. One minute in. He takes Greene down into guard. Short punches from the Brazilian. Two minutes in. Continuing to land against the fence. Two minutes to go.
de Lima leisurely chipping away with punches. One minute to go. Not sure there was enough damage for a 10-8, so let’s go with 10-9 de Lima.
Round 2: de Lima grabs a body lock and takes him down into side control int eh opening seconds. Back to half guard. One minute in. Good right hands by de Lima. Continuing to grind. Two minutes in. Some solid right hands. Two minutes to go.
More of the same. One minute to go. Greene just unable to do anything off his back. de Lima lands a late punch. 10-9 de Lima.
Round 3: Greene warned for fingers in the eyes, de Lima warned for the late blow. Herb Dean insinuates that he took a point from de Lima, but doesn’t actually signal, so who knows.
Another swift takedown by de Lima. On top in half guard against the fence. One minute in. Not much from the top. Two minutes in. Side control for de Lima. Two minutes to go.
North-south against the fence. Ref wants more action. Short punches by de Lima. One minute to go. Greene bridges, stuck in half guard. 10-9 de Lima, or 9-9 if Herb Dean actually took a point.
Final result:
155 lbs.: Diego Ferreira vs. Gregor Gillespie
Round 1: Gillespie looking for hooks early on. 1-2 from Ferreira. Gillespie body kick a minute in. Good exchange. Gillespie shoots, transitions to a rear waist lock. Ferreira rolls for a leglock, looks for his own takedown. Gillespie sprawls on the re-shoot and they separate. Good straight left by Ferreira. Four-piece combo. Two minutes in. Gillespie looks for a single-leg, eats a hard right hook. Blast double attempt. Ferreira goes to the rear crucifix, then an omoplata with two minutes to go.
Gillespie rides into mount, then the front headlock. Whizzer from Gillespie as they fight for position. They separate with just over a minute to go. Body kick to takedown by Gillespie. Ferreira sits out and looks to stand against the fence. Gillespie falls over the top and Ferreira takes his back. Hunting the choke, nasty elbows. Hell of a round. 10-9 Ferreira.
Round 2: Ferreira looking for 1-2s. Good right hand. Gillespie shoot, can’t get the single-leg. One minute in. Gillespie with a right hand into a level change, still nothing. Another shot, avoids a guillotine and another scramble ensues. Ferreira hunting a kimura, can’t quite take his back. Gillespie on top in half guard. Two minutes in. Longest stretch of top control he’s managed thus far. Ferreira regains guard, can’t get the armbar. Rear waist lock for Gillespie as Ferreira tries to rise. Two minutes to go.
Good roll by Gillespie, from side control to top control. Good shots, unable to get the back. Now both hooks in, hunting the choke. Punches piling up with a minute to go. Incredible riding by GIllespie. Full back control and pounding away. There’s the finish. Spectacular fight.
Final result: Gillespie def. Ferreira by TKO (punches)
115 lbs.: Angela Hill vs. Amanda Ribas
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
Final result:
185 lbs.: Kyle Daukaus vs. Phil Hawes
Round 1: Hawes takes the center, lands a jab. Both try body kicks, Daukaus shrugs off a low blow. 1-2 from Daukaus, denies a shot. 1-2 again. Another long left hand. Hawes ducks a left, lands a short right a minute in. Nice takedown into half guard. Daukaus tries to grab a guillotine on the way down, manages to sweep his way out of a Von Flue and land in half guard. Two minutes in. Nice scramble, Daukaus looks for a double-leg of his own. Hawes defending on the fence with two minutes to go.
Daukaus continuing to press against the fence. Both attack the body. One minute to go. Daukas changes levels. Hawes knee, Daukaus punches. They separate in the last 10 seconds. 10-9 Daukaus.
Round 2: Hawes catches a kick, lands a knee. He ducks a head kick, only to get caught clean by a spinning back fist. Daukaus slams home a bevy of follow-up shots that Hawes somehow absorbs, then tries a takedown he can’t complete. One minute in. Daukaus switches from a kimura grip to face Hawes. Daukauas with some more clean punches after they separate. Good counter elbow by Hawes as he denies a takedown, then a right to the body. Two minutes in. Two big right hands from Hawes have Daukaus shooting. Daukaus puts him on the fence, chipping away. Two minutes to go.
Good elbow by Hawes on the break. Jab upstairs. Daukaus tries to step in with a knee. Hawes body kick. Hard left downstairs, then a knee right to Daukaus’ cup. Hawes goes right back to the body with a minute to go. Hawes jab, Daukaus right hands. Good combination from Hawes. Body kick, right hand. Another head kick attempt on the break. Left hook. Think he stole the round back. 10-9 Hawes.
Round 3: Hard 1-2 from Hawes, then a left hook. Walking through Daukaus’ shots at this point. Good body kicks. He shoots, avoids a guillotine to set up in guard. Daukaus tries an armbar and triangle, neither are there. Short ground-and-pound from Hawes. Two minutes in. Daukaus sporting a nasty cut. He gets to his knees, eats more punches from turtle. Back to half guard, more damage. Two minutes to go.
Hawes continuing to land from the top. One minute to go. Daukaus limiting the worst of it. Back to full guard before the bell. 10-8 Hawes.
Final result: Hawes def. Daukaus by unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Ludovit Klein vs. Mike Trizano
Round 1: Trizano pressing forward, Klein circling. Good 1-2 from Klein. Trizano with a nice counter right. One minute in. Klein fires a 1-2. Shift left hand. Trizano cracks him with a good hook. Klein body kick. Left hand. Two minutes in. Trizano tries jabs, takes a body kick. Jab from Klein with two minutes to go.
Trizano tries a body kick. Klein hits a surprise double-leg, putting Trizano on his seat against the fence. One minute to go. Trizano works his way to his feet. They separated. Low kick from Trizano. Body kick by Klein, right hand from Trizano. 10-9 Klein.
Round 2: Low kick from Trizano. Body kick from Klein in return, then a counter right. 1-2. Trizano leg kick. 1-2 falls short. One minute in. Klein misses with a head kick. Sneaky backhand from Klein answers a left hook. Good left hand, shoots, denied as he takes Trizano to the fence. Trizano lands on the break. Two minutes in. Leg kicks from Trizano. Hard left hands from Klein in return. Counter 3-2. They trade kicks. Klein tries a spinning back fist, lands a counter left. Two minutes to go.
Stiff jab by Trizano. Jab exchange. Both land leg kicks. Trading jabs. Combination by Klein with a minute to go. Klein tries a head kick, lands another double-leg. 10-9 Klein.
Round 3: Suddenly, Trizano hurts Klein with a hard right hand, stuffing the desperation takedown in return. Klein cracks him with some hard counters. Trizano slips throwing a leg kick. One minute in. 1-2 from Trizano again, stiff jab. Klein leg kick. More pressure from Trizano, eats a body kick. Body shot, eats one in return. Two minutes in. Trizano with a leg kick and two-piece. Klein lands a body kick, can’t land the spins behind it. Lead right by Trizano. Jab exchange. Two minutes to go.
Good right hand by Trizano, then digs one to the body. Klein shoots, gets him to his rear. One minute to go. Trizano makes it back to his feet. Body kick from Klein, well-timed reactive takedown that Trizano answers with a guillotine. Saved by the bell. 10-9 Trizano.
Final result: Trizano def. Klein by unanimous decision
185 lbs.: Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jun Yong Park
Round 1: Nchukwi sends a left hook to the body. Combo from Park in return. Nchukwi digs in some rights downstairs. Low kicks. Continuing to press forward. One minute in. Park ties up, takes knees downstairs. Double jab from Park, eats a stiff jab in return and a body shot. Park 1-2. Nchukwi with a nice body shot, counters a low kick with a straight right. Two minutes in. Park landing jabs. Nchukwi whiffs on a leg kick and they trade in the center. Park’s winning the jab battle but taking the occasional good body or leg shot. Nchukwi leg kick. Two minutes to go.
Nchukwi tries a spinning elbow, eats more jabs. Low kick from Park. Good left hook. Nchukwi tries to press forward after taking a leg kick. Body shot, then a really nasty kick to the jewels. Oh, real bad angle on that one. Still, he doesn’t take too long to recover. One minute to go. Nchukwi tries a combo, both land jabs. Leg kick from Park after avoiding one form Nchukwi. 10-9 Park, but it’s close.
Round 2: More jabs from Park. Nchukwi answers a low kick with a body shot. Nchukwi blitzes, lands a couple short blows. One minute in. Body and low kicks from Nchukwi. Park catches a body kick and grabs a front headlock. Nchukwi with a truly vicious knee to the balls. Ref takes a point for the severity of the shot and Park returns after two minutes of recovery. Left hook exchange. Again. Nchukwi flurries on the fence. Counter hook and more jabs by Park. Nchukwi lands a nice jab, eats a left in return. Two minutes to go.
Well-timed single-leg by Park, but Nchukwi counters into top half guard. Park makes it to his feet and lands a left on the break. More jabs. Good overhand by Nchukwi with a minute to go. Jabs land for him. Leg kick, warned for sticking his fingers out. Nchukwi looks for a single-leg, but gets caught in a deep guillotine. Saved by the bell. 9-9 with the deduction, though that guillotine could have stolen it.
Round 3: Trading jabs in the center. Park misses on a combo, takes a long right hand. Lead right from Nchukwi a minute in. Left hook. Body shot to low kick. Park pops him with a 1-2. He catches a kick for a takedown into half guard. Two minutes in. Nchukwi trying to use the fence, gets to his seat. Back to his feet, outside trip puts him back on the canvas. Two minutes to go.
Park looking for the back. Good elbow. Got the RNC locked up with one hook, doesn’t have the angle. More punches. One minute to go. Park dropping shots from quarter mount. Good elbows. Nchukwi tries to kick him off, can’t dislodge him. Christ, that’s a lot of blood. More elbows before the bell. 10-8 Park.
Final result: Park def. Nchukwi by majority decision
170 lbs.: Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris
Round 1: Harris with an early reactive shot, moves to the body lock against the fence. Aguilera pummels under and reverses before separating. One minute in. Counter right from Harris, eats an uppercut in return. Harris changes levels, denied. Two minutes in. Harris knocks him back with a left hook, then a long straight right. Aguilera shoots into an anaconda choke and the squeeze is enough to put him completely out.
Final result: Harris def. Aguilera by technical submission (anaconda choke)