UFC Vegas 121 Delivers a Night of Finishes From Top to Bottom
Brady Hiestand's upset submission and Montel Jackson's revenge knockout headlined a finish-heavy UFC Vegas 121 card at the APEX.
UFC Vegas 121 at the META APEX in Las Vegas on Saturday night was a showcase of violence, with finishes stacking up across the prelims and main card. Here are the highlights.
Brady Hiestand delivered the biggest upset of the night, submitting heavy favorite Rinya Nakamura with a rear-naked choke at 4:07 of the second round. Hiestand, returning from a two-year layoff, reversed position against the cage, secured the back with a body triangle, and forced the tap. It was billed as an unofficial TUF vs. Road to UFC showdown, per Cageside Press, and Hiestand made the most of it.
Montel Jackson got his revenge on Ricky Simon, stopping him with a second-round TKO at 2:39. Jackson had lost a decision to Simon in his UFC debut back in 2018. Eight years later, he erased the memory with a blistering knockout.
Yazmin Jauregui stole the show early, flattening Vanessa Demopoulos with a knockout just 62 seconds into the first round in her return to the strawweight division.
Christian Edwards put the light heavyweight division on notice with a third-round TKO of Rodolfo Bellato at 1:47, while Elves Brener produced a violent first-round TKO of Josiah Harrell at 4:14 in the lightweight prelims.
Tina Black won the TUF 34 women's strawweight finale, stopping Melissa Amaya with a second-round TKO at 3:19. Black dropped Amaya with a heavy right hook in the first, survived a brief counter scare, then finished the job in the second to earn her UFC contract.
The APEX cards do not get the hype, but nights like this remind you why the UFC books them. Six finishes before the main event even started. Hiestand coming off a two-year shelf and choking out a guy everyone expected to roll through him is exactly the kind of result that makes this sport unpredictable.
Jackson's knockout of Simon was personal and it looked personal. Eight years is a long time to carry a loss, and he cashed it in with interest. Jauregui doing her damage in 62 seconds is terrifying for anyone at 115 pounds.
The TUF finale delivered too. Tina Black showed real power and composure, which is more than you can say for most TUF winners on fight night. If she can carry that into the regular roster, the strawweight division has another problem on its hands.
