UFC Vegas 26 offered fight fans a variety of fun stylistic matchups. Some underperformed, while others over-delivered. Join us as we take a look at the UFC Vegas 26 results and give some of our biggest takeaways from the second UFC event of May!
UFC Vegas 26 Results
Main Card
Marina Rodriguez defeats Michelle Waterson via Unanimous Decision – (49-46 x2, 48-47)
Alex Morono defeats Donald Cerrone via TKO – Round 1 (4:40)
Neil Magny defeats Geoff Neal via Unanimous Decision – (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Marcos Rogerio de Lima defeats Maurice Greene via Unanimous Decision – (30-26 x2, 30-27)
Gregor Gillespie defeats Diego Ferreira via TKO – Round 2 (4:51)
Phil Hawes defeats Kyle Daukaus via Unanimous Decision – (30-26 x2, 29-27)
Prelims
Michael Trizano defeats Ludovit Klein via Unanimous Decision – (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Ju Yung Park defeats Tafon Nchukwi via Majority Decision – (30-25, 29-26, 28-28)
Carlston Harris defeats Christian Aguilera via Submission (Anaconda Choke) – Round 1 (2:52)
UFC Vegas 26 Takeaways
Marina Rodriguez, A Future Two Division Title Challenger?
In what was a whirlwind of a week for the number six ranked strawweight, Marina Rodriguez, she sure made the most of her first UFC main event opportunity. After dealing with traveling issues and a five-round fight against a highly-touted opponent in Michelle Waterson, all coming about within a week, the performance that Rodriguez put on was very impressive, to say the least. Not to mention this bout also took place at 125 pounds, neither woman’s natural weight class.
Marina was coming into this fight off of a huge TKO victory over Amanda Ribas back in January and the momentum was showing in this for all five rounds. The elite Muy Thai practitioner put on a clinic and displayed her technical prowess for 25 minutes. As we all know, Michelle Waterson is no stranger to going the distance in main events and really gave Marina everything she could chew in this one.
A back and forth striking chess match, with Marina getting the better of most exchanges led to her getting her hand raised via unanimous decision. Now having back-to-back wins over two of the strawweight division’s biggest names, Rodriguez now finds herself in a very strong spot. Being a Dana White’s Contender Series alum, and an exciting fighter to watch, she could be one win away from challenging for a title.
To add to this sentiment, she looked very good at Flyweight in this fight as well, potentially giving Marina more options in her future. Especially when the women’s 125-pound division is constantly looking for challengers to Valentina Shevchenko’s thrown. Although this main event against Waterson only took place at this higher weight class because of it being a last-minute booking, don’t be surprised if Rodriguez makes more appearances at this weight class in the future.
Gillespie Bounces Back
After a year and a half long layoff, Gregor Gillespie got back in the win column in a huge way at UFC Vegas 26. Earlier in the year, Gregor was scheduled to take on tough up and comer, Brad Riddell, however, this bout fell through. In return, Gillespie would instead find himself in a much more marquee matchup, with another top fifteen lightweight, Diego Ferreira.
Everyone knew coming into this fight that both fighters possessed elite-level grappling skills and it showed. So much so, that this bout took home fight of the night honors, even though it only last two rounds. The slick transitions from both men, combined with the insane pacing of Gregor left fans exhausted just from watching.
This pace would play the biggest factor in the fight, so much so that it would wilt Ferreira and allow Gillespie to secure the TKO finish with just nine seconds remaining in the second round. We saw Gregor get tested on the feet, and even get tired in his own right, however, it was evident just how great his conditioning is and the fact that he could keep this relentless pace is a red flag for all future opponents.
Now holding a record of 14-1, Gregor Gillespie is ready for a top ten opponent. He proved that he can not only bounce back from a devastating loss but suck the will out of his opponent and finish a top-ranked fighter. His style is very unique in this lightweight division and can make for some very fun matchmaking. If “The Gift” can secure one more win before the year is up, he could really mix his name with the elite of this division heading into 2022.
Give us your thoughts on the UFC Vegas 26 results in the comments below!
Featured Image Credits to Embed from Getty Images
