UFC Vegas 121 Start Time, Full Fight Card Details

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again stage in Las Vegas, Nevada UFC Vegas 121 later TONIGHT (Saturday, September 26, 2026) from inside Meta Apex, featuring a bantamweight match. Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni’s Barcelos at the helm. At the joint main event Norma Dumont locks horns Ailin Perez in the long-awaited women’s 135-pound “Catch the battle.“

Just a few weeks after seeing my brother— Jessie Rosas — get cold feet in UFC debut (see it here), Rosas Jr. looking to shake it off and secure his sixth straight win. After suffering the first and only loss of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career in 2023, Rosas Jr. regrouped, marched on, and has put on quite a tear. He is not ranked 15 of the best yet, but if he can defeat Barcelos – who are ranked 8th in the division — The 21-year-old standout will likely outgrow this spot and prepare for bigger and better fights moving forward. What makes Rosas Jr. special is that at a young age (he made his UFC debut at 18) he has proven to be a very well-rounded fighter. He can punch, grapple, and has a pretty decent gas tank. His jiu-jitsu is outstanding and he has six wins throughout his career. And he’ll need all his tools against Barcelos, a seasoned veteran with a comparable skill set.

Speaking of which, Barcelos has also had a nice quiet run. He has also won five in a row, the last loss also came five years ago. With an 11-4 record in nine years in the Octagon, Barcelos has gained experience and won big fights like submissions. Cody Garbrandt and Said Nurmagomedov. Still, he doesn’t currently have the “face value” to be considered for the championship. That’s not all that matters, but we’ve seen before that if your name is weighty )or is so loud) and win consistently, then you will go directly to the title. But Barcelos takes the long, traditional route: win, go about your business and hope that’s enough to get you there. If he can get his sixth straight win at Rosas Jr. to lock against, he gets closer to a Top 5. Still, victory won’t come easy and I expect it to be a grueling, close fight, which is 50/50 for me at the moment.

Original card vs. Actual Card/Injuries

Mickey Gall was forced to leave the fight against Cedric Dumas fight week after he got sick. UFC newcomer steps in to fill the void, Luis Hernandezwho wants to make the most of their last-second opportunity.

As we previously mentioned, Hernandez stepped up to the plate and now makes his official UFC debut just weeks after earning his contract Contender series. Hernandez is undefeated (8-0) in his MMA career, with all eight wins coming in some form. Hernandez has a big chance here because many already know him for more than just his big win Contender seriesbut since he had a run-in with none other than Sean Strickland at a regional MMA event (more about it here). And did we mention he’s an active sheriff’s deputy? In one of his regional matches against one of Strickland’s training partners, Hernandez flipped to “Tarzan” and the bird in the corner after winning. Obviously, this didn’t sit too well with the team, as they quickly stormed the cage and went to town on him (watch the video here). Hernandez obviously has a wild personality and now he has the chance to deliver on the big stage. If he can, I see him quickly becoming a star Sean O’Malley. As for Dumas – who is a convicted felon — is 1-4-1 in his last five promotions, so if he loses here, he could be out for good.

In what can only be classified as a head-scratching move, two UFC rookies stepped in Melissa Amaya and Tin Black will make their main card debut against each other. I would have imagined a fight like this to be on the undercard, especially when you have a fight like Edwards vs. Bellato in “Preliminaries”. Nevertheless, the two ladies try to make the most of the available opportunity. Amaya is undefeated (8-0), while Machado is more experienced with a 15-4 record.

We have another matchup between two UFC rookies on the main card as Ilimbek Akylbek vs. Men’s model Ottoman fights in a bantamweight match. Osmanl has a nine-game winning streak, while Akylbek has won two in a row. Whatever happened to working with your main card?

What the “Preliminaries” look like:

In the undercard main event, the Bantamweights jumped Rinya Nakamura vs. Brady Hiestand up against what should be fun and fun. Nakamura is 6-1 with four finishes when his only loss came by hand Muin Gafurov. As for Heistand, after suffering a two-decision loss in his UFC debut, he has won three in a row and is coming off a four-game winning streak against a strong contender with his sights set on 15 of the best.

John Casteneda has been all over the place during his six years of promotion, so he just isn’t in the spotlight of many people. He has managed just a 4-4-1 record and is winless in his last three matches. He tries to turn it around cerebral cortex, who is 1-2 in his last three UFC fights and coming off a loss Da’Mon Blackshear.

In another battle between two struggling fighters, Ricky Simon vs. Montel Jackson lays down in a crucial bantamweight bout. Not decisive because the winner gets a title shot, but rather the winner gets the breathing room they need. Simon is 2-4-1 in his last seven fights, while Jackson has lost two in a row. It might as well be a “City of Losers Leaf” match.

Dwarves Brener is another fighter who could fight for his spot on the UFC roster. He has lost three in a row after winning his first three fights inside the octagon. He’ll be looking to avoid his fourth straight loss when he goes up Josiah Harrellwho came up short in his Octagon debut, losing Jacob Smith after starting his pro career with a perfect record (11-0).

Former Bellator MMA middleweight standout, Christian Edwardssuffered a loss in his UFC debut Modest in Bukauskaand is now chasing his taste of success as he fights Rodolfo Bellatowho is fresh off a first round knockout win Luke Fernandez. I really like this fight and I don’t understand why this match isn’t on the main card instead of some questionable matchup that could have gone to the “Preliminaries”.

Rodolfo Vieira started his UFC career with a nice 5-2 record, but has since lost three of his last four. Currently, “The Black Belt Hunter” is fighting in a two-way skid. Robert Bryczekwho had a rough start to his UFC run, losing two of three fights.

Vanessa Demopoulos has lost his last three fights inside the Octagon, and if he can’t turn it around, he’ll be in danger of getting it. We expect a fourth consecutive defeat for him Yazmin Jaurequiwho loses the first round Ketlen Souza. He’s just 1-2 in his last three fights, so he also needs consistency. Ultimately, however, he can probably afford one more loss compared to Demopoulos, who doesn’t have that luxury due to his constant struggles. If he loses again, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets cut. But hey, at least he can say he crushed the boxing champion, Shakur Stevenson.

Evening at the joint main event Norma Dumont vs. Ailin Perez throws down a fiery women’s bantamweight showdown. Dumont (No. 2) is just fighting to get back on track after a tough loss Joselyne Edwardswhich snapped his six-fight winning streak and halted his title run. In fact, it’s not too far-fetched to suggest that another win would have taken him there. Still, he now has to regroup and start a new run.

As for Perez, since losing in his UFC debut, he has been impressive, racking up six straight wins that have earned him No. 4 place in the ranking. If he can beat Dumont, he’ll put his coat on the championship picture for sure. She already has a win over the aforementioned Joselyne Edwards – who is now in Ward No. 1 — so things could get very interesting if Perez turns out to be the winner. Kayla Harrison is set to defend his belt Amanda Nunes at UFC 334so things are starting to pick up in the division. If Perez wins, he goes into the game No. 2 spot behind someone who has already won, so the UFC matchmakers have an interesting decision to make.

Overall, the card isn’t that good aside from a few good attacks. That said, we’ve seen in the past that events that aren’t full of big names can deliver epic performances; but I don’t know if this card is enough to get people to even tune in live. There aren’t many other fighting options competing for views, except former UFC champions Henry Cejudo vs. Tony Ferguson taking his talents to the boxing ring a Misfits event. There’s also “Till vs. Romero” (more about it here).

135 pounds: Raul Rosas Jr vs Raoni Barcelos

135 pounds: Norma Dumont vs. Ailin Perez
205 pounds: Sedriques Dumas vs. Luis Hernandez (not Mickey Gall)
135 pounds: Ilimbek Akylbek vs. Men’s model Ottoman
115 pounds: Tina Black vs. Melissa Amaya

135 pounds: Rinya Nakamura vs. Brady Hiestand
185 pounds: Rodolfo Vieira vs. Robert Bryczek
205 pounds: Rodolfo Bellato vs. Christian Edwards
155 pounds: Elves Brener vs. Josiah Harrell
135 pounds: Montel Jackson vs. Ricky Simon
135 pounds: John Castaneda vs. Alatengheili
115 pounds: Yazmin Jauregui vs. Vanessa Demopoulos

*Fight card, match order and number of fights are subject to change.