UFC will showcase rising heavyweights on Saturday night, giving Jairzinho Rozenstruick and Ciryl Gane the main event spot as part of a “Fight Night” card from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The card sits atop a nine-fight card in total.
Follow along throughout the evening for live coverage of the event.
A full preview of the card can be read here.
Preliminary Card (6:00PM EST / 3:00PM PST) (ESPN+ / TSN 5)
Bout 1: Dustin Jacoby def. Maxim Grishin via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Ronnie Lawrence def. Vince Cachero via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:38)
Bout 3: Alexis Davis def. Sabina Mazo via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Thiago Moises def. Alexander Hernandez via Decision, Unanimous
Main Card (8:00PM EST / 5:00PM PST) (ESPN+ / TSN 5)
Bout 5: Alex Caceres def. Kevin Croom via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Pedro Munhoz def. Jimmie Rivera via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Montana De La Rosa vs. Mayra Bueno Silva via Decision, Draw
Bout 8: Magomed Ankalaev def. Nikita Krylov via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Ciryl Gane def. Jairzinho Rozenstruick via Decision, Unanimous
Live Coverage:
Bout 9: Jairzinho Rozenstruick (11-1) vs. Ciryl Gane (7-0) (Heavyweight)
Gane Sweeps Scorecards Against Rozenstruick In First UFC Main Event Fight
Ciryl Gane swept scorecards against Jairzinho Rozenstruick to continue his undefeated pro career and win in his first UFC main event bout (50-45, 50-45 & 50-45).
Gane used his height and reach advantage throughout the bout, consistently landing jabs on Rozenstruick. Gane wasn’t only focused on striking, as he was also able to control Rozenstruick with clinches and takedowns. He attempt a rear naked choke at one point, although it did not greatly trouble Rozenstruick.
The victory for Gane was big for his career, as he defeated the man who was ranked fourth in the heavyweight division.
Gane was critical of how he was not able to put on more of a show, although he was happy about winning such a high stakes fight in the division.
“I go back with a big win, so I’m really happy for that,” said Gane in his post-fight interview.
The win was Gane’s fifth since entering the UFC in 2019. His previous fights saw a wide variety of finishes, whether that be a submission win like he did to Raphael Pessoa or a stoppage win with strikes like he managed against Junior dos Santos in late 2020.
Gane is now only the second man to defeat Rozenstruick. Rozenstruick’s previous loss was in 2020, where strikes from Francis Ngannou knocked him out in 20 seconds, quickly derailing the hype he had gained in the previous year. Heading into Saturday’s bout, Rozenstruick was coming off a victory against dos Santos, the same fighter who Gane had last beat.
Bout 8: Nikita Krylov (27-7) vs. Magomed Ankalaev (14-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Ankalaev Continues Win Streak With Scorecard Win Against Krylov
Magomed Ankalaev continued his long win streak with a grinding performance against Nikita Krylov in the co-main event (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28). While the fight had hard striking exchanges on the feet, Ankalaev was able to dominate Krylov with takedown attempts throughout.
Ankalaev is now undefeated through his past six fights. Ankalaev picked up two wins last year against Ion Cutelaba, finishing him within a round in both showings.
Krylov was entering the fight with the momentum of a decision victory against Johnny Walker last year.
Bout 7: Montana De La Rosa (11-6) vs. Mayra Bueno Silva (7-1) (Flyweight)
Point Deduction Brings Bueno Silva To A Draw Against De La Rosa
Mayra Bueno Silva’s performance against Montana De La Rosa resulted in a majority draw after three rounds, as an early point deduction stunted her success early (28-27 Bueno Silva, 28-28 & 28-28).
Bueno Silva was deducted a point early in the fight after she grabbed the cage to defend a takedown attempt.
Bueno Silva was able to damage De La Rosa on the feet throughout most of the fight, hurting her with head kicks and knees to the head while in a clinch position.
De La Rosa’s best moment was late in the second round, where she scored a takedown then looked for an arm triangle choke in full mount. De La Rosa was able to score another takedown later in the fight, although she took damage in the clinch before getting the fight down.
Both fighters were returning after competing in September. De La Rosa was returning after taking a loss in her previous fight, losing on scorecards to Viviane Araujo. Bueno Silva’s last fight was an armbar win against Mara Romero Borella.
Bout 6: Pedro Munhoz (18-5) vs. Jimmie Rivera (23-4) (Bantamweight)
Munhoz Defeats Rivera In Striking Battle, Avenges Loss
Pedro Munhoz showed his striking ability on the main card, defeating Jimmie Rivera via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28). The fast fight saw Munhoz avenge a loss that he took to Rivera back in 2015.
Munhoz kept the pressure on Rivera throughout the fight, walking him down with strikes. Calf kicks were a big advantage for him, as he was able to land numerous shots early in the fight that hurt Rivera.
The fight was a rematch between the two. In their first fight, Rivera won a split decision.
Munhoz snapped a two-fight losing streak with the win. After his win, he called out TJ Dillashaw.
“It would be a pleasure to share the octagon with him,” said Munhoz in his post-fight interview.
Rivera was going into the bout after a win against Cody Stamann in 2020.
Bout 5: Alex Caceres (17-12) vs. Kevin Croom (21-12) (Featherweight)
Caceres Outworks Croom, Moves Win Streak To Four-In-A-Row
Alex Caceres continued his win streak to kick off the main card, putting together a solid performance against Kevin Croom to win on scorecards (20-26, 30-26 & 30-27).
Caceres had strong striking in the fight, finding shots on the feet while avoiding frequent takedown attempts from Croom. Caceres also succeeded on the ground, keeping dominant positions and threatening Croom with submissions.
The win was Caceres’ fourth-in-a-row. Caceres picked up two wins last year, submitting short-notice opponent Austin Springer and handing Chase Hooper is first pro loss.
After his win, Caceres said he wants a ranked featherweight next.
Croom’s previous fight was his UFC debut. While he originally won the bout against Roosevelt Roberts, it was later overturned by the Nevada Athletic Commission due to marijuana showing up in his drug test.
Bout 4: Alexander Hernandez (12-3) vs. Thiago Moises (14-4) (Lightweight)
Moises Earns Decision Victory For Striking Performance
Thiago Moises put together an aggressive striking performance against Alexander Hernandez to win in a unanimous decision in the featured prelim bout(30-27, 30-27 & 29-28).
The fast-paced striking battle saw Hernandez have quick exchanges with Moises. Moises was able to keep pressure throughout the fight, constantly coming forward and scoring with the better shots.
The win continues Moises’ success as of late. The lightweight picked up two wins last year, defeating Michael Johnson and Bobby Green.
Hernandez continued his pattern of winning a bout then losing the next. He was successful in his last showing of 2020, where he defeated Chris Gruetzemacher.
Bout 3: Alexis Davis (19-10) vs. Sabina Mazo (9-1) (Bantamweight)
Davis Uses Grappling To Have Successful Return, End Losing Streak
Alexis Davis picked up a win in her return bout, controlling Sabina Mazo with grappling to earn a unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27 & 30-26).
Davis was able to control Mazo for most of the first round after scoring a takedown. Davis took the fight down early in the third round, taking the back of Mazo, where she spent a large portion of the round searching for a rear naked choke.
The win was Davis’ return to action after over a year outside of the cage. The win snapped a three-fight losing streak that she had over the past few years.
Davis was moving up a weight class for the fight, as she had previously competed at flyweight.
“I feel healthy at 135 [pounds],” said Davis in her post-fight interview.
The fight was only Mazo’s second loss as a pro. She entered the fight with the momentum of three consecutive wins, including a recent finish victory over Justine Kish.
Bout 2: Ronnie Lawrence (6-1) vs. Vince Cachero (7-3) (Bantamweight)
Lawrence Stops Cachero With Strikes In Impressive UFC Debut
Ronnie Lawrence had a successful UFC debut on the prelims, tiring Vince Cachero out and finishing him in the third round with ground and pound.
Lawrence used his sharp striking to drop Cachero to the ground early in the final round. The finishing sequence started with Lawrence scoring a spinning back kick to the body then landing a leg kick that dropped Cachero. He then threw with ground and pound, eventually landing enough shots to make the referee step in.
Lawrence has success in the earlier rounds by scoring numerous takedowns on Cachero. Lawrence’s hardworking pace didn’t let up throughout the fight.
Lawrence entered the UFC after a seven-fight run on the regional scene. Lawrence earned his UFC contract on the last season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” where he took a unanimous decision win over Jose Johnson.
Cachero is now on a two-fight losing streak. His UFC debut last year saw him lose a short-notice bout to Jamall Emmers.
Bout 1: Dustin Jacoby (13-4) vs. Maxim Grishin (31-8-2) (Light Heavyweight)
Jacoby Earns Decision Win Over Grishin After Striking Battle
Dustin Jacoby prevailed over Maxim Grishin in a close back-and-forth striking battle to open the prelims, picking up a unanimous decision after three rounds (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28). The fight saw Jacoby bounce back from a rough first round to win rounds later on.
Grishin had Jacoby in trouble throughout the first round, landing strikes that would hurt him and take him to the ground on numerous occasions.
Jacoby bounced back in the next round, landing his own shots and not finding himself in danger like he was before.
The back-and-forth striking continued into the third round. Jacoby’s striking included a high volume of jabs to the head and leg kicks.
Grishin missed weight greatly for the fight, coming in four-and-a-half pounds over the non-championship light heavyweight limit.
Jacoby won the first fight of his current UFC run last year, stopping Justin Ledet within a round with strikes. Grishin had a stoppage win in his last showing as well, defeating Gadzhimurad Antigulov.
‘COVID-19 Protocol’ Takes Hill vs. Yoder Off Card
The “Fight Night” lineup lost a strawweight bout on Saturday morning, as a bout between Angela Hill and Ashley Yoder was removed from the lineup due to UFC’s “COVID-19 protocol,” per a statement. The fight is now expected to happen at the promotion’s March 13th event.
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