UFC Vegas 121: The Biggest Winners & Losers (And What's Next?)

UFC Vegas 121 at the Meta APEX was a violent, eventful Apex card: a scary main-event ending, a TUF night that finished clean on one side and ugly on the other, and a Contender Series graduate snatching a UFC debut finish on 11 days' notice. On The MMAnomaly Show: No Filter, Olin and Jive Turkey Nano went fight-by-fight through Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos and the rest of the card — winners, losers, and what should be next.

Biggest Winners

1. Luis Hernandez

Cop versus robber was cinema before the cage even closed — Hernandez walking out to KRS-One, Sedriques Dumas to Akon — and the fight matched the bit. On short notice after Mickey Gall pulled out, "The Stache" needed 57 seconds: left hook, clinch, standing guillotine, tap. Performance of the Night, still undefeated with all finishes. The show loved the personality and the front-headlock game, with the caveat that his cardio and wrestling defense still haven't been stress-tested against a real UFC middleweight.

What's next? Middleweight, not light heavyweight — that was short-notice catchweight. Hosts floated Chris Curtis (who called him out), Jordan Santos, Dusko Todorovic, Robert Valentin, Zachary Reese, or whoever needs a late replacement.

2. Montel Jackson

Eight years after Ricky Simon won their first meeting by decision, "Quik" got the rematch. Simon dragged him down in round one, but Jackson's straight left kept finding the chin. Round two: jab-left hook, TKO at 2:39. The show called the power and reach video-game stupid at 135.

What's next? Marlon "Chito" Vera topped both lists. Raul Rosas Jr. and Aiemann Zahabi were the other ranked names they liked.

3. Brady Hiestand

Two years off a knee injury, plus-300 on most books — and Bam Bam made it look like he'd never left. He hunted takedowns early, survived Nakamura's kicks and hooks, then rolled to the back in round two, locked a body triangle, and finished with an RNC at 4:07. First person to stop Nakamura. Nobody on the show saw it coming.

What's next? One more win before a number — Alex Perez, Said Nurmagomedov, Jonathan Martinez, or Deandre Blackshear.

4. Yazmin Jauregui

Two years off, massive favorite, and she teed off on Vanessa Demopoulos until the ref waved it at 1:02 of round one. Nano called it a combo breaker; Olin said it felt like watching someone get punched for 17 minutes. Performance of the Night.

What's next? Mizuki Inaba was Nano's favorite. Also floated: Jacqueline Amorim, Angela Hill, Tabitha Ricci, Amanda Lemos, or the loser of Ketlen Souza vs. Loma Lookboonmee.

5. Tina Black

Melissa Amaya (8-0) brought pressure; Black timed her — overhand late in round one, then a right hook off the clinch break that put Amaya out at 3:19 of round two. First Brazilian woman to win TUF.

What's next? Olin liked Yazmin Jauregui (bang the toys together); also Sam Hughes or Amanda Ribas. Nano added Shaianna Dyer.

Biggest Losers

1. Raoni Barcelos

At 39 against a 21-year-old in his first UFC main event, Barcelos was winning on wrestling, control, and late RNC looks — one judge had a 10-8 in the fourth. Then a trip against the fence in round five, the back of his head hit hard foam/cage, and he went limp. Rosas backed off; Herb Dean waved it at 1:38 of R5 (TKO via slam). Barcelos was stretchered out, later stable and talking. Hosts hated the ending, agreed it shouldn't be a no-contest, and doubted another sanction at that age.

What's next? Health first. Olin doesn't think we see him in the UFC again.

2. Norma Dumont

Months of heat with Ailin Perez, and the fight never caught fire. The show scored it for Dumont — cleaner striking, better takedown accuracy, volume in rounds two and three — while Perez's path was mostly control time. Judges went 29-28 x3 for Perez.

What's next? For Perez: Jocelyne Edwards. For Dumont: winner of Luana Santos vs. Yana Santos, or Maycee Barber vs. Ketlen Vieira Mosquita.

3. Rinya Nakamura

The betting favorite and the show's pick got outworked and submitted by a man who hadn't fought in two years. First career stoppage loss.

What's next? A bounce-back that tests whether the wrestling still plays under Bam Bam-style pressure.

Other Notable Performances

• Raul Rosas Jr. — Ugly ranked main-event win; chin and scramble IQ showed. Next: Vera, Zahabi, or Basharat.

• Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu — TUF BW finale by DQ after Osmanli's illegal knee at 2:19 R1. Ugly trophy.

• Christian Edwards — Finished Rodolfo Bellato at 1:47 R3. Next: Zhang Mingyang or similar just outside rankings.

• Elves Brener — KO of Josiah Harrell at 4:14 R1; first win in nearly three years. Next: Nasrat Haqparast, Mason Jones, or Michael Johnson.

• Rodolfo Vieira — 30-27s over Bryczek via body-lock wrestling. Next: Kelvin Gastelum or Vicente Luque.

• Alatengheili — Split decision over Castaneda after Castaneda initiated grappling while winning on the feet. Nano's underdog cashed.

How Our Picks Did

Folding in the Vegas 121 Predictions card (event already happened — no standalone predictions post): mixed sheet. Hiestand at better than +300 was the big dog the entire desk missed (they had Nakamura). Both leaned Simon over Jackson and got run over. Hernandez by sub and Montel by KO cashed; Brener's R1 finish was right. Barcelos was the slight underdog vibe until the fifth-round trip — Rosas would have lost a decision on their cards. Nano's Alatengheili underdog hit. Perez vs. Dumont went the wrong way on their scorecards.

Looking Ahead

Rosas has a ranked main-event win with an asterisk in the chat, Hernandez is the most bookable new middleweight on the roster, and Jackson, Jauregui, and Hiestand forced the matchmakers' hands. Next PPV: UFC 332 on Oct. 3 — Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong for the vacant women's flyweight title.

Stay tuned as we keep breaking down the road ahead for the fighters of UFC Vegas 121.