Featured Bouts: Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Morono, (#9) Neil Magny vs. (#10) Geoff Neal, (#12) Diego Ferreira vs. (#14) Gregor Gillespie
UFC delivers another action-packed card at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, headlined by a flyweight battle of strawweight contenders as No. 6 ranked Marina Rodriguez takes on No. 9 Michelle Waterson. The co-main event will feature an exciting welterweight bout between talented strikers, as Donald Cerrone squares off with Alex Morono.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: RODRIGUEZ vs. WATERSON will take place Saturday, May 8 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The main card will be available on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, as well as simulcast on ESPN+ in English and Spanish starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The prelims will kick off exclusively on ESPN+ (English and Spanish) at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT.
Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil signee Rodriguez (13-1-2, fighting out of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil) has wasted little time securing herself as a potential title challenger since joining the UFC roster in 2018. During this time, she has delivered exciting wins over Amanda Ribas, Tecia Torres and Jessica Aguilar. Rodriguez now has her sight set on securing the biggest win of her career in her first UFC main event opportunity.
Perennial contender Waterson (18-8, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) looks to kick off her 2021 campaign by building on the momentum of her thrilling Fight of the Night win over Angela Hill last year. A former Invicta FC champion, she also holds notable victories against Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Jessica Penne and Paige VanZant. Waterson now hopes to make a statement by stopping Rodriguez’s momentum with another show-stealing performance.
Cerrone (36-15 2NC, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) makes his record-tying 37th Octagon appearance. The owner of most wins (23) and tied for most finishes (16) in UFC history, Cerrone has earned epic stoppages against Matt Brown, Rick Story and Edson Barboza. Cerrone now aims to deliver another vintage “Cowboy” performance to further etch his name in the record books.
Morono (18-7 1NC, fighting out of Houston, Texas) steps in on short notice looking to secure the biggest win of his 11-year career. A diverse striker and grappler, he has delivered memorable victories against Max Griffin, Song Kenan, Zak Ottow and Josh Burkman. Morono is now gunning to turn heads in his first UFC co-main event opportunity by finishing a legend.
Additional bouts on the card include:
- Phil Hawes (10-2, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) takes on Kyle Daukaus (10-1, fighting out of Philadelphia, Penn.) in a middleweight battle between Dana White’s Contender Series veterans
- In an exciting clash of welterweight contenders, No. 9 ranked Neil Magny (24-9, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) squares off with No. 10 Geoff Neal (13-3, fighting out of Dallas, Texas)
- No. 12 ranked lightweight contender Diego Ferreira (17-3, fighting out of Pharr, Texas) locks horns with returning No. 14 Gregor Gillespie (13-1, fighting out of Long Island, N.Y.)
- Heavyweight finishers collide when Maurice Greene (9-6, fighting out of St. Cloud, Minn.) meets Marcos Rogerio de Lima (17-8-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- No. 11 ranked women’s strawweight contender Amanda Ribas (10-2, fighting out of Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil) takes on No. 12 Angela Hill (13-9, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.)
- Ben Rothwell (38-13, fighting out of Kenosha, Wisc.) faces Philipe Lins (14-5, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil) in an intriguing heavyweight bout
- Ludovit Klein (17-2, fighting out of Nove Zamky, Slovakia) goes for his ninth consecutive win when he meets The Ultimate Fighter season 27 winner Mike Trizano (9-1, fighting out of Ramsey, N.J.) in a featherweight bout
- Christian Aguilera (14-7, fighting out of Brea, Calif.) battles UFC newcomer Carlston Harris (15-4, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in a welterweight contest
- Ryan Benoit (10-7, fighting out of Dallas, Texas) meets Zarrukh Adashev (3-3, New York, N.Y. by way of Samarkand, Uzbekistan) at flyweight
- Junyong Park (12-4, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) squares off with undefeated Tafon Nchukwi (5-0, fighting out of Temple Hills, Md. by way of Bamenda, Cameroon) in a clash of middleweight prospects
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