“It’s with great regret that I have to inform you all that I will Not be fighting this evening. My opponent/camp tested positive for Covid so the fight is off. I want to wish him a speedy recovery, want to thank the UFC for the opportunity but mainly want apologize to everyone who was looking forward to watching me fight today. I promise you there is nothing I would rather be doing than putting on a show for you all this evening. Thank you all for the love and support. It truly means the world to me. I hope to have some fight news for you soon but in the meantime we will stay focused and stay positive. Let’s keep moving forward!” – Johns wrote.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Rodolfo Vieira’s last UFC outing didn’t go so well after he shockingly got tapped by Anthony Hernandez back at UFC 258 earlier this year. But this time Vieira didn’t just earn a submission win, he showed off some rapidly improving striking skills along the way.
Vieira went toe-to-toe with Dustin Stoltzfus for 2.5 rounds and was probably on his way to a decision win when he managed to catch Stoltzfus’s back and lock in a standing rear-naked choke that knocked Dustin unconscious.
Watch the highlight finish submission here:
I am ready for everybody, Gamrot said in his postfight interview.
Gamrot attacked Stephens from the opening bell, taking him down. From there, Gamrot got dominant position, grabbed ahold of Stephens left arm and applied the kimura one of the nastiest-looking submissions in MMA.
Afterward, Gamrot said he wanted a top-15 opponent, and he has likely earned such an opportunity.
Gamrot (19-1, 1 NC) has won two in a row since dropping his UFC debut his lone career loss to Guram Kutateladze via split decision last October. The Poland native is the former KSW lightweight champion. Gamrot, 30, finished Scott Holtzman via second-round finish in April.
MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)
#9 Islam Makhachev (155.5 lbs.) vs. #14 Thiago Moises (156 lbs.)
#12 Marion Reneau (136 lbs.) vs. Miesha Tate (135 lbs.)
Mateusz Gamrot (155.5 lbs.) vs. Jeremy Stephens (156 lbs.)
Dustin Stoltzfus (185.5 lbs.) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (185 lbs.)
Gabriel Benitez (146 lbs.) vs. Billy Quarantillo (145.5 lbs.)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
Preston Parsons (169.5 lbs.) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (171 lbs.)
#14 Amanda Lemos (115.5 lbs.) vs. Montserrat “Conejo” Ruiz (113.5 lbs.)
Sergey Morozov (135 lbs.) vs. Khalid Taha (135.5 lbs.)
Anderson dos Santos (135.5 lb.s) vs. Miles Johns (135.5 lbs.)
Francisco Figueiredo (125.5 lbs.) vs. Malcolm Gordon (125.5 lbs.)
Alan Baudot (246 lbs.) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento (259 lbs.)
Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of UFC on ESPN 26. I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be your host for the evening. On the heels of the very successful UFC 264 the UFC is back on ESPN. Tonight we’ve got
#9 Islam Makhachev (155.5 lbs.) vs. #14 Thiago Moises (156 lbs.)
#12 Marion Reneau (136 lbs.) vs. Miesha Tate (135 lbs.)
Mateusz Gamrot (155.5 lbs.) vs. Jeremy Stephens (156 lbs.)
Dustin Stoltzfus (185.5 lbs.) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (185 lbs.)
Gabriel Benitez (146 lbs.) vs. Billy Quarantillo (145.5 lbs.)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
Preston Parsons (169.5 lbs.) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (171 lbs.)
#14 Amanda Lemos (115.5 lbs.) vs. Montserrat “Conejo” Ruiz (113.5 lbs.)
Sergey Morozov (135 lbs.) vs. Khalid Taha (135.5 lbs.)
Anderson dos Santos (135.5 lb.s) vs. Miles Johns (135.5 lbs.)
Francisco Figueiredo (125.5 lbs.) vs. Malcolm Gordon (125.5 lbs.)
Alan Baudot (246 lbs.) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento (259 lbs.)
Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of UFC on ESPN 26. I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be your host for the evening. On the heels of the very successful UFC 264 the UFC is back on ESPN. Tonight we’ve got a decent card on paper, featuring a