A look at the upcoming weekend's women's MMA action from PFL 8 and UFC on ESPN 29, which take place Thursday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Aug. 21, respectively.
Amanda Ribas out of UFC Vegas 26 with COVID-19
May 8, 2021
No. 11 ranked strawweight Amanda Ribas is out of her originally scheduled bout on UFC Vegas 26 after her and her father both tested positive for COVID-19, as reported originally by MMAFighting.com.
Ribas was originally scheduled to face no. 12 ranked strawweight Angela Hill in a main card bout, but as a result of RIbas testing positive, UFC Vegas 26 is down to just nine bouts.
Ribas is currently coming off of a TKO loss that occurred earlier this year at UFC 257 to no. 6 ranked Marina Rodriguez, who is fighting in the main event of UFC Vegas 26 in a flyweight bout against “The Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson.
Alex Morono, Carlston Harris and Gregor Gillespie all cashed out with $50,000 performance bonuses for their stellar work at UFC Vegas 26. Gillespie was awarded a Fight of the Night bonus for his fight with Diego Ferreira, while Morono and Harris were awarded for their finishes of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Christian Aguilera, respectively.
Morono captured his performance of the night bonus after he knocked out Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the first round of their welterweight co-main event. Morono stunned Cerrone with a ducking overhand right before following up with a barrage of strikes that ultimately led to referee Marc Coddard stopping the bout with 20 seconds left in the first round.
Throughout the fight Rodriguez successfully utilized a rapid pace, and she landed frequently.
Rodriguez landed a total of 178 strikes and threw a total of 340, with 149 of Rodriguez’s strikes landed being significant strikes.
The no. 6 contender exhibited impressive combinations throughout the bout, however when it appeared Waterson was hurt, “The Karate Hottie” would come back with a shot that would demand respect from Rodriguez, but ultimately Rodriguez’s output proved to be decisive on the judges’ scorecards.
Marina Rodriguez landing a right hand at UFC Vegas 26
UFC Vegas 26 results: Alex Morono TKOs Donald Cerrone with striking barrage
Alex Morono picked up the biggest victory of his career in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 26, defeating MMA legend Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone by TKO in the waning moments of the first round.
No. 12 ranked strawweight Angela Hill was expected to face no. 11 ranked Amanda Ribas on the UFC Vegas 26 main card, but COVID-19 forced Ribas to withdraw.