UFC Vegas 121 ‘Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Raul Rosas Jr. (136)
vs. Raoni Barcelos (135)Norma Dumont (136) vs.
Ailin Perez (136)Luis Hernandez (204)
vs. Sedriques Dumas (197)Mehemmedali
Osmanli (136) vs. Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu (135.5)Melissa Amaya (116)
vs. Valesca Machado (116)Brady Hiestand
(135.5) vs. Rinya Nakamura (136)Rodolfo Vieira (186)
vs. Robert Bryczek (185.5)Rodolfo Bellato
(204.5) vs. Christian Edwards (205)Elves Brener (155) vs.
Josiah Harrell (155.5)Montel Jackson (136) vs.
Ricky Simon (135.5)John Castaneda (136)
vs. Heili Alateng (136)Vanessa
Demopoulos (116) vs. Yazmin Jauregui (115) Sherdog’s live

UFC Vegas 121 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. The
event is also known as
UFC Fight Night 289.

Vanessa
Demopoulos (116) vs. Yazmin
Jauregui (115)

Round 1

Women’s strawweights light the UFC Vegas 121 fuse inside the UFC
Apex, where Demopoulos (11-8, 5-5 UFC) awaits Jauregui (11-2, 3-2
UFC) at 115 pounds. Blake Grice administers the law and order. No
glove touch to start. Sharp one-two from Demopoulos sets off an
exchange between the two women, then mixes in a few leg kicks.
Jauregui answers with an inside leg kick.
She flurries with both hands and pins Demopoulos to the fence with
punches. Vicious hooks set the Ohioan on unsteady legs. Demopoulos
retreats to the canvas, launches a hapless bid for an armbar and
gets met with a series of hammerfists that prompt Grice to stop
it.

The Official Result

Yazmin Jauregui def. Vanessa Demopoulos—KO (Punches) 1:02 R1

John
Castaneda (136) vs. Heili
Alateng (136)

Round 1

Bantamweights now step into the UFC Vegas 121 spotlight, as
Castaneda (21-8-1, 4-4-1 UFC) locks horns with Alateng (17-10-2,
5-3-1 UFC) at 135 pounds. Kerry Hatley polices the proceedings.
They get underway with the customary glove touch. Castaneda opens
with leg kicks. Alateng paws with his lead hand from the opposing
orthodox stance. Slow start to this one. Overhand right from
Alateng. Castaneda answers with a low kick, a front kick to the
body and a left hand over the top. Alateng struggling to find the
target early. He answers a low kick from Castaneda with a left
hook. More leg kicks from Castaneda, who comfortably switches
stances. He targets the legs with kicks and the head with hooks
from both sides. Alateng closes the distance behind punches and
tries to ignite a brawl. Castaneda refuses to oblige and circles
away. Straight left to the body from Castaneda, who follows it with
a knee and evades the return fire. He lands an inside leg kick,
then two punches upstairs. Alateng misses the mark with a spinning
elbow in the closing seconds.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Castaneda
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Castaneda
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Castaneda

Round 2

Alateng takes the center and lands an overhand right. Castaneda
retreats and counters, closing out a combination with another
inside leg kick. They trade low kicks. Alateng flirts with a
single-leg, then thinks better of it. Castaneda darts in with
punches, then exits. Sharp low kicks from Alateng, who counters a
body kick with an overhand right and swarms. Castaneda circles out
of danger and into open space, then tags his counterpart with a
straight left. One-two from Alateng. Halfway home in the middle
stanza. They continue to trade, mostly in the center of the cage.
Alateng shoots on the hips and presses Castaneda into the fence.
They separate. More stance switches from Castaneda, who sneaks in a
straight right and dips under the attempted counter. Eye poke from
Alateng results in a pause to the action. “It was just a thumb,”
Hatley says. They resume their dance with less than a minute to go.
Leg kick from Castaneda, who ducks the counter and sneaks in a
right hook. Alateng whiffs on a Superman punch and a spinning
backfist as the round concludes.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Castaneda
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Castaneda
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Castaneda

Round 3

A closely contested first two rounds now give way to the third.
Castaneda circles on the outside. Alateng steps into a knee to the
body. Castaneda answers with a low kick and two short right hooks.
Inside leg kick from Alateng. He shoots on the hips, drives
Castaneda to the fence and briefly secures a takedown. Castaneda
alternates between standing a kneeling, with his opponent glued to
his waist. Alateng fires knees to the thighs and glutes. He
continues to work for a takedown. Castaneda tries and fails to roll
free. Two minutes left on the clock. More knees to the thighs from
Alateng. Castaneda threatens with a guillotine, gets back to his
feet and shoots on the hips. Alateng scrambles and secures another
takedown. Stalemate ensues. Castaneda again bites down on a
guillotine and neutralizes his opponent’s advances.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Alateng (29-28
Castaneda)
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Alateng (29-28 Castaneda)
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Alateng (29-28 Castaneda)

The Official Result

Heili Alateng def. John Castaneda—Split Decision (29-28, 28-29,
29-28)

Montel
Jackson (136) vs. Ricky Simon
(135.5)

Round 1

Attention at UFC Vegas 121 stays on the bantamweight division, as
Jackson (15-4, 9-4 UFC) toes the line against Simon (22-7-1, 10-6-1
UFC) in a rematch at 135 pounds. Jason Herzog adjudicates matters
and sets the two combatants in motion. Inside leg kick from Simon
breaks the ice. One-one-two from Jackson. Simon lands a leg kick,
switches stances and targets the body. Jackson answers with a pair
of surgical one-twos. Heavy body kick from Simon. Jackson responds
with another lightning-quick one-two. Simon ducks into a takedown,
hoists his opponent skyward and eventually completes it. He flirts
with a guillotine, then wheels to the back. Jackson scoots to the
fence and stands. They separate. Midway through the round. Simon
whiffs on a left hook. Jackson follows a three-piece combo with a
body kick, then shrugs off an attempted clinch. They circle and
probe. Jackson counters a left hook with a vicious left of his own
and drops Simon. He threatens the neck but allows Simon to close in
and clinch. Jackson rolls into a kimura. Simon hammers away with
punches from the top to end the round.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Jackson
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Jackson
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Jackson

Round 2

Back at it for Round 2. Jackson takes the center. Simon scores with
an inside leg kick, switches stances, feints and lands a right hand
over the top. Jackson zaps him with a left, resets and connects
with another one-two. Simon targets the body with a left hook
before they resume their dance in the center of the cage. Inside
leg kick from Simon. Jackson answers with hooks from both hands.

He connects with a one-two, resets and zaps his opponent with
another one-two. A dazed-and-confused Simon goes tumbling and eats
two more standing-to-ground shots before Herzog decides to stop
it.

The Official Result

Montel Jackson def. Ricky Simon—TKO (Punches) 2:39 R2

Elves
Brener (155) vs. Josiah
Harrell (155.5)

Round 1

Next on the UFC Vegas 121 docket: a lightweight affair pitting
Brener (16-6, 3-3 UFC) against Harrell (11-1, 0-1 UFC) at 155
pounds. Herb Dean draws the officiating assignment. Harrell tests
the water with a body kick. Oblique kick from Brener. Harrell
shoots on a double-leg and secures a takedown, then follows it with
another before they clinch along the fence. Brener separates and
lands a body kick, then gets his jab in gear. Harrell sneaks in a
left hand before they exchange hard leg kicks. Brener narrowly
misses a head kick but follows it with a front kick to the body.
They trade left hooks. Midway through the round. Hard inside low
kick from Brener. He lands a kick south of the border, resulting in
a pause to the action. Brener paws with his jab on the restart.
Superman punch from Harrell, who backs it up with a left hand over
the top. Brener lands an inside leg kick. Ninety seconds on the
clock. Sharp jabs from Brener, who nearly sits down the American.
Harrell scores with a low kick and follows it into a one-two.

Brener stuffs a takedown, resets and blasts the Matt Brown protégé
with a crushing right hook. Harrell faceplants and eats a few more
punches before Dean arrives to cordon off the scene.

The Official Result

Elves Brener def. Josiah Harrell—TKO (Punches) 4:14 R1

Rodolfo
Bellato (204.5) vs. Christian
Edwards (205)

Round 1

Light heavyweights step into the UFC Vegas 121 spotlight, as
Bellato (13-3-1, 2-1-1 UFC) confronts Edwards (8-5, 0-1 UFC) at 205
pounds. Grice steps in as the third man in the cage. Off they go.
Edwards snaps off a jab and a few oblique kicks. Bellato fakes a
takedown and crashes into the clinch behind punches. They jockey
for position along the fence. Bellato scores with knees to the
legs. Edwards circles off the fence and lands a knee but chooses to
stay in the clinch. Bellato backs him to the cage again and scores
with more knees. Edwards breaks out with close-range knees and
punches, then gets back to his jab in open space. They trade left
hooks. Edwards shoots on the hips and backs the Brazilian into the
fence. Halfway home in the first round. Edwards lands a few elbows
and a left hook to the body, then re-engages the clinch. More
elbows from the American. Ninety seconds to go. Edwards continues
to hammer away with elbows. Bellato unleashes a left hook out of
nowhere and drops the American, then pounces in top position with
ground-and-pound. Edwards lands an upkick, but Bellato scrambles
onto the back and threatens with a rear-naked choke. Edwards fends
off the submission, as the round ends.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Bellato
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Bellato
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Bellato

Round 2

They are underway in the second round. Edwards scores with oblique
kicks to the lead leg and body. Bellato clinches after connecting
with a right uppercut and slowly walks the American to the fence.
He delivers a few knees to the inner thigh. Edwards boxes the ears,
more of an annoyance than effective offense. They separate. Edwards
lands a head kick and follows it with a jab and a lunging uppercut.
He snaps off a few jabs. Bellato clinches and looks to his corner
for instructions. Edwards lands knees and elbows at close range,
separates and almost knocks down the Brazilian with a powerful leg
kick. Two minutes to go in the round. Bellato shuts down an
attempted takedown and clinches. Edwards circles into open space
and gets back to his jab. Bellato clips him with a left hook,
forcing a retreat. Edwards responds with a jab and an overhand
right. He clinches and throws but eats a right hand over the top.
Bellato pumps in a jab. Nice one-two from Edwards followed by two
leg kicks. They close the round in the clinch.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Edwards
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Edwards
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Bellato

Round 3

Round 3 awaits. Edwards immediately presses forward with punches
and clinches along the fence. He scores with short punches to the
Brazilian’s swollen right eye. Bellato gains advantage and turns
his opponent into the fence. Edwards refuses to stay there and
flirts with a takedown. They separate.
Edwards follows a jab with a wicked left hook and floors his
counterpart. He then pounces with follow-up punches and hammerfists
to seal the deal.

The Official Result

Christian Edwards def. Rodolfo Bellato—TKO (Punches) 1:47 R3

Rodolfo
Vieira (186) vs. Robert
Bryczek (185.5)

Round 1

They keep the UFC Vegas 121 line moving with a middleweight clash
between Vieira (11-5, 6-5 UFC) and Bryczek (18-7, 1-2 UFC) at 185
pounds. Hatley oversees the action and gives the two men the green
light. Vieira flips out a few jabs and secures a single-leg
takedown. He settles in half guard and smothers Bryczek with
shoulder pressure. Vieira climbs to full mount and drops some
punches. Bryczek gives up his back, scrambles and escapes. Vieira
closes in and secures a trip takedown before moving behind his
Polish counterpart. He scores with right hands. Ninety seconds on
the clock. Bryczek has survived the worst-case scenario to this
point. More punches from Vieira, who tries and ultimately fails to
soften his opponent for the choke.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Vieira
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Vieira
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Vieira

Round 2

They emerge for Round 2. Vieira opens with a leg kick, then
another. He jabs into a double-leg. Bryczek gets to his feet but
finds himself stuck in a body lock. Vieira scores with knees to the
leg. They separate and trade jabs. Bryczek ups his aggression.
Vieira clinches and presses the Pole into the fence, then drives a
few short punches into his face. He drops in on the hips but goes
nowhere. Vieira works toward a single-leg, reshoots and settles
back into the clinch, landing a left hook on the break. The
Brazilian clinches again and lands a few knees, one of which misses
the mark and nails Bryczek in the cup. It results in a pause to the
action that figures to benefit both men at this point. Hatley
restarts them after almost three minutes. Bryczek lands hooks with
both hands, pins the Brazilian to the fence and unleashes a
multi-punch barrage. Vieira weathers the storm and clinches,
stymying the rally. Bryczek defends against the takedown. Vieira
exits and connects with a clubbing left to close the round.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Vieira
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Vieira
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Vieira

Round 3

Bryczek almost certainly needs a finish as Round 3 starts. Vieira
opens with a one-two, then whiffs on a left hook. Bryczek carrying
his hands low. Vieira cracks him with three hard low kicks, then
sweeps him off his feet with another. Bryczek answers with a jab
and goes headhunting. Vieira shoots and drives into the clinch.
Onlookers boo. Vieira ignores them and feeds his opponent a series
of knees to the legs, then stomps at the feet. They separate.
Bryczek jabs, moves forward and lands an overhand right. He
flurries with hooks and connects with another right hand over the
top. Vieira flirting with danger here. They trade jabs. Bryczek
shakes off a single-leg but cannot avoid the clinch. Two minutes to
go. Vieira works the body lock along the fence, all while
neutralizing the Pole and bleeding valuable time off the clock.
Ninety seconds left. Action stalls against the cage, as Hatley
hovers nearby. Vieira lands a few short punches, staying busy
enough to avoid a restart. Bryczek may be out of gas—and
understandably so. He denies a single-leg but cannot break free.
Bryczek lands a few elbows to the side of the head to end it.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Bryczek (29-28
Vieira)
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Bryczek (29-28 Vieira)
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Bryczek (29-28 Vieira)

The Official Result

Rodolfo Vieira def. Robert Bryczek—Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)

Brady
Hiestand (135.5) vs. Rinya
Nakamura (136)

Round 1

Bantamweights close out the UFC Vegas 121 undercard, as Hiestand
(8-2, 3-1 UFC) takes on Nakamura (10-1, 3-1 UFC) at 135 pounds.
Dean shares the cage as the referee. No glove touch. Nakamura
whiffs on a front kick, slips, gets to his feet and sprawls on a
takedown attempt. Hiestand resets and sneaks behind the Japanese
veteran. Nakamura refuses his advance, gets to open space and lands
an inside leg kick. He sneaks in a right hand over the top, then
follows it with a body kick. Hiestand connects with punches from
both sides. Nakamura answers with an inside leg kick, then misses
an overhand right. Hiestand clinches, eats a knee to the body and
punches on the break. Nakamura circles away and stomps at the lead
leg. Hiestand presses forward, applying constant pressure. Nakamura
sneaks in a straight right. Hiestand crashes in with punches,
resets and misses a head kick. Brutal body kick from Nakamura
echoes throughout the arena. He scores with an inside low kick,
denies a takedown and breaks away. Hiestand connects with an
overhand left, flurries to the body and eats a knee up the middle.
Nakamura closes with a few punches against the fence.

Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hiestand
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Hiestand
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Hiestand

Round 2

Off they go for Round 2. Hiestand steps into a right hand, feints
and jabs. Nakamura dives on a single-leg. Hiestand sprawls and
threatens the neck, then works into an anaconda choke. Nakamura
rolls out of danger and scrambles to his feet, pressing the
American into the fence. They trade punches in the clinch. Hiestand
defends a takedown. Nakamura answers with elbows, setting off a
wild exchange before they clinch again. Halfway home in the middle
stanza. Nakamura works behind his opponent. Hiestand scrambles
free. They clinch in the center of the cage and trade knees.
Hiestand scores with a takedown but cannot corral his Japanese
counterpart. Nakamura rolls, but Hiestand takes his back, sets the
body triangle and cinches the rear-naked choke. His squeeze does
the rest, forcing the tap.