UFC Vegas 121: Rosas Jr. Faces Veteran Test in Star-Light Headliner
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While the Fight Night card lacks marquee names, Raul Rosas Jr. looks to cement his status against Raoni Barcelos in a high-stakes bantamweight clash.
The UFC returns to the Meta Apex in Las Vegas this Saturday for UFC Vegas 121, a 12-fight card that, as Sportsnet first reported, is light on name value but high on stakes.
Raul Rosas Jr. headlines the event in a bantamweight bout against Raoni Barcelos. Rosas Jr., who entered the UFC at age 18 and is now 21, holds a 6-1 record with the promotion. He is coming off a career-best decision victory over Rob Font, a performance highlighted by 16 takedowns. According to Sportsnet, Rosas Jr. is the favorite due to an 18-year age gap, but he faces a significant test in Barcelos. The 39-year-old Brazilian veteran is 11-4 in the UFC and is currently on a five-fight winning streak, which includes a 2025 upset decision victory over Payton Talbott.
The card also features several prospects from The Ultimate Fighter 34. In the men's bantamweight finale, Azerbaijan's Mahammadali Osmanli, who is 12-1 professionally, faces Kyrgyzstan's Ilimbek Akylbek. Sportsnet notes that Osmanli won both of his TUF fights via submission, including a rare buggy choke. In the women's strawweight finale, former Invicta FC strawweight champion Tina Black takes on the undefeated Melissa Amay. Amay enters the bout with an 8-0 professional record and secured two stoppage wins during the TUF competition, including a TKO over Gigi Canuto.
Other notable matchups include a bantamweight rematch on the preliminary card between Montel Jackson and Ricky Simon. Simon won their first encounter via unanimous decision at UFC 227 in 2018, but he enters this fight as the underdog. Sportsnet reports that both fighters have lost their last two bouts, suggesting this could be a "loser-leaves-town" scenario.
Also appearing on the prelims is a top-five women's bantamweight clash between Norma Dumont and Ailin Perez. Sportsnet highlights the significance of this bout, noting that the winner could be next in line for a title shot following the November UFC 334 fight between champion Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes. Perez enters as the favorite after winning six consecutive fights.
Rounding out the card is the return of Yazmin Jauregui, who has not competed since September 2024 when she suffered a submission loss to Ketlen Souza at UFC 306. Jauregui is the card's biggest favorite as she faces Vanessa Demopoulos, who is currently on a four-fight losing streak.