SUMMARY
- UFC Vegas 91 main event saw Alex Perez knocking out Matheus Nicolau.
- Here's all you need to know about the Fight Night event.
After the incredible highs of UFC 300, the company is back with an exciting fight card. UFC Vegas 91 took place inside the Apex Arena in Las Vegas. In the main event, two elite flyweight fighters, Matheus Nicolau and Alex Perez took on each other. The fight had championship ramifications as the winner would have been in a prime position to challenge for Alexandre Pantoja’s title.
Action packed night at the APEX 👏
— UFC (@ufc) April 27, 2024
[ #UFCVegas91 | B2YB @TheFallGuyMovie ] pic.twitter.com/5EB9P7tSLK
Pantoja is set to defend his 125lbs title against Steve Erceg in the UFC 301 main event. So there is a chance that the winner of Perez vs Nicolau would get the title shot considering the division is currently light of potential contenders, especially if Alexandre Pantoja retains. But, that was not the only exciting bout on the card as it also featured an exciting co-main event contest between Ryan Spann and rising star, Bogdan Guskov.
UFC Vegas 91: Results
Tim Means vs. Uros Medic: After seven prelim fights, the main card kicked off with an exciting bout between Tim Means and Uros Medic. The fight was quite a short one as it only lasted 2:09 minutes. However, within that period, Tim and Uros landed 10 and 11 total strikes respectively with both managing 7 significant strikes each. But, in the end, it was the Serbian fighter who got the win via KO/TKO in the first round.
All out until the very end ⚡️ #UFCVegas91 pic.twitter.com/dY5rB7qcWM
— UFC (@ufc) April 27, 2024
Jonathan Pearce vs. David Onama: After the thrilling opening bout, Jonathan Pearce and David Onama delivered a steady 3 round contest that went the full distance. Jonathan was the more active fighter in the contest with more volume strikes. “JSP” landed 87 total strikes and 57 significant ones. On the other hand, Onama landed 58 significant strikes and 66 strikes in total.
WHAT A COMEBACK 😱
— UFC (@ufc) April 28, 2024
Jhonata Diniz remains undefeated after a huge KO in round 2! #UFCVegas91 pic.twitter.com/2SeZhm9GsQ
Pearce also managed 5 takedowns with both fighters securing one submission attempt each. After 15 minutes of action, the catchweight bout ended with Onama winning via a unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 29-28 for the Ugandan fighter.
Austen Lane vs. Jhonata Diniz: Austen Lane’s poor main roster run continued at UFC Vegas 91. He took on Jhonata Diniz and the bout only lasted till the 2:12 minute mark of the second round when Diniz got the win via a KO/TKO. However, the fight was neck and neck until then with Lane landing 17 significant strikes (43 total strikes) and Jhonata landing 20 significant strikes (31 total strikes). Regardless, the Brazilian fighter continued his unbeaten run as his current record stands at 7-0.
Moving up the ranks 📈@KillerKarine extends her win streak to 9 with a UD victory! #UFCVegas91 pic.twitter.com/vprZnTA81E
— UFC (@ufc) April 28, 2024
Ariane Lipski vs. Karine Silva: In a women’s flyweight bout, Karine Silva fought the veteran Ariane Lipski. Lipski’s output was far better than Silva’s as the former managed 89 total strikes (42 significant strikes). Silva, on the other hand, only managed to land 27 significant strikes with 53 strikes in total. But, it was the ground game from Silva that won her the contest as she managed 5 takedowns in the fight. Karine won the bout via a unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, and 29-28).
Ryan Spann vs. Bogdan Guskov: Bogdan Guskov made a statement at UFC Vegas 91! Ahead of the bout, Spann joked that Guskov looked a lot like his old rival, Anthony Smith. However, the Uzbekistani fighter’s performance against Spann will surely help him build his own identity going forward.
Uzbekistan you have a winner 🇺🇿👏
— UFC (@ufc) April 28, 2024
Bogdan Guskov ends it in round 2 with a TKO! #UFCVegas91 pic.twitter.com/UCNXwKLA9k
While Spann is a powerful striker, Guskov never let him find his momentum. Bogdan landed 31 significant strikes with 49 total strikes as opposed to Ryan’s 15 significant strikes and only 20 total strikes. The ref ended the bout at the 3:16 minute mark of the second round to declare Guskov as the winner.
Matheus Nicolau vs. Alex Perez: After three back-to-back losses against Deiveson Figueiredo, Alexandre Pantoja, and Muhammad Mokaev, Alex Perez was back to his best at UFC Vegas 91. While the bout was in balance in terms of the number of punches landed, Perez’s shots were affecting Nicolau’s body pretty much from the beginning.
Alex managed to land 28 total strikes on Matheus and all of them were significant. The bout ended when a brutal hook from Alex folded his opponent at the 2:16 minute mark of round 2.
ONE MEAN RIGHT HOOK 😱@AlexPerezMMA shakes up the rankings on short notice with a HUGE KO! #UFCVegas91 pic.twitter.com/mtaEHLpP0f
— UFC (@ufc) April 28, 2024
After the win against Nicolau, Perez will certainly break into the top 5 of the division. Even if he does not fight for the title next, he will be in a position to challenge for the No. 1 contender spot. Perez, Guskov, Diniz, and Medic received $50,000 performance bonuses while there was no ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus.
