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UFC will host yet another Fight Night event at the Apex facility this Saturday, May 8, 2021.
UFC Vegas 26 was originally scheduled to be the comeback event for TJ Dillashaw, who was stripped of his title and suspended for two years after testing positive for EPO.
Unfortunately, a deep cut above his eye that he sustained during training forced him out of the main event fight, where he was set to go up against Cory Sandhagen. The latter was also subsequently removed from the card, keeping the matchup intact for a future date.
Taking over the UFC Vegas 26 main event will be strawweight veterans Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson. However, since both fighters stepped in to save the day on short notice, the fight will be at flyweight, allowing the fighters to focus less on weight-cutting and more on the fight camp.
UFC Vegas 26: Marina Rodriguez vs Michelle Waterson
Marina Rodriguez is ranked 6th and Michelle Waterson is ranked 9th in the women's strawweight division. The result of the bout is likely to have an impact on the title contention scene at 115 lbs., even though the fight will be at 125 lbs.
Both Rodriguez and Waterson are coming off wins in their last outings, after having suffered a defeat. Marina Rodriguez lost to Carla Esparza in July 2020, dropping a split decision. She returned with a dominating second-round TKO over Amanda Ribas at UFC 257 in January 2021. Michelle Waterson also lost to Carla Esparza at UFC 249 in May last year, but followed it up with a narrow split decision win over Angela Hill.
They will now lock horns in the short-notice headliner at UFC Vegas 26 this weekend.
Donald Cerrone will face Alex Morono in the co-main event of the night. 'Cowboy' has not won a single fight out of his last five octagon appearances. He is currently coming off a 'No Contest' against Niko Price that took place in September 2020. Alex Morono is also coming into the fight with a loss, dropping a unanimous decision to Anthony Pettis last December.
Other fights on the card include Neil Magny against Geoff Neal, Maurice 'Bobby' Greene against Marcos De Lima, Diego Ferreira against Gregor Gillespie, and Amanda Ribas against Angela Hill.
