UFC Vegas 26 was an event plagued by fight cancellations, right up until just hours prior to the event kicking off.
What was left was a hodge-podge of a fight card, with a makeshift main event that wasn’t even on the radar weeks ago. The co-main event had changed as well, with Diego Sanchez out and Alex Morono in. Key fights involving Ben Rothwell and Amanda Ribas were lost; in short, expectations were low.
Still, there was enough action to carry fans through to the end, and it started right out of the gate thanks to a solid performance by promotional newcomer Carlson Harris. Harris made short work of Christian Aguilera, taking advance of a poorly planned takedown attempt to lock in an anaconda choke. Aguilera went out, giving Harris the technical submission — and a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Alex Morono won the other Performance bonus Saturday, thanks to his bombardment of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the co-main event. Cerrone stood toe-to-toe early but wilted under the pressure from Morono as the opening round wore on. The ref called the fight with Cerrone still on his feet but clearly hurt, with twenty seconds remaining in the opening frame.
Fight of the Night at UFC Vegas 26 went to Gregor Gillespie vs. Diego Ferreira. Thanks to the Brazilian missing weight, Gillespie will earn a full $100,000 as he takes Ferreira’s share of the award.
