Stay up to date with what’s happening today at UFC Vegas 62, which is going down from a more private than usual APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The main event of the evening is getting top-ten women’s flyweights colliding when the #5 rated, Alexa Grasso, meets the #6 rated, Viviane Araujo. The co-main event will see longtime UFC veteran Cub Swanson scrapping it out with surging bantamweight Jonathan Martinez.
The main card is slated for 7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT, and the preliminary bouts begin at 4:00pm ET/1:00p, PT — all of which can be streamed on ESPN+.
Main card:
Alexa Grasso def. Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46 x2): (W) Flyweight
There was a lot of striking to get this one going, with both fighters trading jabs early on. In open space, Grasso was just doing enough to win a lot of exchanges. The second act saw Araujo hit a takedown, but didn’t do much before Grasso stood back up. Alexa went right back to launching stiff jabs and straights, catching Araujo doing a lot of looking. A ton of jabs were swapped back and forth in what were razor thin third and fourth acts. Grasso was doing a better job of putting a cross behind her jab, but it’s hard to say who took those rounds. We got more of the same in the final frame. Many jabs, with neither fighter really opening up to over-expose themselves.
Jonathan Martinez def. Cub Swanson by TKO at 4:19 of round 2: Bantamweight
The first round was pretty back-and-forth, until a big knee from Martinez dropped Swanson towards the end of the round. Martinez swarmed, throwing a bunch of ground strikes, but ran out of time to seal the deal. Swanson was dropped again within the first minute of the second round. From there, Martinez got on top and controlled the veteran for a bit. Swanson ultimately found a way back to his feet, and started to throw haymakers, but Martinez buckled Cub a few times with nasty leg kicks. Swanson kept standing up, until one of them seemed to badly hurt Cub and put him down for good. This is the biggest win of Jonathan’s career!
Dusko Todorovic def. Jordan Wright by TKO at 3:12 of round 2: Middleweight
Despite Todorovic initiating the grappling, it was Wright who came up with an early takedown. As Todorovic attacked a leg lock, Wright tee’d off with some heavy ground strikes. Todorovic started the second round hot, unloading a ton of volume to overwhelm a fatiguing Wright. Wright ended up dropping down to the ground, and Todorovic took top position and began slamming hammers until the referee had seen enough. What a rally!
Raphael Assuncao def. Victor Henry by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Bantamweight
Henry applied pressure right away, but Assuncao was content to allow the fight to come to him. Assuncao was doing a good job of countering, and was able to spend a little bit of time on top. Henry pushed the pace in the third, but Assuncao kept finding counters to prevent Victor from building any steam. This victory snaps a four-fight losing skid for Assuncao.
Alonzo Menifield def. Misha Cirkunov by KO at 1:28 of round 1: Light Heavyweight
Menifield was on a mission here! He came out looking for the finish right away, swinging with hefty haymakers from the get go. It was a leaping left hook that wobbled Cirkunov, and the right hand put him down. A barrage of ground strikes came flying in on an already unconscious Cirkunov. This makes back-to-back finishes for Alonzo.
Prelims:
Mana Martinez def. Brandon Davis by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): Bantamweight
The bulk of this bout took place in open space. The fighters went blow for blow in what was a measured standup battle. Martinez rocked Davis on a few occasions, including a mean spinning backfist, and dished out the most meaningful damage of the match. Mana is now back in the win column.
Jacob Malkoun def. Nick Maximov by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Middleweight
A left hook from Maximov dropped Malkoun early in the opening round, Jacob was able to wrestle to buy himself some time to recover. Maximov ended up injuring his right leg in the first round, which prompted the doctor to check him out before the start of the second. Malkoun spent a lot of time on top in the second stanza, and then spent the second half of the round walking down Maximov with strikes. Malkoun returned to his wrestling in the third, planting Maximov on his back to work from there top.
Joanderson Brito def Lucas Alexander by submission (RNC) at 2:02 of round 1: Featherweight
After a couple of lifting slams, Brito found his way to the back of Alexander in the standing position. He worked hard to sniff out a rear-naked choke, finding different ways to attack until finally prompting a tap. This was quite the showcase fight for Brito, and used his post-fight interview to call out the UFC’s #11 ranked featherweight, Dan Ige.
Piera Rodriguez def. Sam Hughes by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Strawweight
This was a close one. On the feet, it was pretty even throughout, with the knees of Rodriguez seeming to do the most damage. Rodriguez was also able to pull off several takedowns, but to Hughes’ credit, she was able to spring right back up rather quickly. Hughes used a ton of pressure, but wasn’t able to capitalize on it as she had hoped to.
Tatsuro Taira def. C.J. Vergara by submission (armbar) at 4:19 of round 2: Flyweight
The ground game of Taira was his key to success here. He was able to get the fight to the ground, and showcased excellent control while there. The ending came in then second round, after Taira spent some time on the back hunting for an RNC, he smoothly transitioned to an arbor to achieve the tap.
Pete Rodriguez def. Mike Jackson by KO at 1:33 of round 1: Welterweight
Rodriguez brought the pressure right away, backing up Jackson with boxing combinations. A body shot briefly dropped Jackson, and then another flurry had Mike shelling up against the fence. It was a brutal knee that put Jackson down, and a set of followup punches landed on the unconscious fighter.
