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At UFC Vegas 121, Demopoulos defeated Jauregui via first-round TKO, while Castaneda and Jackson won bantamweight bouts at the UFC Apex.
At UFC Vegas 121 inside the UFC Apex, women’s strawweights Demopoulos and Jauregui opened the card at 115 pounds. Demopoulos (11-8, 5-5 UFC) stopped Jauregui (11-2, 3-2 UFC) in the first round after a series of hammerfists, with referee Blake Grice administering the law and order.
Demopoulos Stops Jauregui in First
No glove touch started the bout. A sharp one-two from Demopoulos set off an exchange, and she mixed in leg kicks. Jauregui answered with an inside leg kick, then flurried with both hands and pinned Demopoulos to the fence with punches.
Vicious hooks set the Ohioan on unsteady legs. Demopoulos retreated to the canvas, launched a hapless bid for an armbar, and got met with a series of hammerfists that prompted Grice to stop it.
Castaneda Outpoints Alateng in Bantamweight Bout
Bantamweights then stepped into the UFC Vegas 121 spotlight as Castaneda (21-8-1, 4-4-1 UFC) locked horns with Alateng (17-10-2, 5-3-1 UFC) at 135 pounds. Kerry Hatley policed the proceedings.
They got underway with the customary glove touch. Castaneda opened with leg kicks. Alateng pawed with his lead hand from the opposing orthodox stance. The start was slow. An overhand right from Alateng. Castaneda answered with a low kick, a front kick to the body, and a left hand over the top.
Alateng struggled to find the target early. He answered a low kick from Castaneda with a left hook. More leg kicks from Castaneda, who comfortably switched stances. He targeted the legs with kicks and the head with hooks from both sides.
Alateng closed the distance behind punches and tried to ignite a brawl. Castaneda refused to oblige and circled away. A straight left to the body from Castaneda, who followed it with a knee and evaded the return fire. He landed an inside leg kick, then two punches upstairs. Alateng missed the mark with a spinning elbow in the closing seconds.
Tudor Leonte scored the round: 10-9 Castaneda.
Alateng took the center and landed an overhand right. Castaneda retreated and countered, closing out a combination with another inside leg kick. They traded low kicks. Alateng flirted with a single-leg, then thought better of it. Castaneda darted in with punches, then exited.
Sharp low kicks from Alateng, who countered a body kick with an overhand right and swarmed. Castaneda circled out of danger and into open space, then tagged his counterpart with a straight left. One-two from Alateng. Halfway home in the middle stanza. They continued to trade, mostly in the center of the cage. Alateng shot on the hips and pressed Castaneda into the fence. They separated.
More stance switches from Castaneda, who sneaked in a straight right and dipped under the attempted counter. An eye poke from Alateng resulted in a pause to the action. It was just a thumb, Hatley said. They resumed their dance with less than a minute to go. Leg kick from Castaneda, who ducked the counter and sneaked in a right hook. Alateng whiffed on a Superman punch and a spinning backfist as the round concluded.
Tudor Leonte scored the round: 10-9 Castaneda.
A closely contested first two rounds now gave way to the third. Castaneda circled on the outside. Alateng stepped into a knee to the body. Castaneda answered with a low kick and two short right hooks. Inside leg kick from Alateng. He shot on the hips, drove Castaneda to the fence, and briefly secured a takedown.
Castaneda alternated between standing and kneeling, with his opponent glued to his waist. Alateng fired knees to the thighs and glutes. He continued to work for a takedown. Castaneda tried and failed to roll free. Two minutes left on the clock. More knees to the thighs from Alateng. Castaneda threatened with a guillotine, got back to his feet, and shot on the hips. Alateng scrambled and secured another takedown. A stalemate ensued. Castaneda again bit down on a guillotine and neutralized his opponent’s advances.
Tudor Leonte scored the round: 10-9 Alateng (29-28 Castaneda).
Jackson and Simon Rematch at Bantamweight
Attention at UFC Vegas 121 stayed on the bantamweight division as Jackson (15-4, 9-4 UFC) toed the line against Simon (22-7-1, 10-6-1 UFC) in a rematch at 135 pounds. Jason Herzog adjudicated matters and set the two combatants in motion.
An inside leg kick from Simon broke the ice. One-one-two from Jackson. Simon landed a leg kick, switched stances, and targeted the body. Jackson answered with a pair of surgical one-twos. A heavy body kick from Simon. Jackson responded with another lightning-quick one-two. Simon ducked into a takedown, hoisted his opponent skyward, and eventually completed it.
He flirted with a guillotine, then wheeled to the back. Jackson scooted to the fence and stood. They separated. Midway through the round. Simon whiffed on a left hook. Jackson followed a three-piece combo with a body kick, then shrugged off an attempted clinch. They circled and probed.
Jackson countered a left hook with a vicious left of his own and dropped Simon. He threatened the neck but allowed Simon to close in and clinch. Jackson rolled into a kimura. Simon hammered away with punches from the top to end the round.
Tudor Leonte scored the round: 10-9 Jackson.
Back at it for Round 2. Jackson took the center.
UFC Vegas 121 Demopoulos Jauregui Castaneda Jackson UFC Apex Bantamweight
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