UFC Vegas 21 took place Saturday, March 13, 2021 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card was headlined by a welterweight bout between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad.
Closing odds are courtesy of one of the most popular Las Vegas based sportsbooks Circa Sports. Here’s a quick recap of each of those fights.
Favorites that Won
Dan Ige flatted Gavin Tucker in the first striking exchange of the bout, earning a first round knockout in just 22 seconds. Ige was -190 while Tucker was +165
Angela Hill battered Ashley Yoder over the course of three rounds, landing heavy blows and even holding her own on the ground to win a unanimous decision. Hill was -315 while Yoder was +265
Charles Jordain and Marcelo Rojo put on an entertaining stand-up showcase, but Jourdain wore Rojo down, eventually scoring a third round TKO victory. Jordain was -280 while Rojo was +235
Rani Yahya utilized his superior grappling to control Ray Rodriguez and eventually earn a second round arm triangle submission. Yahya was -260 while Rodriguez was +220
The biggest favorite on the card Nasrat Haqparast dominated a very tough Rafa Garcia over the course of three rounds, landing some impressive strikes over three rounds to win a one-sided decision. Haqparast was -570, while Garcia was +445
Cortney Case and JJ Aldrich had a competitive scrap, but despite Casey landing the better blows, the judges sided with Aldrich via split decision. Aldrich was -150 was while Souza was +130
In the opening bout of the evening, Matthew Semelsberger made quick work of Jason Witt, landing heavy blows on the feet to knock Witt out in just 16 seconds. Semelsberger was -125 while Witt was +105
Underdogs that Won
Ryan Spann landed a heavy right hand to drop Misha Cirkunov, then after letting Cirkunov back up to his feet, he hurt him again, this time putting him away for a first round TKO victory. Spann was +110 while Cirkunov was -130
Jonathan Martinez seemed to be on cruise control against Davey Grant, but seemingly out of nowhere, Grant landed a huge left hand on the button that knocked Martinez out cold in the second round. Grant was +260 while Martinez was -310
Mattheus Nicolau utilized his grappling in the first round, but Manel Kape outstruck him in rounds two and three, hurting him with some heavy shots. Somehow the judges sided with Nicolau via split decision, however. Nicolau was +100 while Kape was -120
Jinh Yu Frey smartly utilized her grappling to take Gloria de Paula off her feet in two out of three rounds to earn a unanimous decision. Frey was +185 while de Paula was -215
Fights that ended in ‘No Contest’
In the main event of the evening, Leon Edwards hurt Belal Muhammad early with a head kick, but the fight ended in the second round after a brutal eye poke from Edwards, which resulted in a no contest. Edwards was -290 while Muhammad was +245
Eryk Anders had Darren Stewart hurt badly against the fence, but with Stewart grounded, Anders landed an illegal knee, which forced a stop to the fight in the first round. The referee ruled the fight a no contest. Stewart was -160 while Anders was +140
