“Robocop” gets his first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) main event.
MMAmania.com confirmed with multiple sources today that former Middleweight title challenger and No. 8 ranked Jared Cannonier will collide with surging Brazilian knockout artist Gregory Rodrigues in the main event of UFC Vegas 102 on Sat., Feb. 15, 2025, which is set to go down in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Cannonier (17-8) is riding the first two-fight losing streak of his Middleweight run. “Killa Gorilla” lost a unanimous decision to Caio Borralho in his last outing at UFC Vegas 96, and before that, he was finished by Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Kentucky (watch highlights).
For what it’s worth, UFC Vegas 102 will be Cannonier’s sixth straight main event.
Rodrigues (16-5) will finally have a chance to jump into the Middleweight top 15 rankings in his first main event.
“Robocop” is riding a three-fight winning streak in which he knocked out Denis Tiuliulin (watch it) and Brad Tavares. In his most recent outing, he secured a unanimous decision over Christian Leroy Duncan earlier this year at UFC 304.
Checkout the most recent UFC Vegas 101 fight card:
Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Gabriel Bonfim
Julia Avila vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti
Rodolfo Vieira vs. Jacob Malkoun
Ismael Bonfim vs. Nazim Sadykhov
Juliana Miller vs. Carli Judice
Jose Delgado vs. Connor Matthews
Billy Goff vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
Like both of them. Good for them getting main spot. Like it.
After a big 2024, Youssef Zalal has earned himself a marquee matchup.
At UFC Fight Night 251 on Feb. 15, Zalal (16-5-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) will battle perennial featherweight contender Calvin Kattar (23-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in a three-round bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card streams on ESPN+.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Zalal also discussed the matchup on a recent episode of the “JAXXON Podcast.”
Zalal was cut from the UFC in 2022, but worked his way back into the promotion in 2024. He was signed for a short-notice return bout vs. Billy Quarantillo, who he submitted. Jarno Errens and Jack Shore faced the same fate thereafter, falling victim to Zalal’s slick jiu-jitsu skills.
Kattar aims to snap a three-fight skid that includes defeats against Josh Emmett, Arnold Allen, and most recently, Aljamain Sterling. Kattar was scheduled to fight Kyle Nelson in September, but withdrew due to injury.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 251 lineup includes:
- Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues
- Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia
- Calvin Kattar vs. Youssef Zalal
- Yuneisy Duben vs. Carli Judice
- Ismael Bonfim vs. Nazim Sadykhov
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
- Jose Delgado vs. Connor Matthews
- Billy Ray Goff vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
- Dylan Budka vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
- Vince Morales vs. Elijah Smith
- Jesus Aguilar vs. Rafael Estevam
- Don’Tale Mayes vs. Valter Walker
- Kaue Fernandes vs. Jared Gordon
- Rodolfo Vieira vs. opponent TBA
IN Teresting Main , lOOking Forward
Good to see Robocop getting some of the spotlight. One of the most entertaining Just Bleed friendly fighters in the UFC in recent times imo.