UFC Vegas 102 Results: Jared Cannonier TKOs Gregory Rodrigues in Fast-Paced Pivotal Middleweight Headliner

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Jarred Cannonier stopped Gregory Rodrigues in the pivot middleweight headliner of UFC Vegas 102: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues at the UFC Apex Facility in Las Vegas on Saturday (February 15) night.

The 12-fight card, which marked the Octagon return to the Apex, saw six fights go the distance, while six, including three on the main card, were stoppage wins. 4 of the 6 finishes were knockout (KO) or technical knockout (TKO), while 2 were submission wins on the under card.

Jared Cannonier vs Gregory Rodrigues main event middleweight bout bagged the fight of the night award, while two other fighters Edmen Shahbazyan and Gabriel Bonfim took home an extra $50,000 USD as performance bonus from the event. Here is the recap for the UFC on ESPN+ 109 event:

UFC Vegas 102 Recap

In a pivotal main event match, featuring the currently blazing middleweight division, No. 7 ranked "Killa Gorilla" Cannonier and fan favorite Rodrigues delivered a thriller. The all-rounders went back and forth with Rodrigues landing near knockdowns and Cannonier coming back with wrestling.

The pace stayed high through a third incredible round, with Cannonier pulling out the near finish with a crisp elbow in the closing seconds. Rodrigues did not recover in the minute between rounds three and four, and Cannonier got the TKO with punches in bunches to open the fourth.

Following the stoppage, Cannonier said, "Gregory hits hard, and he was slinging big shots. I was able to weather the storm, and keep my composure even in those really tough spots, and work my way back up to my feet.

"I'd rather die on my feet than die on my back. When you step in the Octagon on fight night, it's brand new every time, so it's hard to really lean on that experience, even though it's my seventh main event.

"Experience is a factor, but I lean on my team. They helped me out through this whole camp, and my improvements definitely showed in this fight. I had him against the ropes. He was hurt. I was able to finish. It felt great."

In the co-main event, No.10 ranked featherweight Calvin Kattar took on surging Youssef Zalal, and when the two entered the Octagon, it became clear that the former might just be relegated to gatekeeper status.

Zalal had beautiful footwork and fight IQ, out-jabbed, and evaded everything Kattar dealt him for all three rounds before taking the unanimous decision victory that saw him jump into the featherweight rankings.

After earning the points on the judges' scorecard, Zalal said, "This is a young man's sport. It's an honor to share the cage with Calvin Kattar, he's going to be a Hall of Famer 100%. I had to respect his power.

"I can't wait to keep improving. I heard Brian Ortega's trying to go away to '55 (pounds). I'll give him one more round in the '45 division I don't care who they give me, I'll be ready. I told you guys before, I want to be a world champion, and I will be a world champion."

Also on the main card, Edmen Shahbazyan and Nazim Sadykhov made light work of their opponents, finishing Dylan Budka and Ismael Bonfim in the first round of a middleweight and lightweight bout respectively before Andre Petroski opened the card with a decision win.

Earlier on the preliminary card, Angela Hill, Rafael Estevam, Elijah Smith and Jacqueline Cavalcanti earned decision wins, while Valter Walker, Jose Delgado and Gabriel Bonifim claimed stoppages. Here is a look at the final results of UFC Fight Night 251:

UFC Vegas 102 Results

Main Card

• Middleweight Bout: Jared Cannonier defeated Gregory Rodrigues by TKO (strikes) at 0:21 of Round 4
• Featherweight Bout: Youssef Zalal defeated Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Middleweight Bout: Edmen Shahbazyan defeated Dylan Budka by TKO (strikes) at 1:35 of Round 1
• Lightweight Bout: Nazim Sadykhov defeated Ismael Bonfim by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 1
• Middleweight Bout: Andre Petroski defeated Rodolfo Vieira by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card

• Featherweight Bout: Jose Delgado defeated Connor Matthews by KO (strikes) at 2:58 of Round 1
• Women's Strawweight Bout: Angela Hill (29-28, 29-28) defeated Ketlen Souza (29-28) by split decision
• Flyweight Bout: Rafael Estevam defeated Jesus Aguilar by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Welterweight Bout: Gabriel Bonfim defeated Khaos Williams by technical submission (D'Arce choke) at 4:58 of Round 2
• Bantamweight Bout: Elijah Smith defeated Vince Morales by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Heavyweight Bout: Valter Walker defeated Don'Tale Mayes by submission (heel hook) at 1:17 of Round 1
• Women's Bantamweight Bout: Jacqueline Cavalcanti defeated Julia Avila by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)