Heili Alateng wins split-decision victory over John Castaneda
- At UFC Vegas 121, held on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, bantamweight fighters Heili Alateng and John Castaneda met in a...
- The bantamweight clash began with a slow opening round as Castaneda opened with leg kicks and switched stances while Alateng worked from an orthodox stance.
- In earlier action on the preliminary card, strawweight Yazmin Jauregui defeated Vanessa Demopoulos by knockout at 1:02 of the first round.
At UFC Vegas 121, held on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, bantamweight fighters Heili Alateng and John Castaneda met in a preliminary bout streamed live on Paramount+. Alateng secured a split-decision victory over Castaneda with scorecards of 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28.
Alateng and Castaneda Battle Through Three Rounds
The bantamweight clash began with a slow opening round as Castaneda opened with leg kicks and switched stances while Alateng worked from an orthodox stance. According to Sherdog live coverage, Castaneda mixed in front kicks to the body and left hooks upstairs, while Alateng tried to ignite a close-range brawl that Castaneda avoided by circling away. In the second round, Alateng took the center of the cage and landed an overhand right, while Castaneda responded with a straight left and continued attacking the legs. An accidental eye poke from Alateng paused the action briefly before referee Kerry Hatley restarted the fighters with under a minute remaining in the frame. The third round featured a decisive grappling shift when Alateng drove Castaneda to the fence and secured multiple takedowns. Despite Castaneda threatening with guillotine chokes from the bottom, Alateng maintained control with knees to the thighs and glutes, swaying the judges’ scorecards in the final stanza.
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Early Prelim Action and Event Lineup
In earlier action on the preliminary card, strawweight Yazmin Jauregui defeated Vanessa Demopoulos by knockout at 1:02 of the first round. Referee Blake Grice stopped the bout after Jauregui pinned Demopoulos to the fence with punches and landed a series of hammerfists following a knockdown. The UFC Vegas 121 fight card also featured a bantamweight main event matching Raul Rosas Jr. against Raoni Barcelos on Paramount+. The preliminary lineup showcased multiple weight classes, including matchups between Montel Jackson and Ricky Simón, as well as Norma Dumont facing Ailin Perez.
