Last night (Sat., April 4, 2026), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned home to Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 115. After the incredible high that was UFC Seattle, was there even the slightest hope that another Apex venture could maintain that momentum? Not really. Despite the decline in name value — is Renato Moicano vs. Chris Duncan really worthy of a main event? — there were actually a sneaky amount of good matchups mixed throughout the card.
Let’s take a look back over the
best performances and techniques of the evening:
Money Moicano Is Back!
I’ll confess I thought Renato Moicano shot after his loss to Beneil Dariush. It wasn’t the outcome itself that was so concerning, but Moicano basically gassed out from beating up Dariush. When a top fighter can no longer maintain their own output, that’s generally a really bad sign. In this case, however, it appears to have simply been an off-night for the Brazilian veteran, who was incredibly sharp against a very game Chris Duncan.
Moicano didn’t give Duncan an inch. From the first bell, he was actively checking and countering Duncan’s kicks, refusing to let the Scottish scrapper find his distance. When Duncan tried to establish his boxing, he wound up eating straight punches, as Moicano was more crisp and rangy with his jabs and crosses. Additionally, Moicano used his wrestling to slow the pace and keep Duncan stranded at uncomfortable ranges.
Duncan hardly landed a shot in the first, whereas Moicano landed lots of stiff jabs and stabbing front kicks. The Brazilian was very confident in his timing and began to really open up with his combinations. Initially, Moicano’s aggression while already winning felt like a real gamble, but “Money” quickly sat Duncan down with a clean left hook. Faced with a wounded foe, jumping the back and finding the strangle was simple work for the longtime contender.
Once more, the old guard of UFC Lightweights stand firm and reject a would-be replacement.
Ethyn Ewing Is The Truth
Five months after his stellar debut upset win over Malcolm Wellmaker, Ewing impressed yet again in his sophomore UFC performance.
Ewing took on the formerly undefeated Rafael Estevam, who boasted an impressive 14-0 record with a trio of Octagon wins. Against the talented former Flyweight, Ewing made it look easy! In the first round alone, his heavy sprawl so easily shut down Estevam’s takedown attempts that it was abundantly clear the Brazilian was going to end up stranded on the feet.
Estevam is capable standing, but Ewing outclassed him. For a young talent, his defensive responsibility is shocking. Ewing never trips over his own feet loading up, drops his hands in the pocket, or keeps his head stationary. He stays within his stance, takes slight angles, and executes his offense with a rare level of smoothness and precision. As a result, he’s in position to counter or unleash sharp punches when he inevitably outmaneuvers his opponent.
In this fight, Ewing did a ton of work with his crisp right hand. He scored it as a lead, after rolling beneath Estevam’s swings, and on the break of clinches. After bloodying Estevam with dozens of rights in the first two rounds, Ewing suddenly slipped inside, ripped a liver shot, and sent his opponent to the canvas in a world of hurt.
Six months ago, nobody knew Ethyn Ewing. Today, he’s an undeniable blue chip prospect, a man who very much looks like a future Bantamweight contender — and a very exciting one at that!
Tommy Gun Goes Off
Tommy McMillen lived up to the hype … debatably.
I cannot knock him on entertainment or the end result. He entered the cage for his UFC debut as a -1000 or so favorite over Manolo Zecchini, and McMillen did not have any interest in winning via decision. From the first bell, the lanky striker was pushing an absurd pace, throwing power punches and trying to catch Zecchini ducking with knees. Towards the end of the first, McMillen managed to sting Zecchini with a punch and then unloaded with knees, leaving Zecchini crumpled in a bloody pile.
In the middle of all that? McMillen’s defense looked mediocre. He walked into a lot of overhands even if he showed off a sturdy chin. He fell all over his own feet while punching. It felt like a case of the young, more athletic fighter beating up his opponent by being bigger and stronger rather than particularly sharp. Even with “Suga” in his corner, I’m not seeing the Sean O’Malley comparisons just yet.
McMillen’s confidence is definitely undeniable, and at 9-0, he’s clearly doing something right. Whether he succeeds or fails in his future UFC bouts, it’s sure to be dramatic.
A Rare Bantamweight Prospect
Women’s Bantamweight is generally in dire straits, the rankings filled with old names from a decade ago. There are very few up-and-comers of note, as Strawweight and Flyweight have developed into far more interesting classes than the inaugural UFC women’s division.
Maybe Alice Pereira is the fix? The youngest woman on the UFC roster just picked up her first victory in tremendous fashion, knocking Hailey Cowan out cold with a dramatic knee toward the end of the second round.
The singular word to describe Pereira is potential. Clearly, the 20-year-old still has a lot to improve upon. Her striking is very herky-jerky, overflowing with an abundance of youthful energy and enthusiasm. As such, she wastes energy and isn’t always defensively mindful. In addition, she was taken down and controlled for a decent portion of the second. She’s wild and needs to be reigned in.
Despite all of that, Pereira is big for the division and throws absolute heat. She’s dangerous in a way that most female Bantamweights are not. I hope there’s a smart coach and camp behind her, because she definitely could develop into a serious title threat if honed properly into a more precise weapon.
Additional Thoughts
- Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev defeats Brendson Ribeiro via first-round rear naked choke: This was a squash match, plain and simple. Ribeiro tried to make the impossible happen with a few early connections, but his clean high kick connection ended up caught and put him on his back. From there, the difference in skill was abundantly clear, and Yakhyaev wrapped up the quick strangle. The 25-year-old Russian standout is now 2-0 inside the Octagon, so perhaps we can book him against an actual challenge next?
- Alessandro Costa defeats Stewart Nicoll via second-round knockout: In a division known for movement and speed, both Costa and Nicoll were surprisingly willing to stand in front of each other and box. Costa marched forward while Nicoll worked the counter, but there was a serious difference in power. Even when Nicoll timed a nice spin, body shot, or straight right hand, Costa shrugged it off and kept advancing. Conversely, Costa exploded into his offense, sending Nicoll flying backwards when they did collide. Costa landed a couple takedowns as well, but the power remained the deciding factor. Late in the second, he stunned Nicoll with a jump knee and big punches. When the two came back together in the pocket, Costa ripped a picture-perfect liver shot that crumbled Nicoll to the canvas. Costa’s back in the win column, and each of his UFC victories came via stoppage.
- Darrius Flowers defeats Lando Vannata via second-round knockout: On paper, this was a simple enough fight. Vannata started well with his movement and wrestling, then he injured his rib off a Flowers slam takedown, which ended the fight a couple minutes later. Taking a broader view of the fight, I have two takeaways. First and foremost, Flowers is better than his first trio of UFC losses demonstrated. He looked hard to take down, slick on his back, and threw compact combos of heavy shots. The slams were violent! Secondly, Vannata very much looked like an aged fighter. He’s technically a decade into his UFC career, and the fact that his body fell apart in the cage after a three-year layoff, well … it unfortunately makes perfect sense and doesn’t bode well for the future.
- Tresean Gore defeats Azamat Bekoev via third-round guillotine (highlights): If you’re going to watch one fight from the “Prelims,” this is it! Gore and Bekoev threw down for the entire fight. Bekoev started strong but wound up rocked towards the end of the first. Even so, he came out slugging in the second, very nearly knocking out Gore early in the second. I couldn’t help but be impressed by the toughness and grit of Gore, who entered this fight with a 5-4 professional record as a major underdog. It would have been easy to cover up and let the referee save him, but instead, “Mr. Vicious” worked back to his feet and went right back to work with crisp combinations and chopping kicks. By the third, Bekoev was fatigued and his lead leg was toast! With the scorecards up in the air, Gore didn’t rest. He kept attacking, landed a takedown of his own, and started dropping hammers from mount. Bekoev managed to wrestle up, but in the process, Gore locked up his third guillotine finish to secure the best win of his young career.
