Yazmin Jauregui made a huge return to the Octagon earlier tonight (Sat., Sept. 26, 2026) at UFC Vegas 121 LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, stopping women’s strawweight veteran Vanessa Demopoulos with a violent knockout just 62 seconds into the first round.
Jauregui, 27, was making her first return to the Octagon in over two years. The talented Mexican striker had showcased some serious potential over her first few UFC appearances, but she experienced some struggles along
the way as well. Saturday’s return was a tailor-made matchup for the striker considering Demopoulos relies heavily on grappling and doesn’t offer much on the feet. It was still up to Jauregui to deliver the goods and prove her time off was worth it.
While some fighters experience cage rust after such a long layoff this was not the case with Jauregui. After Demopoulos threw an overhand right and left herself open for a counter Jauregui absolutely went off. She landed punch after punch that left Demopoulos completely defenseless along the cage. The referee still didn’t jump in, but once Demopoulos hit the ground and Jauregui rained down heavy punches from top position that was all she wrote.
Check out the video highlights below:
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