UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues
| Company type | Event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | February 15, 2025 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues—also referred to as UFC Fight Night 251 or UFC Vegas 102'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 15, 2025. The event took place at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, United States.
Background
The main event featured a middleweight clash between Jared Cannonier, a former contender for the UFC Middleweight Championship, and Gregory Rodrigues, who previously held the LFA Middleweight title.
Initially, a women's flyweight contest was planned between Juliana Miller, winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Peña vs. Team Nunes, and Carli Judice. However, Miller withdrew due to injury, leading to the bout's cancellation; Judice was subsequently scheduled to compete at a different event.
In the middleweight division, Jacob Malkoun was set to face Rodolfo Vieira but had to pull out because of injury. Andre Petroski stepped in as his replacement.
Welterweight encounters included Rinat Fakhretdinov versus Gabriel Bonfim, the latter being a former LFA Welterweight Champion. Following Fakhretdinov’s withdrawal due to injury, Khaos Williams was named as his substitute. Another welterweight matchup between Billy Goff and Nikolay Veretennikov was canceled after Veretennikov's exit; Goff was reassigned to fight Adam Fugitt at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song.
A lightweight bout featuring Jared Gordon and Kauê Fernandes faced complications when Fernandes encountered visa difficulties. Promotional newcomer Mashrabjon Ruziboev replaced Fernandes but the fight was ultimately called off due to Ruziboev falling ill, despite Gordon successfully making weight.
Bonus awards
Outstanding performances at the event were recognized with $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues
- Performance of the Night: Edmen Shahbazyan and Gabriel Bonfim