UFC Contract Winner Makes Quick Turnaround to Save Fight on Saturday's UFC Card

"The Stache" secured a UFC contract less than two weeks ago.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card underwent a personnel swap just a couple of days out from the event.

Following a lengthy road trip, the UFC returns home to the Meta APEX this weekend for UFC Vegas 121, which is the promotion’s first event in Las Vegas in nearly two months.  

The card is headlined by a men’s bantamweight matchup between Raul Rosas Jr. and Raoni Barcelos, and women’s bantamweight fighters will also be in action in the co-main event when Norma Dumont takes on Ailín Pérez.

Mickey Gall Pulled From UFC Vegas 121 During Fight Week

UFC Vegas 121 was also supposed feature a middleweight bout between Sedriques Dumas and Mickey Gall, who was set to make his return to the Octagon for the first time in nearly two years.

Unfortunately, Gall was pulled from the matchup just two days out from the event and told fans that the UFC contacted him after something came up in his pre-fight medical evaluation.

The 34-year-old has been on the UFC roster for more than 10 years but has only competed 13 times, and the matchup with Dumas would have presented Gall with the chance to try and snap a four-fight skid that’s brought his professional MMA record to an even 7-7.

DWCS Contract Winner Luis Hernandez Makes Quick Turnaround for UFC Debut

With Gall off the card, the UFC acted quickly to book recent Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner Luis Hernandez as Dumas’ new opponent at UFC Vegas 121.

Boasting a perfect 8-0 record, Hernandez has finished every opponent he’s faced since making his professional MMA debut in 2021.

Luis Hernandez after his fight with Miles Hunsinger. | (Instagram/Tuff-N-Uff)

Following a second-round submission against Mules Hunsinger at Tuff-N-Uff 145 in June of last year, “The Stache” had a viral altercation with current UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland, who was in attendance at the event to support his teammate Hunsinger.

Luis Hernandez before his DWCS fight with Hugo Guillon. | (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

The 30-year-old collected one more win before he was booked to fight Hugo Guillon on Week 6 of DWCS, where he escaped a near-submission himself before rallying to finish Guillon with a rear naked choke in the second round.

Sedriques Dumas Enters UFC Vegas 121 on Three-Fight Skid

Hernandez’s short-notice UFC debut comes less than two weeks after his contract-winning performance against Guillon, and he’ll be facing another former DWCS contract winner in Dumas on Saturday night.

Zachary Reese (red gloves) fights Sedriques Dumas (blue gloves) during Noche UFC at Frost Bank Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dumas extended his professional MMA record to 7-0 with a 47-second submission on DWCS in 2022 but has experienced mixed results in the UFC, with his last win coming against Denis Tiuliulin more than two years ago.

Sedriques Dumas (red gloves) reacts after his loss to Michal Oleksiejczuk (not pictured) during UFC 314 at Kaseya Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“The Reaper” is currently on a three-fight streak of stoppage losses that was only broken up by a 51-second No Contest against Zach Reese in September of last year, a run that Dumas will attempt to end when he welcomes Hernandez to the UFC tomorrow night.

UFC Vegas 121 Fight Card

Main Event: Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barelos

Co-Main Event: Norma Dumont vs. Ailín Pérez

Sedriques Dumas vs. Luis Hernandez

Ilambek Akylbek vs. Mahammadli Osmanli

Valesca Machado vs. Melissa Amaya

Rinya Nakamura vs. Brady Hisetand

Rodolfo Viera vs. Robert Bryczek

Rodolfo Bellato vs. Christian Edwards

Elves Brener vs. Josiah Harrell

Montel Jackson vs. Ricky Simón

John Castañeda vs. Alatengheili

Yazmin Jauregui vs. Vanessa Demopoulos