The first event of 2026 at the Meta APEX had a little bit of everything, including a buzzer-beater submission, some back-and-forth tussles, and a couple of devastating finishes in the welterweight division to close things out.
If you missed any of the action, don’t fret — we’ve got you covered with fight-by-fight recaps below.
Daniil Donchenko scored an impressive win in his first official UFC appearance, battering and beating divisional stalwart Alex Morono to close out the prelims.
The recent Ultimate Fighter winner flashed his thudding power and “all gas” approach in the opening five minutes, eventually stinging Morono and working to chase down the finish, only for the veteran to survive and make it to his corner. While his pace slowed considerably in the second and third, the Muay Thai stylist was clearly the more effective of the two, battering Morono’s lead leg, consistently landing the more impactful blows and logging important cage time in the early days of his UFC tenure.
This was a strong showing for Donchenko, who is still in the developmental stage, but is already a must-see all-action fighter. Just 24 years old, it’s going to be fascinating to see how the young Ukrainian fighter progresses over the next few years.
Nikolay Veretennikov injected some electricity into the Meta APEX in the penultimate preliminary card bout of the night, walloping Niko Price, leaving him out on his feet along the fence early in the first round.
The Kazakh welterweight was at his technical best on Saturday, stalking Price from the start and trapping him between two turnbuckles along the fence. From there, Veretennikov opened up with his strikes, blasting Price with a right hand that left him loopy and following up with a series of blows that halted the action.
This was a devastating performance for Veretennikov, who had been frustrated with his results through his first four UFC appearances. Just an outstanding display of technical striking and keen finishing instincts from “Gladiator” to get his second victory inside the Octagon and kick off his 2026 campaign in style.
It was an all-Brazilian battle in the strawweight division as Ketlen Souza faced off with Bruna Brasil, with the compatriots pairing off for 15-minute contest that had sporadic moments of impact action and several stretches where the duo were stalled along the fence.
Souza was largely the aggressor in this one, closing the distance and trying to bring the fight to Brasil, who had good moments in space, but was largely looking for big actions that repeatedly failed to land. At a couple different points, Souza landed big left hands that stung Brasil, but she failed to capitalize, resulting in the bout going the distance and the verdict being left in the hands of the judges.
When the tens and nines were totaled, it was Souza that came out on top, halting her two-fight skid and collecting her third UFC victory. Now training with the Ribas Family crew, it will be interesting to see how the former Invicta FC champ continues to progress going forward.
Like every fight before it on Saturday afternoon, Javid Basharat and Gianni Vasquez traded competitive rounds to open their preliminary card clash, resulting in the outcome hinging on how the final five minutes played out.
Basharat was sharp in the first, dropping Vasquez with a sweeping right hook and controlling things with his technical striking and superb footwork. Vasquez clawed back into things in the second, returning the favor by hurting Basharat to draw level. In the third, Basharat leaned on his grappling to dictate the terms of engagement, circling the newcomer to the canvas and patiently chipping away while taking way much of Vasquez’ offense.
When the scorecards were read, it was Basharat that came out on the happy side of things, halting a three-fight run without a win and putting himself one victory ahead of his younger brother Farid for the moment. This was a much-needed victory and steely effort from the Dana White’s Contender Series alum, who now stands at 15-2 with one no contest for his career.
A clear clash of styles on paper when first put together, it played out exactly that way as Wang Cong battled Eduarda Moura in the striking exchanges to collect her third straight UFC victory.
Keeping things on the feet in the first, Cong controlled things and hurt Moura, dropping her and leaving her leaking from the nose heading into the corner. The Brazilian dominated the second on the canvas and was close to closing things out with a deep rear-naked choke attempt. But she couldn’t secure the finish and in the third, Cong again took charge, battering Moura for the majority of the final round.
All three judges scored the fight in favor of Cong, who moved to 4-1 in the UFC and 9-1 overall with the victory. This was a gutsy effort and strong rally after being on the brink of getting finished in the second, and should serve “The Joker” well going forward as she continues progressing up the flyweight ranks.
We had a controversial end to the bantamweight bout between Jakub Wiklacz and Muin Gafurov, as the Polish prospect locked onto a deep mounted guillotine choke in the closing seconds of the fight, with Gafurov appearing to tap out just before the horn sounded to signal the end of the fight.
After splitting the first two rounds, Gafurov was controlling things in the third, out-striking Wiklacz and following the direction of his corner to the letter. But with only seconds left on the clock, Gafurov made the mistake of looking for a takedown and Wiklacz clamped onto the choke, floating into mount and forcing Gafurov to tap in the final second of the contest.
It took a minute to confirm the finish, but the replay clearly showed Gafurov tapping before the bell, resulting in Wiklacz collecting his second straight UFC victory and first finish inside the Octagon.
Klaudia Sygula and Priscila Cachoeira kicked off Saturday’s action at Meta APEX with a thoroughly entertaining battle in the bantamweight division, with the Polish hopeful collecting her second straight UFC victory.
Sygula opened the fight working at an incredible pace, taking the fight to her veteran opponent, bloodying her nose and landing a record number of blows in the opening round. While her output dipped and Cachoiera had more success as the fight progressed, Sygula continued to lead the dance and land throughout.
When the scorecards were collected and totaled, it was Sygula that came out ahead, registering a clean sweep of the scorecards to earn her second UFC victory. The 27-year-old looked smooth with her hands throughout and will only continue to improve the more she works with the crew at American Top Team and garners more experience inside the Octagon.
UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 7, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
