On September 26, the UFC returns to the Meta Apex in Las Vegas for the UFC Vegas 121 event. The Ultimate Fighter 29 runner-up Brady Hiestand returns after more than two years on the sidelines. He takes on Rinya Nakamura in the bantamweight division.
The UFC announced the booking through a press release. Both men fought four times in the UFC, winning three times and losing one fight. Now they fight each other and hope to get closer to a match-up against someone in the top 15 of the bantamweight division.
Young And Talented
The 27-year-old Brady Hiestand, fighting out of Spokane Valley, Washington, is one of the brightest prospects in the UFC bantamweight division. After a two-year amateur career, he made the transition to the professional ranks in 2018. Hiestand fought together a record of five wins and one loss in two years in the regional MMA scene. His lone loss came to Chad Anheliger for the Rise FC title. In 2021, Hiestand tried out for a spot in the 29th season of The Ultimate Fighter. Hiestand was chosen to compete in the tournament. After beating Josh Rettinghouse in the quarterfinals by unanimous decision, he moved on to the semis to take on Vince Murdock. Hiestand beat Murdock via TKO in the first round and punched his ticket to the live finale in August 2021 against Ricky Turcios.
In a close and competitive fight, Hiestand lost after three rounds by split decision. The UFC saw lots of potential in Hiestand and offered him a contract despite the loss. The American fighter has shown so far that the UFC was right to sign him. After wins over Fernie Garcia and Batgerel Danaa, Hiestand was supposed to get a step up in competition but had to withdraw against both Da’Mon Blackshear and Rinya Nakamura. His most recent fight was in 2024 against Garrett Armfield. As an underdog, he finished Armfield in the third round via rear-naked choke submission. It earned him the ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. Hiestand hasn’t fought for over two years since that fight, but is healthy now and ready to compete. He takes on Nakamura, whom he was supposed to fight in 2024. The UFC rebooked that fight.
Impressive Fighter With Lots Of Hype
For Nakamura, it will be his first fight since August last year. The 31-year-old Japanese fighter earned his way into the UFC through the Road to UFC tournament. As a 4-0 fighter with just over a year of professional experience, he entered the tournament taking on Gugun Gusman in the quarterfinals. Nakamura beat Gusman via Keylock submission in the first round. After he also knocked out Shohei Nose in the first round of the semis, he came into the finals as a big favorite against Toshiomi Kazama. He only needed 33 seconds to knock out his countryman and earn the UFC contract.
Six months later, he made his official UFC debut, beating Fernie Garcia via unanimous decision. After also beating Carlos Vera, he was matched up against Muin Gafurov at the beginning of 2025. Nakamura came into that fight as a massive favorite, but wasn’t able to implement his game in the fight and dropped a surprising unanimous decision. The first, and for now only, loss of the Japanese fighter’s career. Last year, he fought his most recent fight in the UFC against Nathan Fletcher. Nakamura bounced back with an impressive TKO win over Nathan Fletcher in the first round. Now he takes on Brady Hiestand.
UFC Vegas 121 – September 26
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos
- Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu vs. Mehemmedeli Osmanli (TUF 34 Bantamweight Finale)
- Tina Black vs. Melissa Amaya (TUF 34 Women’s Strawweight Finale)
- Norma Dumont vs. Ailín Pérez
- Montel Jackson vs. Ricky Simón
- Brady Hiestand vs. Rinya Nakamura
- Rodolfo Vieira vs. Robert Bryczek
- Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Yazmin Jauregui
- John Castañeda vs. Alatengheili
- Rodolfo Bellato vs. Christian Edwards
- Josiah Harrell vs. Elves Brener
- Mickey Gall vs. Sedriques Dumas
TUF Finalist Makes UFC Comeback After More Than Two Years on the Sidelines