UFC Vegas 121: Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos opens the card with a fight between Vanessa Demopoulos and Yazmin Jauregui in the strawweight division. Check out our UFC Vegas 121 odds series for our Demopoulos-Jauregui prediction and pick.
Yazmin Jauregui (11-2, 3-2 UFC) has been out since September 2024, when Ketlen Souza submitted her via first-round rear-naked choke at UFC 306, snapping the momentum she built with a clean unanimous decision over Sam Hughes back in February 2024. Before that, she was TKO'd by Denise Gomes in 20 seconds at UFC 290, showing her record includes some volatile swings between dominant wins and quick finishes. Now, after two years away, she looks to rebound as he comes into her fight this weekend against Vanessa Demopoulos.
Vanessa Demopoulos (11-8, 5-5 UFC) enters on a rough three-fight skid, having dropped unanimous decisions to Jamey-Lyn Horth in June 2025 and Talita Alencar that April, sandwiched around a first-round armbar submission loss to Jaqueline Amorim in September 2024. Her last win came via split decision over Emily Ducote in May 2024. Now the veteran “Lil Monster” looks to snap the skid as he comes into her fight this weekend against Yazmin Jauregui.
UFC Vegas 121 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 121 Odds: Vanessa Demopoulos-Yazmin Jauregui Odds
Vanessa Demopoulos: +625
Yazmin Jauregui: -950
Over: -195
Under rounds: +150
Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)Why Vanessa Demopoulos Will Win
Yazmin Jauregui brings significantly more finishing power into this matchup, with seven of her 11 professional wins coming by knockout compared to Demopoulos's single stoppage victory. At 26, she's also six years younger than the 38-year-old “Lil Monster,” giving her clear physical advantages in speed, output, and durability over 15 minutes.
Demopoulos enters on a difficult stretch, having lost three of her last four fights, including back-to-back decision losses to Jamey-Lyn Horth and Talita Alencar. That kind of skid often reflects diminishing physical tools or a fighter being consistently out-worked on the feet, which plays directly into Jauregui's more aggressive striking style.
Jauregui's lone recent setback came via submission to Ketlen Souza, not from being outstruck, suggesting her boxing and volume remain elite when fights stay standing. Against Demopoulos, who isn't known as a dangerous submission threat compared to Souza, that vulnerability is far less relevant.
Layoff aside, Jauregui's power and youth should let her control range, land the harder shots, and either finish Demopoulos early or comfortably out-point her on the scorecards.
Article Continues BelowWhy Yazmin Jauregui Will Win
Vanessa Demopoulos brings far more championship-level experience into this fight, having gone 5-5 across ten UFC bouts against consistently ranked competition. That volume of high-level reps, including tough outings against elite grapplers, gives her a tactical sharpness that a fighter coming off a two-year layoff simply can't replicate in camp.
Jauregui hasn't fought since September 2024, when she was submitted in the first round by Ketlen Souza, raising real questions about ring rust and her ability to defend on the ground. Extended absences often hurt a fighter's cardio, timing, and reaction speed, all areas where Demopoulos, an active veteran, should have the clear advantage on fight night.
Demopoulos also holds a submission win on her resume and has shown she can change levels and grapple with dangerous strikers, a skill set that already exposed a weakness in Jauregui once before. If she can replicate Souza's blueprint by closing distance and taking the fight to the mat, Jauregui's power becomes far less of a factor.
Given the layoff, the proven takedown-based path to victory, and Demopoulos's grittier UFC pedigree, look for “Lil Monster” to grind out a decision or find a second-round finish.
Final Vanessa Demopoulos-Yazmin Jauregui Prediction & Pick
Expect Yazmin Jauregui's power and youth to be the deciding factor early, as she looks to establish range and land the heavier shots against a shorter, older opponent. Vanessa Demopoulos, at 38 and coming off a three-fight skid, will likely try to close distance quickly and force a grappling exchange.
The key stretch comes in round one, where Jauregui must avoid the same takedown-into-submission pattern that cost her the Ketlen Souza fight. If she keeps the bout standing, her superior boxing volume should let her pull ahead on the scorecards or find a finish.
If Demopoulos gets this to the mat and imposes her control, the fight tilts heavily in her favor given Jauregui's shown vulnerability there. Overall, the two-year layoff is the biggest wildcard.
Jauregui gets back into win the column with a second-round TKO, provided she stays disciplined defensively and avoids letting Demopoulos dictate where the fight happens.
Final Vanessa Demopoulos-Yazmin Jauregui Prediction & Pick: Yazmin Jauregui (-950), UNDER 2.5 Rounds (+150)