UFC Fight Night 126: Cowboy vs. Medeiros | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Dana Black
- May 20
- 7 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 126: Cowboy vs. Medeiros took place on Sunday, February 18, 2018 at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas — broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 to 893,000 average viewers (1.07M peak, 675k FS1 prelims). The card drew 10,502 fans for a gate of $794,350. It was the third UFC event in Austin and the first since UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson in November 2014. The main event was a welterweight bout between Donald Cerrone and Yancy Medeiros.
Cerrone stopped Medeiros by TKO at 4:58 of round one after a back-and-forth brawl featuring three knockdowns, snapping a three-fight losing streak. Derrick Lewis earned Performance of the Night for a third-round KO of Marcin Tybura. Curtis Millender earned the other Performance of the Night. Brandon Davis and Steven Peterson earned Fight of the Night for a featherweight battle featuring a combined 291 and 296 total strike attempts. Geoff Neal made his UFC debut on the preliminary card.
Austin Returns — Cowboy’s Bounce-Back Brawl
Frank Erwin Center is the arena of the University of Texas at Austin and holds approximately 16,000. The 10,502 attendance for Austin’s third UFC event was the card’s most commercially significant result alongside the 893k average viewership. Cerrone’s Austin main event was his first UFC fight since his R1 TKO loss to Jorge Masvidal at UFC Fight Night 109 in July 2017 — the third of his three consecutive losses. His three-fight losing streak entering Austin had included losses to Robbie Lawler, Leon Edwards, and Masvidal.
Medeiros was a 28-year-old Hawaiian welterweight who had gone 4-0 in the UFC including three performance bonuses. He had earned Fight of the Night three times in his four UFC fights. His history of competitive, action-heavy performances made the Cerrone matchup commercially appropriate for a headliner. The expectation of a brawl was commercially fulfilled: the round featured multiple knockdowns, a late-round finish, and the kind of mutual offensive exchange that defines both fighters’ career profiles.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Sunday, February 18, 2018 (3rd UFC in Austin, Texas; first since November 2014)
📍 Venue: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
👥 Attendance: 10,502
💰 Gate: $794,350
📺 Broadcast: Fox Sports 1 — 893,000 avg. viewers (1.07M peak, 675k FS1 prelims)
Main Event: Cerrone Snaps Three-Fight Slide vs. Medeiros
Medeiros came out pressing forward immediately — his established fight style. Cerrone’s striking volume and counter-timing matched the pace rather than retreating. The round was characterised by mutual exchanges, with Cerrone landing the crisper combinations. Cerrone dropped Medeiros three times across the round — a knockdown count that reflected both his striking quality and Medeiros’ willingness to exchange despite being hurt.
Lewis KOs Tybura, Millender PoN, Neal’s Debut & The Card
Derrick Lewis’ third-round KO of Marcin Tybura at 2:48 extended his UFC HW winning run and earned Performance of the Night. Lewis had entered Austin on a four-fight win streak; Tybura had competed at UFC Fight Night 121 in Sydney in November 2017 and was building a competitive HW record. Curtis Millender’s knee KO of Thiago Alves at 4:17 of round two was the Austin card’s second PoN-earning finish.
Full Results
Main Card (Fox Sports 1)
Derrick Lewis def. Marcin Tybura — KO (punches) — R3, 2:48 — HW (PoN $50k; Lewis building HW career)
James Vick def. Francisco Trinaldo — Unanimous Decision (29-28x3) — LW
Curtis Millender def. Thiago Alves — KO (knee) — R2, 4:17 — WW (PoN $50k; knee KO)
Brandon Davis def. Steven Peterson — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26) — FW (FotN $50k each; Davis 119/291 sig strikes; Peterson 82/296; action-packed 3-round FW battle)
Sage Northcutt def. Thibault Gouti — Unanimous Decision (29-28x3) — LW
Preliminary Card (FS1 / UFC Fight Pass)
Diego Ferreira def. Jared Gordon — TKO — R1, 1:58 — LW
Geoff Neal def. Brian Camozzi — Submission (RNC) — R1, 2:48 — WW (GEOFF NEAL’S UFC DEBUT; future top WW contender)
Roberto Sanchez def. Joby Sanchez — Submission (RNC) — R1, 1:50 — FW
Lucie Pudilova def. [opponent] — Women’s BW
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Brandon Davis + Steven Peterson — $50,000 each
🥇 Performance of the Night: Derrick Lewis + Curtis Millender — $50,000 each
Records & Milestones
• Davis vs. Peterson Fight of the Night featured a combined 587 significant strike attempts over three rounds.
• Geoff Neal’s UFC debut — beginning of a top-10 WW career.
Legacy & Impact
Geoff Neal’s debut RNC of Camozzi opened a WW career that went 6-0 in the UFC before his first loss to Stephen Thompson at UFC 244 in November 2019. His debut result in Austin was the first data point in a contender career that produced wins over Mike Perry, Belal Muhammad, and Rafael dos Anjos. The Davis/Peterson FotN was the Austin card’s most commercially entertaining individual fight — a strike-heavy FW battle that produced one of the year’s most high-volume exchanges.
FAQ
What was Cerrone’s three-fight losing streak?
Cerrone had lost to Robbie Lawler at UFC Fight Night 100 in December 2016, to Leon Edwards at UFC Fight Night 107 in March 2017, and to Jorge Masvidal at UFC Fight Night 109 in July 2017. His losses to Lawler (TKO R1), Edwards (UD), and Masvidal (TKO R1) were to three fighters who all eventually became UFC title challengers or champions. His Austin win over Medeiros was his first UFC victory since his July 2016 KO of Patrick Cote.
What was Yancy Medeiros’ reputation before Austin?
Medeiros was a 28-year-old Hawaiian welterweight who had gone 4-0 in the UFC with three consecutive Fight of the Night bonuses. He had earned FotN for his fights against Alan Jouban, Alex Oliveira, and Lars Sullivan. His action-heavy, forward-pressing style produced the kind of competitive exchanges that FotN bonuses reward. His Austin main event against Cerrone was expected to follow the same brawl pattern. Cerrone’s ability to produce knockdowns in an exchange-heavy round validated Medeiros’ style while demonstrating Cerrone’s counter-timing quality.
What was Derrick Lewis’ career at this stage?
What was Geoff Neal’s background before his UFC debut?
Neal was a 27-year-old Corsicana, Texas welterweight who had gone 6-0 professionally before his UFC signing, with five finishes. His compact striking style and power were evident at regional levels. His Austin debut RNC of Camozzi in round one demonstrated the finishing instinct that characterised his subsequent UFC career. His 6-0 UFC run before his first loss produced wins over multiple ranked WW opponents.
What was the Davis vs. Peterson strike exchange?
Brandon Davis and Steven Peterson’s three-round featherweight fight produced extraordinary strike volume: Davis attempted 291 significant strikes and landed 119; Peterson attempted 296 and landed 82. The combined 587 significant strike attempts over three rounds is an exceptional output that reflects both fighters’ willing-to-brawl competitive style. Davis won the decision 30-27, 29-28, 30-26, but the margin of victory was secondary to the entertainment quality that earned the Fight of the Night bonus.
What was the significance of Sage Northcutt’s Austin fight?
Northcutt was a 21-year-old Texas native competing in his home state who had built a UFC promotional profile despite a mixed competitive record. His Austin decision over Gouti extended his record. Northcutt’s UFC career produced commercial interest as a young fighter with a media presence and several KO finishes, but his competitive level at LW — where he faced greater size and experience — was limited. His Austin win was one of his last appearances before later injuries and career changes.
References
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