Josias Musasa was the biggest betting favorite entering his octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 254, but Carlos Vera had other plans.
The bantamweight bout opened with heavy striking exchanges and both men looking to score a highlight. It was Vera (12-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) who delivered it, because he cracked Musasa (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a nasty right head kick that had him hurt. From there, he pounded on a rear-naked choke and forced the tap at the 3:16 mark of Round 1 inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Check out the replay of the wild final sequence below (via X):
CARLOS VERA WITH A MAJOR UPSET 😳 #UFCVegas104 pic.twitter.com/eeWtK524VJ
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 15, 2025
After the fight, Vera was thrilled to get his hand raised under the UFC banner for the first time, and to do so by setting it up with his striking.
“I had to show a little bit of striking arsenal,” Vera said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 254 results include:
- Carlos Vera def. Josias Musasa via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:16
- Sam Hughes def. Stephanie Luciano via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-27)
- Andre Lima def. Daniel Barez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:05
- Priscila Cachoeira def. Josiane Nunes via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:46
- Carli Judice def. Yuneisy Duben via TKO (head kick, punches) – Round 1, 1:40
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 254.
