Alberto Montes performed well in his Octagon debut tonight (Saturday, March 7, 2026). UFC 326 As before, you can watch Paramount+ live from inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Contender Series The winner suffered a loss to veteran Ricky Turcios via second-round submission (anaconda choke).
Turcios was the betting underdog in this “qualifying” clash but appeared to be in control early on. It wasn’t pretty, but Turcios’ grappling and clinch game seemed to give Montes some problems. That was until Montes blocked a tight anaconda choke early in the second round and immediately put Turcios in trouble. Turcios fought for a moment before limping away and forcing the referee’s hand.
Check out the final moments below.
Montes, 31, enters his UFC debut with a professional record of 12-1 and seven submissions. Turcios’ strengths were his grappling and pressure, but that wasn’t enough. Montes ultimately looked as good as advertised and would be a good addition to the 145-pound division heading into the second half of 2026.
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