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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Mexico City
Offering Up An Overview Of All The Action Set To Hit The Octagon In Mexico City On Saturday
By E. Spencer Kyte, on Twitter @SpencerKyte
This weekend, the UFC makes its sixth trip to Mexico City for a fight card that lines up as a showcase for many of the Mexican and Latin American athletes currently competing inside the Octagon.
Headlined by a critical flyweight rematch between former champ Brandon Moreno and recent title challenger Brandon Royval, with Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega slated to renew acquaintances in a five-round co-main event, Saturday’s return to Arena CDMX promises to be loud and exciting from the outset and remain that way through the close of the night.
Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval
A rematch between elite flyweight talents closes out the night in Mexico City as Brandon Moreno faces off with Brandon Royval.
Competing for the first time since dropping the title to Alexandre Pantoja last summer, Moreno looks to get things moving in the right direction again as he competes on home soil for the fourth time in his UFC career. Many felt Moreno did enough to garner the nod at UFC 290, and it will be interesting to see how he responds to losing the belt for a second time.
Royval raised his hand to replace Amir Albazi when the streaking contender was forced out due to injury, looking to get right back into the fray after landing on the wrong side of the cards in his title clash with Pantoja in December. The Factory X representative just couldn’t get into gear last time out, and will most likely be aiming to make up for that here.
These two previously faced off in November 2020, with Moreno winning by first-round stoppage. It’s listed as a TKO due to strikes, but Royval dislocated his shoulder during a scramble, which ultimately created the finishing opportunity. That was an entertaining, competitive bout until the unfortunate injury, and there is no reason to believe this one should be any different to close out the show on Saturday.
Other Main Card Fights
Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega
Nineteen months after their first encounter, Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega will run it back in a special five-round co-main event pairing this weekend.
Rodriguez competed in two championship bouts in 2023, collecting the interim featherweight title with a second-round submission win over Josh Emmett at UFC 284 in February before running into Alexander Volkanovski in a title unification bout during International Fight Week. The win over Emmett showed Rodriguez is in the championship class, and a similar effort over five rounds of less opposite Ortega would further cement that standing.
“T-City” hasn’t competed since his initial meeting with Rodriguez on Long Island, which ended in the waning moments of the opening round when Ortega suffered a shoulder injury. He’s been a fixture in the title conversation for the last half-dozen years, but with a 1-3 mark over his last four fights, and his 33rd birthday coming a couple days after the event, there are questions about where Ortega fits in the division that could very well be answered here.
This was a captivating matchup when it first headlined two summers back on Long Island and remains so now. Stylistically this feels like a fight that could go a million different directions and will probably cover half of those when the leather starts flying on Saturday evening.
Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado
It’s a clash of promising, young lightweights here as Daniel Zellhuber faces off with Francisco Prado.
A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’21, Zellhuber dropped his promotional debut to Trey Ogden, but subsequently posted a pair of wins last year that highlighted his upside and got things moving in a positive direction. After registering a unanimous decision win over Lando Vannata in April, the once-beaten “Golden Boy” clamped onto an anaconda choke against Christos Giagos at Noche UFC in September to earn his first stoppage win inside the Octagon.
Prado similarly dropped his promotional debut, a short notice assignment against Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 284 where he went the distance with the Australian veteran. He rebounded from the first loss of his professional career with a first-round stoppage win over Ottman Azaitar in July, elevating his record to 12-1 overall heading into this one.
Zellhuber and Prado are 24 and 21 years old, respectively, and still in the formative stages of their mixed martial arts careers. The early returns have been solid and the room for each to grow is obvious, and their meeting on Saturday should highlight whether one or both of them are ready to take another step forward in the rigorous UFC lightweight ranks going forward.
Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios
Youngster Raul Rosas Jr. looks to collect a second straight victory on Saturday as he steps in opposite TUF 29 winner Ricky Turcios.
One of the most intriguing new additions to the roster in recent years, the 19-year-old Rosas has alternated wins and losses through his first three UFC appearances, registering first-round stoppage wins over Jay Perrin and Terrence Mitchell on either side of a unanimous decision defeat to Christian Rodriguez. Rosas comes out of the gates like a man possessed, fighting like he’s got an appointment across town in 10 minutes every time he steps into the Octagon, which makes his fights must-see TV.
Turcios won the bantamweight tournament on Season 29 with a split decision victory over Brady Hiestand, and has subsequently gone 1-1 over his next two starts, dropping a decision to Aiemann Zahabi and winning one over Kevin Natividad last time out. The Texan is 13-3 overall and should prove to be a solid test for Rosas on Saturday night.
Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes
Yazmin Jauregui and Sam Hughes meet in an interesting clash of styles in the strawweight division this weekend in Mexico City.
The 24-year-old Jauregui registered wins over Iasmin Lucindo and Istela Nunes in her first two trips into the Octagon but was defeated by Denise Gomes in just 20 seconds at UFC 290 in July. Now 10-1 overall and coming of a loss for the first time in her career, Saturday is a chance for the promising Mexican prospect to prove her mettle and show her resolve.
After beginning her UFC tenure with three straight losses against quality competition, Hughes relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, joined the team at Fortis MMA and has gone 3-1 since. Last time out, the former NCAA track athlete posted a unanimous decision win over debuting BJJ standout Jaqueline Amorim.
Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan
Saturday’s main card action begins in the lightweight division, as DWCS grads Manuel Torres and Chris Duncan cross paths, with each looking to remain unbeaten in the UFC.
Torres arrives on a five-fight winning streak, having followed up his contract-winning turn on Season 5 of the annual talent search series with a pair of first-round stoppage wins to begin his UFC tenure. Last time out against Nikolas Motta, “El Toro” flattened the Brazilian veteran with a vicious stepping lead elbow.
Duncan made a pair of appearances at the UFC APEX with hopes of claiming a contract, successfully doing so the second time around by stopping Charlie Campbell. Since then, the Scotsman has showcased his improved wrestling and tactical abilities with decision wins over Omar Morales and Yanal Ashmouz.
Preliminary Card Fights
Cristian Quinonez vs Raoni Barcelos
Action on the prelims wraps in the bantamweight ranks, with Cristian Quinonez taking on Raoni Barcelos.
An all-action DWCS grad, Quinonez has gone 1-1 in the UFC with each appearance ending in the opening round. Barcelos is a tenured figure in the division, landing in Mexico City looking to halt a two-fight skid.
Jesus Aguilar vs Mateus Mendonca
Jesus Aguilar and Mateus Mendonca meet in the second of back-to-back flyweight contests on Saturday’s early slate.
Both men earned UFC contracts with wins on Season 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series before dropping their respective debuts on the big stage. Aguilar bounced back with a 17-second finish of Shannon Ross last time out, while Mendonca was submitted by Nate Maness.
Edgar Chairez vs Daniel Lacerda
Claudio Puelles and Fares Ziam have trained together in the past at Kill Cliff FC. This weekend, they face one another in an intriguing lightweight fixture.
Puelles had his five-fight winning streak snapped at UFC 281 when he fell to Top 15 stalwart Dan Hooker at UFC 281. After dropping his UFC debut, Ziam has rounded into form, entering Saturday’s contest having earned consecutive victories and wins in four of his last five outings.
Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Denys Bondar
Promotional newcomer Ronaldo Rodriguez takes on Ukrainian veteran Denys Bondar in another flyweight fixture slated for Mexico City.
The 24-year-old Rodriguez is 16-2 as a professional and enters on a five-fight winning streak, having registered victories 12 of his last 13 appearances, nine by stoppage. Bondar has run into a bunch of bad luck during his UFC tenure, with multiple fight cancellations and injuries tacked on to an 0-2 start inside the Octagon.
Victor Altamirano vs Felipe dos Santos
The action in the 125-pound weight class begins with a meeting between Victor Altamirano and Felipe dos Santos.
The former LFA champ Altamirano has gone 2-2 in his first four UFC starts, most recently landing on the wrong side of the results in a clash with veteran Tim Elliot last June. A member of the Chute Boxe Diego Lima crew, dos Santos impressed in a losing effort on short notice against Manel Kape at UFC 293, and now makes his first start with a full camp, aiming to build on that performance.
Erik Silva vs Muhammad Naimov
Saturday’s festivities get underway in the featherweight division, as Erik Silva faces off with Muhammad Naimov.
Silva ran his winning streak to eight while securing a UFC contract on Season 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series before getting submitted in the third round of his debut opposite TJ Brown at UFC 282. Naimov knocked out Jamie Mullarkey up a division in his short notice debut last year, then returned to the 145-pound ranks and edged out Nathaniel Wood to instantly establish himself as a person of interest in the featherweight ranks.
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