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The UFC visited Mexico City last night for their latest Fight Night event, which turned out to be a mixed bag.
UFC Fight Night: Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 2 featured some fun fights and finishes but also some bouts that dragged somewhat, particularly on the undercard.
Nevertheless, there were plenty of memorable points on last night’s show, even if they might be overshadowed in the near future. Here are the five best moments from UFC Fight Night: Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 2.
#5. Edgar Chairez finally settles one of the UFC’s most delayed rivalries in style
While it wasn’t receiving much fanfare, the preliminary bout between Edgar Chairez and Daniel Lacerda had plenty of backstory to it before last night.
The two flyweights had fought at UFC Noche back in September, and the fight ended in controversy when referee Chris Tognoni errantly stopped proceedings in favour of Chairez despite Lacerda being able to continue.
The fight was declared a No Contest, but when a rematch was booked two months later, Lacerda suffered a medical issue after the weigh-in, forcing it to be scrapped. Finally, even this weekend’s bout nearly fell through when both men missed weight badly, but, thankfully, they were able to proceed at a 131 pound catchweight.
More thankfully, the fight ended in a clean way this time in what was one of the night’s better finishes. Chairez was taken down in the early going, but like in their first bout, went for a submission, this time a triangle choke. Unlike in that first fight, the hold was sunk in tightly this time, forcing Lacerda to tap out.
Given that he missed weight, Chairez was ineligible for a bonus award, but it was still nice to see him put an end to one of the UFC's more delayed rivalries.
#4. Daniel Zellhuber and Francisco Prado earn their Fight of the Night award
Last night’s $50k Fight of the Night bonus went to lightweight prospects Daniel Zellhuber and Francisco Prado, and it's tought to suggest that they didn’t deserve it.
The two men went toe-to-toe from start to finish in their three-round bout, which eventually ended with Zellhuber claiming a tight decision win. Prado was the frontrunner early on, banging his Mexican foe with heavy hooks and low kicks, but as he began to tire, Zellhuber’s eight-inch reach advantage came into play.
The Mexican’s jab quickly became the fight’s key weapon, as he nailed Prado with several heavy shots that marked up his face and busted up his nose and right eye. By the third round, Prado was in survival mode, and it was to his credit that he survived some huge shots to last the distance.
How far these two youngsters can go in a deep division remains to be seen, but it’s fair to say that it was a fun fight to watch and that they earned their extra cash.
#3. Manuel Torres’ rise up the UFC ladder continues
When hot prospect Raul Rosas Jr. was removed from last night’s event at the last second, thanks to illness, it turned to lightweight Manuel Torres to fly the flag as the show’s best rising star.
‘El Loco’ definitely didn’t disappoint, as he took his UFC record to 3-0 by dispatching a tough foe in the form of Chris Duncan in the first round.
Torres’ nasty strikes had led him to his first two victories, but this time, he appeared to be outgunned on the feet. Scotland’s Duncan stunned him with a right hand in the early going, but when the fight hit the mat, Torres quickly turned the tables.
He moved into back control, and from there, sunk a fight-ending rear naked choke with just under two minutes of the bout gone. It was one of the night’s better finishes, and quite rightfully won Torres a $50k bonus.
With an impressive 15-2 record and finishing skills from all areas, ‘El Loco’ is clearly a man to watch, and after that, it should be time for the UFC to move him up the card.
#2. Brandon Royval edges Brandon Moreno in a five-round war
The first encounter between flyweight stars Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval didn’t last long, as Moreno could take out ‘Raw Dawg’ in the first round.
Last night’s rematch went the distance over five rounds, but, thankfully, the bout was no less exciting. It was only unfortunate for the Mexican crowd that their favoured fighter didn’t come away with his hand raised.
Mexico’s own Moreno flew out of the blocks early on and took the first two rounds to Royval, who seemed like he was struggling to settle into a rhythm.
Once ‘Raw Dawg’ found that rhythm, though, he took over. His volume was the key to victory, as it felt like for every solid shot ‘The Assassin Baby’ landed, Royval would land three or four in return.
Eventually, ‘Raw Dawg’ claimed a split decision that really should’ve been a clearer win for him. Given that his last bout saw him unsuccessfully challenge for the UFC flyweight title, this likely won’t be enough to net him another shot.
It did, though, give him a measure of revenge over Moreno, and one more big win should put him back in line for a crack at the gold. Overall, this headliner didn’t give the fans the finish they were craving, but it was still an excellent bout to watch.
#1. Brian Ortega produces a classic comeback to take out Yair Rodriguez
The best moment of last night’s show undoubtedly came in the co-headliner, which saw featherweight stars Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez face off in a rematch of their 2022 clash.
That bout had ended in anticlimactic fashion when Ortega suffered a shoulder injury. Given that he hadn’t fought since then, questions were being asked of ‘T-City’, particularly as his last UFC win came over Chan Sung Jung in 2020.
Early on, it looked like those questions were definitely fair. Rodriguez dropped him in the first round with a left hook and then took the fight to him, smashing him with follow-up strikes to look for the finish.
Ortega showed his toughness by surviving, though, and by the end of the round, it looked like ‘El Pantera’ had blown his wad. He appeared to be exhausted in the second round, as Ortega took him down and abused him with ground-and-pound, cutting him open in the process.
The third round started in similar fashion, but, this time, ‘T-City’ found his way into a dominant position, locked up an arm triangle choke, and forced Rodriguez to tap out. That was not only the best moment of last night’s show, but one of the best comebacks in recent memory, too.
Considering that, Ortega is still a very real threat to the UFC featherweight title. Hopefully, the former title challenger can get back into action quickly, as a bout between him and new champ Ilia Topuria would be a fascinating one indeed.
