The UFC returns to Mexico City this weekend with Saturday’s main and co-main events sharing several things in common.
In addition to Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval and Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega being fan-friendly style matchups between top-four contenders in the flyweight and featherweight divisions, respectively, they both feature a popular Mexican star competing in front of the home crowd, and, oddly enough, both are rematches of fights that ended when one competitor sustained a shoulder injury.
All-action 125-pounders Moreno and Royval got after things early and often when they met more than three years ago and there’s no reason to expect otherwise in the rematch.
A common theme in their five-minute encounter was Moreno taking advantage of Royval’s aggressive striking attacks and gaining top position on the ground. Moreno got the win over Royval with one second remaining in the opening round after Royval was unable to defend himself. Royval’s shoulder was rendered useless shortly after he attempted a leg lock.
Moreno went on to begin his eventual tetralogy with Deiveson Figueiredo after facing Royval, eventually winning the title twice and losing it twice, and he is now in a slight predicament within the men’s flyweight rankings.
The former champ lost his title last July on the wrong end of a razor-thin split decision to reigning champ Alexandre Pantoja. Normally a loss like that would result in an immediate rematch, however Moreno is now 0-3 in his career when facing Pantoja. Since Moreno, 30, is a popular former champion and his most recent loss was close and entertaining, another title shot with an impressive win Saturday is certainly within the realm of possibility.
Another source of motivation for Moreno entering the weekend is the fact he has never won a UFC fight in his home country. The Tijuana native’s first three pro MMA bouts were for a local organization that took place in his hometown from 2011 to 2012. He went 2-1 in those contests and didn’t compete in Mexico again until 2017 when he lost a five-round decision to Sergio Pettis in a Fight Night main event. Two years later he fought Askar Askarov to a split draw. The roof may blow off Arena CDMX if Moreno can muster a thrilling victory over Royval.
Royval also knows what it’s like to fall short against the reigning titleholder. He is 0-2 against Pantoja and coming off a five-round unanimous decision to the champ at UFC 296 in December. The 31-year-old told reporters Wednesday the relatively quick turnaround against a former champion and previous opponent is an opportunity to show fans why he earned a title shot late last year.
Rodriguez, Ortega ready to run it back
The co-main event is a must-watch rematch of a five-round main event from July 2022 that ended prematurely when Ortega sustained a fluke shoulder injury as the two 145-pounders grappled.
“When you get injured during a bout it’s something that doesn’t really sit well with you,” Ortega told Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter earlier this week. “You want to try to correct that fight or that outcome or let it play out because in your mind you really want to know what’s going to happen and what isn’t going to happen with a smooth fight without injuries.”
The 33-year-old has lost three of his past four fights, has dealt with multiple injuries, and only has one victory since 2018.
Ortega began is MMA career undefeated through his first 15 fights and had finished all seven of his UFC opponents prior to getting a 2018 title shot against then-champion Max Holloway. Championship losses to Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski, both of which won Fight of the Night, sandwiched a five-round victory over “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and preceded his encounter with Rodriguez.
Rodriguez went on to submit Josh Emmett with a triangle choke to win an interim title and earn a unification shot in his subsequent outing following his anticlimactic win over Ortega. Rodriguez was humbled in his most recent outing when Volkanovski put him away within three rounds in their title fight at July’s UFC 290.
The fiery Hidalgo del Parral native is a more diverse and overall better striker than Ortega, even though Rodriguez won his interim title thanks to a nifty submission, while Ortega is the more dangerous grappler of the two even though he is no slouch on the feet and recorded three knockout wins before his first title shot.
This is another excellent style matchup that should contend for Saturday’s Fight of the Night bonus.
Although both fell short in their attempts to win an undisputed title, Saturday’s co-main event competitors see a new path to a supplementary title shot now that Ilia Topuria is champion after knocking out Volkanovski at UFC 298.
“After this weekend the featherweight deck gets shuffled, and with a shuffle comes new arrivals, new fighters, new opportunities,” Ortega explained.
Rodriguez said he believes Volkanovski was “a bit stubborn” returning to defend his featherweight title a mere four months after getting knocked out by lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and it “played a big role” in his fight with Topuria, with whom he does not see eye to eye.
“I think it would be a really exciting match,” Rodriguez said of a possible future scrap with Topuria. “One thing, I don’t like this guy. We don’t like each other so I think it would be a great fight.”
Rodriguez made sure to acknowledge none of that matters if he can’t beat Ortega in Mexico on Saturday.
UNDERCARD OVERVIEW
This is the seventh time the promotion has gone to Mexico and the sixth time the UFC has hosted an event in Mexico City specifically. Rodriguez pointed out in his interview with Aaron, the high Mexico City altitude could factor into any bouts involving athletes who perhaps neglected their conditioning training. We have seen fighters at past Mexico City events noticeably gas out the longer a fight goes.
Will TUF winner test teen sensation? Raul Rosas Jr. went 3-1 in the UFC as an 18-year-old and the Santa Rosa, Calif., resident, now 19, is looking to continue rising when he faces The Ultimate Fighter season 29 bantamweight winner Ricky Turcios in a featured main card bout. Turcios is 30 and has fought a higher level of competition. The younger fighter’s best path to victory here could be to pursue the takedown and work submissions from a dominant position.
Don’t miss this sneaky lightweight banger: Before the anticipated main and co-main events get underway, fans will be treated to a 155-pound contest between two of the more impressive fighters under the age of 25 on the entire UFC roster. Daniel Zellhuber, 24, and Francisco Prado, 21, are two up-and-coming fighters whose names you’ll want to remember as both have shown the potential for lengthy UFC careers. Each sustained their first career loss within the past 18 months but both have since gotten back in the win column and will look to extend their streaks on Saturday.
Local talent aplenty: Some of the best Mexican fighters in the sport are featured on this card and there are five Mexican-born fighters set to compete on the preliminary card, including 24-year-old UFC newcomer Luis Rodriguez, who is 16-2 in MMA and earned a shot at the UFC after winning five in a row following a decision loss on Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2020. He’s facing Denys Bondar, who’s 0-2 in the UFC.
MAIN CARD
— Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval
— Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega
— Daniel Zellhuber vs. Francisco Prado
— Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios
— Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes
— Manuel Torres vs. Chris Duncan
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Cristian Quiñonez vs. Raoni Barcelos
— Jesus Santos Aguilar vs. Mateus Mendonça
— Edgar Chairez vs. Daniel Lacerda
— Claudio Puelles vs. Fares Ziam
— Luis Rodriguez vs. Denys Bondar
— Victor Altamirano vs. Felipe dos Santos
— Erik Silva vs. Muhammad Naimov