UFC Mexico: Moreno vs Royval

The Assassin Baby, Brandon Moreno, returns to headline a fight night event in his home country at the Mexico City Arena. He will take on number 2 ranked flyweight Brandon Moreno, fresh off a title challenge defeat only 2 and half months ago. Mexico also gets to welcome back their third ranked 145-pounder, Yair Rodriguez in a five round co-main event against veteran Brian Ortega with title implications on the line.

Main Event

    Five rounds of action packed mixed martial arts should be the expectation for Saturday nights main event. We haven't seen Brandon Moreno since losing the belt last July on international fight week to current champion Alexander Pantoja. However, he is probably a win away from getting a chance to hoist UFC gold for a third time in his rollercoaster of a career. The man in his way is a familiar challenger, Brandon "Raw Dog" Royval. The two met back in 2020 when Moreno stopped Royval in the first round. However, Royval believes he has improved vastly since that KO loss. We have seen him at the highest stage, a championship fight where he went all five rounds in a unanimous defeat to Pantoja. Royval took a lot of damage in that fight but stepped in on short notice because he believes a win here can elevate him back to championship status. It should be an extremely exciting fight with title implications on the line. I expect action from start to finish because both of these guys have elite cardio and striking abilities.

Moreno vs Royval 1 ending

Moreno after winning the belt at UFC 263

Co- Main Event

    5 rounds. El Pantera. T- City. This should be a good one for fight fans. The first time Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega met; we were robbed of a proper ending from two of the best challengers at 145 pounds. Two years later we get a similar situation with a title shot on the line. The number 3 and 4 fighters at the weight division both want a shot to take down new champ Ilia Touporia. 

    Yair Rodriguez is coming off of a loss in his last fight to a champion that was essentially unbeatable for 7 years, now he needs a bounce back win. The kickboxing and submission specialist will have the height advantage as he's the tallest featherweight in the UFC. The home crowd will also be on his side as this is the second Mexico fight of his UFC career. The man he's lined across with wont care. One of the toughest men in the UFC, Brian Ortega will return from the shoulder injury he suffered in his last fight against Rodrigez. Yair was dominating that first fight and has certainly been more active, but Brian will be fresh and hungry to avenge his loss. There's no doubt this will be an extremely technical fight where anything could happen.

Rodriguez vs Ortega 1 full fight

Yair Roriguez holding Mexican flag

Other Fights

• Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios- The youngest fighter in UFC history and Mexican prodigy, Raul Rosas Jr, is back and welcomes a striking specialist into the octogen with him. Rosas is still only 19 years old and is extremely talented on the ground or on his feet. He is coming off a TKO win but will have the wrestling advantage against Ricky Turcios. Turcios is also coming off a win and will look to hand the teenager his second professional loss as the underdog and visitor.

Raul Rosas Jr first round TKO

• Daniel Zellhuber vs Fransisco Prado- The last three round fight of the night will feature two exciting lightweights. Zellhuber will feel the hometown crowd as he looks to win his third consecutive fight against an Argentian with elite finishing abilities. Fransisco Prado has 12 wins and 12 finishes in his young career and will look to keep only one loss on his record. Both of these guys like to stand tall and throw hands, but also possess the abilities to find a finish on the canvas. I expect an all-out war in this one and Mexico will see a brawl regardless of if their 24-year-old "Golden Boy" can get the job done.

In the News

UFC 300 is Complete

    Dana White finally announced the main event for the promotions 300th pay-per-view, Alex Pereria vs Jamahal Hill for the light heavyweight crown. Personally, I love this fight. Alex Pereria has made one of the fastest rises to fame in the sports history and he will defend his belt against the guy who gave it up due to injury. Sure, it's not a super fight and I understand why some people might be mad that this is what the UFC settled on despite rumors that the main event would be historic. However, this will be an extremely close and intriguing fight where either guy can pull it off. I think this speaks levels to how big of star Pereria has become that they are giving him the last walkout of this huge event. He will have a very difficult challenge sharing the octogen with him and it's simply a fun fight. I think this card is awesome from top to bottom and I'm just hoping that we get to see all these fights. 

No injuries or pull outs, fingers crossed.

Back to Brazil

The two biggest names in Brazilian MMA right now are Alex Pereria and Charles Olivera. This isn't much of a debate to UFC fans and because of this they are both extremely deserving to be on the main card for UFC 300. This makes the timing for UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro extremely interesting. Brazil's two biggest stars won't even be on the card (most likely) Its only 21 days after UFC 300 so it's pretty much a guarantee they won't be able to turn around that fast.

So, who's going to headline the card?

Flyweight Champion, Alexandre Pantoja is basically a guarantee to be on the card. Who he will fight is very up in the air but it's extremely likely we see him as one of the last fights. Is he big enough to headline a UFC card? I guess it's the most likely solution at this card unless Pereria is actually serious about the 21-day turnaround. The only other possibility I could see is an Amanda Nunes return, but that seems a little unlikely too. This just makes you question why they chose now for this UFC Brazil card when middleweight, welterweight, and lightweight championship fights could be made in that timetable.