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. This fight night is packed with bangers, there is no fight higher than lightweight in this card and you know, the smaller the fighters the more technically sound they are and the better the fights are. Let’s look at the intriuging matchups
Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Rovyal 2
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.
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.
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.
Full card bouts:
- Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval 2
- 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
Prelim Matches:
- Cristian Quinonez vs Raoni Barcelos
- Jesus Aguilar vs Mateus Mendonca
- Edgar Chairez vs Danie Lacerda
- Claudio Puelles vs Fares Ziam
- Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Denys Bondar
- Victor Altamirano vs Felipe dos Santos
- Erik Silva vs Muhammad Naimov
