5 Mexican fighters who succeeded in the UFC (and 5 who struggled)
Next weekend will see a major event in the form of Noche UFC 306 go down in Las Vegas. Scheduled to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, the event has a distinctly Mexican flavor.
The UFC has tried to make inroads into the Mexican market for years now, and unsurprisingly, the promotion has featured a number of fighters from the country in that time.
However, while a number of them have been a huge hit inside the octagon, there have been Mexican fighters who struggled for traction too.
With that in mind, here are five Mexican fighters who succeeded in the UFC - and five who struggled.
#5. Alejandro Perez - former UFC bantamweight contender
While he didn't go onto the same levels of success as Yair Rodriguez, who also won the inaugural season of TUF: Latin America in 2014, Alejandro Perez did enough during his UFC career to be considered a hit.
'Turbo' was released from his contract in 2022 after a run of one win in three fights, but prior to that, he appeared to be climbing into contention at 135 pounds.
Perez beat Jose Quinonez to win his bracket on TUF and after suffering an upset loss to Patrick Williams in his next fight, went on quite the run.
The Mexican went unbeaten across seven bouts, beating notable fighters such as Eddie Wineland and Iuri Alcantara along the way.
While he never cracked the bantamweight top 10, he was a reliable, exciting fighter to watch, and an overall octagon record of 8-4-1 is definitely nothing to sneeze at.
#4. Irene Aldana - UFC bantamweight contender
At the age of 36, Irene Aldana is probably beginning to wind down her career at the top of the UFC. However, the bantamweight striker has still definitely done enough in the octagon to be considered as a success.
The Mexican certainly didn't start her career in the promotion in good form. She lost her first two bouts, but she quickly settled in and won five of her next six.
A shocking knockout of the highly touted Ketlen Vieira put Aldana on the map for many people. After bouncing back from a loss to Holly Holm in her first headliner by stopping two more foes, Aldana was given a shot at 135-pound champ Amanda Nunes in 2023.
She came up short in that fight, which proved to be Nunes' last, but has since bounced back with a win over Karol Rosa. How much longer she can keep ticking along is a fair question, but she should definitely be considered one of Mexico's biggest UFC successes.
#3. Alexa Grasso - UFC flyweight champion
Touted for potential greatness from her UFC debut in 2016, it's safe to say Alexa Grasso has lived up to those lofty expectations.
First entering the octagon at the age of just 23, Grasso saw some ups and downs as a 115-pounder, beating the likes of Felice Herrig and Randa Markos but losing to Carla Esparza and Tatiana Suarez.
However, a move to 125 pounds in 2020 really ignited her career, and she quickly shot up the ladder after winning four fights in a row.
Nobody really gave her a chance of dethroning flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko, though, particularly as 'Bullet' had already defeated seven different challengers.
Grasso shocked the world, though, choking her out in the fourth round of an epic bout to become the UFC's third Mexican champion.
She has since drawn with Shevchenko in a rematch, and is set to defend against 'Bullet' in their trilogy bout at Noche UFC 306 next weekend. Win, and she'll be considered not just a Mexican great, but as a legend of the octagon.
#2. Yair Rodriguez - former interim UFC featherweight champion
It's arguable that the most popular Mexican fighter in UFC history is former interim featherweight champ Yair Rodriguez.
'El Pantera' burst onto the scene in 2014 after winning the inaugural season of TUF: Latin America, Rodriguez was tipped for greatness early on by Joe Rogan. Thrilled by his high-octane kickboxing style, the color commentator and podcaster later labelled him a "genius", too.
During his decade in the octagon, Rodriguez has scored some of the most memorable wins in the promotion's history, most notably his upward elbow knockout of Chan Sung Jung on the 25th anniversary show in 2018.
His highest watermark, though, came in 2023, when he submitted Josh Emmett to claim the interim featherweight title, becoming Mexico's second UFC champion.
Rodriguez failed to claim the undisputed title in his bout with Alexander Volkanovski, and has since suffered another loss to Brian Ortega. 'El Pantera' remains one of the world's top 145-pounders, though, and is clearly one of Mexico's biggest octagon success stories.
#1. Brandon Moreno - former UFC flyweight champion
The most accomplished Mexican fighter in UFC history is definitely Brandon Moreno.
'The Assassin Baby' became the first Mexican fighter to claim gold in the octagon when he won the flyweight title in 2021. Two years later, he bested Deiveson Figuereido for the second time in the promotion's first title quadrilogy to become a two-time champ.
It was a remarkable rise for Moreno, who first debuted back in 2016 following a stint on TUF 24. That run in the octagon saw 'The Assassin Baby' go 3-2 before he was unexpectedly released in 2018.
Just over a year later, though, the Mexican was back, and this time he went 3-0-1 to earn a shot at Figueiredo's title, essentially as a challenger-of-the-month type.
However, Moreno pushed 'God of War' harder than anyone expected, and secured a draw, which was enough to earn him a rematch. From there, of course, he pulled off a huge upset to claim the gold, and the rest is history.
Moreno is currently taking some time away from the octagon after losing his title to current champ Alexandre Pantoja, but to see him return to contention would not be a surprise. Not only is Moreno a Mexican legend, but he's an all-time flyweight great, too.
While the aforementioned Mexican fighters all found success, the following five found it hard to come by.
#5. Erick Montano - former UFC welterweight contender
While the first two winners of TUF: Latin America saw considerable UFC success, the same could not be said for Season 2 welterweight winner Erick Montano.
'Perry' had already watched his brother compete in the octagon when he entered the reality show, and his record of 6-3 made him one of the more experienced cast members.
His split decision win over Enrique Marin hardly set the world on fire, though, and his first post-reality show bout saw him submitted by Randy Brown.
A bout with Max Griffin ended in even worse fashion for him, as he was knocked out in under a minute, and it came as no surprise to see him cut from the roster shortly after.
'Perry' has since gone 3-3 on the regional circuit, most recently competing in May.
#4. Martin Bravo - former UFC featherweight contender
If things went badly in the octagon for TUF: Latin America 2 winner Erick Montano, then they went even worse for the winner of the third season, Martin Bravo.
The featherweight prospect appeared to have real promise on the reality show. When he took his MMA record to 11-0 with a win over Claudio Puelles in the finals, it looked like his future was bright.
Nobody could've seen at that stage quite how badly his octagon tenure would go. Not only did the Mexican then lose three fights in a row, but two of them saw him knocked out in scary, highlight reel fashion.
Unsurprisingly, Bravo was released following his losses and hasn't come close to making a return since.
#3. Hector Sandoval - former UFC flyweight contender
While many fans may not remember flyweight Hector Sandoval, the Mexican does hold a surprising UFC record. Standing at just 5ft 2in, 'Kid Alex' is officially the shortest male fighter in the promotion's history.
Unfortunately, Sandoval could not make much of a mark with his fighting ability in the octagon during his one-year tenure there.
'Kid Alex' debuted in the summer of 2016 as a late-notice replacement and was promptly submitted by future title challenger Wilson Reis.
When he then beat the highly touted Fredy Serrano and followed that with a knockout of Matt Schnell, it looked like he could have a fine future.
However, a 15-second KO loss to Dustin Ortiz in August 2017 - the fastest in UFC flyweight history - saw him lose his roster spot. He has only fought once since, making an octagon return very unlikely.
#2. Augusto 'Dodger' Montano - former UFC welterweight contender
The older brother of the aforementioned Erick Montano, Augusto 'Dodger' Montano was one of the first Mexican fighters to sign with the UFC, back in 2014.
Montano received quite a push from the promotion, too. A hulking welterweight with a 14-1 record, 'Dodger' was given a main card showcase in his octagon debut and destroyed opponent Chris Heatherly in impressive fashion.
Unfortunately, the hype around the Mexican quickly evaporated, turning his career with the promotion into an utter disaster.
His second appearance saw him edged out by journeyman Cathal Pendred, and worse, he tested positive for banned substances after the fight.
It would be well over a year before Montano would fight again, and in his return bout, he was stopped by Belal Muhammad in a rare finish for the future champ.
'Dodger' was cut after this loss and has not fought since, marking him out as a Mexican fighter who found no success at all.
#1. Jessica Aguilar - former UFC strawweight contender
While the other Mexican fighters on this list who struggled in their octagon debuts were largely unheralded or sometimes overhyped, the same cannot be said for Jessica Aguilar.
The reason she's the most disappointing Mexican fighter to ever enter the octagon is because at one time, she was widely seen as the world's best 115-pound fighter.
'Jag' had an extensive career in large promotions before she was signed by the UFC in 2015. She held multiple titles, and beat a number of top-ranked fighters, including the legendary Megumi Fujii and the inaugural UFC strawweight champ, Carla Esparza.
However, by the time she came to the big show, it was probably too late in her career for her to make an impact.
She looked sluggish in her debut loss to Claudia Gadelha, and only picked up a single win during her tenure with the promotion while losing another three bouts.
Eventually released in 2019, it's safe to say that the octagon never saw the best of Aguilar, who now hasn't fought since 2022.
Could she have succeeded had she arrived earlier in her career? For sure, but given that the promotion did not introduce the strawweight division until 2014, 'Jag' is an unfortunate example of someone who was never destined to shine in the octagon.