UFC Mexico: Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 2: Full Results
The UFC Mexico event recently concluded and it marked the MMA giant's first visit to the country for the first time since September 2019. The event was held at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Feb. 24, 2024, as several established contenders and rising prospects tried to further their journey to the top.
In the main event, former two-time UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno rematched recent title challenger Brandon Royval in a five-round contest. The pair previously fought in November 2020 and 'The Assassin Baby' won the fight by a first-round TKO.
The rematch was a different ball game since both men have made giant leaps in skill development and experience. Similar to his recent title fight against Alexandre Pantoja, Royval appeared to be trailing early and did his best work in the later rounds.
After five rounds of action, Royval was declared the winner by split decision and potentially reinserted his name in the title discussion.
The co-main event was a rematch of top featherweight contenders Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega. In their first fight, which took place in July 2022, Brian Ortega was rendered unable to continue because of a shoulder injury and Rodriguez was declared the winner by TKO.
But on Feb. 24, the fight reached a conclusive end. 'El Pantera' came out guns blazing and knocked Ortega down in round one, threatening an early finish. However, 'T-City' started taking over from round two with a superior ground game and consistent pressure.
Rodriguez, who had little to offer in terms of ground-and-pound and submission defense, succumbed to an arm triangle choke in the third frame. This was 'T-City's' first win inside the UFC octagon since he defeated Chan-Sung Jung (The Korean Zombie) in October 2020.
UFC Mexico Results: highly touted prospects put on a show at the Arena CDMX
UFC Mexico event featured highly touted prospects like Daniel Zellhuber, Francisco Prado, Raul Rosas Jr., and Felipe dos Santos.
Rosas Jr. was scheduled to fight Ricky Turcios on the main card. However, the fight was canceled minutes before the fighters' walkouts as Rosas Jr. suffered a health issue.
Zellhuber and Prado put on an action-packed fight for the audience. In the end, Zellhuber won the fight via unanimous decision.
The prelims produced some exciting finishes. However, questionable judging became the biggest storyline as three fights resulted in controversial split decisions.
Check out the full event results below:
Main Card
Flyweight - Brandon Royval def. Brandon Moreno via split decision (48-47 X 2, 46-49)
Featherweight - Brian Ortega def. Yair Rodriguez via submission (Arm triangle choke) (R3, 0:58)
Lightweight - Daniel Zellhuber def. Fransisco Prado via unanimous decision (29-28 X 2, 30-27)
Bantamweight - Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios (canceled)
Women's strawweight - Yazmin Jauregui def. Sam Hughes via unanimous decision (30-27 X 3)
Lightweight - Manuel Torres def. Chris Duncan via submission (Rear-naked choke) (R1, 1:46)
Preliminary Card
Bantamweight - Raoni Barcelos def. Christian Quinonez via submission (Rear-naked choke) (R3, 2:04)
Flyweight - Jesus Aguilar def. Mateus Mendonca via split decision (29-28 X 2, 28-29)
Flyweight - Edgar Chairez def. Daniel da Silva via submission (Triangle choke) (R1, 2:17)
Lightweight - Farez Ziam def. Claudio Puelles via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
Flyweight - Luis Rodriguez def. Denys Bondar via submission (Rear-naked choke)(R2, 4:59)
Flyweight - Felipe dos Santos def. Victor Altamirano via split decision (29-28 X 2, 27-30)
Featherweight - Muhammad Naimov def. Erik Silva via TKO (Leg injury) (R1, 0:44)