Author: mmafighting
Brian Ortega’s long-awaited return at UFC Mexico City turned out to be one to remember. Fighting the first time since July 2022, the two-time title challenger scored a wild come-from-behind win over Yair Rodriguez, overcoming a rocky opening round to submit Rodriguez with a third-round arm-triangle choke in UFC Mexico City’s co-main event. For his handiwork, Ortega cashed an extra $50,000 in Performance of the Night bonus money, the eighth post-fight bonus of his UFC career. Ortega’s win headlined a quartet of post-fight bonuses awarded at UFC Mexico City. Lightweight prospect Manuel Torres earned the card’s other Performance of the…
It was a double-stuffed weekend of MMA action as UFC Mexico City and PFL vs. Bellator took place this Saturday. At UFC, Brandon Royval got his revenge against Brandon Moreno, eking out a split decision win in the main event, while Brian Ortega added another impressive comeback win to his résumé, choking out Yair Rodriguez in the co-main event. Over in PFL, Renan Ferreira made quick work of Ryan Bader to claim the heavyweight “Super Belt” in the main event, while Johnny Eblen survived a scare from Impa Kasanganay to win the middleweight “Super Belt” in the co-main event. Plus,…
Amir Albazi is not impressed. The 30-year-old flyweight contender was originally expected to face former UFC champion Brandon Moreno in UFC Mexico City’s main event. It was a big spot for Albazi, who could’ve punched a ticket to his first UFC title shot against current champ Alexandre Pantoja with a win. However, it wasn’t meant to be — Albazi ultimately withdrew due to a neck injury, leading Brandon Royval to step up on short notice and headline opposite Moreno. And Royval made good on that opportunity, surging back into title contention with a come-from-behind split decision win over Moreno after…
Brandon Royval waited nearly four years but he finally get his revenge with a hard-fought split decision win over Brandon Moreno in in the UFC Mexico City main event. Their first fight ended with Moreno scoring a TKO after Royval suffered an injury but following a disappointing outing in a title fight back in January, “Raw Dog” had a lot to prove on Saturday night. As a lifelong fan of Nate and Nick Diaz, Royval employed a similar game plan as the UFC veterans as he showcased incredible output, volume striking and a relentless pace to keep Moreno off balance…
Brian Ortega has done it again. A fighter known for his flair for the dramatic, Ortega was triumphant in his first fight since July 2022, scoring a stunning third-round submission of Yair Rodriguez. It was a comeback performance for Ortega in more ways than one as he also had to battle back from being badly hurt in the opening round, not to mention the possibility of an ankle injury he suffered moments after entering the octagon. Ortega was bloody and battered after an opening round that saw Rodriguez score a knockdown, but his elite grappling and absurd toughness shined through…
This is the UFC Mexico City live blog for Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega 2, the featherweight main event for Saturday’s card at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. Rodriguez is MMA Fighting’s No. 4 ranked featherweight in the world. A winner of TUF: Latin America and former UFC interim featherweight champion, Rodriguez returns for the first time since suffering a third-round TKO loss to Alexander Volkanovski in his battle for the undisputed featherweight title in July 2023. Prior to that, Rodriguez scored back-to-back stoppage victories over Josh Emmett and Brian Ortega, the latter of which ended in the first round…
Manuel Torres kept his stunning streak of first-round finishes going with another blistering performance to kick off the UFC Mexico City main card on Saturday. This time around, Torres had to survive a fast start from opponent Chris Duncan, who got his attention with a massive punch as soon as the action started. Torres stayed composed and eventually got into a clinch exchange, which allowed him to toss Duncan to the ground where he quickly advanced his position to take the back. From there, Torres wasted no time sinking in the rear naked choke and once his arm was tight…
Edgar Chairez can move on from Daniel Lacerda, at last. Five months after their first fight ended in a confusing no-contest due to a botched submission finish, Chairez officially scored a tapout in the bizarre two-bout series with a first-round triangle choke victory at UFC Mexico City on Saturday. Watch the finish below. It didn’t take long for Chairez to secure the submission. An aggressive Lacerda — winless in his UFC career to this point — came forward and was stung with a few strikes, prompting him to go for a takedown. Chairez welcomed the attempt and immediately attacked from…
Felipe dos Santos had people talking after his first UFC win, though maybe not in the way he’d hoped. The Brazilian flyweight earned a split decision call over Victor Altamirano at UFC Mexico City and the crowd expressed their displeasure at the judges’ scoring, loudly booing the result to show support for Altamirano, a native of Mexico. Judges Mike Bell and Junichiro Kamijo both scored the fight 29-28 in dos Santos’ favor, giving Rounds 2 and 3 to the eventual winner. Judge Miguel Jimenez deviated wildly from that assessment, scoring all three rounds for Altamirano. Jimenez wasn’t alone in seeing…
Renan Ferreira secured the biggest win of his career in the PFL vs. Bellator main event — and that may lead to an even bigger opportunity in the future. The reigning PFL heavyweight champion needed just 21 seconds to demolish Ryan Bader and set himself up for an eventual showdown against Francis Ngannou. It was a stunning performance from the Brazilian, who blasted Bader with a devastating right hand in the first exchange of the fight to send the Bellator heavyweight king crashing to the canvas. The gargantuan Ferreira quickly followed Bader to the ground and unloaded a barrage of…