5 Mexican-American UFC fighters who could've starred on a Noche event

This weekend, the UFC will present its latest Noche event to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. Naturally, the event is set to feature a number of Mexican stars. Over the years, the UFC has had numerous Mexican-American stars, and many of them would've loved to have starred on a Noche-style event had the promotion put them together earlier.

Some of these fighters even held titles in the octagon, and while some of them may not be fully Mexican, they certainly didn't shy away from embracing their heritage.

Here, then, are five Mexican-American UFC fighters who could've starred on a Noche event.

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#5. Diego Sanchez - TUF 1 middleweight champion

While he never claimed a title during his lengthy UFC career, Diego Sanchez definitely made his mark on the promotion. The middleweight winner of the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2005, 'The Nightmare' went onto compete at 185 pounds, 170 pounds, 155 pounds and 145 pounds during his octagon tenure.

One of the highlights of Sanchez's career came in 2009 when he battled BJ Penn for the lightweight title in a courageous but eventually losing effort.

By that point, though, his legacy was already set. 'The Nightmare' had been part of some of the most exciting bouts in UFC history, including against Nick Diaz and Karo Parisyan.

After his failed title attempt, he continued to put on classic fights, thrilling fans with his brawls against Gilbert Melendez and Martin Kampmann.

While Sanchez was born in and fought out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, he never failed to embrace his Mexican heritage.

In his early days, 'The Nightmare' would walk to the octagon to the sounds of a mariachi band, and his iron chin and incredible heart saw him compared to legendary Mexican boxers like Julio Cesar Chavez and Erik Morales.

With his crazy style and iron will, there's no doubt that Mexican fans would've embraced Sanchez, who would likely have loved to have fought on a Noche UFC event.

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#4. Gilbert Melendez - former UFC lightweight contender

It's arguable that UFC fans never quite got to see the best of Gilbert Melendez. Despite this, 'El Nino' remains one of the most popular Mexican-American fighters in MMA history, and definitely could've starred on a Noche event.

Born in Santa Ana, California, Melendez first burst onto the scene in the mid-2000's as an exciting prospect in Japan's Shooto promotion.

It was here that his all-action style earned him the moniker 'El Nino,' as Japanese commentators compared him to the notorious global climate phenomenon.

By the latter part of the decade, Melendez had left Shooto and began to beat top-rated fighters across the world in promotions like PRIDE and StrikeForce.

However, he didn't enter the octagon until 2013, when StrikeForce was bought out by the UFC.

Melendez entered the promotion as the StrikeForce lightweight champion, and was inches away from claiming the UFC title in a razor-close bout with Benson Henderson. It was, however, his wild brawl with Diego Sanchez later that year that cemented him as a huge fan favorite.

It was also the fight that led fans to compare him to legendary Mexican boxers, with Dana White labelling the brawl a "Mexican world war" after the event.

'El Nino' might not have displayed his Mexican heritage as much as some of the other fighters on this list, but his crazy style and fighting spirit definitely would've certainly suited a Noche event.

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#3. Miguel Torres - former WEC bantamweight champion

Former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres is probably one of the biggest what ifs in UFC history. Once considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, he only came to the forefront in the late 2000's when mainstream MMA began to embrace the lighter weight classes.

Before that, Torres would often fight - and beat - opponents far larger than him on the regional circuit, racking up an insane number of undocumented bouts in the process.

And while he won the WEC bantamweight title and was one of the promotion's best fighters, he joined the UFC in 2011 when he was well past his prime. Unfortunately, his UFC career lasted little over a year.

Still, Torres remains one of the most notable Mexican-American fighters in MMA history. Growing up in Chicago, Illinois, a 2009 interview saw Torres reveal that he struggled with racial discrimination growing up.

The same interview saw him talk about the massive pride he had in his Mexican heritage. He went on to state that he wished to follow in the footsteps of Mexican boxers like Julio Cesar Chavez.

While he didn't manage to do that in the octagon, it's safe to say he did it earlier in his career, as most hardcore MMA fans would attest to.

Sporting a "wolf-cut" reminscent of another Mexican American legend - former WWE star Eddie Guerrero, Torres and his all-action style would've shone brightly at a Noche event.

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#2. Tito Ortiz - former UFC light-heavyweight champion

While he famously hailed from Huntington Beach, California, one fighter who certainly never shied away from embracing his Mexican heritage was former light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.

In his pomp, Ortiz was widely considered the UFC's poster boy, and helped the promotion grow from a small-time venture to the mainstream global juggernaut it is today.

During his reign as the 205 pound champion, 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' made five successful title defenses, turning back the challenge of opponents like Vladimir Matyushenko and Ken Shamrock.

He later went onto defeat the likes of Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort and Ryan Bader, among others, and was inducted into the promotion's Hall of Fame in 2012, despite not always seeing eye-to-eye with Dana White.

While Ortiz would regularly pay tribute to American troops during his post-fight speeches, he was also clearly proud of his Mexican heritage, too.

In fact, 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' would walk to the octagon carrying a huge double-sided flag, with one side displaying the Stars and Stripes and the other displaying the Mexican flag.

Ortiz's fighting style was probably too grappling-based to earn him comparisons with legendary Mexican brawlers from the world of boxing, but his heart and desire definitely could not be questioned.

'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' stands as one of the best and most beloved Mexican-American fighters of all time, and he would absolutely have starred on a Noche UFC card.

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#1. Cain Velasquez - former UFC heavyweight champion

While Brandon Moreno is recognised as the first Mexican fighter to claim a UFC title, the first American fighter from a completely Mexican background to hold gold inside the octagon was Cain Velasquez.

While he was born in California and broke into MMA after starring as an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Arizona State, Velasquez's parents were both Mexican immigrants who crossed the border.

Prior to his heavyweight title win over Brock Lesnar in 2010, in fact, Velasquez spoke about his heritage, stating the following:

"Every Mexican fighter has the heart; they work hard with their training and they never give up. That's the mentality I always had and always saw growing up. I always saw my parents work hard and never complained about what they had to do."

Inside the octagon, Velasquez was a phenom. With cardio that was unheard of for a heavyweight, he destroyed the likes of Brock Lesnar, Junior Dos Santos, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Antonio Silva, among others.

Along the way, he claimed the heavyweight title on two occasions. While injuries largely prevented him from achieving even more, he's still widely recognised as one of the most talented heavyweights in MMA history.

Considering that he would often raise the Mexican flag before and after his fights, there's no doubt that Velasquez was hugely proud of his background. If any fighter would've been perfect to headline a Noche UFC card, it was him.