UFC Mexico City just wrapped up. The Fight Night event took place at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City on March 29 and featured 12 fights across seven weight classes. A clash of elite flyweight contenders headlined the card, which also featured a ton of fighters, primarily from Mexico. This article recaps the fights and explores the UFC Mexico City full results.
Main event: Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg
In the main event, former two-time UFC flyweight champion and No.2-ranked contender Brandon Moreno faced No.8-ranked Steve Erceg. Following two consecutive defeats, Moreno had got back in the win column with a unanimous decision victory over Amir Albazi in his last fight. Meanwhile, Erceg hoped to bounce back from consecutive defeats with a win over Moreno.
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In the fight, Moreno landed big early, stunning Ereg with a left hook-overhand right combination early in Round 1. Erceg regrouped and proved to be an evenly matched opponent for the former champion.
A right hand from Erceg rocked Moreno momentarily in Round 2, but Moreno answered with a flurry of punches, restoring the status quo to stop Erceg from gaining further momentum.
The tactical striking battle continued through Rounds 3 and 4. Moreno's successful takedown attempt in the closing minute of Round 4 marked a significant moment.
The pair continued to launch measured attacks in Round 5. However, Erceg lost balance and ended up on his back after a head kick attempt in the final minute. Moreno followed him to the ground and finished the fight in the top position.
The judges scored four of the five rounds in Moreno's favor, declaring him the winner by unanimous decision.
Co-main event: Manuel Torres vs. Drew Dober
The co-main event featured a clash of lightweight contenders Manuel Torres and Drew Dober. Coming off losses in their recent outings, Torres and Dober fought to get back to winning ways.
In the fight, Torres started patiently, catching Dober clean with a few punches. A jab and right straight combo knocked Dober down in Round 1. As Dober held Torres' leg to initiate a grappling exchange from the downed position, Torres continued to clobber him with vicious hammerfists while standing.
The referee gave enough opportunities for Dober to work his way back into the fight, but he stopped the fight after several hammerfists went unanswered.
UFC Mexico City: Main card results
Edgar Chairez vs. CJ Vergara
Edgar Chairez, who returned to competition after his unanimous decision loss against Joshua Van at UFC 306, registered a strong comeback against CJ Vergara on the main card. Chairez stunned Vergara early on and dropped him with a left hook. Vergara got back to his feet, but Chairez followed up with rapid strikes and forced him to drop to a knee. At this point, Chairez took Vergara's back, caught him in a tight rear-naked choke and forced him to tap.
Bantamweight - Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Vince Morales
Bantamweight prospect Raul Rosas Jr. attempted to extend his win streak to four as he faced veteran fighter Vince Morales, who was coming off two consecutive losses in his recent fights.
Rosas Jr. pressed the action from the opening bell and overwhelmed Morales with relentless grappling and striking attacks. Morales maintained his composure and threatened with submission attempts that appeared to be really close. However, Rosas Jr. displayed impressive submission defense, winning the fight on the judges' scorecards.
David Martinez vs. Saimon Oliveira
Bantamweight contender David Martinez put his seven-fight unbeaten run on the line against Saimon Oliveira, who returned to competition after a two-year layoff following two consecutive losses in the UFC.
Martinez started cautiously and picked up the pace as the round progressed. Oliveira tried to make things work and lunged forward with a combination. However, a right-hand counter from Martinez stunned him.
Martinez followed up aggressively and knocked him down with a knee up the middle. The referee stepped in to stop the action as Martinez continued to throw hammerfists on the downed Oliveira.
Ronaldo Rodriguez vs. Kevin Borjas
In the main card opening bout, Kevin Borjas stopped his two-fight loss skid with a unanimous decision victory over Ronaldo Rodriguez. Borjas dropped Rodriguez early in the fight to establish a lead. He proved to be effective while moving forward and while countering Rodriguez's gritty offense.
UFC Mexico City: Preliminary card results
Jose Daniel Medina vs. Ateba Gautier
In the preliminary card headlining bout, Cameroon's Ateba Gautier scored a statement win against Jose Daniel Medina. The Dana White's Contender Series graduate rocked Medina with a left hand and knocked him out with a knee. The bout marked Gautier's UFC debut, and the 22-year-old put the middleweight division on notice with a resounding performance.
Christian Rodriguez vs. Melquizael Costa
In a competitive featherweight showdown, Melquizael Costa handed a unanimous decision defeat to Christian Rodriguez. The fight pitted Rodriguez's wrestling against Costa's striking. After a closely contested Round 1, Costa rallied in the second round, controlling the pace and range effectively. Meanwhile, Rodriguez reversed the momentum in Round 3 and finished strong.
The closely contested first round proved to be the determining factor in the outcome, as all three judges scored it in Costa's favor, declaring him the winner by unanimous decision.
Loopy Godinez vs. Julia Polastri
In the only women's fight of the event, Loopy Godinez neutralized Julia Polastri's striking with takedowns. Polastri fired back with her own strikes and had Godinez bloodied up by the end of the fight. When the scorecards were tallied, all three judges scored the contest in Godinez's favor.
Rafa Garcia vs. Vinc Pichel
In this lightweight contest on the preliminary card, Rafa Garcia used his striking effectively to establish an early lead. However, Pichel made the fight a lot more competitive in Round 2. In a relatively close Round 3, Garcia scored a crucial takedown, which likely swung the round in his favor. All three judges scored the contest in Garcia's favor, declaring him the winner by unanimous decision.
Jamall Emmers vs. Gabriel Miranda
Jamall Emmers scored the first finish of UFC Mexico City, knocking Gabriel Miranda out with a short right hand. Miranda threatened with an arm triangle choke early on, but Emmers maintained his composure and worked his way out of the situation.
As the two broke out of a clinch exchange, Emmers dropped Miranda with a short right straight, left hook combination. The referee waved off the fight after a few follow-up strikes.
MarQuel Mederos vs. Austin Hubbard
In the first fight of the night, MarQuel Mederos defeated Austin Hubbard by split decision. Mederos was off to a good start, outworking Hubbard in the striking department. However, Hubbard answered with a relentless grappling attack in Round 2, shifting the momentum in his favor.
However, Medeors regained control due to Hubbard's mistake and battered him with elbows in Round 3. Two of the three judges scored two rounds in Mederos' favor.
Check out the UFC Mexico City full results below:
Main card
Main event: Flyweight - Brandon Moreno def. Steve Erceg by unanimous decision (49-46 X 3)
Co-main event: Lightweight - Manuel Torres def. Drew Dober by T/KO (R1, 1:45)
Flyweight - Edgar Chairez def. CJ Vergara by submission (Rear-naked choke) (R1, 2:30)
Bantamweight - Raul Rosas Jr. def. Vince Morales by unanimous decision (29-28 X 3)
Bantamweight - David Martinez def. Saimon Oliveira by T/KO (R1, 4:38)
Flyweight - Kevin Borjas def. Ronaldo Rodriguez by unanimous decision (30-27 X 2, 29-28) (Rodriguez missed weight by 1 pound)
Preliminary card
Middleweight - Ateba Gautier def. Jose Daniel Medina by T/KO (R1, 3:32)
Featherweight - Melquizael Costa def. Christian Rodriguez by unanimous decision (29-28 X 3)
Women's strawweight - Loopy Godinez def. Julia Polastri by unanimous decision (29-28 X 3)
Lightweight - Rafa Garcia def. Vinc Pichel by unanimous decision (30-27 X 2, 29-28)
Featherweight - Jamall Emmers def. Gabriel Miranda by T/KO (R1, 4:06)
Lightweight - MarQuel Mederos def. Austin Hubbard by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)