UFC Mexico City went down last night (Sat., Feb, 24, 2024) inside Arena CDMX, Mexico City, Mexico. In the main event of the evening, Brandon Royval picked up a huge win by defeating former Flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno, in their 125-pound rematch (full recap here). In the co-main event, Brian Ortega got back in the win column by submitting Yair Rodriguez, getting revenge on “El Pantera” from a loss dating back to 2022 (see it again here).
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Winner: Brandon Royval
Who He Should Face Next: Amir Albazi
Albazi was supposed to face Moreno at UFC Mexico City, but since Royval stepped in to fill the void and took care of business it would make sense to have Royval and Albazi go at it. The winner of that fight would then be the front-runner to face current division champion, Alexandre Pantoja, next. While it was a good win for Royval, it’s not good enough to get another title shot against Pantoja straight away after losing to him just two months ago.
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Winner: Brian Ortega
Who He Should Face Next: Movsar Evloev (Or Alexander Volkanovski)
It is still way too early to decipher the plans UFC matchmakers have for Ilia Topuria’s first title defense. Volkanovski wants a rematch he deserves, and if that fight is made then Ortega should face Movsar Evloev for the right to compete in the next championship fight. On that note, If the promotion decides to give Evloev the next title shot, then a rematch between Ortega and Volkanovski makes sense.
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Winner: Daniel Zellhuber
Who He Should Face Next: Fares Ziam
After stumbling out of the UFC gates with a loss in his debut, Zellhuber has turned it around to rack up three straight wins, including his most recent victory over Francisco Prado last night. Ziam, meanwhile, was also victorious South of the Border with a split-decision win over Claudio Puelles. He is also on a three-fight win streak, so it’s not a bad idea to get this fight going.
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Winner: Yazmin Jauregui
Who She Should Face Next: Gillian Robertson
Jauregui got back on track with a nice win over Sam Hughes, bringing her record to 3-1 under the UFC banner. I would love to see the Mexican-born fighter take on someone with the type of experience that Robertson has. Ranked No. 15 at the moment, Robertson is fresh off a win over Polyana Viana at UFC 297, and is 3-1 in her last four fights. If Jauregui can take Robertson out, she could be in line to take her ranking spot.
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Winner: Manuel Torres
Who He Should Face Next: Steve Garcia
Torres picked up a huge win and $50,000 bonus after submitting Chris Duncan in the very first round (see it here). He improves his win streak to six straight, three inside the Octagon. Of his 15 wins, 14 of them have been stoppages so he knows how to get in, entertain and take care of business. Up next for “El Loco,” a matchup against Garcia sounds like a fun fight to make. Garcia is coming off a knockout win over Melquizael Costa, his third straight win.
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