UFC Mexico City’s twelve-fight card featured a special six-fight main card. The event produced just five finishes, and was struck by multiple fight cancellations including Kelvin Gastelum vs Joe Pyfer on the day of the show.
In the co-main event, Drew Dober was stopped by Manuel Torres. And in the main event, former UFC flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno, pulled off a well-fought unanimous decision. It was nearly a clean sweep for Mexican fighters on the main card with the only loser being Ronaldo Rodriguez. Ronaldo also has the pleasure of being the only fighter on this edition of losers that isn’t on a three-fight losing streak.
Steve Erceg
Steve Erceg lost a unanimous decision to Brandon Moreno in the main event of UFC Mexico City on Saturday. Erceg has now lost three fights in a row stemming from his unsuccessful title shot against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 last year. Tough break for Erceg as he started his UFC career off red hot, winning three fights in about nine months.
Erceg entered the bout as the #8 ranked flyweight while his opponent entered ranked at #2. Steve needs to slow down a bit. The UFC through him right into the deep end after his three-fight win streak. Well Erceg sank. It’s time to take a step back and give him a lot more manageable of a fight.
Erceg should fight Tim Elliot in his next fight. Elliot is a tenured fighter that is currently ranked at #11 in the UFC’s flyweight division. Tim might be 38 years old, but he has won three of his last four fights. Elliot was last in action in December of 2023 with his performance bonus winning submission of Sumudaerji. Elliot was matched up with Tatsuro Taira last May but withdrew from that bout. This would be a great scrap as Tim is such an awkward fighter that always pushes the pace.
Erceg’s next fight: Tim Elliot
Drew Dober
Manuel Torres stopped Drew Dober in the opening round of the co main event Saturday. Dober is now on a three-fight losing skid. Drew has lost four of his last five fights and been stopped in three of those. It’s been a rough 13 months for Dober who took to X (formerly known as Twitter) after the bout, to hint that he could potentially be taking a little bit of time off until his next fight.
With that in mind, Dober’s next fight can’t be a rapidly ascending prospect. A fight against Claudio Puelles could make sense. The 28-year-old is 5-3 with the UFC but is on a two-fight losing streak. The submission specialist was finished by Dan Hooker in 2022 and dropped a split decision to Fares Ziam in his most recent bout last February. Claudio has three kneebar submission finishes in his UFC career thus far. Dober has faced serious striking threats in his most recent bouts so this could be a welcome change of pace.
Dober’s next fight: Claudio Puelles
CJ Vergara
Edgar Chairez submitted CJ Vergara in the first round of their bout with a rear naked choke. With the loss, Vergara has now lost three fights in a row. And Vergara has now been finished twice in a row in the first round.
Obviously in a weight class like flyweight (where ranked fighters have been cut), Vergara is in real danger of being released. Vergara needs a good showing in his next bout.
CJ should fight the loser of Ode Osbourne vs Luis Gurule. That fight is going down on April 5th, so the timing is perfect. Luis Gurule is a 10-0, 31-year-old, 2024 Contender Series alumni. The LFA and Fury FC veteran earned a contract from a split decision victory over Nick Piccininni last year. Ode Osbourne is 4-6 with the UFC since coming off the Contender Series in 2019. Ode has lost his last three fights and was stopped in two of them. Depending on how that fight goes, the loser could be in a very similar position as Vergara. If Ode loses this has the potential to be a wild striking battle but either way the bout would be a high stakes scrap.
Vergara’s next fight: Loser of Ode Osbourne vs Luis Gurule
Vince Morales
The UFC’s golden boy, Raul Rosas Jr. snagged a unanimous decision victory opposite of Vince Morales on Saturday at UFC Mexico City. Morales is now riding a three-fight losing streak in his second stint with the UFC. Morales was with the UFC between 2018 and 2022 going 3-5 in his first stint with the promotion.
The 2018 Contender Series alum is now 3-8 with the UFC. Morales is in danger of losing his roster spot. It makes sense for him to take on another guy in a similar position. Vince should fight Saimon Oliveira in his next fight. Oliveira also fought on UFC Mexico City and is in a very similar position to Morales. Stylistically, Morales has threats while both standing and on the ground. Hes a fighter that has fought for a few flagship promotions and taken on some high-level competition. A scrap vs Saimon would be entertaining as the loser would likely be sent packing.
Morales’s next fight: Saimon Oliveira
Saimon Oliveira
Saimon Oliveira was stopped in the opening round of his bout against UFC debutant, David Martinez, on the main card of UFC Mexico City. With the loss, Saimon is now 0-3 with the UFC. It’s worth noting the 2021 Contender Series alum has faced some solid competition during his tenure, his other losses coming to Tony Gravely and Daniel Marcos. Despite this fact, Oliveria is undoubtedly on the short list to be cut.
Oliveira’s next fight should be against Vince Morales. Vince fought in the fight following Oliveira’s on Saturday. Oliveira hasn’t shown it yet in the UFC, but he looks to be something of a submission specialist. This fact could make for a fun and unpredictable fight against Vergara. One thing is for sure, this fight would be action packed as two Contender Series alum fight for their spot on the UFC roster.
Oliveira’s next fight: Vince Morales
Ronaldo Rodriguez
Ronaldo Rodriguez lost a unanimous decision to Kevin Borjas to open the main card of UFC Mexico City Saturday. “Lazy Boy” missed weight ahead of what was his first loss in seven fights. Rodriguez had not lost since his 2020 appearance on the Contender Series to Jerome Rivera. Ronaldo is now 2-1 with the UFC.
What a momentum destroying appearance for Ronaldo. Between the loss, the weight miss and the fact that he was a favorite, it was definitely his worst fight with the promotion. Rodriguez has a couple different plays here: He could take on another prospect like Rei Tsuruya (who also suffered his first loss with the promotion recently). Or he could take a step back a face a guy like Daneil Barez. Daniel is a 2021 Contender Series alum who is 1-2 in his UFC career. Barez last fought earlier this month, when Andre Lima submitted him in the final round of their bout.
High risk, high reward, fighting a guy like Rei as he’s very skilled but still doesn’t have much of a name within the promotion. Rei’s most recent fight was also earlier this month when he lost a unanimous decision to Joshua Van (who is now ranked at #14 at FW). For that reason, a fight against Daniel Barez makes the most sense at this point for Rodriguez. A win, especially in an impressive fashion would get “Lazy Boy” right back on track.
Rodriguez’s next fight: Daniel Barez
