Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will set up shop across the border for the upcoming UFC Mexico City mixed martial arts (MMA) event, streaming TONIGHT (Sat., Feb. 24, 2024) LIVE on ESPN+. UFC Mexico City will be topped by the 125-pound showdown pitting former flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno, against longtime rival and No. 3-ranked title contender Brandon Royval, a five-round showdown with a spot in the division title chase hanging in the balance. Before that headlining clash of styles gets underway, rough-and-tumble featherweight bruiser, Yair Rodriguez, collides with former Modelo mainstay, Brian Ortega, a rematch from their UFC Long Island “technical knockout” back in summer 2022.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Mexico City fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET. Bet on all the UFC Mexico City action with our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook right here.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Moreno vs. Royval 2.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC Mexico City results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action).
UFC MEXICO CITY QUICK RESULTS:
Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval — Royval def. Moreno by split decision (48-47, 46-49, 48-47)
Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega — Ortega def. Rodriguez by submission (arm triangle choke) at 0:58 of Round Three — HIGHLIGHTS!Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios CANCELED (DETAILS HERE!)
Daniel Zellhuber vs. Francisco Prado — Zellhuber def. Prado by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes — Jauregui def. Hughes by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Manuel Torres vs. Chris Duncan — Torres def. Duncan by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:46 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS!
Cristian Quinonez vs. Raoni Barcelos — Barcelos def. Quinonez by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:04 of Round Three — HIGHLIGHTS!
Jesus Aguilar vs. Mateus Mendonca — Aguilar def. Mendonca by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Edgar Chairez vs. Daniel Lacerda — Chairez def. Lacerda by submission (triangle choke) at 2:17 of Round One
Claudio Puelles vs. Fares Ziam — Ziam def. Puelles by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Luis Rodríguez vs. Denys Bondar — Rodriguez def. Bondar by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:59 of Round Two — HIGHLIGHTS!
Victor Altamirano vs. Felipe dos Santos — dos Santos def. Altamirano by split decision (27-30, 29-28 x2)
Muhammad Naimov vs. Erik Silva — Naimov def. Silva by TKO (knee injury) at 0:44 of Round One
UFC MEXICO CITY PLAY-BY-PLAY:
125 lbs.: Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval
Round 1: Royval the aggressor, as expected. Moreno content to circle for the moment. Royval body kick, Moreno low kick a minute in. Ref wants more action. Royval slips throwing a body kick. Counter left from Moreno to answer a low kick. Two minutes in. Moreno low kick, blocks a head kick in return. Both men still refusing to engage consistently with two minutes to go.
Counter hook from Moreno, straight left from Royval. Body kick to left hook land for Moreno, who stays on his bike. One minute to go. Royval blitzes against the fence. Low kick from Moreno. Counter hook, knee, left hook on the break. They trade near the fence, neither connects. Royval lands a body kick before the bell. 10-9 Moreno.
Round 2: Royval lands a body kick, then a low kick. Moreno answers with a heavy overhand right, then a counter jab. Another clean shot a minute in. Body kick from Royval. Moreno whiffs on some haymakers but lands a low kick. Nasty straight right connects, then a check hook and overhand right. Royval running into a lot of heavy artillery but still trying to pressure two minutes in. They trade in center cage. Royval catches Moreno leaning with a solid knee. Body kick. Two minutes to go.
Vicious 2-3 from Moreno and they slug it out in the center. Royval body kick, then a nice body shot in combination. Pumping the jab. Moreno tries a combo, eats a body kick. Royval comes in with the knee as Moreno fires counters. Royval picking up momentum with kicks and knees, prompting Moreno to take him down with a minute to go. Royval tries to invert, eats a right hand for it. He got gogoplata to omoplata but can’t hold Moreno down. Great round. 10-9 Moreno.
Round 3: Solid low kicks from an advancing Royval, who seems to be finding himself. Moreno tries a head kick. Lots of pressure and feints from Royval as Moreno moves side to side. One minute in. Moreno catches a body kick and takes him down, prompting a wilds scramble that ends with Moreno holding a body lock against the fence. He lands a low kick on the break. Moreno circles into a low blow, pausing the action. They get right to trading when they resume. Moreno left hook, Royval uppercut. More kicks from Royval piling up. Counter right by Moreno. Two minutes to go.
Royval’s really turned the fight round, avoiding the bulk of Moreno’s power counters and doing consistent work. Moreno takes him down, just avoids a spinning elbow, and holds the body lock. Nice elbow. Royval tries his own flurry on the exit. Moreno catches a kick, can’t use it. One minute to go. Royval bounces some punches off of Moreno’s guard. Moreno low kick. Royval fakes a level change. Low kick from Moreno, combo from Royval. 10-9 Royval.
Round 4: Royval gets right back to the combos, pressuring Moreno. Moreno spins him around with a low kick. More low kicks from Moreno, who tries a body lock takedown but can’t finish. One minute in. Another low kick from Moreno, who takes a combo on his guard. Combo, low kick. Royval firing arm punches but not landing clean. Low kick draws a visible wince from Royval. Moreno lands a body shot, eats an uppercut two minutes in. Moreno overhand, Royval lands a heavier straight left. Royval presses the advantage as Moreno hides behind his guard, then takes him down against the fence. Moreno works his way to his feet, eats some shots in the clinch, then lands another clean low kick. Two minutes to go.
Moreno whiffing on his biggest punches, Royval landing some glancing shots. They trade body shots. One minute to go. Low kick from Royval, nice counters. Thudding body shot by Moreno, Royval answers with his own as he pushes forward. Moreno spins him with another low kick, then beats a hasty retreat. Royval keeps pushing until the bell. 10-9 Royval.
Round 5: Royval flicking out jabs to start. Moreno whiffs on an overhand right, then lands one clean. He grabs the body lock and hauls Royval to the fence. One minute in. Ref separates them due to a lack of action. Royval continues to pump the jab, absorbs another overhand right. It’s mostly arm punches but there are a lot of them. Hard straight right by Moreno. Another, then a low kick. Royval fakes a knee and lands a good right hand. Solid left with Moreno on one leg. Combo bounces off the guard. Nice exchange with two minutes to go.
Low kick from Moreno, overhand right behind it, rear waist lock. Ref calling for action, breaks them up in about 30 seconds. Moreno rips the body , then cracks him with shots on the exit with a minute to go. Royval racking up volume of his own, walks into an elbow. Slugging it out in the center, rear waist lock from Moreno to take it to the fence. They trade bombs until the bell. 10-9 Moreno.
Final result: Royval def. Moreno by split decision
145 lbs.: Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega
Round 1: Ortega appears to blow out his right knee during the intros, but he comes out to fight anyway. Good exchange in the center, Rodriguez looks for crescent kicks. Spin attempt, stiff jab a minute in. Low kick to straight left drops Ortega, who pops up but gets knocked silly by a follow-up left. He manages to tie up, but can’t keep Rodriguez down and eats some heavy knees. Rodriguez stalking, busts his nose open with a straight right. 1-2, body kick. Ortega ties up, eats a knee. Body kick again by Rodriguez. Again, counters from Ortega. Nice body kick. Low kick by Rodriguez. Ortega lands a jab, falls over after eating a low kick. Rodriguez follows him down into guard with some heavy punches. Two minutes to go.
Rodriguez bombing away from guard. Heavy right hands. He stands and drops some more clean shots. One minute to go. Ortega goes from a leg attack to a potential back take, but Rodriguez counters with a calf slicer. Ortega escapes and holds the body lock on the way up, then takes Rodriguez down into mount. Rodriguez holds him down until the bell. 10-9 Rodriguez.
Round 2: Ortega sporting a decent-sized mouse under his right eye. Body kick from Rodriguez as Ortega marches after him. Ortega wading in with big swings. Overhand right by Rodriguez, Ortega lands his own but can’t tie up. Brief clinch. Ortega looks for a single-leg, can’t find it a minute in. He immediately shoots again and Rodriguez looks for a guillotine on the way down. Ortega’s in half guard and just waits it out. Decent punches two minutes in. Short elbows. Rodriguez regains guard. Two minutes to go.
Hard hammerfists by Rodriguez off his back. Ortega answers with an elbow. More elbows from Ortega split Rodriguez open under his right eye. One minute to go. More elbows. Right hands as well. Ortega chips away until the bell. 10-9 Ortega.
Round 3: Man, that is a nasty cut under Rodriguez’s right eye. He lands a combo and a head kick to start, then gets hauled to the fence. Outside trip puts Ortega on top in mount. He quickly wraps up the arm triangle and refuses to let go for a worrying amount of time, completing the comeback win.
Final result: Ortega def. Rodriguez by submission (arm triangle choke) — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
155 lbs.: Daniel Zellhuber vs. Francisco Prado
Round 1: Zellhuber firing kicks as Prado tries to bully his way inside with punches. Zellhuber getting the better of it a minute in. Prado tries his own head kick, then lands a 3-2. He’s having a lot of issues with Zellhuber’s length. Good straight left by Zellhuber. Prado comes back with a body shot and ties up. They separate two minutes in. Prado presses forward with a flurry, can’t land clean before Zellhuber puts him on the fence. Elbow on the break by Prado and they trade hard shots. Looping left hook lands for him with two minutes to go.
Jabs by Zellhuber, low kick by Prado. Zellhuber’s kicks and jab are still the MVPs so far but Prado’s still coming. Flurry falls short for Prado, body kick does not. Zellhuber sharpshooting with his back against the fence. Prado ties up with a minute to go. They separate. Low kick from Prado, spinning back kick whiffs, as does an overhand right. Cross counter. 10-9 Zellhuber.
Round 2: Body kicks from Zellhuber, then a straight left. More jabs keeping Prado at bay. That jab is money and Prado’s hurt, swinging wild as Zellhuber patiently takes him apart. Prado’s right eye is a wreck a minute in. Hard cross from Zellhuber, who’s letting his power shots go now. Vicious knee and Prado swings heat in return. Two minutes to go. Zellhuber blasts him with a knee from the Thai clinch. The only things working for Prado at this point are the low kicks. Zellhuber avoiding all the haymakers and potshotting. Two minutes to go.
Nasty counters from Zellhuber. Snap kick downstairs, avoids a spinning back fist. Body shots land for Prado, his first meaningful blows in a while. One minute to go. Zellhuber’s jab and right hand doing work. Brutal pull counter. Prado still swinging for his life but missing by a mile. 10-8 Zellhuber.
Round 3: The doctor checks Prado out before the round. They really should stop this, but his corner sends him back out. Zellhuber gets right back to business, eating Prado up with punches and kicks from outside Prado’s range. One minute in. More sharpshooting by Zellhuber. Heavy counter left. Prado wings a right hand two minutes in. Zellhuber not overextending in pursuit of the finish. Two minutes to go.
Low-high 2-3 from Prado. Zellhuber keeping the jab in his face. Body kick by Prado with one minute to go. More jabs by Zellhuber. Prado finally finds the mark with a good right hand but doesn’t make an impact. He gets a bit of steam going and Zellhuber obliges, tearing into him with power shots at the bell. 10-9 Zellhuber.
Final result: Zellhuber def. Prado by unanimous decision
115 lbs.: Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes
Round 1: Low kick and right cross land for Jauregui, who checks a low kick in return. Counter right. One minute in. Counter 1-2. Counter right and she denies Hughes’ shot, then lands a right hand on the exit. Hughes keeps leading with naked kicks and eating right hands for it. Hughes shoots again, eats a knee on the break. Two minutes in. Hughes double jab. Low kick by Jauregui. Hughes lands her first good right hand on the counter. Hughes tries to catch a kick for a takedown and eats a combo for it. Two minutes to go.
Jauregui in full control so far, eating Hughes up with combinations, Hughes shoots again and eats knees. Sneaky liver shot and front kicks from Jauregui. Body kick by Hughes with a minute to go, her most meaningful shot so far. Things quickly go back to normal as she walks into a right hand. Head kick and low kick by Jauregui, who blocks a combo and comes back with a 1-2. Jauregui tries a combo and lands a right hand on the exit. 10-9 Jauregui.
Round 2: More violence from Jauregui on the inside but Hughes is trying to turn it up. Wheel kick just misses for Jauregui, 2-1 does not. Combination capped by a body kick. Hughes tries to tie up and gets clubbed with more right hands. One minute in. Inside low kick by Jauregui. More razor-sharp right hands, then some body shots. Hughes tries her own body shots and eats a 1-2. Two minutes in. Low kick by Hughes, front kick by Jauregui. Hughes lands a counter right, eats a low kick. She finally gets in decently deep on a shot and takes Jauregui to the fence, where she eats an elbow with two minutes to go.
Left hook to head kick by Jauregui, Superman punch falls short. Hughes is game but she’s just outclassed in speed, power, and timing. There’s a right from Hughes with a minute to go. Another on the counter. Jauregui lands an oblique kick, then a knee and elbow after defending a takedown. 10-9 Jauregui.
Round 3: Jauregui continuing to sharpshoot to great success. Heavy right cross. Head kick whiffs, nice body shot and low kick behind it. Hughes lands a leg kick, walks into a left hook. One minute in. Jauregui tries a spinning back kick, can’t land it. All Hughes has is leg kicks at this point. Jauregui trips her up, then kicks her again as she stands. Two minutes in. Low kick exchange. Head kick to right hand by Jauregui. Front kick to the body, then a left hook as they exchange. Hughes to the body, Jauregui lands an elbow and left hook in return. Two minutes to go.
Jauregui continues to chew up Hughes at a distance. Hughes puts her on the fence, eats an elbow for it. One minute to go. Tight combination by Jauregui, low kick to flurry. Hughes tries a spinning elbow, Jauregui tries a spinning back kick. 10-9 Jauregui.
Final result: Jauregui def. Hughes by unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Manuel Torres vs. Chris Duncan
Round 1: 2-3 from Duncan dings Torres, who backs off and looks for a head kick. Duncan powers through and takes him down, avoiding a guillotine in the process. Torres quickly gets to his feet and lands a knee downstairs. Knees from Torres, who muscles Duncan down into side control a minute in. Solid elbow and he looks for the back as Duncan stands. Duncan denies the hooks but gets wrenched to the ground, where Torres quickly takes his back and wraps up the RNC for the finish.
Final result: Torres def. Duncan by submission (rear-naked choke) — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
135 lbs.: Cristian Quinonez vs. Raoni Barcelos
Round 1: Solid low kick from Barcelos, who shoots without success. Low kick to 1-2 stings Quinonez and Barcelos follows with a left hook before shooting again. Quinonez defends and puts him on the fence. One minute in. Knee from Quiononez. Barcelos tries a whizzer kick and separates. Both fall short with right hands. Two minutes in. Barcelos low kick, Quinonez left hook. Well-timed level change puts Barcelos on top, Quinonez quickly gets to his feet and grabs the body lock. Brief mat return. Again with two minutes to go.
Barcelos blatantly grabs the fence as he eats punches, then grabs it again. Knee upstairs from Quinonez, then another, wrenching BArcelos around with the body lock. One minute to go. Barcelos tries a spinning elbow, no dice, then hits a lovely takedown. Quinonez again scrambles out and gets the body lock, then counters a granby roll to land on top. Short punches from Quinonez. 10-9 Quinonez.
Round 2: Quinonez advancing, Barcelos circling. Barcelos whiffs on right hands. Quinonez tries head kicks. One minute in. Low kicks by Barcelos, jab exchange. Quinonez pumping the jab, avoids an uppercut and whiffs one of his own. Low kick from Barcelos two minutes in. Quinonez lands his own, eats a 1-2 after Barcelos fakes a shot. Hard right cross by Barcelos. Quinonez suddenly jacks his jaw with a right cross and uppercut, then fights off a shot. As he stands, Barcelos blasts him with an elbow that drops him, then tries to take the back. Quinonez scrambles up and eats a huge knee; he complains that it’s illegal but the ref says to fight on. Two minutes to go.
Barcelos commits to a guillotine, can’t find it. Hard right hands. Big right cross by Quinonez, then another against the fence. One minute to go. Barcelos tries a single-leg, no dice. Both fire right hands. Barcelos fakes a shot and they trade in the last seconds. 10-9 Barcelos.
Round 3: Trading low kicks early on. Jabs from Barcelos on the front foot, then a low kick a minute in. Combo from Barcelos near the fence, right hand whiffs. Inside low kicks, then a hard counter right off a caught kick into a takedown. Barcelos on top in half guard, and as Quinonez tries to scramble up, he gives up his back. Barcelos wraps up the RNC and there’s the tap.
Final result: Barcelos def. Quinonez by submission (rear naked choke) — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
125 lbs.: Jesus Aguilar vs. Mateus Mendonca
Round 1: Both men fire kicks for a bit before Mendonca takes him down into guard. Aguilar quickly scrambles to his feet and puts Mendonca against the fence, landing knees to the thigh. One minute in. Whizzer kick from Mendonca to counter a trip attempt, Aguilar pops back up and puts him on the fence again. Mendonca reverses and hits an outside trip into side control two minutes in. Not much from the top by Mendonca, who finally throws an elbow as Aguilar scoots to the fence with two minutes to go.
Aguilar scrambles up and lands on top when Mendonca rushes a back take, dropping solid punches. Mendonca tries an armbar, then a triangle. One minute to go. Mendonca still working on the triangle but there’s nothing there and Aguilar pops his head out. Mendonca spins for an armbar and this one’s good, but Aguilar yanks his arm out and ends the round with hard punches. 10-9 Aguilar.
Round 2: Hard low kicks from Aguilar prompt Mendonca to take him down at the base of the fence. Side control for Mendonca. Aguilar spins to his feet, lands a knee to the body, and changes levels a minute in. Mendonca uses the front headlock to roll through and look for the back. One hook in. Two minutes in. Aguilar gives up half guard, then mount. Heavy shots from Mendonca as Aguilar turns, ultimately regaining half guard. Two minutes to go.
Heavy shoulder pressure from Mendonca, who grabs a front headlock on the way up and fires a two-piece on the exit. Aguilar responds by rocking him with a jab and taking him down into side control. Full mount for Aguilar. Solid elbow with a minute to go. Short shots from Aguilar. Mendonca explodes to his feet and fires knees and punches before telegraphing a shot and ending up on his back. 10-9 Aguilar.
Round 3: Aguilar floors Mendonca with an early low kick, then jumps on a guillotine. Mendonca weathers it and sweeps into top half guard. Short elbows. One minute in. Lots of shoulder pressure from Mendonca. Two minutes in. Mendonca not throwing anything but Aguilar not doing a whole lot to stand and the ref breaks them up. Right to trading punches, body kick from Mendonca. Aguilar punches his way into the clinch and Mendonca takes him down via outside trip. Two minutes to go.
Mendonca looks for the back, takes mount, then the back again, then half guard, then the back. Both hooks in and dropping punches. Body triangle with a minute to go. Short punches landing for him. Aguilar tries to sweep and Mendonca locks up a triangle armbar, but can’t beat the bell. 10-9 Mendonca, who has an argument for at least one other round.
Final result: Aguilar def. Mendonca by split decision
125 lbs.: Edgar Chairez vs. Daniel Lacerda
Round 1: Chairez falls way short with a flying knee to start. Both land body kicks. They continue to fire kicks at each other, including a Hug Tornado from Chairez. One minute in. Again both land body kicks, Chairez follows with a solid right cross. He gets too aggressive in pursuit and Lacerda takes him down into guard. Nice elbows from Lacerda. Chairez responds with a tight triangle and Lacerda taps the second it’s in.
Final result: Chairez def. Lacerda by submission (triangle choke)
155 lbs.: Claudio Puelles vs. Fares Ziam
Round 1: Ziam opens with a leg kick, then gets taken down into butterfly guard. He scoots to the fence a minute in and Puelles tries to play backpack, but settles for taking him back down into half guard.Elbow from Puelles, Ziam unable to hit a sweep. Two minutes in. Ziam works to his feet and uses a whizzer to deny the next mat return. He gets over-unders and separates. Two minutes to go.
Hard body shot by Ziam. Puelles feints a shot and tries a head kick, but Ziam catches him on one leg with a jab and sends him to the mat. Ziam hammers for the finish, then lets him up when it’s not there. Strong sprawl from Ziam to defend a shot and he limp-legs out. One minute to go. Easy double-leg by Puelles into side control. Looking for an armbar or kimura. He transitions to a kneebar in the final seconds. 10-9 Ziam.
Round 2: Ziam falls short with a head kick, then frames to avoid a shot. Puelles shoots again and Ziam counters to land on top in half guard. Puelles regains guard and Ziam bails a minute in. Ziam tries a 1-2-1 and blocks a head kick. Slowly pushing forward. Sneaky knees by Ziam. Puelles shoots, powers through the crossface, and takes Ziam down again two minutes in. He quickly moves to mount, but Ziam regains half guard. Elbow from Puelles. Two minutes to go.
Ziam works to his feet and Puelles plays backpack, but Ziam takes him down and turns into top half guard. Now full with a minute to go. Ziam postures and drops a nasty elbow. More ground-and-pound. Elbows to the body, then some big punches. 10-9 Ziam.
Round 3: Puelles ties up and both men hunt for trips. Ziam puts him on the fence, firing knees to the thigh a minute in. Puelles reverses and changes levels, Ziam initially defends before latching onto a Marcelotine. Puelles rolls free and they return to their feet, wherre Puelles hits a double-leg into guard. Two minutes in. Puelles not doing anything on top. Ziam things about a guillotine with two minutes to go.
Puelles moves to side control. Ziam uses an underhook to sweep to his feet and they end up in an awkward scramble with Ziam ultimately taking him down into guard. One minute to go. Elbow to the body. Ziam postures up and drops some hard punches and elbows until Puelles spins to his knees. 10-9 Ziam
Final result: Ziam def. Puelles by split decision
125 lbs.: Ronaldo Rodriguez vs. Denys Bondar
Round 1: Low kick, body jab, teep from Bendar. Spinning back kick whiffs, as do Rodriguez’s counters. Both land low kicks, then Bondar cracks him with an overhand right to set up a successful double-leg. Rodriguez gives up his back, then sweeps into guard and lets Bondar back to his feet. Low kick exchange, then another brutal right hand to double-leg by Bondar. Half guard for Bondar, dropping shots. Two minutes in. Rodriguez regains guard and eats hammerfists as he looks for submissions. Trying to set up a triangle, no dice. Bondar stands to get past the guard, just misses with a knee in the way up. Solid body shots. Two minutes to go.
Bondar misses a spinning back fist. Stiff jab connects. Uppercut met by a combo from Rodriguez. Bondar comes back with a spinning elbow and absorbs a right cross. Body kick from Rodriguez, spinning back kick from Bondar. One minute to go. Rodriguez cracks him with a left hook and low kick, then gives up a single-leg but sweeps into top position. Left hands from Rodriguez on the way up. 10-9 Bondar.
Round 2: Bondar firing kicks, weathers a two-piece. Brutal spinning elbow by Bondar and Rodriguez taunts in response. Anotehr takedown by Bondar after eating a low kick. Rodriguez hunting a kimura a minute in, but Bondar steps over for an armbar. Rodriguez sweeps into top position and extracts his arm, but Bondar puts him on the fence. Knees from Rodriguez. Bondar warned for grabbing the fence and gloves, exits with an elbow. Solid jab two minutes in. Low kick by Rodriguez. Bondar looks like he may be fading a bit, but still hits a clean single-leg. He looks for the back, but falls over the top. Rodriguez takes his back in return, wrapping up the body triangle. Two minutes to go.
Rodriguez landing punches from back mount as Bondar tries to turn. Bondar makes it into top position with a minute to go, then falls back for a heel hook. Rodriguez escapes and drops punches from half guard. Bondar seems like he’s out of juice. Heavy left hands from Rodriguez and he takes the back, then wraps up the RNC. It’s as deep as can be and Bondar taps with a second left on the clock.
Final result: Rodriguez def. Bondar by submission (rear naked choke) — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
125 lbs.: Victor Altamirano vs. Felipe dos Santos
Round 1: Altamirano firing off the back foot, sending out kicks and quick combos. Counter right from dos Santos. Side kick from Altamirano, who avoids a combo and takes dos Santos down a minute in. dos Santos quickly stands and cracks him with an elbow on the exit. Side kick by Altamirano. Awkward combo falls short. Two minutes in. dos Santos uncharacteristically patient. He steps in and Altamirano grabs a body lock to take him down against the fence. Back up, back down, back up. dos Santos looks for a guillotine on the next takedown, then scoots to the fence with two minutes to go.
dos Santos stands, then exits with a knee. Altamirano tries a front kick, then trips dos Santos up with a well-timed low kick. Another reactive double-leg after avoiding an ugly overhand right. One minute to go. dos Santos stuck on his butt against the fence. He gets to his feet, gets taken down yet again, kicks Altamirano off. 10-9 Altamirano.
Round 2: dos Santos tries to throw some kicks of his own. Altamirano responds by knocking him over with a side kick, though he doesn’t capitalize. Low kick by dos Santos, Altamirano ties up a minute in. Snap kick from dos Santos, who counters a low kick with a straight right. They feint at each other for a while, then dos Santos crashes forward two minutes in. Low kick by Altamirano. Altamirano clinches again, both land knees, elbow and right hand by dos Santos on the exit. Front kick to switch kick to right hand, Altamirano answers with a takedown into guard. Two minutes to go.
Altamirano postures up to drop an elbow, then avoids a triangle. dos Santos gets to his feet, eats an knee to the body. He tries a head kick on the break. One minute to go. Solid counters by dos Santos, then a knee inside. Altamirano tries a head kick. dos Santos wings a right hand and Altamirano takes him down again. 10-9 Altamirano.
Round 3: Hard counter right by dos Santos, who cracks Altamirano with elbows and hits a beautiful back take. Hunting the RNC, Altamirano fighting the hands well, scrambles free a minute in. Body kicks by Altamirano, who just avoids an overhand right. Low kick. Front kick from dos Santos as he pushes forward. Altamirano changes levels under dos Santos’ overhand right for the umpteenth time and takes him down two minutes in. He avoids upkicks to move to side control, then looks for the back. dos Santos makes it to his feet, Altamirano still attached. Two minutes to go.
Elbows to the thigh from dos Santos, who separates and eats a pair of shots in the process. Hard counter right lands for him. Both wing punches, neither lands clean. One minute to go. Altamirano ties up and lands a pair of knees before separating. Nice left hook by dos Santos, then a long right hand. dos Santos wading forward with ugly punches. Knee to left hand. 10-9 dos Santos; comes down to how they score the second.
Final result: dos Santos def. Altamirano by split decision
145 lbs.: Muhammad Naimov vs. Erik Silva
Round 1: Naimov’s very first strike is a wheel kick that appears to connect and put Silva on his rear, but replays show that “King’s” left knee gave out. Silva manages to tie up and put Naimov on the fence, but when Naimov counters with an inside trip, the pain is too much and the ref steps in.
Final result: Naimov def. Silva by TKO (knee injury)
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