UFC Fight Night returns to Mexico City on Saturday March 29, with plenty of home nation fighters set to compete.
At the top of the card, Mexico’s first ever UFC champion Brandon Moreno will be back in action against Steve Erceg. A win for the number two-ranked Moreno could help him set up another Lightweight title fight against the all-conquering Alexandre Pantoja – who won the belt off of Moreno at UFC 290.
Elsewhere on the card, powerful puncher Joe Pyfer will face off against Kevin Gastelum, and rising star – and youngest UFC signee ever – Raul Rosas Jr will be back in action too.
Ahead of UFC Mexico City, the experts at Bloody Elbow have made their picks for winners in two main events, Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night.
Brandon Moreno vs Steve Erceg prediction
- Jordan Ellis: Brandon Moreno via TKO or KO
- Kyle Dimond: Brandon Moreno via decision
- Chris De Santiago: Brandon Moreno via decision
The Bloody Elbow editorial team are, as expected, backing Moreno to continue his bounce back from recent defeats to Alexandre Pantoja and long-term rival Brandon Royval in Mexico City on March 29.
A win for the number two-ranked Moreno would go a long way to aiding his hopes for a rematch against Pantoja for the lightweight title, and it would also be his first ever UFC win in his homeland of Mexico – he lost two and drawn one contest previously, with his most recent defeat almost leading to his retirement.
The loss would be a third on the spin for Erceg, who had previously been on a run of 11 straight MMA wins prior to losses to Pantoja and Kai Kara-France respectively at UFC 301 and 305.
Manuel Torres vs Drew Dober prediction
- Jordan Ellis: Manuel Torres via decision
- Kyle Dimond: Drew Dober via TKO
- Chris De Santiago: Manuel Torres via decision
The co-main event is set to be one of the most closely fought contests of the night, with Mexican Manuel Torres just edging a decision win according to two of our Bloody Elbow experts.
‘El Loco’ is looking to bounce back from his first loss in UFC on March 29 after suffering a TKO loss to Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC 306. The 30-year-old certainly showed enough during his impressive three-fight win streak at Fight Nights prior to that loss, and will be confident a hometown crowd can help rouse him to a return to form.
Kyle has rightfully pointed out the potential of an upset in this one thanks to Drew Dober’s impressive striking ability. The veteran has the ability to end a fight with a single blow, as evidence by the fact that his last seven UFC wins have all come via KO/TKO.
Fight of the Night at UFC Mexico City
- Jordan Ellis: Manuel Torres vs Drew Dober
- Kyle Dimond: Manuel Torres vs Drew Dober
- Chris De Santiago: Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Kevin Borjas
Two of our experts has picked Torres vs Dober as their frontrunner for Fight of the Night, and with such a close contest being predicted by many, it’s very easy to see why.
Chris has picked out Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Kevin Borjas as a potential Fight of the Night candidate too. Rodriguez is a rising star in Mexico thanks to his recent run of seven straight wins – two of which came since making his UFC debut in February 2024.
Borjas will be an interesting test for the 25-year-old in Mexico City. The Peruvian is in dire need of a UFC win after losing his first two fights under contract, and will be keen to impress against Rodriguez.
Performance of the Night at UFC Mexico City
- Jordan Ellis: Joe Pyfer
- Kyle Dimond: Brandon Moreno
- Chris De Santiago: David Martinez
Having already earned Performance of the Night accolades on three separate occasions in his UFC career, Joe Pyfer will once again be eyeing that bonus pay when he goes toe-to-toe with Kevin Gastelum. The middleweight has been one of the feelgood stories of recent times in MMA, with Pyfer rising from homelessness to UFC stardom in recent years.
Kyle believes that Moreno’s long-awaited first win in his home nation will be enough to earn him his fourth career Performance of the Night accolade, while Chris has picked another Mexican in David Martinez to win it by continuing to solidify his reputation as a knockout artist against Saimon Oliveira. The Mexican has won impressive 82% of his MMA contests via KO/TKO so far in his career.