Brandon Royval got his revenge in the main event featherweight bout against Brandon Moreno, outlasting the former champion, and picking up an impressive victory at UFC 237 in Mexico City.
Despite Moreno losing on home turf, most of the Mexican contingent on the card showed out for the Arena CDMX crowd as six of the 10 fighters won their bouts.
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Here are the official the results from UFC Fight Night 237:
MAIN CARD
Brandon Royval defeats Brandon Moreno via Split Decision (48-47, 46-49, 48-47)
The main event from Mexico City lived up to the hype as both fighters had their moments of dominance. Moreno had success in the earlier rounds, connecting with his overhand punches on a routine basis, but once the fight got into the later stages Royval's conditioning changed the tide. The American started letting his leg kicks rip and they landed against the visibly fatigued Moreno. The fifth round was truly decisive and Royval's activity and accuracy put him over the edge and allowed him to avenge his first-round finish loss to Moreno from November 2020. It was also the No. 3 ranked flyweight's first win since losing to champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296 on Dec. 16.
Brian Ortega defeats Yair Rodriguez via Submission 0:58 of Round 3
It was a nightmarish start for Ortega in his first fight since July 2022 (a loss by first-round finish, at the hands of Rodriguez). The American rolled his ankle during pre-fight introductions, and when the action got underway things only got dicier as he got rocked by Rodriguez immediately. However, Ortega showed a ton of poise as he dominated the second and third rounds thanks to his groundwork before ultimately tripping the Mexican and setting up an arm-triangle submission. Ortega is now tied for the second-most finishes (seven) in UFC featherweight history.
Daniel Zellhuber defeats Francisco Prado via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Prado started the fight well, using his activity to make Zellhuber hesitate, but once the second round got underway the Mexican seized all momentum. A couple of hard jabs cut open Prado and signalled that Zellhuber had figured out his range. By the end of the fight, his Argentinian opponent's face was a mess and Zellhuber improved to 15-1 overall, while earning his third consecutive win in the UFC, on home soil.
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios (cancelled)
Raul Rosas Jr. was meant to be the eighth of 11 Mexican fighters to step into the octagon on home turf as part of UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval in Mexico City, but those plans changed last minute when the 19-year-old withdrew due to illness minutes before the bout.
Yazmin Jauregui defeats Sam Hughes via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
In the only women's bout on the card, Jauregui dominated thanks to her relentless activity. She was consistently landing both to the head and body, taking advantage of her range, speed, and fluid striking combinations. It was the Mexican strawweight's third win through four UFC fights.
Manuel Torres defeats Chris Duncan via Submission 1:46 of Round 1
Torres picked up his sixth consecutive victory (3-0 in the UFC) and more impressively it was the Mexican's 14th first-round finish. The lightweight fighter managed the frenetic pace set in the early goings of the contest, even recovering after eating a couple of shots right away, and was able to take Duncan down to the ground, lock in a rear-naked choke, and earn his first UFC submission.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Raoni Barcelos defeats Cristian Quinonez via Submission 2:04 of Round 3
Barcelos stopped the Mexican fighter's win streak at three when he caught a leg kick from Quinonez, tripped him, and then locked in a rear-naked choke mid-way through the final round. According to the broadcast, the Brazilian had his shoulder popped back into place between rounds one and two, but the discomfort evidently wasn't enough to stop Barcelos from snapping his two-fight losing streak.
Jesús Santos Aguilar defeats Mateus Mendonça via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Aguilar, despite Mendonça controlling the fight by taking things to the canvas repeatedly (nine minutes of ground control time), was able to secure Mexico's third victory. Mendonça on the other hand is now 0-3 in the UFC.
Edgar Chairez defeats Daniel Lacerda via Submission 2:17 of Round 1
Mexico's second victor of the night, like the first, came via submission. All 10 of Chairez's previous MMA wins had come by way of a finish and his 11th, and first UFC win, was no different. Chairez was the one to get taken down by Lacerda, and from his back, he locked in a triangle choke that got the Brazilian to submit in quick succession. Lacerda is still winless in the UFC, losing all five of his bouts so far.
Farès Ziam defeats Claudio Puelles via Split Decision decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Ziam picked up his third consecutive win after a back-and-forth affair with Puelles. The Frenchman weathered seven takedowns by Puelles, and his striking activity along with a well-timed knockdown in round one, proved enough for a victory.
Luis Rodriguez defeats Denys Bondar via Submission 4:59 of Round 2
In his home country, and while making his UFC debut, Rodriguez took care of business, securing a win and the first finish of the night, by a Mexican. Rodriguez weathered multiple takedowns from Bondar before finding his way to the Ukranian's back and using a rear-naked choke that got him to tap in the final second of round two.
Felipe Dos Santos defeats Victor Altamirano via Split Decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
The Brazilian Dos Santos picked up his first UFC victory and is now 1-1 on the promotion after beating the Mexican Altamirano in front of his home crowd.
Muhammad Naimov defeats Erik Silva via KO/TKO 0:44 of Round 1
Naimov improved his win streak to six in a row after securing the victory following a sudden stoppage by the official. It appeared as though Silva suffered some kind of leg injury after taking a spinning wheel kick from the Tajikistani. Although he got up quickly when Naimov took the Venezuelan down again, he wasn't able to protect himself and once the fight was over Silva was seen clutching his knee.
