Main Card Results: Lone'er Kavanagh upsets Brandon Moreno at UFC Mexico
Lone'er Kavanagh upset former two-time flyweight champion brandon moreno in the UFC Mexico main event at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, handing the Mexican a unanimous-decision loss. The result — 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 — boosts Kavanagh toward the top of the division while leaving moreno with a worrying run of form.
How the judges scored the main event and where it took place
Kavanagh walked away with a unanimous decision at Arena CDMX in Mexico City on the UFC Mexico main card, the three judges returning scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47. The win came in the event billed as the main event on Saturday and handed the former champion a defeat in front of his home fans.
Round-by-round swing: a pivotal second round and a gritty third
The fight flipped in Round 2 when Kavanagh detonated a blistering counter combination that badly wobbled moreno and tilted momentum toward the English underdog. Earlier, moreno had started strong, landing a clean overhand right and sharp left hooks while pressing forward, but Kavanagh answered with tight boxing, stabbing front kicks and a spinning back kick.
Moreno responded in Round 3 with increased pressure: he repeatedly landed his overhand right, forced clinch exchanges along the fence, shot consistently and ground Kavanagh against the cage while landing knees to the thigh and short elbows inside. Kavanagh countered with calf kicks, crisp straight shots and spinning back kicks, but his output slowed as moreno’s forward march dictated the terms.
Kavanagh’s short-notice leap: records, recent loss and a memorable line
Kavanagh took the fight on three weeks' notice after original headliner Asu Almabayev withdrew because of injury. The 26-year-old entered the contest unranked and had come off the first defeat of his 11-fight career, a knockout loss to Charles Johnson last August. The victory was the 10th of Kavanagh’s 11-fight career, moving his record to 10-1.
Kavanagh has won three of his four UFC fights and said after the fight, "I said before this fight - I live for legendary moments. This is a legendary moment. Brandon is a legend. Two-time world champ. I'm a big fan. I watched him when I was a kid. To get to fight him is amazing. " Kavanagh can now expect to be a fresh player among the UFC's flyweight top five.
Brandon Moreno’s standing: records and recent form
Brandon Moreno, listed at 23-10-2, entered the fight as a former two-time flyweight champion and was sixth-ranked heading into the contest; that positioning made his home defeat particularly costly. The loss marks moreno’s fourth defeat in his past six fights and drops him to 2-4 across his last six bouts, a stretch that leaves him working to regain the momentum he had as champion.
Co‑main and undercard: Marlon "Chito" Vera, bonuses and full results
In the co-main event, one-time title challenger Marlon "Chito" Vera (23-12-1) lost a unanimous decision to David Martinez (14-1), the three judges scoring that bout 29-28, 29-28 and 29-28. Martinez spent portions of the fight on the back foot, but his speed and volume were the difference-makers and have been described as kryptonite for Vera in recent years.
Bonus awards on the night went to Regina Tarin and Ernesta Kareckaite for Fight of the Night, while Kavanagh and Imanol Rodriguez earned Performance of the Night checks. Other official results from the card included King Green def. Daniel Zellhuber TKO (punches) at 4: 55 of R2; Edgar Chairez def. Felipe Bunes split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28); Imanol Rodriguez def. Kevin Borjas TKO (punches) at 4: 21 of R2; and Santiago Luna def. Angel Pacheco unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
The upset reshuffles momentum in the flyweight division: Kavanagh’s short-notice leap and unanimous-decision win at Arena CDMX hand him a career-defining victory, while moreno faces questions about how to arrest a challenging run of results.
