The atmosphere at Arena CDMX has always been electric whenever the UFC rolls into town and after a near five-year absence, Saturday night was no different.
With the audience in full throat from the outset, the combatants that crossed the threshold into the famed Octagon put on for the passionate fans, delivering non-stop action from the outset. From a couple emerging names to track and a Mexican newcomer to scrappy flyweights and a Brazilian veteran, the prelims were packed with entertaining contests that gave us plenty to talk about as we head to the main card.
Here’s a look at how things played out in the early action on Saturday night.
Main event and co-main event scheduled for five rounds. All other bouts scheduled for three rounds. | Official Scorecards | Main Card Results
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 Results
- Brandon Royval defeats Brandon Moreno by decision (48-47, 46-49, 48-47)
- Brian Ortega defeats Yair Rodriguez by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 0:58 of Round 3
- Daniel Zellhuber defeats Francisco Prado by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Yazmin Jauregui defeats Sam Hughes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Manuel Torres defeats Chris Duncan by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:46 of Round 1
- Raoni Barcelos defeats Cristian Quinonez by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:04 of Round 3
- Jesus Aguilar defeats Mateus Mendonca by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Edgar Chairez defeats Daniel Lacerda by submission (triangle choke) at 2:17 of Round 1
- Fares Ziam defeats Claudio Puelles by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
- Ronaldo Rodriguez defeats Denys Bondar by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:59 of Round 2
- Felipe dos Santos defeats Victor Altamirano by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Muhammad Naimov defeats Erik Silva by TKO (strikes) at 0:44 of Round 1
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 Prelim Results
Muhammad Naimov defeats Erik Silva by TKO (strikes) at 0:44 of Round 1
The opening bout of the evening ended quickly as Erik Silva suffered a leg injury on the very first strike Muhammad Naimov threw.
Naimov advanced and threw a spinning hook kick, prompting Silva to take a step backwards. As he did, something in his left knee was compromised. Naimov quickly recognized the situation and pressed forward, and as soon as he began to land, the referee rightfully stepped in to protect the injured Silva.
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While not the way he envisioned getting things done, Naimov runs his UFC record to 3-0 nonetheless, extending his overall winning streak to six and continuing to show that he’s someone to keep close tabs on in the UFC featherweight division. | Official Scorecards
Felipe dos Santos defeats Victor Altamirano by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Much to the displeasure of the Mexican fans, Felipe dos Santos collected a split decision win to register his first UFC victory by edging out Victor Altamirano.
The young Brazilian flyweight was forced to deal with a heavy dose of grappling over the opening 10 minutes, with Altamirano landing multiple takedowns and keeping dos Santos off balance on the feet.
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But neither man was able to deliver much damage over the first two rounds, and in the third, dos Santos threatened with a rear-naked choke and landed the better shots down the stretch.
One official saw the contest as a clean sweep for Altamirano, but the other two favored dos Santos’ slight edge in striking in the second, awarding him the win. After an outstanding showing in his debut, the Chute Boxe Diego Lima representative gets things moving in the right direction here. | Official Scorecards
Ronaldo Rodriguez defeats Denys Bondar by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:59 of Round 2
Ronaldo Rodríguez thrilled the crowd at Arena CDMX with an unrelenting effort that produced a second-round submission victory in his debut.
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The 24-year-old newcomer took everything Denys Bondar had to offer and responded in kind at every turn, breaking the will of the Ukrainian fighter by refusing to take a backward step. Each time Bondar looked to initiate offense, Rodriguez was there to meet him, taking the fight to him and finding superior positions in the grappling exchanges.
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Late in the middle round, Rodriguez worked to the back and flattened Bondar out, lacing up the choke and drawing out the tap with just two seconds remaining on the clock. What an outstanding showing for the promotional newcomer. | Official Scorecards
Fares Ziam defeats Claudio Puelles by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Former training partners Fares Ziam and Claudio Puelles faced off in the first of two lightweight battles on Saturday night, engaging in a classic clash of styles.
Puelles controlled the grappling aspects of the contest, securing multiple takedowns and advancing positions while searching for openings to attack submissions.
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When standing, Ziam was the clearly superior fighter, dropping Puelles in the first and doing well to remain mostly safe in the grappling interactions. In the third, Ziam was the one looking to attack on the ground, threatening with strikes off his back and once he worked to top position, battling to the final horn.
The judges were called upon to render the final verdict and once again, they were split, with Ziam landing on the happy side of the decision. After dropping his promotional debut, “Smile Killer” has now won three straight and five of his last six inside the Octagon. | Official Scorecards
Edgar Chairez defeats Daniel Lacerda by submission (triangle choke) at 2:17 of Round 1
This time, Edgar Chairez actually got the tap.
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The Mexican flyweight submitted Daniel Lacerda in the first round on Saturday, ending their rivalry that started at Noche UFC.
In that first bout, Chairez was working on a submission when the bout was halted prematurely, but this time around, he locked up a triangle choke in the center of the Octagon and quickly drew out the tap.
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Chairez is proving to be an entertaining and dangerous addition to the 125-pound ranks, and should continue to fill that role going forward after registering his first UFC victory on home soil in Mexico City. | Official Scorecards
Jesus Aguilar defeats Mateus Mendonca by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Mateus Mendonca and Jesus Aguilar waged a competitive back-and-forth in the penultimate preliminary card contest of the evening, each man having positive moments standing and on the canvas as they battled through all three rounds.
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The Brazilian Mendonca used his slight size advantage to wrestle Aguilar to the canvas and have success, landing strikes in short bursts while looking for submission attacks as well. Aguilar flashed power in the striking exchanges, stinging Mendonca a couple different times, but when he did, the Mexican flyweight looked to grapple, turning those momentary advantages into situations that were closer than they needed to be.
When the tens and nines were tallied, it was Aguilar that came away on the positive side of the split decision verdict. After dropping his promotional debut to Tatsuro Taira, the Dana White’s Contender Series grad has earned back-to-back victories inside the Octagon. | Official Scorecards
Raoni Barcelos defeats Cristian Quinonez by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:04 of Round 3
Raoni Barcelos snapped a two-fight skid to close out the prelims, securing a third-round submission victory over Cristian Quiñonez.
The bantamweights went toe-to-toe for the opening 10 minutes, taking turns landing big shots on the feet and having their own individual moments in the grappling exchanges, neither man garnering a major advantage.
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In the third, however, Barcelos took the fight to Quinonez, tripping him to the canvas and eventually working to the back, where he sunk in the choke and forced the Mexican prospect to tap.
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This was a gutsy effort for the Brazilian veteran, who was dealing with a shoulder injury from the opening round. Barcelos moved to 18-5 with the victory and remains a dangerous, experienced opponent for anyone looking to climb the ranks in the 135-pound weight class. | Official Scorecards
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 took place live from Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico on February 24, 2024. See the Prelims / Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!