UFC Mexico City results: Sooo … About last night | Moreno vs. Erceg

Last night (Sat., March 29, 2025), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to CDMX Arena in Mexico City, Mexico for UFC Mexico City. Compared to last week’s event, UFC Mexico City was a little light on name value, particularly after Joe Pyfer pulled out at the last second. Fortunately, the actual fights were lot more fun in comparison, featuring some quality knockouts and competitive bouts that were generally just more enjoyable to watch. It still wasn’t the most important card of the year, but a lively crowd and bunch of young fighters intent on proving their fighting spirit made for a solid night of action.

Let’s take a look back over at UFC Mexico City’s best performances and techniques:

Moreno Outworks Erceg

Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg was a consistently close fight. The only round I felt was truly clear and utterly undeniable in one direct was the first in favor of Moreno. Otherwise, the two stood toe-to-toe, trading shots and combinations at a solid clip for the full 25 minutes.

What was the difference-maker? Why did Moreno end up unanimously winning four out of five rounds? Big picture, I would argue Moreno’s more committed offense and power was the deciding factor. Moreno tried to take Erceg’s head off, whereas Erceg poked and prodded with sharp range shots. Neither man’s game plan worked perfectly, but Moreno sent Erceg stumbling backwards more often.

Moreno remains an inconsistent fighter. In the very same round, he’ll throw a beautiful series of punches on the counter, slip and roll a combination masterfully, and fire the ugliest f—king right hand since Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis 1. A moment later, he’ll throw a nice right hand with his feet beneath him and in good position to follow up, and you just have to wonder … why?

Sloppy overhands aside, Moreno mixed up his offense really well here to get through a very talented opponent, and his head movement was beautiful. The first two rounds were an extremely fun boxing match in MMA gloves — don’t miss ‘em!

The Crimson Chin Shatters

It brings me no joy to say Drew Dober looked old here.

Now, the fight didn’t last long, and Manuel Torres is a spectacularly violent fighter, but the red flags are starting to pile up. At 36 years of age, Dober — a known brawler — has now been lost four of his last five, getting stopped on three separate occasions. He’s always relied on grit to get through tough fights and eventually outwork his opponents, and that may no longer be an option.

Aside from declining durability, the greater issue may be reactions. Dober didn’t seem to see any of Torres’ shots coming. “El Loco” is athletic, certainly, but he also tends to load up and charge forward in a way that shouldn’t be so surprising to a veteran.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a late-career renaissance, but after 43 pro fights, I wouldn’t bet on it.

A Flyweight Finisher

Edgar Chairez didn’t make headlines when he joined the UFC roster. With a 10-5 professional record, he was no blue chip prospect. In fact, he faced one in his debut when Tatsuro Taira dominated him on the floor. Generally, Chairez didn’t seem like a particularly notable fighter, one who would stick around the roster for a while or pick up signature wins.

Times have changed.

The last four fights have proven Chairez an excellent action fighter. His pair of bouts vs. Daniel Lacerda (one ended early via “No Contest”) were high-octange and ended in a triangle choke victory. Then, he went to war with Joshua Van in one of the best bouts of 2024. He lost that fight, sure, but Van is a genuine Top 15 talent and will be for many years to come.

Last night, Chairez proved his skill and aggression alike by smoking CJ Vergara. He clipped him with a left hook, methodically dropped him again, then locked up a strangle. The crowd loved him, and Chairez deserved every bit of the adoration — it was a great performance with a memorable and genuine post-fight speech about his struggles to make it as a fighter.

Still just 29 years old himself, Chairez is now a welcome and established member of the Flyweight ranks. Who knows how high he’ll climb?

Stop Signing S—t Fighters

Jose Medina never had any business being on the UFC roster. He got kicked around on Contenders Series but UFC CEO Dana White signed him anyway because he’s got heart. If there was a thought that he would improve and develop under the UFC banner, that’s proven to be false. He’s still just a brawler, one who can’t even be bothered to get into respectable shape for a UFC fight.

Zachary Reese pummeled him for three rounds in his UFC debut, and Ateba Gautier stopped him inside a round last night. I liked what I saw of Gautier’s boxing, as he played the threat of his right hand and left hook of each other nicely before the fight-finishing knee, but at the same time … does it matter? The 22-year-old “Silent Assassin” steamrolled an opponent who had no business in the cage with him, so his actual first bout against a UFC calibre opponent hasn’t happened yet.

Gautier did his job and smashed a home run off an underarm pitch, but it remains to be seen if he’s really ready for the UFC.

Two Career-Best Wins In 35 Days

Melquizael Costa is more than meets the eye.

The Brazilian Featherweight joined the UFC roster in 2023, losing two of his first three fights and getting finished in both losses. Those defeats came to solid opposition (Steve Garcia and Thiago Moises) but his sole win in 2024 over Shayilan Nuerdanbieke still didn’t do much to separate him from the talented Featherweight pack.

The last month has changed that. Submitting the veteran Andre Fili via first-round guillotine was a great career moment, and his kickboxing looked much improved leading up to the choke. It was still an unusual win though, one that didn’t necessarily feel replicable. Following that up by defeating Christian Rodriguez in a 15 minute war just one month later, however, really proves that Costa is a legitimate up-and-comer..

The fight wasn’t easy. Costa won the first on control time, landed some really hard shots in the second, and was forced into survival mood when fatigue and elevation caught him in the third. Still, given “CeeRod’s” resume and generally high level of skill, it’s worth re-considering the 28-year-old Costa’s overall ceiling.

Additional Thoughts

Raul Rosas Jr. defeats Vince Morales via unanimous decision: Everyone expected this, right? Rosas Jr. won the first couple rounds with his grappling but was forced to fight off some late Morales submission attempts. He won another 29-28 after slowing down a bit late. While the outcome was predictable, I will say the 20-year-old mega talent did look a bit sharper with his punching and generally seemed in control of his pace, which are a pair of positive updates to his promising career.

David Martinez defeats Saimon Oliveira via first-round knockout (highlights): This was the classic case of a talented young striker just pummeling a jiu-jitsu guy who had no ability to drag the fight to the floor. Martinez wasn’t in trouble for a moment, battering his foe at distance with fast, powerful kicks. When Oliveira tried to push forward and create some kind of connection or clinch, Martinez repeatedly lined him up for nasty pull counters. Oliveira wasn’t a particularly strong opponent, but Martinez’s movement and accuracy were still impressive for a debuting talent.

Jamall Emmers defeats Gabriel Miranda via first-round knockout (highlights): Emmers is a much better fighter than his .500 UFC record suggests. Not only do all his losses come to very talented opponents, but most of those fights could have gone his direction. His four defeats break down into two arguable split-decision losses and two finishes where Emmers also badly rocked his foe. Against a lower class of opposition, Emmers makes his talent clear. Plain and simple, he beat Miranda’s ass and made it look easy. That right hand couldn’t miss, flooring the grappler twice in just four minutes to create a fairly nasty stoppage in the first frame.

For complete UFC Mexico City results and play-by-play, click here.