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Hola! Following an unforgettable UFC 298 event, the world’s premiere MMA league is heading south of the border this Saturday (February 24th) for UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2, which is going on at the Arena CDMX Mexico City, Mexico. The marquee matchup of the night will enjoy a flyweight rematch between the former champion, Brandon Moreno, and recent title challenger, Brandon Royval. The co-main event has arguably an even better rematch in store when the UFC’s #2 ranked featherweight, Yair Rodriguez, runs it back with the #4 ranked, Brian Ortega.The start time for this UFC fight card is set for 7:00 pm ET.
Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 1 happened in November of 2020 and was highly entertaining for as long as it lasted. It was short, but it kind of had a little bit of everything you would see in a standard UFC fight, just at flyweight speed. The standup exchanges were pretty even, with Moreno starting to control with his grappling as time went on. With about 15-seconds or so to go in the opening round, Royval’s shoulder popped out of socket. He let out a scream, and Moreno capitalized on the moment with some fight-ending ground and pound with just one-second left on the clock.
The victory put Moreno in position to fight for the belt, which sparked his wild saga with Deiveson Figueiredo. Brandon won the belt, then lost it, then won it again before ultimately losing it to Alexandre Pantoja. Ironically enough, following his first bout with Moreno, Royval went on to lose his next fight to Pantoja. He then reeled off three straight wins to get into a rematch with Pantoja, but for the UFC flyweight title. Royval came up short Pantoja, and now he’s rematching Moreno, who is also coming off of a loss to Alexandre.
The co-main event for Saturday’s UFC fight night is also a rematch, and dare I say an even better one? Just like Moreno/Royval 1, Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega 1 was also a lot of fun for as long as it lasted. This match also ended at the end of the opening round, and was also halted after a a nasty shoulder injury. From his back, Rodriguez threw up a gorgeous armbar, and as Brian yanked out his endangered appendage, he managed to pull it right out of socket. That halted the contest right there in its tracks.
Following Rodriguez/Ortega 1, the snazzy striker in Yair continued to exercise his submission skills by tapping out Josh Emmett with a triangle. That earned him the UFC’s interim featherweight title, but then he was melted by the now former champion, Alexander Volkanovski, when Rodriguez attempted to unify the belts in July of 2023. Saturday’s UFC fight night will be Ortega’s first trip back inside the Octagon since that July night in 2022.
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Full fight card
Main card
- – Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval: Flyweight
- – Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega: Featherweight
- – Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes: Strawweight
- – Manuel Torres vs. Chris Duncan: Lightweight
- – Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios: Bantamweight
- – Daniel Zellhuber vs. Francisco Prado: Lightweight
Prelims
- – Edgar Cháirez vs. Daniel Lacerda: Flyweight
- – Victor Altamirano vs. Felipe dos Santos: Flyweight
- – Jesus Aguilar vs. Mateus Mendonça: Flyweight
- – Luis Rodríguez vs. Denys Bondar: Flyweight
- – Muhammad Naimov vs. Erik Silva: Featherweight
- – Cristian Quiñonez vs. Raoni Barcelos: Bantamweight
- – Claudio Puelles vs. Fares Ziam: Lightweight
Start date and time
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 takes place on February 24th, at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET. The preliminary card begins at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Tickets
If you just so happen to be out in Mexico and want to witness UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 live, you can purchase tickets by clicking here.
Live streams
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 can be live streamed on ESPN+ in the United States and Canada. For full streaming details, and compatible devices go here.
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