Tag: UFC Fight Night 237

UFC Mexico headliner Brandon Moreno frustrated by winless record in home country

Winless in two UFC fights in Mexico, Brandon Moreno hopes to finally send his local crowd home happy at UFC Fight Night 237.

MEXICO CITY – [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] is grateful for a third chance to achieve a win in his home country Saturday at UFC Fight Night 237.

Moreno (21-7-2 MMA, 9-3-2 UFC) meets Brandon Royval (15-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) in the flyweight headliner at Mexico City Arena (ESPN+) in what will be his third UFC bout in the country. He fought to a draw and suffered a loss in his previous two fights in Mexico, and the fact he hasn’t been able to win there eats him up inside.

Although he’s not obsessing about the situation, Moreno, 30, has every intention of making the third time the charm.

“I feel a little bit frustrated, because obviously I want to put that on my legacy,” Moreno told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 237 media day. “Raise my hand in front of my people, in front of my Mexican flag. That’s it. It’s something that happened in the past, and I just try to turn the page. It’s frustrating, but I’ve been living with a lot of pressure since 2020, fighting for championships and rematches and the trilogies.

“I’m just trying to have fun in this one. At the same time, I understand the importance this fight has to my record right now. I’m focusing on Brandon Royval. I’m focusing on the challenge in front, and I’m ready.”

The odds this time around are in Moreno’s favor to accomplish his goal. Not only is he the betting favorite, but he already has a win over Royval on his resume.

Moreno defeated Royval by first-round TKO at UFC 255 in November, but the stoppage came after Royval sustained a shoulder injury that compromised his performance and prevented him from properly defending while he absorbed ground-and-pound en route to the stoppage.

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Royval argued during his media day appearance that the first encounter was meaningless and he doesn’t look at it as a real loss. Moreno wouldn’t go as far as to fully agree, but he understands Royval’s mentality.

“It was a really quick fight – just one round,” Moreno said. “The only thoughts I have is that I was winning. He was throwing a lot. He was making a lot of distance. I wanted to take him down, and I was controlling him. That’s the only thing, but I understand his frustration. He really believes he can beat me. But I don’t care. I’m just ready to fight.”

UFC Fight Night 237 will represent Moreno’s first non-title bout since the first encounter with Royval more than three years ago. A win could potentially set him up for a title shot, as reigning champ Alexandre Pantoja is looking for an opponent for UFC 301 on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro.

Moreno said he’s not thinking about whether a win this weekend puts him in that spot and said it would be a big mistake to overlook Royval.

“Maybe (I’ll get a title shot),” Moreno said. “I don’t even know. I just want to be focused on Royval. A lot of people right now are asking me about Pantoja. I know it’s (media’s) job to ask about that and the future. But right now I’m very focused on Brandon Royval.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

Brian Ortega explains ‘rebirth’ during time off, views UFC Mexico as ‘a continuation’ vs. Yair Rodriguez

Brian Ortega found inspiration in a myth heading into his UFC Fight Night 237 rematch against Yair Rodriguez.

MEXICO CITY – Although misinformed, [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] has found inspiration in the eagle heading into UFC Fight Night 237.

“The rebirth is a nature process that the eagle goes through, and it’s something that felt very close to heart for me,” Ortega told reporters during Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 237 media day. “It’s some difficult changes that I had to make in my life, my personal life, to be able to really live the rest of my life the right way. For those who don’t know what the eagle does is the eagle lives for 70 years. At the 40-year mark, the eagle loses the sharpness of its beak, the feathers aren’t as good, and its talons are weak. So it has a choice: The choice is to die, keep doing what you’re doing and living the way you are, or isolate yourself way up in the mountains, smash your beak against a rock until it breaks, wait until it grows back, then pluck your talons out, and then pluck your feathers out, and then stay in isolation until everything grows back. Then when that process is done, the eagle can live the next 30 years of its life.

“And that process in nature is called the rebirth for the eagle, and that’s something similar that I felt that I went through in my personal life, where I had to sit in isolation and face myself in a way that I never have before. And I had to just pluck away and be alone for a long time, and now I’m here.”

For the record, the information Ortega shared about “the rebirth” of eagles has been debunked by ornithologists ever since it first circulated online in 2007. The myth about eagles self-mutilating made a resurgence on social media in 2021, which might explain how Ortega came across it.

For Ortega, who turned 33 on Wednesday, the inaccuracy is likely irrelevant. He clearly felt a connection. And that’s just what the UFC featherweight contender needed during trying times marked by back-to-back losses, injuries that kept him sidelined and personal hardship.

“When everything happened at the time, I had no idea why,” Ortega said. “Like a lot of people, we have this victim mentality – ‘why me, boo-hoo me, man, this sucks.’ One day I’ll really reveal everything that really happened and went down this last year, year-and-a-half. But now I see why it happened.”

Ortega’s experience has brought him to this point, just a few days away from a co-main event rematch with Yair Rodriguez on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 237 (ESPN+) from Mexico City Arena. Their last time out – Ortega’s most recent appearance in July 2022 – ended in just 4:11 with Rodriguez winning by injury TKO after Ortega’s shoulder popped out.

As far as Ortega is concerned, this fight is more of a sequel than a rematch because of the way the first one ended.

“My perspective on it is just a continuation of that fight,” Ortega said. “But it depends who you are, how you view the sport, incident, the fight – it’s either a rematch or a continuation. For me, it’s a continuation. …

“We just started getting warmed up. We were very dry. We were still trying to feel each other out, got a hold of each other, hit each other a little bit, felt each other’s strength. It was still partially in that feel-out session. It’s gonna be just two rounds now of that feel-out session (before the real fight).”

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With Ilia Topuria the new featherweight champion after knocking out Alexander Volkanovski last Saturday at UFC 298, both Ortega (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Rodriguez (18-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) have something to look forward to. Since they’d both lost against Volkanovski before, Topuria’s victory means the potential for Saturday’s winner to step into another title shot.

All Ortega could say to that was “we’ll see” while trying to to get too far ahead of himself.

“In terms of fighting, I like to try to be more present,” Ortega said. “Do I have plans? Of course. Do I reveal them? No. I take one thing at a time, and then we move on to the next move. It’s something that I learned recently and something that I’m adhering to.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

UFC Mexico video: Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval have cordial media day faceoff

Nothing but respect between Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval ahead of their rematch at UFC Fight Night 237.

MEXICO CITY – Just as the first one, it was all business and respect between [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] as they faced off.

The two flyweight contenders engaged in their first faceoff ahead of their rematch this Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 237, (ESPN+) which takes place Saturday at Mexico City Arena.

Moreno (21-7-2 MMA, 9-4-2 UFC) and Royval (15-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) first fought in 2020. The bout ended in a first-round TKO in favor of Moreno. Both fighters are coming off losses to Alexandre Pantoja in title fights.

Check out the video above to see the staredown between Moreno and Royval from UFC Fight Night 237 media day.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

UFC Mexico video: Yair Rodriguez faces off with Brian Ortega and his sons at media day

Brian Ortega had some backup for his first faceoff with Yair Rodriguez ahead of their UFC Fight Night 237 rematch.

MEXICO CITY – [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] got their first face-to-face ahead of their second meeting.

The two featherweight contenders faced off at the UFC Fight Night 237 media day on Wednesday at the host hotel. Included in the faceoff were Ortega’s two sons.

Rodriguez (18-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) and Ortega (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) are set to clash in a five-round co-main event, which takes place Saturday at Mexico City Arena (ESPN+).

Rodriguez and Ortega fought back in 2022. The bout ended in a TKO win due to injury for Rodriguez, as Ortega injured his shoulder in a grappling exchange. This is Ortega’s first fight since the injury.

Check out the video above to see the staredown between Rodriguez and Ortega from UFC Fight Night 237 media day.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

Brandon Royval says UFC Mexico rematch vs. Brandon Moreno needed to ‘get me back out of my funk’

Brandon Royval wants to put his title-fight defeat in December in the past by avenging a key career loss vs. Brandon Moreno at UFC Fight Night 237.

MEXICO CITY – [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] appreciates the opportunity in front of him, as a win in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 237 main event would shift his career into a more positive light.

After getting dominated by flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja in their UFC 296 title fight in December, Royval (15-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) admits he was dealing with a bit of a post-loss hangover. He felt somewhat directionless, but then the phone rang, and he was offered the position of a backup for Saturday’s headliner, which was originally set as Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi.

“I’m sitting at home, this is three weeks after the Pantoja fight, maybe four weeks after the Pantoja fight,” Royval told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 237 media day. “The holidays happened. I’m a little fat. I get a call and they’re like, ‘Do you want to be the backup fighter?’ I’m like, ‘There’s no way somebody is going to pull out oft that fight. Free vacation to Mexico City? For sure I want that.’ I took the fight.”

Less than one day passed before Royval’s phone rang again, and next thing he knew, he was in against Moreno (21-7-2 MMA, 9-3-2 UFC) in a rematch of their November 2020 fight from UFC 255, which Moreno won by first-round TKO.

“Within 18 hours later, I got another call and they’re like, ‘All right, you’re in. You’re fighting Moreno in Mexico City,'” Royval said. “I was like, ‘Oh sh*t, cool.’ … I’m really glad they gave me this fight. I’m glad I got this opportunity, because I definitely needed this. I definitely needed something to motivate me to get the sour taste out of my mouth and get me back out of my funk.”

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Royval, 31, said there was “so much to take away” from his loss to Pantoja that he already feels he’s implemented into his preparation. It’s not tough to get motivated for this one, either, because Royval thinks the way in which his first fight ended against Moreno was unjust.

A dislocated shoulder in the first round of the bout compromised Royval and made it difficult to defend himself, which allowed Moreno to capitalize and get the fight into a position to pound away for a TKO. It didn’t feel like a true fight or loss, Royval said, but it still exists on his record.

It’s a chance to show his growth, though, and Royval wants to deliver a clean performance this time.

“I just want to show the world what I can do, and I feel like I’ve yet to do that,” Moreno said. “That Pantoja fight, I’m like, ‘This is it. This time I’m going to show the world what I can actually do and my actual skillset.’ It just did not happen. I feel like this is another great opportunity against a fighter who is going to bring it at all costs.”

The stakes of this main event are largely unclear. Reigning champ Pantoja (27-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) has said he wants to schedule his next title defense for UFC 301 on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro, but there is no perfectly logical challenger.

Royval is of the belief that the UFC brass will try to push Moreno into another title shot with a win. But if that’s not the case, he can’t speak so confidently about himself.

“I’m actually not sure what happens with me,” Royval said. “I’m pretty sure Brandon Moreno, if he wins, even though we both lost to the same person in our last loss, I’m pretty sure he’s getting a title shot. I’m not sure that’s the same position for me. I know if I go out there and style on him and I go out there and do some cool things, it’s going to be hard to be denied.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

Video: UFC Fight Night 237 media day live stream

Check out the live stream of Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 237 media day in Mexico City.

MEXICO CITY – UFC Fight Night 237, which takes place at Mexico City Arena and airs on ESPN+, goes down Saturday.

Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes such as [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag], [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag], and other fighters from the card are scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday at media day.

MMA Junkie will be on-site to provide coverage. Check below for the individual interviews from media day, as well as the live stream above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.

UFC Fight Night 237 pre-event facts: Can Brian Ortega avoid fourth loss in five fights?

The best facts about UFC Fight Night 237, which features the return of Brian Ortega, who looks to get his career back on track.

The UFC returns to Mexico for the seventh time in its history on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 237, which takes place at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City and streams on ESPN+.

The main event will see former champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (21-7-2 MMA, 9-3-2 UFC) take on [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) in a rematch of their November 2020 bout, which Moreno won by first-round TKO.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 237.

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Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval

UFC Fight Night 237 commentary team, broadcast plans set for return to Mexico City

The commentary team of Brendan Fitzgerald, Dominick Cruz and Paul Felder will call the action at UFC Fight Night 237 in Mexico City.

The UFC continues its February schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 237, which goes down at Mexico City Arena in Mexico.

As always, some marquee on-air talent will be there to help guide viewers through the experience.

Details of who will work as commentators and analysts for each event have been acquired by MMA Junkie through a person with knowledge of the situation, and you can see the scheduled broadcast team below.

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UFC Fight Night 237: Make your predictions for Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 237 event in Mexico City.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 237 event in Mexico City.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those reader consensus picks will be part of the main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of UFC Fight Night 237 (ESPN+), which takes place at Mexico City Arena.

Make your picks below.

UFC Fight Night 237: How to watch Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 2, start time, Mexico City fight card, odds, more

Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC Fight Night 237 on ESPN+.

The UFC returns to Mexico on Saturday with a former champion at the top of the lineup.

Here’s how to watch UFC Fight Night 237 with flyweight standouts in the main event and featherweight contenders in the co-feature.