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Get a closer look at the fighters on the scale at UFC Mexico official weigh-ins with these exclusive photos.
Check out the photos from the UFC on ESPN 64 official weigh-ins at the UFC host hotel in Mexico City (Images by Danny Segura, MMA Junkie)
Check out the results from the official UFC on ESPN 64 fighter weigh-ins.
MEXICO CITY – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Friday’s UFC on ESPN 64 fighter weigh-ins, where all but one fighter hit their marks.
In the main event, former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno (23-8-2 MMA, 11-4-2 UFC) takes on recent title challenger Steve Erceg (12-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC). The headliners were the first two to come to the scale during the weigh-in window, and each hit 125 pounds on the nose.
Ronaldo Rodriguez (17-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) missed the mark at 127 pounds for his flyweight bout against Kevin Borjas (9-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) and will be fined a percentage of his purse.
The early weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in Mexico City and precede the ceremonial weigh-ins for the fans, which take place at 7 p.m. ET at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. The same venue hosts Saturday’s event (ESPN2/ESPN+).
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Complete UFC on ESPN 64 weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (ESPN2/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2/ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
Ronaldo Rodriguez missed weight and will be fined a percentage of his purse.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.
The main event for the UFC’s return to Mexico is official after the headliners made weight Friday.
MEXICO CITY – The main event for the UFC’s return to Mexico is official after the headliners made weight Friday.
Ahead of UFC on ESPN 64 (ESPN2/ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno (23-8-2 MMA, 11-4-2 UFC) and former title challenger Steve Erceg (12-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins.
Check out the video from their trips to the scale above.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.
MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth on the UFC on ESPN 64 main event flyweight fight in Mexico City.
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in the UFC. Today, he takes a closer look at the UFC on ESPN 64 main event between former flyweight champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] and ex-title challenger [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag].
Staple info:
Supplemental info:
+ Former 2x UFC flyweight champion
+ Regional MMA titles
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ Multiple grappling accolades
+ 5 KO victories
+ 11 submission wins
+ 8 first-round finishes
+ Consistent pace and pressure
+ Improved boxing technique
+ Accurate left hook
^ Coming forward or off the counter
+ Hard lead-side kicks
+ Improved wrestling ability
+ Good transitional grappler
^ Solid scrambles and submissions
Staple info:
Supplemental info:
+ Regional MMA titles
+ Jiu-jitsu black belt
+ National wrestling gold medal (Aus.)
+ Muay Thai state title
+ 2 KO victories
+ 6 submission wins
+ 5 first-round finishes
+ Consistent pace and pressure
+ Educated lead hand
^ Jabs, hooks, timing change-ups
+ Well-rounded striking arsenal
+ Strong inside the clinch
^ Sneaky elbows off frames
+ Good from front-headlock
^ Dangerous submission in transition
The main event in Mexico City features a battle between top flyweights, Moreno and Erceg.
A well-rounded martial artist who is comfortable on their feet, Erceg poses threats in multiple phases. He’s a large flyweight who isn’t afraid to fight to his frame, and does a decent job of staying long with a solid jab and active kicking game.
Whether Erceg is looking to punish opponents down low with leg kicks or craftily come up high with question mark kicks, the 29-year-old challenger demonstrates excellent control of his lower extremities.
When it comes to his boxing game, Erceg shows an educated left hand that can offer change-ups in both his shot selection and timing. Inside the clinch, he offers the knees you’d expect from a fighter with his height and is also good about sneaking in elbows that he likes to fold over frames.
Although Erceg appears to do some of his best work when countering and sharpshooting from range, he’s not beyond being caught upright off the counter himself in exchanges.
Enter [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag].
Initially stepping onto the UFC scene as more of a grapple-first fighter, Moreno has since developed into a more complete and technical striking threat as he’s matured.
Still only 31 years of age, Moreno continues to display almost unshakable composure, win or lose, almost as if he’s determined to finish the fight stronger than his foe. But when you look beyond the brief, brash moments that allow his character to shine, you can see a more mature countering game at play.
Always a fan of the left hook (both coming forward and off the counter), Moreno does a much better job of variating both his timing and targets, often working them off of a jab. The theme of lead-side savvy travels fluently for the Mexican fighter in the way that Moreno attaches lead-leg kicks to his combinations when feeling in stride.
Moreno also has a knack for navigating extended exchanges, which, in this case, could lead to some grappling opportunities.
Considering the potential for chaos on the feet, no one should be shocked if these two end up tangling on the floor.
Erceg, akin to Alexander Volkanovski, is also a national wrestling gold medalist in Australia and is not beyond switching gears to go for takedowns.
From double legs along the fence to reactive shots in the open, Erceg appears to be a well-versed wrestler from multiple spots. And when opponents attempt to shoot in on Erceg, the Australian standout shows a strong front-headlock that he’s able to parlay into positive positions and potential chokes.
Luckily for Moreno, the Mexican is far from a slouch in the grappling department.
Starting off his career as more of a jiu-jitsu fighter, Moreno smartly swam toward the wrestling side of things (from an offensive standpoint) after being afforded the chance to train stateside through the UFC’s former developmental program.
Although Moreno was still not beyond being taken down or scoring submissions off his back, he offered plenty of glimpses of improvement during his first run with the promotion.
Moreno has been much more aggressive on the feet during this second stint, but doesn’t seem to be ignoring the other parts of his game. As far as grappling and wrestling scrambles go, Moreno was able to come out on top of stanzas against some of the division’s best grapplers in Jussier Formiga and Askar Askarov (who he clearly beat, in my opinion).
The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Mexican fighter, listing Moreno -250 and Erceg +190 via FanDuel.
Considering the UFC’s current trend of booking fighters on losing skids opposite hometown heroes, then I suppose it’s not surprising to see the betting spread above. Alhough I don’t disagree with who is favored, I caution anyone feeling too confident about either side of this attraction.
Flyweight fights, given the speed and technicality of the action at play, often make for contests that are scored much more closely than some might expect.
Not only is Erceg a fighter who can compete with Moreno’s lead-handed savvy, but the Australian has proven he can carry a high output across five rounds. The elevation of Mexico City will certainly put Erceg to the test, but no one should be surprised he’s able to compete punch for punch with Moreno.
The potential problem, however, is that Moreno, who already has an experience edge, also appears to have some advantages in the wrestling and durability department.
Despite Erceg’s accolades, his wrestling still shows some room for growth when competing with the upper echelon of the weight class. Even though I wouldn’t go so far as to say Erceg is “chinny,” I can’t help but wonder when the point of diminishing returns will come as far as the amount of weight the Australian contender cuts to fight at flyweight.
I’m a big fan of Erceg and wouldn’t mind being wrong on this one, it’s just always hard to back a fighter after the UFC’s already backed them into a proverbial corner. I hope this isn’t another case of the promotion rushing (and potentially ruining) a young product by bringing it to market too quickly, but the pick is Moreno to take a competitive win on the scorecards.
Prediction: Moreno by decision
As the main event, Moreno and Erceg are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 9:40 p.m. ET (7:40 p.m. in Mexico). The fight streams on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.
Check out a live video stream of the UFC Mexico ceremonial weigh-ins and final faceoffs.
MEXICO CITY – UFC on ESPN 64 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Friday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT).
The weigh-ins take place at Arena CDMX, the same venue that hosts Saturday’s event (ESPN+).
In addition to the video stream above, you can check out the official UFC on ESPN 64 weigh-in results from earlier in the day.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.
Kelvin Gastelum’s days at welterweight may be done, but he’s still hunting for gold at 185 pounds.
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag]’s days of trying to compete at welterweight are done. Now, he intends to chase gold at middleweight and is eyeing a rebooking against current title holder Dricus Du Plessis.
After bouncing back and forth between 170 and 185 pounds, Gastelum (19-9 MMA, 13-9 UFC) appears to be set on making a consistent run in the middleweight division. It starts at UFC on ESPN 64 against Joe Pyfer, in a matchup he initially wasn’t too thrilled about because he wasn’t ranked.
However, Gastelum recalled speaking with UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell about his career outlook and views the fight as an opportunity to move up the ladder, step by step.
“I had a meeting with Hunter (Campbell) a few months back, and I told him, ‘Listen, I want to fight the best. I want to still fight for a title, so put me on that route to fight for the title,'” Gastelum told MMA Junkie Radio. “He gave me the hardest, toughest matchup he could find. But that’s fine. I think I need to start from the bottom. It’s a fresh start in the middleweight division again, so I just need to work my way up.”
At the top of the division sits Dricus Du Plessis, someone Gastelum was previously booked to face as a short-notice replacement at UFC 273. Unfortunately, an injury forced Gastelum out, and Du Plessis would go on to capture the division’s title five fights later.
Gasteulm sees holes in Du Plessis’ game, but also acknowledges why the current champ is able to overcome his downfalls.
“We were like, ‘That guy. That guy. He fights weird,'” Gastelum recalled about trying to land a short-notice replacement. “Sure enough, Ali (Abdelaziz) made some calls, next day we were matched up. The thing was, that very next day I went into sparring and I injured my knee, man.
“We were training for him, we already strategized for him. Obviously he’s got huge holes in his game, the thing that makes him dangerous is his cardio, his pressure. I mean, he just goes out there balls to the wall for 25 minutes and he bullies people, and that’s his specialty. Just like Khamzat (Chimaev), just like Merab Dvalishvili, these guys go in there and they bully people with their cardio and that’s a style that’s starting to come I think that’s very new.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.
Ronaldo Rodriguez is embracing his popularity ahead of UFC on ESPN 64.
MEXICO CITY – [autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag] is embracing his popularity ahead of UFC on ESPN 64.
Rodriguez (17-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) takes on Kevin Borjas (9-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in Saturday’s flyweight main card opener (ESPN2, ESPN+) at Arena CDMX in Mexico City.
“Lazy Boy,” who’s already amassed 2 million followers on Instagram, admits he was hoping for a higher billing on the card.
“It would have been great for me to actually be a co-main event, but this is what you get, and this is what you make the most out of,” Rodriguez told MMA Junkie through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “Getting close to the title, that’s what we want to do.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to take, and I don’t know how many fights it’s going to take for me to get there. It may take time. Experience comes with time, and with this time and the experience I’m getting, I know I’m going to be a champion. I already feel like a champion, like a Mexican champion. The only thing missing is a belt, and I will get that chance.”
Rodriguez isn’t entirely surprised to see his fandom skyrocket with just two UFC fights under his belt.
“The success, yes, because this has been the byproduct of so much work, so many years,” Rodriguez said. “I have worked and dedicated myself to this for so many years to keep going. You know what I’ve been through – I fought this my entire life, and I dedicated myself.
“Everyone knows here: We’re Mexican and nothing gets gifted to us. This is earned, and we go through a lot of things to get where we need to go. So the success that I’ve gotten, I didn’t expect it to be that quick, but yes, I expected this level of success.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.
After eight fights in the UFC, Rafa Garcia finally has a chance to show up and show out in front of his home fans in Mexico.
MEXICO CITY – [autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag] met the media Wednesday ahead of his fight at UFC on ESPN 64.
Garcia (16-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) takes on Vinc Pichel (14-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) on the preliminary card at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. At the event’s media day, Garcia took questions from media members before his fight.
Garcia, a 30-year-old from Mexico, said he’s excited to finally get to fight in his home country for the UFC.
“I’ve been raising my hand for a while for a Mexican card – whether it was Noche UFC (this past in September) or something like this,” Garcia told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “It’s so exciting and I’m just ready to go out there and put on a show. Noche was incredible – man, I wish I would have been a part of that.
“I’m excited to fight in Mexico City, but I also feel the pressure to put on a show for the fans and give them what they want. They want to see action. They want to see me going forward and going out there and going to war.”
Garcia’s UFC run has been up-and-down with a trio of decision losses and a TKO setback to newly ranked lightweight Grant Dawson in his most recent trip to the cage. But his wins are against solid names of both up-and-comers like Natan Levy and vets like Clay Guida.
Coming off the fight with Dawson, which is the only stoppage loss of his career, Garcia seems eager to change the narrative against “Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 cast member Pichel.
“I know he’s a super tough opponent,” Garcia said. “We brought people in to mimic him. He’s a veteran – he’s been in the sport for a while. He’s got a lot of experience, and I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
Check out Garcia’s full media day interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.
David Martinez has nine of his 11 wins by knockout, and getting a 10th in front of his home fans is high on his priority list.
MEXICO CITY – [autotag]David Martinez[/autotag] met the media Wednesday ahead of his fight at UFC on ESPN 64.
David Martinez (11-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) takes on Saimon Oliveira (18-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on the main card at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. At the event’s media day, Martinez took questions from media members before his fight.
Martinez, from Mexico, punched his ticket to the UFC on DWCS this past fall. The ex-Combate Global bantamweight champion has nine of his 11 wins by knockout, and hopes that trend continues Saturday against Oliveira for a memorable debut.
“I’m feeling great and very happy about making my debut in the UFC, and what better scenario than to have your debut in Mexico in front of a crowd – I’m very excited about that,” Martinez told MMA Junkie. “It’s been a while since I fought here – fighting in the capital, fighting in front of everybody, in front of my friends, family – it’s perfect.”
But even with all the potential pressure of the environment and atmosphere and circumstances ready to come into play, Martinez thinks he can continue to do what he’s used to doing.
And that’s finishing fights.
“Saimon is a guy who’s fought in the organization, fought on (DWCS) as well and somebody who’s shown he’s got good striking, also – muay Thai base, and jiu-jitsu. I think this fight could go anywhere,” Martinez said. “But I’m very ready for it, and where the fight goes, I’m prepared.”
Check out Martinez’s full media day interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.
Joe Pyfer is quite confident he has the power to become the first person to KO Kelvin Gastelum.
MEXICO CITY – [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] wants more than a win in his return to the cage Saturday.
The rising UFC middleweight contender is looking to become the first person to knockout [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] in MMA. He’ll get his chance to do so at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 64, which takes place at Arena CDMX in Mexico City.
“I love the matchup. I thought it was very exciting,” Pyfer told MMA Junkie. “The guy likes to bring it, and he’s entertaining to watch. I would say as of lately, his performances haven’t been Kelvin of old, but I do believe he did his best work at middleweight. I know my teammate beat him in Sean Brady, but we’re two completely different fighters and that’s a question that’s been popping up a bunch, but our styles are different. Sean is an amazing grappler, I’m a good grappler. I’m a great striker, I think, and I want to be the first guy to knock Kelvin out. So yeah, when I saw the matchup, I thought it was a great fight for me.”
Gastelum (18-9 MMA, 13-9 UFC) has fought the who’s who of MMA. Israel Adesanya, Jared Cannonier, Robert Whittaker, Michael Bisping, Darren Till are just some of the many high-level strikers and power punchers Gastelum has faced. Yet, Pyfer (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) thinks he brings something different to the table.
“I’m going to send a statement to him,” Pyfer said. “I don’t really care about what the rest of the division thinks. Obviously, yes, if I get a stoppage, it’s going to be impressive, but I have 13 wins and 12 finishes. I’m a guy that likes to go out there and look for the finish, and I have the power to get the finish. If you watch him against Israel Adesanya, I think that was his best self and I think that was the best he’s ever going to be, and he got dropped like three or four times by a guy who’s not really a power puncher.”
Gastelum is a pioneer in Mexican MMA. Although born in the U.S. but with Mexican parents, Gastelum has represented the Mexican audience for many years. He fought in the UFC’s first ever event in Mexico in 2018 and coached a season of “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America.”
Pyfer knows he won’t be the crowd favorite, but is in no way letting that affect him.
“No, I don’t give a f*ck,” Pyfer said. “I’m here in enemy territory. … I’m super comfortable, and I’m not uncomfortable fighting here in Mexico. At the end of the day, I’ll be making the same walk to the cage, and in the cage it doesn’t matter where you’re from or what ethnicity you are. A fight is a fight.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.
