UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Kavanagh Live Winners and Losers
It was reinvention time, again, for Brandon Moreno.
The former UFC flyweight champion, stopped in two rounds in his most recent fight just less than three months ago, returned to Mexico to maintain his status among the company's 125-pound elite.
Now 32, Moreno faced unranked fill-in opponent Lone'er Kavanagh in the main event of a 13-bout show at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. The sixth-ranked ex-champ was initially matched with No. 8 Asu Almabayev, but that fight was scrapped when Almabayev pulled out with an injury in early February.
Moreno was 1-2-1 in four previous UFC-sanctioned trips to Mexico, most recently beating Steve Erceg by unanimous decision last March.
It was a first main event opportunity for the 26-year-old Kavanagh, who debuted on the Contender Series and then won his official debut with the promotion in 2024 before splitting two bouts in 2025, including a second-round TKO loss to 13th-ranked Charles Johnson in August.
B/R's combat team was in position to take in the action and deliver a real-time list of the event's winners and losers. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.
Winner: Leveling Up
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The evolution was clear from round to round.
As each five minutes passed, Kavanagh, in his first UFC main event, looked more composed, looked more confident, and did even more damage to Moreno.
The former two-time champ surely had his moments and showed the grit that's made him a Hall of Fame lock, but by the time 25 minutes had elapsed, his left eye was cut, his left leg was battered, and the underdog Brit had established himself as a new force at 125.
B/R's card had it 3-2 for Kavanagh, matching two of the three official cards while the third saw it 4-1 for the winner.
It was an abrupt ascension for a guy who'd arrived in Mexico City as a sub and been finished in two rounds six months ago, and prolonged a slide for local hero Moreno, who fell to 2-4 in six fights since his most recent title fight win at UFC 283 three years ago.
"I live for legendary moments, and this was a legendary moment," Kavanagh said. "I used to watch him as a kid. To get to fight him was amazing."
Loser: Promises, Promises
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The frustration continues for Marlon Vera.
Chastised through training camp for habitually slow starts, the Ecuadorian's promises to get moving sooner went unfulfilled in a unanimous decision loss to faster, sharper rising contender David Martinez in the co-main event.
All three cards read 29-28 against the 33-year-old Vera, who lost for a fourth straight time since the start of 2024 and a fifth time in six fights since the end of 2022.
B/R agreed with the majority after giving Martinez the first and second rounds.
The ex-title challenger had arrived ranked ninth at bantamweight, one spot ahead of his 27-year-old foe who won a third straight fight since a Contender Series arrival in 2024.
He was beaten by then-champ Sean O'Malley at UFC 299 two years ago and lost subsequent decisions to former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo and contender Aiemann Zahabi, now ranked sixth at bantamweight.
Loser: Breaching the Gate
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If King Green is a gatekeeper, one thing is for certain:
Lightweight wannabe Daniel Zellhuber got it slammed in his face.
The 20-something Mexican fell into his 39-year-old foe's traps from the opening tap, lessening his own work rate while getting consistently strafed with sharp replies before a left hook triggered a sequence that forced Herb Dean's hand at 4:55 of Round 2.
"(Green is) the truth serum at lightweight," analyst Laura Sanko said. "He's still got it."
Indeed, the end came after the hook sent Zellhuber reeling backward to the floor along the fence, where a follow-up barrage gave Green his second straight win after an inglorious 1-3 stretch and boosted his overall UFC mark to 15-12 with six finishes.
"I'm trying to show an example of what a hard black man looks like," said Green, before cajoling UFC boss Dana White to set up a match with Nate Diaz. "Let him retire where he belongs."
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Winner: Flyweight Ferocity
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It's easy to see why there's a buzz around Imanol Rodriguez.
The Daniel Cormier protégé was a Contender Series winner four months ago and transitioned to the main stage with a second-round finish of Kevin Borjas in the first of two straight flyweight bouts on Saturday's main card.
The excitement for the Mexican prospect was so palpable, in fact, that announcer Joe Martinez labeled him "still undefeated" though he'd lost an Ultimate Fighter bout in August.
The 26-year-old's triumph was followed soon after by countryman Edgar Cháirez's rally after a difficult first round to win a split decision over Felipe Bunes.
Two judges had it 29-28 for Cháirez to overrule a single 29-28 nod for Bunes. B/R's card agreed with the majority and gave the winner the second and third rounds.
Cháirez landed 80 significant strikes to Bunes' 62, though the Brazilian had more overall strikes (121-80), scored the fight's lone takedown, and had near four minutes of control.
Loser: Career Consideration
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So, you want to be an MMA fighter, eh?
Take a quick look at the face of Angel Pacheco and get back to us.
The 34-year-old member of the New England Cartel training team emerged from 15 minutes against Mexican prospect Santiago Luna with burning lungs, reddened ribs and swelling and abrasions above and below both eyes.
Oh yeah, he lost the fight, too.
Pacheco took more than 100 strikes to the head, 30 more to the body, was taken down five times and controlled for better than five minutes while dropping 30-27 nods on all three cards. But he got his conqueror's respect.
"My prediction was a finish, but Pacheco is a tough mother f**ker," Luna said. "I felt like I was hitting a brick wall, but that's part of it."
Winner: Aggressive Avalanche
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Ryan Gandra promised a first-round finish. Then he delivered it.
And as a result, the Brazilian middleweight is a legit hot property.
Gandra overwhelmed an outgunned Jose Daniel Medina in Round 1 of their preliminary card feature, ultimately connecting on a right elbow and a left hook that sent the Bolivian to floor and prompted Horacio Lopez Villanueva's rescue after 41 seconds.
"It was an avalanche of aggression," Sanko said. "Once he got that started there was no stopping."
It was also the 30-year-old's ninth professional win in 10 fights and his sixth first-round finish, including one on the Contender Series in his most recent fight last August.
"I said I'd get a first-round KO in our (pre-fight) meeting, and I came and did it," he said. "The problem in this division is here. Anyone. No situation is a problem. I'll be there for it."
Winner: Prolonging Progress
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Ailin Perez has got the gimmick, the record, and the coach.
Now, the confident Argentinean bantamweight is looking for the championships.
The twerk-happy 31-year-old scored her sixth straight victory with a unanimous decision over eighth-ranked Macy Chiasson, moving into second behind Amanda Nunes in all-time takedowns by a 135-pounder and continuing a positive run with the Brazilian's ex-coach.
All three judges scored it 29-28, giving Chiasson the first round and Perez the last two.
Perez was ranked seventh entering the fight and her win streak is the third-longest stretch by a UFC woman, trailing only Natalia Silva (8) and Maycee Barber (7).
Still, she reserved her post-fight callout for eighth-ranked flyweight Tracy Cortez.
Loser: Toughness and Tenacity Alone
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It was finished at the introduction.
When blow-by-blow man Brendan Fitzgerald suggested veteran Kris Moutinho's calling card was being "heralded for his toughness and tenacity," he'd all but sealed his fate.
Armed with little beyond determination, the 33-year-old was outworked and bloodied on the feet by Cristian Quiñonez in the first round, taken down and smothered for much of the second, and not energetic enough to channel his desperation in the third.
The result? An easy-to-score unanimous decision with shutouts on all three cards.
It was Moutinho's eighth loss in 22 pro fights and fourth out of four in the UFC, where he'd debuted with a gutsy short-notice performance against Sean O'Malley but was finished inside of three minutes in two subsequent performances.
He'd won five straight in regional promotions between the second and third UFC fights and seems destined to work the smaller side of the street going forward, given a 14-4 record in non-octagonal surroundings.
Winner: It Takes a Village
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A good dance routine deserves a good fight.
Colombian newcomer Javier Reyes strutted to the cage to the strains of the Village People's classic "YMCA" and proceeded to do a number on opponent Douglas Silva de Andrade, pummeling him on the ground before getting a stop at 4:59 of Round 1.
Reyes, who'd had an extensive amateur career and 21 wins in other promotions prior to Contender Series success in September, bounced back after being dropped with a right hand 90 seconds into the round.
He scored a knockdown of his own with a left-right combination about two minutes later, then seized the back and flattened Silva de Andrade before a torrent of unfettered ground strikes drew an intervention from Dean that the Brazilian briefly protested.
But Sanko was having none of the complaints.
"I feel like Herb Dean gave him plenty of leash," she said. "That was a fair and good stoppage."
Winner: Influencing Scorecards
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Regina Tarin can talk the talk, dance the dance and smile the smile.
And whaddya know?
The UFC newcomer with the prodigious social media following, who'd arrived as the only unbeaten pro on the preliminary card, was able to fight the fight, too.
The 21-year-old strutted into the cage and immediately got into the face of opponent Ernesta Kareckaite, working the cameras and perhaps the judges as well while winning all three rounds on two cards and two of three on the other.
Kareckaite threw and landed more total strikes, defended two of three takedowns while converting one of her own, and had a slim edge in positional control time. But still lost.
"I'm the kind of fighter that's here to stay," said Tarin, who'd drawn in on short notice after Sofia Montenegro's exit. "I'm living my dream."
Winner: Devastating Debut
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Contender Series success is not a guarantee of UFC success.
But middleweight Damian Pinas looks like the real deal, at least for one night.
The Aruban import showed ferocious power in an official debut against fellow newbie Wes Schultz, dropping him three times overall—and twice with clean one-two combinations—on the way to a first-round finish after just 2 minutes, 30 seconds.
"The one-twos of this man are going to be a factor in this division," Sanko said.
He'd already won eight of nine pro fights by finish before Saturday's card opener, including seven by KO and five of them in the first round.
"If I touch someone clean they will go stiff, down," Pinas said. "The title. The belt. I know I need to work to get there. I'm here to stay."
Loser: Series-Winning Success
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Did we mention how a Contender Series win isn't always a precursor?
Venezuelan export Erik Silva had reached nine wins in 10 pro fights after a first-round win in Season 6 of the show, but to say his subsequent ascension has stalled would be an understatement.
Now 38, Silva lost for the third time in three outings since, getting taken down early and ultimately choked out at 2:29 of Round 1 against Francis Marshall.
Silva landed a spinning heel kick in the opening seconds but had little else to offer, failing to secure a guillotine in response to the takedown before giving up his own back and allowing Marshall to access his neck and secure the rear-naked finish.
Marshall was also a Contender Series winner in 2022 and had lost three of his first five with the promotion before the defeat of Silva.
"You really get a sense that Francis Marshall is finally coming into his own," Sanko said, "and is able to express his full skill set."
Full Card Results
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Main Card
Lone'er Kavanagh def. Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
David Martinez def. Marlon Vera by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
King Green def. Daniel Zellhuber by TKO (punches), 4:55, Round 2
Édgar Cháirez def. Felipe Bunes by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Imanol Rodriguez def. Kevin Borjas by TKO (punches), 4:21, Round 2
Santiago Luna def. Angel Pacheco by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Ryan Gandra def. Jose Daniel Medina by TKO (punches), 0:41, Round 1
Ailin Perez def. Macy Chiasson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Cristian Quiñonez def. Kris Moutinho by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Javier Reyes def. Douglas Silva de Andrade by TKO (punches), 4:59, Round 1
Regina Tarin def. Ernesta Kareckaite by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Francis Marshall def. Erik Silva by submission (rear-naked choke), 2:29, Round 1
Damian Pinas def. Wes Schultz by TKO (punch), 2:30, Round 1
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