This is the live blog for Brandon Moreno vs. Lone’er Kavanagh, the flyweight main event for Saturday’s UFC Mexico card at Arena CDMX in Mexico City.
Moreno is No. 7 at 125 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, while the unranked Kavanagh steps in on short notice as a replacement for an injured Asu Almabayev.
A two-time UFC champion, Moreno (23-9-2) finds himself in unfamiliar territory coming off of the first knockout loss of his career, a result that is part of a 2-3 slump for the Mexican star. Moreno saw a two-fight win streak snapped by Tatsuro Taira at UFC 323 this past December, and looks to jump start his run to a third championship reign by knocking off Kavanagh, a top prospect.
Kavanagh (9-1) also looks to rebound after taking his first loss at the hands of veteran Charles Johnson. The 26-year-old Englishman established himself as one to watch after an impressive first-round knockout of An Tuan Ho in 2024, and won his first two fights before Johnson stopped him. Should Kavanagh pull off the upset tonight, it will cause a major shakeup in the rankings.
Check out the Brandon Moreno vs. Lone’er Kavanagh live blog below.
Brandon Moreno is coming home. Was the Tatsuro Taira loss simply a bump in the road or is the two-time champ about to lose ground to another up-and-coming fighter again?
Plenty of respect for Moreno at -205 on FanDuel, but maybe not as much as you’d expect given the wide gap in experience and level of competition. Kavanagh only a slight underdog at +172.
Herb Dean the third man in the cage for the main event.
Quick jab from Moreno has catches a kicking Kavanagh off balance. Kavanagh gets in and out and avoids a big counter. Moreno scores with a lunging left. Counter left from Kavanagh gets Moreno’s attention. Kavanagh mixing in kicks to the lead leg well. Moreno caps off a combination with a body shot. Nice jab from Moreno. Kavanagh really using his legs well. Looping right from Moreno glances Kavanagh’s chin. He ventures in, but Kavanagh makes him pay with a crisp counter punch. Moreno again with a left hand from long range. Outside leg kick from Moreno. Kavanagh takes a right and backs out of danger. They trade jabs. Kavanagh is mixing up his strikes so well. Edge to him in a competitive round.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Kavanagh.
They exhange punches, both fighters looking sharp. Moreno slips off of a Kavanagh kick. Combination from Moreno, but Kavanagh avoids the worst of it. Kavanagh right back to the leg kicks. He’s content to snipe at that lead leg until Moreno makes him change his strategy. Hard left from Kavanagh as Moreno ventures in for a leg kick. Moreno pops him with a jab. Left hand from Moreno scores.
Moreno’s leg visibly bothering him. He’s taking a lot of wild swings, Kavanagh smart not to be drawn into a brawl. Big combination from Kavanagh and he had Moreno wobbles. He lands a head kick and Moreno is still in this somehow. He’s in recovery mode with Kavanagh picking his spots. Still two minutes left in this round for Kavanagh to capitalize.
Moreno flicks out a jab to show he’s still in it. Kavanagh bristling with confidence now, he lands two more good shots. Jabs from Moreno, then he finds an opening for a right hand. Big round for Kavanagh.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Kavanagh. Overall, 20-18 Kavanagh.
Moreno coming forward, but you can tell he’s hesitant to let his hands go given how most of the exchanges have been going. Could be time for Moreno to force a grappling contest. Left hand from Moreno gets around Kavanagh’s guard. He’s been the aggressor in the third. Moreno landing shots, but Kavanagh staying calm and he lands a counter. Kavanagh scores with a combination. He’s got to look out for Moreno’s counter left though.
Moreno in on a takedown, he pushes Kavanagh to the fence. Waist lock for Moreno, Kavanagh fighting the hands well. The grappling is inconclusive and Kavanagh gets Moreno off of him. Moreno scores with a right hand. Fancy kicks from Kavanagh, but Moreno has those scouted. Kavanagh goes back to the basics and clips Moreno’s lead leg. Nice right from Kavanagh. Moreno with another takedown attempt, Kavanagh has it well scouted. They’ll end the round stuck on the fence.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Moreno. Overall, 29-28 Kavanagh.
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