March 21, 2025; London, England; UFC flyweight Lone’er Kavanagh during the official UFC Fight Night weigh-in at the O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-Imagn Image Lone’er Kavanagh left former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno bloodied and bruised with a victory in the main event of last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Mexico City.
England’s Cabana defeated Mexico’s Moreno by unanimous decision in a non-title match, securing the judges’ scorecards of 49-46, 48-47, 48-47. According to a February 3 social media post, Cabana was a late replacement for Asu Almabaev (23-3 MMA), who withdrew due to a hand injury.
Kavanagh (10-1 MMA) took control early in the fight, dominating Moreno (23-10-2 MMA) with a barrage of punches and kicks in round two. As the championship rounds approached (rounds 4 and 5 in traditional title fights and non-title main events), the pace slowed down dramatically.
Kavanagh, 26, tipped his hat to Moreno, 32, calling him a “legend.”
“I live for legendary moments,” Cabana said after the game. “This is a legendary moment. Brandon is a legend and a former world champion.”
With only four UFC fights to his name, Kavanagh welcomes any challenger.
“Anyone can come and get it,” Kavanagh said.
Moreno has now lost back-to-back games and three of his last five outings. He entered the fight ranked sixth in the flyweight division after losing the title back in July 2023.
But for Kavanagh, a new era at 125 pounds may have just arrived.
The bantamweight co-main event featured Mexico’s David Martinez taking on former UFC bantamweight title challenger Marlon Vera.
Martinez (14-1 MMA) handed Vera (23-12-1 MMA) his fifth loss in their last six fights. This was thanks to Vera’s balanced attack of crisp striking, easy wrestling and conservation of energy as she advanced.
The unanimous decision win, by scores of 29-28, extended Vera’s slip to four points and could catapult Martinez to stardom in the 135-pound division. Martinez has won 10 fights in a row and is 3-0 in the UFC.
“I will be ready,” Martinez said after the fight and did not hint at a future opponent.
In an unexpected thriller, King Green (formerly Bobby Green) scored a brutal TKO stoppage of Mexico’s Daniel Zellhuber in a lightweight bout.
Green (34-17, 1 NC MMA) suffered his third straight loss to Zellhuber (15-3 MMA) with the final five seconds remaining in the second round. The 39-year-old said he would be willing to fight former “The Ultimate Fighter” 5 winner Nate Diaz if Diaz returned to the UFC, following Green’s powerful post-fight exchange.
Diaz (21-13 MMA) has not fought for the promotion since September 2022, choosing instead to box the likes of Jake Paul and former UFC welterweight title challenger and former “BMF” champion Jorge Masvidal (35-17 MMA).
As the main card moved on, more flyweight action took center stage. In a split decision, Mexico’s Edgar Chairez defeated Felipe Bunes 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 in all action events, primarily in a standing fight.
Chairez (13-6, 1 NC MMA), who has won two straight and three of his last four fights, is still chasing his aspirations of winning in the near future. Bunes (14-9 MMA) has lost three of his last four fights.
Flyweights Imanol Rodriguez (in his UFC debut) and Kevin Borjas roused the Arena CMDX crowd, with Borjas coming close to winning by first-round TKO.
The bout lasted until the second round, when an overhand right gave Rodriguez (7-0 MMA) his first win at the highest level of MMA and his sixth KO/TKO overall at 4:21 of the round.
Borjas (10-5 MMA) has lost four of his five UFC fights, including a unanimous decision loss to current UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van (16-2 MMA) at UFC 295 in November 2023.
Bantamweight Santiago Luna used a variety of combinations to earn a unanimous decision over American Angel Pacheco. All scores are 30-27 to start the UFC Fight Night six-fight main card.
Luna (8-0 MMA) picked up his second UFC win, while the resilient Pacheco (7-4 MMA) hasn’t sniffed the win column since August 2022 and is yet to find his footing in the promotion.
–Field level media
