Despite fears of cancellation amidst political turmoil in Mexico, UFC’s annual trip down south did go ahead. After Asu Almabayev had to pull out, it was Lone’er Kavanagh who filled in as a surprising replacement against Brandon Moreno in the UFC Mexico City main event. The booking was puzzling to most fans as Kavanagh didn’t seem deserving of such an opportunity, but the young Brit made the most of it, outpointing the fan favourite over the course of five rounds.
Some other notable highlights from the card were David Martinez, King Green and Imanol Rodriguez. With this latest Mexican card in the books, let’s look at what’s next for the winners.
Lone’er Kavanagh
Though the road to get there wasn’t exactly how you would draw it up, the highly touted 26-year-old is now officially in the top 10. He didn’t exactly dominate Moreno, but he did show clear signs of improvement. His loss to Charles Johnson last August came as he appeared to be gassing out late in the second round. This time, despite being at altitude, Kavanagh went all five rounds and earned the victory against who was by far the highest quality opponent he has faced, thus far.
However, the loss to Johnson does feel way too recent to just throw Kavanagh in a number one contender fight. With this win, I think he has earned the right to another main event, this time, against the man Moreno was initially supposed to face at UFC Mexico City: Asu Almabayev.
Kavanagh’s next fight: Asu Almabayev
David Martinez
David Martinez ‘s game is already so polished, you would never guess that this was only his third UFC outing. He’s 27 with 15 professional fights and is already defeating veterans like Rob Font and Marlon Vera. Usually, I’d be in favour of taking our time with a prospect like this, but Martinez feels like he could be thrown in a shark tank and expected to swim just fine. I think a fight with a name like Song Yadong would tell us a lot about both fighters involved while also being quite fun.
Martinez’s next fight: Song Yadong
King Green
After three bad losses in a 15-month span, including devastating finishes to Jalin Turner and Mauricio Ruffy, it wasn’t unfair to write the now 39-year-old King Green off. But the wily veteran still has a few tricks up his sleeve for young bucks like Daniel Zellhuber. Green thoroughly dominated Zellhuber, out-landing him 100 to 17 at UFC Mexico City, going 3-for-3 on takedowns and knocking him down right before the finish.
There is one fight that I’ve wanted the promotion to book for a while, now, and it’s insane to think they never have. King Green and Michael Johnson seem like fighters made to face each other. Win or lose against Drew Dober this weekend for Johnson, it would be pure entertainment. And with both looking rejuvenated, why not book it?
Green’s next fight: Michael Johnson
Edgar Chairez
With this latest split decision, Edgar Chairez pushed his UFC record to what could look like an unimpressive 3-2 with 1 No Contest. However, when you look closely, you realize that those two losses came in Chairez’s short notice debut and after a late opponent change. Additionally, those losses came to Tatsuro Taira and Joshua Van, the two men set to fight for the belt in April.
Chairez also had decent showings against both of them, giving Taira a late scare and knocking down Van. While he keeps flying under the radar, I don’t necessarily think Chairez deserves a massive opportunity; I think anyone in his current tier makes sense. I personally like the winner of the Cody Durden vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel fight happening this upcoming weekend.
Chairez’s next fight: Durden/Nyamjargal winner
Imanol Rodriguez
The youngster Rodriguez delivered in his promotional debut at UFC Mexico City as he earned the finish in front of his home crowd against the durable Kevin Borjas. The victory is an encouraging sign, but there is no reason to think Rodriguez shouldn’t be facing another opponent of similar calibre for the foreseeable future. I think a veteran like Ode’ Osbourne would be the right kind of test for a prospect like Rodriguez. Osbourne has been around the block but is also very beatable. He’s exactly the kind of opponent that promotion should be throwing at Rodriguez.
Rodriguez’s next fight: Ode’ Osbourne
Santiago Luna
Not unlike his countryman Imanol Rodriguez, Santiago Luna also kept his undefeated record intact on Saturday. And just like Rodriguez, I see no reason to give Luna an increase in quality of opposition for the time being. For as young as Rodriguez is, Luna is five years younger at just 21. Quang Le and Angel Pacheco are in the tier that Luna can defeat while gaining valuable experience. Any name in that tier is a good option, and I personally went with Colby Thicknesse after seeing the Perth card announcement in May.
Luna’s next fight: Colby Thicknesse
