From a shocking upset in the night’s main event to resurgences and freefalls for a couple of veteran stars, the Mexico City card was both entertaining, and pivotal to several careers. Not the least of which is Lone’er Kavanagh, who shocked just about everyone with a stellar performance in the night’s main event that saw him outclass a former two-time flyweight champion.

Lone’er Kavanagh Arrives with the Upset of the Year

Lone’er Kavanagh has arrived.

The smart money at UFC Mexico City on Saturday was on Brandon Moreno when it came to the night’s flyweight main event. Moreno, a former two-time flyweight champion in the UFC, remains one of the best in the weight class. He reminded us of that with wins over Amir Albazi and Steve Erceg in 2024 and 2025. Yes, he finished 2025 with a loss to Tatsuro Taira, but Moreno is far from done, and Taira is next up for a title shot.

When Asu Almabayev, Moreno’s original opponent for the UFC Mexico City headliner, fell to injury, the UFC was forced to scramble. The bottom line is that they did not want to run an event in Mexico City without Moreno, their biggest active Mexican star, attached. Could they have moved forward without him? Sure, but it wouldn’t have been the same.

For whatever reason, the promotion could not come up with a ranked opponent for Moreno. Kyoji Horiguchi confirmed in February that the UFC did reach out to him, but he didn’t want to pull out of his fight with Amir Albazi. Instead, he told the company that he’d fight Moreno if he beat Albazi. Too much of a gamble, especially if Horiguchi lost or took too much damage. He didn’t, but you can’t blame the UFC for moving on.

They landed on Kavanagh. 26-years old, unranked, just three fights in the UFC (the Mexico card was his fourth). And coming off a loss to Charles “Inner G” Johnson. So yes, the smart money was on Moreno, but no one told Lone’er Kavanagh that.

If you followed Kavanagh’s career in Cage Warriors and caught his Contender Series performance against An Tuan Ho, another highly touted flyweight prospect, then you know that Kavanagh is considered a future star at 125lbs. For others, Saturday might have come as a shock.

Even if you recognized Kavanagh’s talents, however, did you have him beating Brandon Moreno on short notice? Be honest now. It’s only February (March as of this article’s publication), and we have a bona fide Upset of the Year contender. One that is going to be very, very hard to beat.

Lone’er Kavanagh has arrived. Expect a big booking for him next time out. And it appears he even has a fan in Jon Jones, with Kavanagh revealing during the UFC Mexico City post-fight press conference that the superstar had called him to laud his leg kicks.

Chito Vera’s Career Is Far From Over, but His Days As a Contender Are

Back at UFC 299, Marlon “Chito” Vera was at the top of the world. As someone who has spent the better part of ten years covering UFC events in person, I witnessed something I’d never seen before: taking on Sean O’Malley at the height of the “Suga Show’s” fame, it was Vera getting not one, but two media day sessions in Miami.

Ecuadorian media in particular and Spanish language media in general had turned out in such numbers that the media room could barely contain everyone. So Vera did one session in English, and a second in Spanish. He was getting the star treatment, and had he won the title that Saturday, his profile would no doubt have exploded.

The problem is, Vera didn’t win against O’Malley, and he hasn’t won since. Saturday found Chito Vera with his back to the wall, with three straight losses. And as he historically has, he got off to a slow start in the UFC Mexico co-main event, where he’d eventually lose a decision to David Martinez.

Vera didn’t just have a slow start. He essentially had no start. Martinez was a step ahead the entire fight. It wasn’t just a speed issue, though Martinez did appear a little quicker. Vera just didn’t seem to have many explosive moments in him. His killer instinct appeared to have lost its edge.

Chito Vera is far from done, mind you. He’s a big enough star in the UFC (in an era that sorely lacks superstars and has seen even moderate stars like Vera dwindle) to survive four straight losses. The cynical side of me wants to say that if Sam Alvey can go on a nine fight winless streak (eight losses and a draw), anyone can, but the reality is few fighters get that sort of leeway from the UFC.

Vera should, and likely will. But his days as a contender are done. At 33, Vera is about to age out in terms of bantamweight contendership, and he’s as far from the title as ever. He’s going to slip into gatekeeper status, assuming he wants to continue fighting. A couple of wins, and he’s back in co-main events and perhaps headlining Fight Nights. It’s been a hell of a run for Chito, and we’re not calling time on his career, but the reality is we’ve likely seen his best.

Now it’s time for fun fights. There’s a lot of those out there for a fighter like Chito Vera.

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Chiasson was a TUF 28 winner at featherweight now calling bantamweight home, while Argentina’s Perez has won five straight in the 135lb division.

Chiasson carried a significant size advantage into the contest, as Perez avoided her length immediately getting to the inside for a takedown to start round one. On the ground, Chiasson threatened a leg lock before transitioning to back control. Dragging the back to the floor Chiasson was able to land damaging elbows to the head, as Perez couldn’t shake her off. After four minutes Perez was able to scramble to her feet and land a takedown of her own. Perez landed some big punches on top before the horn sounded, but it wasn’t enough to swing the opening round in her favor.

Chiasson opened round two with a solid kick the body followed by a jab on her way out. Perez landed a big right hand over the top but Chiasson was able to eat it and move forward. Perez seemed to be finding her rhythm landing another takedown before transitioning to side control. Unexplainably the referee stood the fight up even though Perez was in a dominate position and working. After a battle in the clinch, Perez was able to secure another takedown. With each round going in completely different directions, it was anyone’s fight entering the third.

To start the third Chiasson threw a kick but stumbled to the floor where Perez would gain top position. Perez remained in half guard landing short shots for a few minutes before transitioning to the back. Chiasson was able to get to her feet but it was too little to late. Perez began to dance in the cage celebrating what seemed to be a clear decision win. After fifteen minutes of action Ailin Perez was able to secure another victory in the UFC, her sixth in a row.

Official Result: Ailin Perez def. Macy Chiasson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Now, Perez (12-2) returns to face Macy Chiasson, a former TUF winner, at UFC Mexico City. And she believes the big names are starting to take notice of her.

“They are scared of me, they are trying to run, and they never mention my name, so…” she told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview.

The women’s bantamweight division, which Perez calls home, has been much maligned of late, with a lack of stars and personality. That’s an area where Perez, known for twerking after her wins and cheeky online posts, stands out. Her competition, not so much.

It’s hard to brag in a weight class where “all of them are boring,” noted Perez, “and they don’t want to fight. Always with my marketing, I try to push hard and do my best so they [the fans] can see me. The publicity and stuff that [I do] is what caught attention from the fans, not just the sport and the performance.”

At the same time, Perez has proven able to bring it in the octagon. Ranked inside the top 10, she sits on a five-fight win streak. Still, Perez feels it works in her favor if opponents take her as a joke.

“They think I’m just a funny fighter or I’m doing dumb things, but they don’t know really how hard I’m training and my actual strength. It’s good for me if they think I’m joking out here.”

The other name in the running as next up for the title at bantamweight, after Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes, is Norma Dumont. Perez made her case to leapfrog the Brazilian, saying that “it should be me, Ailin Perez, because Norma avoided fighting me. And also she’s boring. I should be the first one to fight for the title. I’m ready to fight even this weekend if necessary.”

Talk has sprung up about a fight between the two, humorously labeled “The Battle of the Butts” for rather apparent reasons. “I’m down to kick her ass and after, move my ass too,” Perez said with a laugh when asked about the match-up.

As for her fight with Macy Chiasson at UFC Mexico City, Perez suggested The Ultimate Fighter 28 winner needs to worry about her — not the other way around.

“Macy should be worried about me. I’m not worried about her for real, I’m just worried about my training, how I’m doing in my performance. I’m ready for any area; I can strike, I can box, I can kick, I can wrestle. So better be ready, Macy, because I’m ready for any area of the fight. And of course I’m going to finish her.”

Watch our full interview with UFC Mexico City’s Ailin Perez above; catch her media day appearance below. The event takes place this Saturday, February 28, 2026 at the CDMX Arena in Mexico City, Mexico.

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“Very happy. Not only for the win, but also for shutting a lot of people up,” Perez told reporters including Cageside Press at her post-fight scrum.

“First and foremost making weight was a way to shut people up, and also just putting on a class inside the octagon.”

Perez (12-2) holds a 5-fight win streak with the victory over Rosa which is the longest current one at 135 pounds. Such an accolade could open the door for a big fight if not a title shot.

“I want to fight for the title. The current title holder she is sh*tting her pants. She does not want to take on Kayla Harrison so let me take that. I’m coming off of five straight wins, all of them dominant wins, great finish in Paris. Three dominant wins before,” she said.

“There’s no reason why they wouldn’t give me a chance and actually put me on for a fight for (the interim title).”

On her way to her post-fight press conference, reportedly, UFC flyweight fighter Tracy Cortez had some words for Perez which caught the attention of the media. Cortez and Perez have gone back and forth on social media the past few months.

“That’s trash. Don’t name her in this conversation right now. Get better quality people to have beef with me while I’m here,”she said.

Perez clearly has disdain for the flyweight contender and refused to say much about her at first.

“She was trying to provoke me. Please don’t name her. She’s dirty,” Perez told Cageside Press.

“Every time she sees me she wants to jump me. I think she wants to be me. She is probably outside trying maybe waiting for a picture (with) me. She cannot believe how beautiful I am.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Ailin Perez above.

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Rosa made the inspired choice of walking out to Metallica’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, unfortunately for her, it wasn’t Perez the bell was tolling for.

Perez went after a bodylock early, which Rosa fought off. A second takedown attempt by Perez was successful, however, with the Argentinian changing levels and powering through, planting Rosa on her back. Perez had plenty of time on top, and neither fighter seemed to show much in the way of urgency. Perez eventually stepped over and passed into half-guard, improving her position then threatening to mount. Instead, she was pushed back by an upkick; Perez allowed Rosa back up after that.

With slightly under two minutes left in the opening round, Rosa landed a low kick. Another kick followed, which Perez threatened to catch. With just sixty seconds on the clock, Perez fired a spinning back fist. They’d finish out the round with Perez clearly taking it.

Round two opened with a blow blow on Ailin Perez, leading to a brief pause. From there, the pair engaged in some back-and-forth action on the feet. Perez again added in a spinning back fist. Rosa walked Perez down, firing her 1-2. Perez answered with kicks to the body. Rosa appeared to be finishing her groove, but Ailin Perez would finally get a takedown with about two minutes to go, latching on to a leg and putting Rosa on her back. She would finish the round out there, potentially stealing it back after a strong start by Karol Rosa.

Rosa connected with a low kick to open the third and final round, with Perez changing stances in response. Perez mixed in high kicks and targeted the body, holding her own against a solid striker in Rosa. When they tied up against the fence, Perez was in the driver’s seat. They’re break, giving Rosa a bit of time to get back in it, but Perez continued to stay right there in the striking battle. Another spinning attack landed for Perez. She touched the inside of the leg with a kick; Rosa landed back with a harder outside leg kick.

No finish to be found, Ailin Perez and Karol Rosa would go the distance, the fourth straight fight to start UFC 311 to do so.

Official Result: Ailin Perez def. Karol Rosa by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

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While its location, venue, and broadcast plan are yet to be announced, UFC 311 has a number of fights reported for it. The most recent sees women’s 135’ers Ailin Perez (11-2) and Karol Rosa (18-6) face off.

ESPN Knockout’s Gaston Reyno was first to report the booking. Rosa later confirmed the match-up on her Instagram Story.

Argentina’s Perez has turned heads since entering the promotion in 2022, debuting at that year’s UFC Paris card. After losing that fight, Perez rattled off four consecutive victories, while becoming known for twerking in her post-fight celebrations (not to mention at weigh-ins, and in various videos posted online).

The only blemish on her recent record came in her last outing, when Ailin Perez missed weight for her fight with Darya Zheleznyakova. Perez won the bout by arm-triangle choke in the opening round.

Rosa, a Brazilian who debuted for the UFC in 2019, has been trading wins and losses since 2021. Most recently, she picked up a victory over Pannie Kianzad.

UFC 311 does not have a main event currently announced. The following match-ups have been reported for the event on January 18, 2025:

• Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac
• Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafurov
• Johnny Walker vs. Bogdan Guskov
• Zachary Reese vs. Sedriques Dumas
• Karol Rosa vs. Ailín Pérez

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Perez (10-2) rode in with quite a bit of momentum riding a three-fight win streak with wins over Ashlee Evans-Smith, Lucie Pudilova and Joselyne Edwards. She missed weight at official weigh-ins by half a pound, but the fight continued on anyway.

Zheleznyakova (9-1) had a successful UFC debut in March with a win over Montserrat Rendon at the UFC APEX. Taking out a fighter on a three-fight win streak like Perez would give her plenty of steam heading into 2025.

Round 1 Zheleznyakova came out aggressive with the boxing, but Perez forced the clinch and put her opponent on the fence. Zheleznyakova forced her away and then caught a head kick attempt to take Perez down.

Zheleznyakova let Perez back to her feet, and they exchanged hands. Perez tried a single leg attempt early as well, but was stuffed. A second takedown attempt however got Perez the body lock and then a takedown. Perez got to full mount and landed some shots, but Zheleznyakova survived it well.

That is until she got stuck in an arm triangle and tapped. Ailin Perez gets her fourth win in a row.

Official Result: Ailin Perez def. Darya Zheleznyakova via R1 SUB (Arm Triangle), 3:52

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Coming off a decision win at the Prudential Center that saw her score a knockdown in the second round, Argentina’s Perez (10-2), who has now won three straight fights, has none other than former PFL champ and current UFC star Kayla Harrison in mind.

Asked about facing a wrestler, Perez explained that “that’s why I called out Kayla Harrison.” Harrison’s ground game, and her two gold medals in judo at the Olympic games, makes her one of the most formidable threats on the ground out there. “I’m not a wrestler, I’m not a judo girl,” added Perez, noting her lack of expertise in a specific discipline. “What I’m doing, I’m training everything I can, so I can get better, and I’ve got a lot of heart.”

As to why she called out Harrison, “this is a name that is resounding in the division right now. Mine is going to be sounding really good in the future,” noted Perez, who carries the nickname “Fiona,” inspired by the Cameron Diaz-voiced character from Shrek. “I want that fight, I want to fight her, I want a main event, I do have the cardio, and I have the heart for five rounds. And I’ve got some big ovaries. Dana, give me this fight, I deserve it.”

Given Harrison could very well be next for a title shot against Raquel Pennington, or up for the winner of Pennington vs. Pena if the company goes that direction, Perez may have to make alternate plans. But she at least settled the score with Edwards on Saturday, after the pair were involved in a non-sanctioned altercation at the UFC PI last November.

The pair appeared to bury the hatchet in Newark, with Ailin Perez dropping to her knees at one point, and the two fighters embracing after exchanging words. Asked about the scene post-fight, Perez explained that “after the incident happened at the PI I was very clear and I was sure that I was at peace, that I was not the aggressor. I had faith at least that I was not the one that started that. She knows that she started it.”

“When the fight ended, before the results, I went to her and I said listen, I don’t know if I won, I don’t know if you won, but whatever happens here, it’s in our past. It’s done. It’s done. If it manifested the other way, it doesn’t matter. Let’s leave it in the past.”

“The revenge happened, I was able to avenge it, and that’s what happened as you saw,” Perez added.

Watch the full UFC 302 post-fight press conference with Ailin Perez above.

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The pair had been involved in a scuffle at the UFC PI late last year, which led to allegations that Perez’s coach had choked out Edwards, though both sides offered their own version of the story.

With Edwards declining a glove touch, the action got underway, with Perez earning an early takedown inside of a minute in. She couldn’t keep Edwards there, but landed a second takedown almost as soon as they got back up, this time moving into Edwards’ half-guard. After a moment, however, Edwards was table to reverse! That gave her some top time, but she didn’t stay there long, and Perez got back in control with Edwards sitting against the fence. And when Edwards powered up, Perez was there to take her right back down.

This time, Perez looked to pass to side control, with Edwards doing little off her back. With twenty seconds in the round, however, Joselyne finally found an opening, reversed, and finished the frame on top.

Early in round two, Edwards wrapped up a guillotine while defending a takedown, and while the choke wasn’t completed, she used it to get on top of Perez. Well away from the fence, Edwards had three and a half minutes on the clock, but wasn’t overly active from top position. And when they did leave the position, it was due to a headbutt landed by Edwards, who was warned for the foul.

Starting back on the feet seemed like it might benefit Edwards, but instead it was Perez connecting and dropping her opponent! Edwards got back up, and Perez clinched up, eventually getting the fight down and looking for an arm-bar, only for Edwards to reverse once again.

Round three saw the pair clinch up early, with Perez landing off the break. They came together again against the fence a moment later, with Perez reversing and looking to land a throw. In the end, neither woman could get the fight down for long and they’d end up at center, trading, with more of a stand-up round playing out. The back-and-forth that followed saw both women land, including several kicks, but the grudge match that had promised fireworks instead seemed to fizzle, though Ailin Perez would land a final takedown. The pair appeared to hug it out at the end of the fight, with the corners shaking hands as well, squashing the beef- while Perez came away with the win.

Official Result: Ailin Perez def. Joselyne Edwards by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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Pudilova was looking for the second win of her second stint, after winning her return then losing to Joselyne Edwards earlier this year. But things went south for the Czech fighter early, with Perez getting her down care of a throw. The Argentinian quickly moved to mount, and spent a good deal of time there while Pudilova tried to tie her up. What Pudilova could not do was shake Ailin Perez off of her. Instead, the round would end with Perez on top, and Pudilova showing some swelling around one eye.

Round two saw a little more action on the feet. But ahead of the midway mark of the frame, Perez again had Pudilova on her back. And once again she was quickly able to move to mount, with Pudilova struggling to do more than tie her up. Perez looked to posture up and drop elbows, with Lucie Pudilova responding by trying to buck the Argentinian off of her. No dice, and Perez began pouring down the ground n’ pound, looking for a stoppage. Despite Perez glancing at the ref, as if to ask when that stoppage would come, she had to fight on, as not enough was getting through. Pudilova held on to her opponent, and weathered the storm, but was slow to get up at the end of the round.

The third round saw Pudilova flip the script, getting the fight down herself early on. She could not keep Perez down however. Lucie Pudilova would get a second chance, however, and land it, taking advantage of a tiring Ailin Perez. Pudilova managed to do considerable damage on top, dropping as

Official Result: Ailin Perez def. Lucie Pudilova by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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