Chairez (12-6) finished Vergara via submission in the first round and then couldn’t hold back the emotions when he realized he had won.

It just means more 🇲🇽#UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/GxY6q4SsFK

— UFC (@ufc) March 30, 2025

“I lost the most important person in my life just months ago,” Chairez told reporters through a translator at his post-fight scrum.

“He held my hand and brought me to this point and gave everything for me to make it here. It hurts that he’s not with me when I finally arrived. I’m very happy to honor his memory and what he wanted for me.”

The sacrifice made by his grandfather is not lost on the flyweight. The pride that can only be his shone on his face when speaking about him.

“He was proud of me even when I lost. So I know he’s very happy right now, and I’m very happy. I just want to go hug my grandmother and family and celebrate with them,” he said.

Back in the win column and plenty of time left in 2025, Chairez hopes to be more active than usual. He eyed International Fight Week and Noche UFC as potential dates.

“I’m healthy, my body feels good, and I want to take advantage of it. I want to fight as much as possible because they’ve only given me two fights per year up to this point,” he said.

“I want to fight at International Fight Week. I was at Noche 1, Noche 2, and I hope to be at Noche UFC in Guadalajara.”

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In the co-main event, Drew Dober was stopped by Manuel Torres. And in the main event, former UFC flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno, pulled off a well-fought unanimous decision. It was nearly a clean sweep for Mexican fighters on the main card with the only loser being Ronaldo Rodriguez. Ronaldo also has the pleasure of being the only fighter on this edition of losers that isn’t on a three-fight losing streak.

Steve Erceg

Steve Erceg lost a unanimous decision to Brandon Moreno in the main event of UFC Mexico City on Saturday.  Erceg has now lost three fights in a row stemming from his unsuccessful title shot against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 last year. Tough break for Erceg as he started his UFC career off red hot, winning three fights in about nine months.

Erceg entered the bout as the #8 ranked flyweight while his opponent entered ranked at #2. Steve needs to slow down a bit. The UFC through him right into the deep end after his three-fight win streak. Well Erceg sank. It’s time to take a step back and give him a lot more manageable of a fight.

Erceg should fight Tim Elliot in his next fight. Elliot is a tenured fighter that is currently ranked at #11 in the UFC’s flyweight division. Tim might be 38 years old, but he has won three of his last four fights. Elliot was last in action in December of 2023 with his performance bonus winning submission of Sumudaerji. Elliot was matched up with Tatsuro Taira last May but withdrew from that bout. This would be a great scrap as Tim is such an awkward fighter that always pushes the pace.

Erceg’s next fight: Tim Elliot 

Drew Dober

Manuel Torres stopped Drew Dober in the opening round of the co main event Saturday. Dober is now on a three-fight losing skid. Drew has lost four of his last five fights and been stopped in three of those. It’s been a rough 13 months for Dober who took to X (formerly known as Twitter) after the bout, to hint that he could potentially be taking a little bit of time off until his next fight.

With that in mind, Dober’s next fight can’t be a rapidly ascending prospect. A fight against Claudio Puelles could make sense. The 28-year-old is 5-3 with the UFC but is on a two-fight losing streak. The submission specialist was finished by Dan Hooker in 2022 and dropped a split decision to Fares Ziam in his most recent bout last February. Claudio has three kneebar submission finishes in his UFC career thus far. Dober has faced serious striking threats in his most recent bouts so this could be a welcome change of pace.

Dober’s next fight: Claudio Puelles

CJ Vergara

Edgar Chairez submitted CJ Vergara in the first round of their bout with a rear naked choke. With the loss, Vergara has now lost three fights in a row. And Vergara has now been finished twice in a row in the first round.

Obviously in a weight class like flyweight (where ranked fighters have been cut), Vergara is in real danger of being released. Vergara needs a good showing in his next bout.

CJ should fight the loser of Ode Osbourne vs Luis Gurule. That fight is going down on April 5th, so the timing is perfect. Luis Gurule is a 10-0, 31-year-old, 2024 Contender Series alumni. The LFA and Fury FC veteran earned a contract from a split decision victory over Nick Piccininni last year. Ode Osbourne is 4-6 with the UFC since coming off the Contender Series in 2019. Ode has lost his last three fights and was stopped in two of them. Depending on how that fight goes, the loser could be in a very similar position as Vergara. If Ode loses this has the potential to be a wild striking battle but either way the bout would be a high stakes scrap.

Vergara’s next fight: Loser of Ode Osbourne vs Luis Gurule

Vince Morales

The UFC’s golden boy, Raul Rosas Jr. snagged a unanimous decision victory opposite of Vince Morales on Saturday at UFC Mexico City. Morales is now riding a three-fight losing streak in his second stint with the UFC. Morales was with the UFC between 2018 and 2022 going 3-5 in his first stint with the promotion.

The 2018 Contender Series alum is now 3-8 with the UFC. Morales is in danger of losing his roster spot. It makes sense for him to take on another guy in a similar position. Vince should fight Saimon Oliveira in his next fight. Oliveira also fought on UFC Mexico City and is in a very similar position to Morales.  Stylistically, Morales has threats while both standing and on the ground. Hes a fighter that has fought for a few flagship promotions and taken on some high-level competition. A scrap vs Saimon would be entertaining as the loser would likely be sent packing.

Morales’s next fight: Saimon Oliveira

Saimon Oliveira

Saimon Oliveira was stopped in the opening round of his bout against UFC debutant, David Martinez, on the main card of UFC Mexico City. With the loss, Saimon is now 0-3 with the UFC. It’s worth noting the 2021 Contender Series alum has faced some solid competition during his tenure, his other losses coming to Tony Gravely and Daniel Marcos. Despite this fact, Oliveria is undoubtedly on the short list to be cut.

Oliveira’s next fight should be against Vince Morales. Vince fought in the fight following Oliveira’s on Saturday. Oliveira hasn’t shown it yet in the UFC, but he looks to be something of a submission specialist. This fact could make for a fun and unpredictable fight against Vergara. One thing is for sure, this fight would be action packed as two Contender Series alum fight for their spot on the UFC roster.

Oliveira’s next fight: Vince Morales

Ronaldo Rodriguez

Ronaldo Rodriguez lost a unanimous decision to Kevin Borjas to open the main card of UFC Mexico City Saturday. “Lazy Boy” missed weight ahead of what was his first loss in seven fights. Rodriguez had not lost since his 2020 appearance on the Contender Series to Jerome Rivera. Ronaldo is now 2-1 with the UFC.

What a momentum destroying appearance for Ronaldo. Between the loss, the weight miss and the fact that he was a favorite, it was definitely his worst fight with the promotion. Rodriguez has a couple different plays here: He could take on another prospect like Rei Tsuruya (who also suffered his first loss with the promotion recently). Or he could take a step back a face a guy like Daneil Barez. Daniel is a 2021 Contender Series alum who is 1-2 in his UFC career. Barez last fought earlier this month, when Andre Lima submitted him in the final round of their bout.

High risk, high reward, fighting a guy like Rei as he’s very skilled but still doesn’t have much of a name within the promotion. Rei’s most recent fight was also earlier this month when he lost a unanimous decision to Joshua Van (who is now ranked at #14 at FW). For that reason, a fight against Daniel Barez makes the most sense at this point for Rodriguez. A win, especially in an impressive fashion would get “Lazy Boy” right back on track.

Rodriguez’s next fight: Daniel Barez

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“I think it’s a fight that, because of the fighting style, I think it’s what the crowd wants,” Chairez told reporters through a translator on Wednesday.

“It’s what the crowd needs. I think he’s a guy that goes after the fight, same thing for me, ever since I started in the UFC. For every single one of my fights, I look for the bonus, for some reason I haven’t gotten it. That’s what I’m going for.”

Chairez (11-6) gets an opponent on a two-fight losing streak likely looking to stay off the chopping block. Chairez is aware his opponent may be fighting for his roster spot, but it’s not his focus in the least.

“I’m also coming off a loss and I want to win,” he said.

Coming off a loss against Joshua Van at Noche UFC last September Chairez had to

“Physically I was fine, but I had some personal issue before that fight. This time I’m doing much better. I’m focused, I’m happy, and I don’t think there’s a chance I’ll lose this Saturday,” he said.

Watch the entire media day scrum with Edgar Chairez above. He takes on CJ Vergara at UFC Mexico on Saturday night.

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Ramazan entered the UFC on a nine-fight win streak, having not lost a bout since 2019. Vergara, a DWCS vet, was 2-2 in his last four, with one of those losses coming to the night’s headliner, Tatsuro Taira.

There was a lot of hype behind Temirov coming into the fight, and he more than lived up to it.

The fight started with a spinning kick to the body from Ramazan Temirov. Temirov was getting off early with his kicks and a looping punches from both sides. Admittedly, Temirov was swinging for the fences at times, but Vergara was waiting around too long. In due course, Temirov dropped Vergara with a lunging left hook and swarmed. He then landed a big right hook as Vergara got back to his feet. Temirov wasn’t letting off on the pressure and was landing bombs. Vergara covered up as much as possible, with the referee giving him able opportunity to stay in the fight. He could not. In the end, it was a left hook to the body that crumbled Vergara for Temirov to claim the TKO.

Official Result: Ramazan Temirov def. CJ Vergara by TKO (body punch), Round 1, 2:50

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Ramazan “Temurlan” Temirov
Standing at five-foot-five
Fighting at 125 lbs (flyweight)
27-years-old
Fighting out of Uzbekistan
Training out of Muradov Legion Team
A pro record of 17-2
10 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission
Pro comp; John Lineker

How Temirov Will Fare in the UFC

It’s always exciting when the UFC brings in new blood at flyweight. Even more exciting when it’s a 17-2 flyweight. Temirov also comes from RIZIN which is a promotion that’s given us top notch guys. Ramazonbek Temirov was never a champion there but went 2-0.

His success stems from various reasons but I’d like to say it’s his power and defense. Basically everything thrown from Temirov is wide. The only thing he throws down the middle is that spinning kick to the body. He loves the overhand especially with the right hand. A lot of the times Temirov will let who he’s fighting dictate the pace. Temirov will use a lot of side to side movement making his opponent chase him around expanding their energy. He lets guys walk into his power and can do it for three rounds. Temirov throws those overhands and also throws thudding leg kicks and hooks to the body.

Defensively he’s hard to catch. A lot of evasive footwork and a good gas tank makes it hard for guys to track him down. Where you want to put him is against the cage. In space he has solid takedown defense as his sprawling is excellent. Now, his cage wrestling isn’t as good and that’s where hes been taken down before. With the striking he throws those looping punches so a jab and straight punches would give Temirov a lot of issues. Temirov isn’t a volume guy as he wins fights off being more durable, landing the knockout blow, or having the bigger moments.

At 125 at the higher level Temirov is going to go up against guys that are fast, high paced, and don’t slow down. If guys could just avoid the power and stay away from those exchanges in the pocket I see Temirov having problems finding his rhythm. Temirov is absolutely a UFC level fighter and brings a lot of excitement to the division. He’s the type of guy you’d expect to sit at the top of the division but can make it further with the abilities he does have.

How he matches up with CJ Vergara

In the UFC, Vergara has won against strikers and has lost to opponents who are primarily grapplers. So he is getting a favorable style match-up. Temirov doesn’t wrestle so I expect a striking affair. Vergara is the cleaner striker. He throws a good jab and more down the middle. The only thing is, he isn’t stringing together punches as he’s a stick and move guy and more selective on what he throws.

That won’t be good enough against Temirov because if you are going strike for strike against him, he’ll land the impactful blows. If Vergara picks up his pace he has the style to piece apart Temirov. I view this fight as a pick ’em and it depends on how Vergara fights. I expect him to fight how he usually fights. I expect it to be close but Temirov will win the moments. What he lands will look and be heavier than what Vergara lands. I have Temirov by decision in this fight.

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“Top 10 brother. Top 10, top 5, I am ready,” Almabayev told reporters including Cageside Press through a translator at his post-fight scrum.

“Who has zero in their record? I’m ready for anyone. Anyone top 5, top 10.”

The win over Vergara may not be impressive to fans, but Almabayev’s grinding and relentless style may have fighters shying away from fighting him.

“I was ready for such kind of situations. I knew that my opponent has good function. That’s why I was ready for everything,” he said.

Former UFC champ-champ Daniel Cormier was on the call and was very complimentary of Almabayev’s wrestling.

“Kazakh wrestling. I didn’t have a chance to talk to him, but I heard he cried something to me. I didn’t hear,” he said.

Almabayev had a message for his supporters after a successful UFC 299 bout.

“I want to say thank you for all my country for their support. I feel they support me with their heart and I want to say happy Ramadan for all Muslims around the world,” he said.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Assu Almabayev above.

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The Fight Night card was plagued by fight cancellations even as the event itself got underway, losing a fight on Thursday, another on Friday, and then a third with the show already underway as Alex Perez suffered a medical issue backstage prior to his fight with Manel Kape.

It was another flyweight pairing, however, that took home Fight of the Night. An explosive first round by Daniel Lacerda had him well ahead against San Antonio’s own CJ Vergara, but he rallied back in the second, taking Lacerda to the ground and peppering him with strikes until the ref finally waved it off.

An early candidate for Comeback of the Year after Vergara was knocked down (and nearly out) in the opening round, instead the Texan walked away with the win — and $50,000 in bonus money. For Lacerda (Daniel Da Silva), he’s now 0-4 in the UFC, and despite some entertaining fights, will almost surely be shown the door.

Performance of the Night honors at UFC San Antonio went to Nate Landwehr, who submitted short-notice replacement Austin Lingo, and another Texas native, Daniel Pineda. Returning from over a year away in part due to a suspension for amphetamines, Pineda notched career win number 28 by submitting Tucker Lutz.

Along with career win #28, that’s also stoppage #28 for the 37-year old.

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“My first introduction to fighting overall was in high school. I had a backyard fight club, and it was about ten miles down the road that we were fighting in backyards every single weekend. At the time I was telling everybody that I was going to be in the UFC someday,” Vergara told reporters on Wednesday.

“So here I am in that full circle moment living out that manifestation and dream that I set out to in front of my hometown crowd. I have a massive following in San Antonio. When I go out and perform this Saturday it is going to put this city on the map. Having a fighter from the city coming up the way that I am, and bring the UFC back. Put me on the main card next time.”

Backyard fighting to professional fighting is a long journey, but Vergara believes now as he did back then in those backyard fights that he would be the guy to make it out of San Antonio.

“This is it. This is the stake in the ground. I told you I was the one,” he said.

Fighting at home with a large hometown crowd can also add a lot of pressure to a fighter who represents the city the way Vergara does. He understands the pressure, but also takes fuel from it.

“That is what brought me to this position I’m in right now. It’s because the specific pressure that comes with being a fighter…things go really good or things go as bad as they possibly can. For me, to step into the octagon here in San Antonio, and put everything that I’ve ever done and said on the line in front of everybody that I know and everybody that knows me…is exactly what keeps me up everyday,” he said.

“Honestly it keeps me up at night sometimes. Yes the pressure is there and the pressure is what keeps me improving.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with C.J. Vergara above. He takes on Daniel da Silva at UFC San Antonio on Saturday night.

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“I’m such a self-critical fighter. I expect so much from myself that if it’s not a dominant performance, I automatically look at myself and my coaches and think that I lost,” Vergara (10-3-1) told media outlets following the fight, backstage at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. “So as soon as the fight was over, I looked at my coaches and said ‘I lost that fight. That’s not the potential I should be living up to.'”

After some reflection, Vergara now believes that his shots were the more damaging, and his dominant positions the more dominant ones. The judges agreed, two of them anyway, leaving C.J. Vergara with a split decision victory — his first win in the UFC.

“Initially, as soon as the fight was over, I thought I lost, but that’s because of the expectation I put on myself,” said Vergara. “I assumed the worst and hoped for the best.”

The crowd was certainly appreciative of the effort, and that matters to the Contender Series alum.

“The gladiatorial performance in itself is what I’m in the sport for. If nothing else, I’m going to bring exciting fights. I’m never going to be involved in a fight that doesn’t bring people to their feet. I pride myself on that, I’m a gladiator inside of that cage first.”

Asked about the odds heading into Saturday’s fight against Rodrigues, that had the Brazilian the favorite, Vergara expressed some surprise.

“I don’t know where they get the odds from,” he exclaimed. “Look man, and this is no disrespect to Kleydson, none at all: he won his Contender Series fight against a guy that was 5-0. He drug him out to a decision, couldn’t finish him. My Contender Series fight was a 41-second KO.”

“My last loss was to Ode Osborne, a fight which was back-and-forth, I dominated the third round,” he continued. “So if we just look at numbers and we look at records— I mean, they can keep giving me the underdog position, I’ve got a bunch of degenerate gambling friends that are going to make a bunch of money off it, and we’re going to keep running this bag up as long as they continue to put me in the underdog position. So keep putting me in that spot and we’ll just keep getting richer.”

Watch the full UFC 274 post-fight press conference appearance by C.J. Vergara above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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CJ Vergara (9-3-1) will face Kleydson Rodrigues (7-1) in a flyweight match-up at the event. MMA Fighting was first to report the news, which Vergara subsequently confirmed on social media.

Vergara won his way into the UFC by defeating Bruno Korea on Dana White’s Contender Series back in September. He made his debut inside the octagon in November at UFC 268, coming up short against Ode Ousbourne.

That loss snapped a five-fight win streak for the former Fury FC flyweight champ.

Brazil’s Rodrigues was also successful on the Contender Series last year. UFC 274 will mark his debut for the promotion, as a planned fight with Zarrukh Adashev last month was cancelled for undisclosed reasons.

UFC 274 is set to take place on May 7, 2022 at a location yet to be officially announced — although it appears Brazil, previously rumored, is off the table. The following bouts are attached to the card:

• Glover Teixeira (c) vs. Jiří Procházka – for the UFC light heavyweight championship
• Charles Oliveira (c) vs. Justin Gaethje – for the UFC lightweight championship
• Macy Chiasson vs. Norma Dumont
• Ariane Carnelossi vs. Lupita Godinez
• Blagoy Ivanov vs. Marcos Rogério de Lima
• C.J. Vergara vs. Kleydson Rodrigues

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