The Mexican flyweight stopped Bruno Silva in impressive fashion, proving he belongs among the division’s rising contenders before immediately setting his sights on a Top 10 opponent.

“We knew he hit hard, but I know I also hit hard. Once he hit me I felt the power didn’t hurt, but I knew I hurt him,” Chairez told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“After I knocked him down I just waited for my moment, and that’s how we found the finish.”

Chairez (14-6) believes his performance on Saturday night was the kind of statement victory that should launch him into the next tier of the flyweight division. After delivering one of the most impressive showings of his UFC career, the Mexican contender made it clear he’s no longer interested in taking small steps up the rankings.

“I want a top 10 fight next. Noche UFC. My performance tonight was incredible and I know I can knock anybody out,” he said.

One of the biggest motivations throughout training camp was a promise he made to his daughter. Now that the fight is over and his hand was raised, he’s finally ready to make good on it.

“She’s waiting for my this very moment because last fight I promised her we’d go to Disneyland, and we didn’t go because I had a fight a couple days later,” Chairez said with a smile.

Beyond the win itself, he lit up when talking about his family and the role martial arts has played in their lives. What started as his journey has now become something that’s inspiring the next generation of his family to follow a similar path.

“So the first thing she’s going to ask me is, “‘Are we going to Disney?’,” he said.

“She loves this sport, in fact, she has a tournament coming up in a couple weeks. I very happy that she, and my little brother, and my family are getting into the sport and becoming athletes. I was the first one in my family and I want to instill this discipline in them because this is my life now.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Edgar Chairez above.

The post Edgar Chairez Stuns Bruno Silva, Sets Sights On Top 10 Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Seven finishes and some exciting fights gave those who tuned in something to stick around for, with Ketlen Souza getting the ball rolling with a head kick finish in her rematch with Ariane Carnelossi.

Souza didn’t end up with a Performance of the Night bonus on Saturday, but main card opener Iwo Baraniewski did. His finish of Junior Tafa was set up with a nasty leg kick that spun Tafa right around; a deluge of punches to the downed Tafa followed.

Edgar Chairez picked up the other Performance bonus at UFC Vegas 118, for his submission of Bruno Silva. Set up with a knockdown, Chairez pounced, took the back and locked up a rear-naked choke for the win.

Fight of the Night honors at UFC Vegas 118 went to Brendan Allen and Edmen Shahbazyan, who made up the night’s co-main event. The spirited affair saw Allen come away with a unanimous decision win.

The remaining finishers on the card all pick up $25,000 extra. Those are Souza, Joanderson Brito, Chelsea Chandler, Alessandro Costa, and Bryce Mitchell. Brito called for a bonus after his win, a move that more often than not results in the UFC passing fighters over for a performance bonus.

The post UFC Vegas 118 Bonuses See Baraniewski, Chairez Rewarded appeared first on Cageside Press.

Silva looked to get inside on the taller, longer Chairez early in the fight, at times throwing a jab to the body. Chairez’s own jab was a frequently employed weapon; Silva fired off an outside leg kick that connected. Silva hit home with a right hand, an uppercut landed, and moments later a Chairez combo, mainly a straight right set up with a jab, sat Silva down.

Chairez, however, could not take advantage initially. Instead, Silva got back up, and got his own offense going. Chasing a little too much perhaps. A second knockdown, off an uppercut and a hook, had Silva bloodied, and this time Edgar Chairez followed him to the mat, taking the back and locking up the rear-naked choke! In all kinds of discomfort, Silva fought the submission but had no option but to tap in the end!

The win sees Edgar Chairez secure his third straight victory, and second submission finish inside of that span. Bruno Gustavo da Silva falls to 1-4 in his last five fights, and should he stick around he may be fighting for his roster spot next.

Official Result: Edgar Chairez def. Bruno Silva by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:13

The post UFC Vegas 118: Edgar Chairez Clubs, Chokes Bruno Silva appeared first on Cageside Press.

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

The post What’s Next: UFC Mexico City Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Chairez, 2-2 in the UFC to date, was entering off a victory over CJ Vergara roughly 11 months ago; Bunes was hoping to shake off a loss against Rafael Estevam back in August.

Going into the beginning of the first round, both gentleman were feeling each other out trying to find their rhythm and range. Chairez was able to establish the jab early on and really played the counter game, having an answer for everything Bunes was throwing out— until Bunes was able to jump the back of Chairez, finding the body triangle while Chairez was still on his feet. Bunes was able to keep this position for most of the round, landing strikes and raining down elbows to the shoulders and arms of Chairez. Bunes ended round one with the score cards on his side.

Chairez opened the second round pressing the action, really mixing it up with his strikes going upstairs and downstairs with his boxing. Showing beautiful head movement and finding a lot of success on his feet. In the last 30 seconds of the second round Bunes began to bait Chairez in almost a “Bring It On” manner, where he shortly after landed an accidental kick to the groin of Chairez. That required him to take the time out, of which he only took less than a minute to recover. As they got back to work, Chairez ended the round in a good way, landing a spinning back fist followed by a flurry of shots to the bell.

Bunes entered the third and final round with much more urgency, still signaling to Chairez to bring on the fight. His gestures were similar to the Holloway point down, just not quite to that extent. Bunes was able to hit the snatch single in the first minute of the third round, although he was unable to keep Chairez down long. Chairez kicked Bunes away and found his way back to his feet landing a nice, crisp spinning elbow. Although Chairez was one step ahead in the striking department, he was also the one wearing more of the damage.

That being said, Chairez really could not miss his jab tonight! He was having much success landing that to the body and head. Bunes was nowhere near backing down from the fight; nearing the end of the third he was still signaling to Chairez to bring the fight. And getting just that— Chairez closed the fight landing a spinning back kick followed by a flying knee in the final seconds of the third round.

A back and fourth fight, very well matched with Edgar Chairez being just one step ahead in this chess match of the two flyweights.

Official Result: Edgar Chairez def. Felipe Bunes by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

The post UFC Mexico City: Edgar Chairez Wins Close Decision Over Felipe Bunes appeared first on Cageside Press.

Edgar Chairez (12-6, 1NC) has been forced to withdraw from the San Antonio, Texas-based event on September 13, 2025, where he was expected to face Alessandro Costa.

The 29-year old flyweight announced the news on his Instagram story, citing a leg injury as the culprit. While Chairez initially tried to push trough it, his body (or at the very least his leg) unfortunately did not cooperate.

Mexico’s Edgar Chairez is 2-2 under inside the UFC octagon to date, and is coming off a Performance of the Night-winning submission victory over CJ Vergara back in March. He previously appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series.

This year’s Noche UFC was originally booked to take place in Guadalajara, Mexico to coincide with Mexican Independence Day. The card, however, was eventually shifted to San Antonio due to construction delays with the original venue.

Rising stars Diego Lopes and Jean Silva headline the event in a promising featherweight match-up. Prior to being moved, the event had been expected to be broadcast as a Pay-Per-View. It has since been switched to a Fight Night instead, with no UFC PPV expected to take place in September.

A replacement opponent likely to be secured for Alessandro Costa, meanwhile, especially given that Noche UFC is still several weeks away. The event as it stands currently features the following eleven reported fights:

• Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva
• Tatiana Suarez vs. Amanda Lemos
• Claudio Puelles vs. Joaquim Silva
• Zachary Reese vs. Sedriques Dumas
• José Daniel Medina vs. Duško Todorović
• Montserrat Rendon vs. Alice Pereira
• Jesús Santos Aguilar vs. Luis Gurule
• Raquel Pennington vs. Norma Dumont
• Rafa García vs. Jared Gordon
• Rob Font vs. Raul Rosas Jr.
• Carlos Vera vs. David Martinez

The post Edgar Chairez Out of September’s Noche UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

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.”

The post Edgar Chairez: “I lost the most important person in my life” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Brandon Moreno

Despite adding another win to his already strong résumé, the former champion still finds himself in the same spot he was back in November when he defeated Amir Albazi. Yes, he’s a fan favourite from a market the UFC has shown a clear interest in, but the same factors that played against him are still present. It’s not just that he has multiple losses to the current champion, he has a recent loss to Brandon Royval. And Royval himself has refused to go away as a contender despite also having multiple losses to Alexandre Pantoja.

So until one of Pantoja or Royval loses, Moreno cannot confidently say that he’s next in line for a title shot. As for Royval, he finds himself in the very same boat as “The Assassin Baby.” As Pantoja appears set to defend his title against one of Kai Kara-France or Manel Kape next, the remedy to both Brandons’ situations seems obvious: book them against each other.

They are 1-1 and are both in limbo, waiting for “The Cannibal” to slip on a banana peel. Their last fight was a closely contested split decision. Run a trilogy and then the winner’s case will be undeniable.

Moreno’s next fight: Brandon Royval

Manuel Torres

Only four days removed from his 30^th birthday, Torres put on his most impressive performance to date. Win or lose, all four of his UFC fights had ended in the opening frame, and this one was no exception. Only this time, he did it against a well-known, high-quality opponent in Drew Dober in the UFC Mexico City co-main event.

As impressive and important as this bounce back was for Torres, I don’t think it’s enough to completely erase the bad taste from his performance in the Sphere. For that reason, I wouldn’t shoot him up the ranks just yet. Diego Ferreira is another wily veteran who has been historically durable and difficult to look good against. If Torres can do Ferreira like he just did Dober, then we’ll know he’s truly back on track.

Torres’ next fight: Diego Ferreira

Edgar Chairez

This was an emotional win for Chairez as he dedicated this victory to his late grandfather. He made quick work of C.J. Vergara, dropping and submitting him in just two and a half minutes.

Just about any name at flyweight would make sense for Chairez, but why not re-book a fight against another standout from this very card? Chairez was initially booked against Kevin Borjas in the Sphere before the Peruvian pulled out and Joshua Van stepped in. Both Chairez and Borjas impressed on Saturday, so re-booking this matchup makes all the sense in the world at this time.

Chairez’s next fight: Kevin Borjas

Raul Rosas Jr.

The youngest fighter in the promotion earned his fourth consecutive win and moved to 5-1 since signing with the UFC at just 17 years of age (his first fight coming shortly after his 18th birthday). This was probably his most mature performance yet against the best opponent he has faced. Vince Morales is a veteran who hasn’t been submitted since 2018 and has more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Rosas Jr. was able to outwrestle and out-grapple him, fending off Morales’ own submissions attempts in the process.

Despite this being his most solid win, it’s important to not get ahead of ourselves and still keep in mind that Rosas Jr. is only 20. There’s no real reason to push him up the ranks in the hopes that he could break the record for youngest champion in the promotion’s history. Yes, this was an encouraging performance for many reasons, but he’s still way behind the best that the division has to offer.

For those reasons, I still think we should aim to give him stylistically favourable matchups just so he can keep accruing experience. AJ Cunningham just lost his most recent fights by giving up five takedowns to SuYoung You. On paper, you would think a grappler of Rosas Jr.’s pedigree should be able to replicate this gameplan and earn himself another UFC win.

Rosas Jr.’s next fight: AJ Cunnigham

David Martinez

The 26-year-old impressed on last year’s Contender Series by how mature his game already is. He’s one of the most advanced fighters in his mid-20s that the promotion currently has under contract. Getting a 1^st-round KO in front of his home crowd at UFC Mexico City was a great way to start his UFC career. I think Martinez can handle higher competition than Saimon Oliveira (0-3 in the UFC), but we shouldn’t throw him to the wolves just yet.

Toshiomi Kazama has proved to be a very beatable opponent, but he’d be an upgrade on Oliveira simply based on the fact that he has a UFC win under his belt. This is the type of slight increase in level of competition that I think we should be expecting for a prospect like Martinez.

Martinez’s next fight: Toshiomi Kazama

Kevin Borjas

The Peruvian was fighting with his back against the wall. He was 0-2 in the promotion ahead of UFC Mexico City and was now booked as a set up fight for the crowd favourite “Lazy Boy” Rodriguez. But Borjas came out and looked better than ever, earning a unanimous decision victory.

As mentioned, his fight with Edgar Chairez should simply be re-booked. With both coming off impressive victories, the fight makes even more sense now than it did back in September.

Borjas’ next fight: Edgar Chairez

The post What’s Next: UFC Mexico City Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

It was four other fighters, three of them Mexican, who took home bonus money when the dust had cleared, however. The four Performance bonuses were handed out in lieu on a Fight of the Night, despite a couple of deserving options in Loopy Godinez vs. Julia Polastri, and Ronaldo Rodriguez vs. Kevin Borjas (though Rodriguez missing weight for the fight might have soured that option just a little).

Among those taking home an extra $50,000 U.S. on Saturday were two debuting fighters: bantamweight David Martinez, who scored a big main-card TKO finish of Saimon Oliveira, and middleweight Ateba Gautier. A DWCS alum, like Martinez, Gautier knocked out Jose Daniel Medina, setting up the finish with a knee.

Also claiming Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Mexico City were Manuel Torres and Edgar Chairez. After Joe Pyfer’s fight with Kelvin Gasteum was pulled from the card, Chairez found his fight against CJ Vergara promoted to the main card. After putting away Vergara with a face crank, Chairez was overwhelmed with emotion, having earned his second win inside the octagon, and second in Mexico City for the promotion.

Torres won big in the UFC Mexico City co-main event, knocking down lightweight staple Drew Dober and battering him with hammer fists under the ref finally stepped in.

All four bonuses winners at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City take home an additional $50,000 on top of their purse, outfitting pay, etc.

The post UFC Mexico City: Pair of Newcomers Among Four Performance Bonus Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

With Pyfer’s bout against Kelvin Gastelum scratched; Chairez and Vergara had the opportunity to return to the win column in front of an even larger audience.

One fighter took advantage of that, without question.

The first couple minutes were spent with Chairez wisely fighting behind his jab, with Vergara kicking the lead leg. Chairez then feinted a level change to hide a left hook that connected cleanly on Vergara’s chin and dropped him. Chairez carefully stalked his prey and dropped him again. With Vergara hurt, Chairez immediately got on his back and sunk in the rear-naked choke that forced the tap from Vergara.

After the fight, Edgar Chairez appeared overwhelmed with emotion, falling to his knees and being comforted by his coach. The Mexican had previously impressed in his losses to Tatsuro Taira and Joshua Van, but this was by far his best performance thus far. With the victory, Chairez is now 2-2 under the UFC banner, along with a No Contest against Daniel Lacerda in the pair’s first fight (Chairez would win the rematch).

Official Result: Edgar Chairez def. C.J. Vergara by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:30

The post UFC Mexico City: Edgar Chairez Makes Quick Work of C.J. Vergara appeared first on Cageside Press.