Lone'er Kavanagh left former two-time UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno bloodied and bruised for an upset victory in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Mexico City.
England's Kavanagh downed Mexico's Moreno via unanimous decision in the non-title bout, securing the judges' scorecards 49-46, 48-47, 48-47. Kavanagh was a late replacement for Asu Almabayev (23-3 MMA), who withdrew due to a hand injury, per a social media post on February 3.
Kavanagh (10-1 MMA) dictated the fight early on, buckling Moreno (23-10-2 MMA) with a flurry of punches and kicks in Round 2. The pace slowed dramatically as the championship rounds (rounds 4 and 5 in traditional title fights and non-title main events) approached.
Kavanagh, 26, tipped his cap to Moreno, 32, calling him a "legend."
"I said before the fight, I live for legendary moments," Kavanagh said afterward. "This is a legendary moment. Brandon is a legend, a former two-time world champion."
With only four UFC fights to his name, Kavanagh welcomes all challengers.
"Anyone can come and get it," Kavanagh said.
Moreno has now lost back-to-back fights and three of his last five outings. He entered the fight ranked No 6 in the flyweight division, a ranking he has hovered around since losing the title again in July 2023.
But for Kavanagh, a new era at 125 pounds may have just emerged.
A bantamweight co-main event featured Mexico's David Martinez against a former UFC bantamweight title challenger in Marlon Vera.
Martinez (14-1 MMA) handed Vera (23-12-1 MMA) his fifth loss in his last six fights due in large part to a balanced attack of crisp striking, effortless wrestling and preserving energy when Vera pushed forward.
The unanimous decision win, all by 29-28 scores, extended Vera's skid to four and could launch Martinez on the verge of stardom in the 135-pound division. Martinez has won 10 straight matches overall and is 3-0 in the UFC.
"I'll be ready," Martinez said after the fight, not hinting at future opponents.
An unexpected thriller saw King Green (formerly Bobby Green) secure a brutal TKO stoppage (strikes) against Mexico's Daniel Zellhuber at lightweight.
Green (34-17, 1 NC MMA) used all but the last 5 seconds of the second round to send Zellhuber (15-3 MMA) to his third consecutive loss. Green, 39, said he would be open to fighting former "Ultimate Fighter" 5 winner Nate Diaz should Diaz return to the UFC in an intense post-fight talk from Green.
Diaz (21-13 MMA) has not fought for the promotion since September 2022, opting instead to box the likes of Jake Paul and former UFC welterweight title challenger and ex-"BMF" champion Jorge Masvidal (35-17 MMA).
More flyweight action took centre stage as the main card moved along. In a split decision, Mexico's Edgar Chairez edged Felipe Bunes in an all-action affair 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 in a fight that primarily stayed standing.
Chairez (13-6, 1 NC MMA), who has two straight and three of his last four bouts, is still chasing aspirations of winning a title 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 brought the Arena CMDX crowd to its feet as Borjas nearly won by first-round TKO.
The bout lasted to the second round and turned when an overhand right gave Rodriguez (7-0 MMA) his first win at MMA's highest level and sixth overall KO/TKO finish at 4:21 of the round.
Borjas (10-5 MMA) has now lost four of his five UFC appearances, including a November 2023 unanimous decision loss to current UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van (16-2 MMA) at UFC 295.
Bantamweight Santiago Luna used a mix of combinations to earn a unanimous decision against American Angel Pacheco, all by scores of 30-27, to begin the UFC Fight Night six-fight main card.
Luna (8-0 MMA) earned his second UFC win, while a resilient Pacheco (7-4 MMA) has not sniffed the win column since August 2022 and has yet to find his footing in the promotion.