4 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night 237

4 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night 2370 of 4

Brandon Royval kicks Brandon MorenoJosh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The UFC returned to Mexico City on Saturday night, and the event set the stage for some big fights in the promotion’s lighter weight classes, most notably flyweight and featherweight.

The card was topped by a flyweight fight, with former champion Brandon Moreno looking to rebound from a title loss to Alexander Pantoja against Brandon Royval, who stepped in on short notice to replace Amir Albazi. Mexico’s Moreno had beaten Royval once before, in the first round at that, but the second time around, got a bit of a surprise from the American, losing a split decision after five rounds.

In the co-main event, another Mexican star took a tough loss, as former interim featherweight champ Yair Rodriguez suffered a submission loss after a strong start against two-time title challenger Brian Ortega.

Royval and Ortega both put themselves in title contention with their victories, but Moreno and Rodriguez will both be right back in that discussion if they’re able to get back on track in their next fights.

Keep scrolling for the fights we want to see next for the card’s four biggest stars.

Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape1 of 4

Brandon Royval punches Brandon MorenoJosh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Royval’s win over Moreno was the biggest of his career to date, and it was sweetened by the fact that he suffered a quick loss to the former champ the first time they met. Unfortunately for him, the hard-fought upset probably won’t be enough to set up a title shot against reigning champ Alexandre Pantoja.

Not only was Royval’s rematch with Moreno very close, but he also lost a clear decision to Pantoja last December. He’s close to the belt, but he still has more work to do.

For his next fight, we’d like to see him matched up with No. 6 contender Manel Kape. Like Royval, Kape is probably still one win shy of a title shot, despite being on a four-fight streak. Kape has also yet to meet Royval in the Octagon, which is great, because the top of the flyweight division has been plagued by rematches over the last few years.

We need fresh matchups, and this is a great one between two guys with a lot of tricks and great finishing instincts.

Brandon Moreno vs. Matheus Nicolau2 of 4

Brandon Moreno punches Brandon RoyvalJosh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Moreno didn’t get the result he wanted in his Mexican homecoming, but the sting of defeat will be numbed by the fact that his loss to Royval was very competitive. It won’t push him too far down the rankings, and as a multiple-time champ, it will only take another win or two for him to be right back in the mix for a title shot.

When he’s healed up from his Saturday scrap, we’d like to see him attempt to correct his course against Brazil’s Matheus Nicolau.

Nicolau was one of the top contenders in the division for a while, and after six straight wins, very nearly earned himself a title shot. Unfortunately, his streak was derailed by an upset TKO loss to Royval last year, so he will soon be looking to get back to the drawing board.

He and Moreno match up beautifully on paper and have yet to fight each other despite spending several years in each other’s orbits atop the division.

Brian Ortega vs. Ilia Topuria3 of 4

Brian Ortega celebrates his win over Yair RodriguezJosh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Brian Ortega’s come-from-behind submission win over Yair Rodriguez reaffirmed his status as one of the best featherweights in the world—even after more than a year and a half out of competition.

As far as the rankings are concerned, he is still behind former champions Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in the race for a title shot, but Volkanovski just lost the title to Ilia Topuria via knockout, while Holloway is tied up with a lightweight fight with Justin Gaethje.

Assuming Ortega wants to stay active after fighting just three times since the beginning of 2021, he should be booked for a quick turnaround against the champion this summer.

He will probably be a slight underdog against Topuria, who has yet to taste defeat in 17 fights, but as he proved against Rodriguez in Mexico, he has the submission skills to defeat any featherweight out there.

This is a great fight, and one that should give us a much better sense of how long Topuria’s run of dominance might last.

Yair Rodriguez vs. Movsar Evloev4 of 4

Yair Rodriguez reacts after being submitted by Brian Ortega.Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Rodriguez took a tough loss on home soil on Saturday, but he’s been hovering near the top of the featherweight division for years, and there’s no reason to assume he won’t bounce back. After all, he’s still just 31.

When he’s ready to get back to action, we’d like to see him matched up with No. 5 contender Movsar Evloev.

Evloev recently extended his record to a fantastic 18-0 with a decision defeat of Arnold Allen. Ordinarily he would probably be in position for a title shot right now, but he is hurt by the fact that he has yet to finish a fight in eight Octagon appearances.

He still has some more work to do before a potential clash of undefeated fighters against Topuria, and a scrap with somebody against Rodriguez looks like just the ticket.