The Real Winners and Losers from UFC Fight Night 237
Lyle Fitzsimmons@@fitzbitzFeatured Columnist IIIFebruary 24, 2024The Real Winners and Losers from UFC Fight Night 2370 of 10
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It only made sense.
The UFC headed south of the border to Mexico City for a Fight Night card on Saturday night, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise all but two of the 12 bouts on the card involved a fighter carrying the flag of the country just south of the Rio Grande.
On the top end of bill was another meeting of top contender and recently deposed flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and 2020 victim Brandon Royval, whom he stopped with one second to go in the first round of a prelim feature bout at UFC 255 in Las Vegas.
Royval was ranked third at 125 pounds and had won three of his last five, only dropping a pair to Alexandre Pantoja, who defeated Moreno to win the belt at UFC 290. Royval lost their first match by submission on a Fight Night show in 2021 and the second by decision in Pantoja’s first title defense at UFC 296 in December.
An equally tasty featherweight matchup served as the co-main, pitting recently failed title challengers Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega in a five-round rematch 19 months after Rodriguez stopped an injured Ortega in a Fight Night main event in July 2022.
Ortega lost to now-former 145-pound champ Alexander Volkanovski on the scorecards in September 2021 and Rodriguez was stopped in three rounds in his title shot last Juiy.
Saturday’s show was officially trimmed from 13 bouts when bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. was unable to go for his main card fight with Ricky Turcios due to illness. ESPN reported that matchmakers have rescheduled for next week’s Fight Night show in Las Vegas.
The B/R combat team was in place to take in the action that did take place and deliver a real-time list of the event’s definitive winners and losers. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the comments.
Winner: Earning Your Shot1 of 10
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Brandon Moreno raised his arms toward the sky.
Brandon Royval looked toward his corner team and smiled.
Each man assumed he was about to get a decision victory as the horn ended a compellingly matched and chaotically contested five-round flyweight main event between an ex-champion (Moreno) and a recent title challenger (Royval).
And when Bruce Buffer read the last scorecard, 48-47, in Royval’s favor, Moreno’s shoulders sagged while the winner’s venom came out and was aimed directly at current champ Alexandre Pantoja, who was seated at cage-side. B/R also had it 48-47 for Royval.
“Pantoja, where is he?” Royval said. “Let’s run that sh-t back mother f—ker.”
The challenge makes sense.
Royval arrived as the No. 3 contender at 125 pounds, trailing Moreno at No. 1 and Amir Albazi at No. 2. Moreno had been scheduled to fight Albazi before Royval subbed in, so unless a match is made between the two of them to determine Pantoja’s next foe, it seems Royval’s title shot to get.
He earned it by throwing more strikes (468-205) and landing more strikes (128-99), albeit it at a far less precise rate (27 percent to Moreno’s 48)
The ex-champ was busy early and landed hard blows across the first and second rounds, but his output slowed as Royval’s spiked in the third and again in the fourth. The final round seemed pretty close, but Royval finished with sharper, though probably not harder, punches.
And it was enough.
“I’m a f–king gangster,” Royval said. “I’m going to people’s houses and taking their fucking sh-t.”
Winner: Getting Through It2 of 10
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Brian Ortega knows all about adversity.
The newly minted 33-year-old had lost three of his last four fights and hadn’t won since 2020, and after one bloody round against recent title challenger Yair Rodriguez, it seemed more was coming.
The third-ranked contender strafed Ortega kicks to the knee and hard punches and briefly chased a finish with a follow-up flurry of ground strikes, but his California-based rival endured.
And once the second round started, the tide had decidedly turned.
Ortega got matters to the ground throughout the second and again early in the third, ultimately getting a clinch, tripping his man to the floor and getting him into an arm triangle choke and getting a submission at 58 seconds of the third.
“He walked through the storm from Rodriguez and then got a finish,” analyst Paul Felder said, “What a champion’s heart by Brian Ortega. He’s such a nasty black belt.”
The finish tied the second-most featherweight finishes in UFC history at 7 and the second most submissions (4).
“I know I need you and you hear me,” Ortega said, telling Felder what he’d said to God during the fight, “so c’mon let’s go.”
Winner: Staying Classy3 of 10
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It was a classic duel between caveman and cavalier.
And for Argentine export Francisco Prado, a thickly constructed 5’10” lightweight, the first round was largely successful as he plowed forward winging hard jabs and ferocious overhand rights.
But the longer it went, the classier Daniel Zellhuber got.
Taller at 6’1″ and longer with a 77-inch reach, the Mexican favorite began strafing his aggressive foe from a distance in the second, ultimately bloodying his nose and ripping his right eye open with precise replies that tempered the aggression and slowed the flurries.
It didn’t change in the third and the 24-year-old known as “Golden Boy” finished the clinic and savored the unanimous decision by scores of 29-28 twice and 30-27.
“Francisco is a tough guy. I hit him with hard shots, and he didn’t go down,” Zellhuber said. “In the third round he was still winging shots that I could feel as they went by. So, I figured, ‘OK, maybe we stay behind the jab.”
It was Zellhuber’s third straight win after a loss in his UFC debut in 2022.
“Being able to do this in front of my people,” he said, “is an incredible feeling.”
Winner: Early Dismissal4 of 10
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He doesn’t always win.
But one thing’s for certain when it comes to Manuel Torres.
He doesn’t stay any longer than he needs to.
The popular Mexican lightweight shook off a thunderous right hand from opponent Chris Duncan to reply with strikes of his own, get the Scotsman to the ground with a takedown and instantly seize his neck for a rear-naked choke victory in 1:46.
It was his 15th victory in 17 career fights, his third straight win in the UFC and the 16th time (in wins and losses) that a second round was not necessary,
He’s KO’d seven foes in the opening five minutes and Duncan was his seventh early submission.
His two losses both ended in the first round, too, leaving only one fight—a three-round decision over Enrique Gonzalez in 2018—to go anything resembling distance.
“You’ve got to come out with everything,” Torres said. “You need to see my wrestling.”
It was Duncan’s first UFC loss after he started his run with two victories.
“I’m going to be the best in history,” Torres said. “Send me anybody. Send me top 20. Send me top 10. I’m ready.”
Winner: Making a Change5 of 10
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They’d shared 10 minutes of intermittent, intense violence.
So, it seemed Cristian Quiñonez and Raoni Barcelos were destined to continue bashing one another with punches and kicks all the way to the 15-minute wire.
But Barcelos, a 36-year-old Brazilian fighting in enemy territory in his 11th UFC appearance, had no intention of sticking around that long.
The powerful bantamweight changed tactics, took his corner’s advice and got things to the ground, finishing a single-leg takedown with a clever trip and immediately seizing Quiñonez’s neck and getting the finish by rear-naked choke at 2:04 of the third.
It was the winner’s third career submission and at least temporarily halted a four-losses-in-five-fights skid that followed a 5-0 start to his UFC career. He pulled it off, too, with a left shoulder that he claimed dislocated and popped back in during a chaotic first round.
It was Quiñonez’s second straight loss after wins on Dana White’s Contender Series and his UFC debut.
“It was a matter of overcoming,” Barcelos said. “My team said to use wrestling and finish the fight. So, we had to change everything and finish the fight on the ground.”
Winner: Doing It Again6 of 10
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Once was not enough for Édgar Cháirez.
The 28-year-old Mexican flyweight had a first-round stoppage of Daniel Lacerda changed to a no-contest thanks to a dubious referee decision last September, so he was determined to be decisive this time.
He accomplished his mission in a prelim rematch with Lacerda, whom he got to the mat and quickly locked into a triangle choke that ended matters after just 2:17.
The first bout was done in 3:47.
“Did you feel the energy when I came out?” Cháirez said. “We are a people that sacrifice a lot for this.”
Though he had a rough week after missing weight by five pounds, Cháirez got back into favor and kept his career finish rate at 100 percent when he got Lacerda into position, isolated his foe’s right arm and locked the position by hooking his own left leg over his right.
Lacerda instantly tapped out, yielding the winner’s seventh submission to go with four KOs.
“I’m not gonna come here and explain all the things I have to do to come here,” Cháirez said. “You have to put the money up. You have to put the heart out. You have to have the balls as well.”
Loser: Home Cooking7 of 10
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The first Mexican fighter on the card did not have a hometown advantage.
Thirty-three-year-old flyweight Victor Altamirano was making his first UFC appearance in Mexico City and ended the fight with advantages in significant strikes (35-34) and takedowns (9-0) but somehow managed to get the short end of an awful split decision against Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Felipe dos Santos.
One judge gave Altimirano all three rounds but was overruled by two others who saw it 29-28, or two rounds to one in favor of dos Santos.
B/R agreed with their numbers but had Altimirano ahead after he’d controlled the first two rounds with superior clinch work and mat grappling.
Altimirano arrived as a +240 underdog.
Dos Santos chased a submission via rear-naked choke in the final five minutes but was unable to get a finish and the action ended with both fighters on their feet.
The official winner didn’t acknowledge a direct question from analyst Paul Felder about the decision, instead expressing his love for Mexico and saying the win, his first in the promotion, was a dream come true. He eventually circled back and said, “He might’ve taken me down, but I was in the fight the entire time.”
Hmmmm.
Winner: Savoring the Moment8 of 10
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Ronaldo Rodriguez got a celebration that his countryman Altimirano deserved.
The 24-year-old’s UFC debut made him the promotion’s first-ever fighter from Veracruz, and he was positively ebullient after finishing flyweight foe Denys Bodnar by rear-naked choke with a single second remaining in the second round.
Rodriguez was hammered with several hard right hands across the first round and a half, but he shook them off, got Bodnar to the mat and ultimately got the submission, his fifth, to extend an overall win streak to six while pushing his career record to 17-2.
“I’m a warrior in life. I am the future,” he said. “I am 100 percent a Mexican fighter. I’m going to write my history.
Bodnar was 14-2 in multiple promotions in a career that began in 2015 but has lost three in a row since arriving to the UFC in 2022, including one by TKO, one by decision and now one by submission.
“I feel so blessed to be here,” Rodriguez said. “Just being from where I came from, just this is a win.”
Loser: Definitive Endings9 of 10
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The two fights without a Mexican connection, both in the prelims, were nothing if not memorable.
The event got underway with a 44-second finish for Muhammad Naimov when his opponent, Erik Silva, was injured while stepping back to elude a spinning kick.
Silva’s left foot appeared to land in the small crevice between the mat and the bottom of the fence and the ESPN broadcast team reported later that he’d suffered a torn MCL in his left knee.
Naimov, now 3-0 in the UFC, quickly pounced as Silva crumbled to the floor and landed a series of hammer fists until referee Fernando Salas Navarro intervened.
Three fights later, Frenchman Farés Ziam was dominant enough striking and fared well enough in grappling scrambles to earn a split decision over Peruvian lightweight Claudio Puelles.
Ziam got margins of 30-27 and 29-28 on two scorecards to offset the 29-28 in his foe’s direction.
Still, as a disappointed Puelles stalked away in disgust when Bruce Buffer finished his announcement, Ziam also stood in the center of the cage and shook his head as if he also disagreed.
Regardless, it was his fifth win in seven UFC bouts and the third loss in eight for Puelles.
Full Card Results10 of 10
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Main Card
Brandon Royval def. Brandon Moreno by split decision (48-47, 46-49, 48-47)
Brian Ortega def. Yair Rodriguez by submission (arm triangle check), 0:58, Round 3
Daniel Zellhuber def. Francisco Prado by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Yazmin Jauregui def. Sam Hughes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Manuel Torres def. Chris Duncan by submission (rear-naked choke), 1:46, Round 1
Preliminary Card
Raoni Barcelos def. Cristian Quiñonez by submission (rear-naked choke), 2:04, Round 3
Jesus Aguilar def. Mateus Mendonca by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Édgar Cháirez def. Daniel Lacerda by submission (triangle choke), 2:17, Round 1
Farés Ziam def. Claudio Puelles by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Ronaldo Rodriguez def. Denys Bondar by submission (rear-naked choke), 4:59, Round 2
Felipe dos Santos def. Victor Altimirano by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Muhammad Naimov def. Erik Silva by TKO (strikes), 0:44, Round 1
