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Brandon Moreno makes his octagon return against Brandon Royval at UFC Fight Night 237. The event is set for this Saturday, Feb. 24, and marks not just 'The Assassin Baby's' first fight since a disappointing UFC 290 flyweight title loss to Alexandre Pantoja but also the promotion's first event in Mexico since 2020.
Specifically, UFC Fight Night 237 will take place in Mexico City, Mexico at the Arena CDMX, with the main card starting at 10:00 PM ET (Eastern Time) / 7:00 PM PT (Pacific Time) for viewers in the United States, who can tune in to the event on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.
The headlining bout between Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval is a 125-pound rematch of the pair's 2020 encounter at UFC 255, which saw the former flyweight champion emerge victorious with a first-round TKO due to injury. The co-main event also features a rematch, this time between Yair Rodríguez and Brian Ortega.
The two featherweights had previously crossed swords at UFC on ABC 3, but ended in anticlimactic fashion, as Rodríguez dislocated Ortega's shoulder with an armbar. Before both men can share the octagon, however, Daniel Zellhuber vs. Francisco Prado will pit two young lightweight prospects against one another.
Zelhuber and Prado have only ever tasted defeat once in their careers, so they will have much to prove come fight night. Below them, another young prospect in bantamweight star Raul Rosas Jr. makes his return since a TKO win over Terrence Mitchell last year.
He will take on inactive veteran Ricky Turcios, who hasn't fought since Nov. 19, 2022. Elsewhere, previously undefeated women's strawweight prospect Yazmin Jauregui will look to rebound from a crushing TKO loss to Denise Gomes as she faces UFC 115-pound mainstay Sam Hughes.
Finally, in the evening's first bout, streaking lightweights Manuel Torres and Chris Duncan pit their respective win streaks against each other.
How many title defenses does Brandon Moreno have?
Brandon Moreno is a former two-time UFC flyweight champion. Unfortunately, he has never successfully defended the 125-pound title. After submitting Deiveison Figueiredo to claim the flyweight strap, he lost it in an immediate rematch, before earning another title fight by beating Kai Kara-France for the interim title.
He again finished Figueiredo in a rematch, this time by TKO, to once again capture the undisputed flyweight strap. But as has been the case, 'The Assassin Baby' failed to defend his title in his following title defense, losing a split decision to Alexandre Pantoja.
