UFC Mexico City 2025: Five Things We Learned 

UFC Mexico City: Five Things We Learned 

UFC Mexico City lived up to expectations, producing one of the better fight night events of the year. Multiple fighters showed quality skills and made statements with their performance. Here are five things we learned at UFC Mexico City. 

Brandon Moreno Continues His Resurgence 

In the UFC Mexico City main event, Brandon Moreno picked up a decision win over Steve Erceg. The former champion had a strong performance to earn his second-consecutive victory. 

This fight featured a ton of competitive boxing exchanges. Moreno was the fighter who landed the bigger shots in those exchanges. That was especially true in the early moments of the bout. He did a great job of dealing with Erceg’s counters and landing big shots.

The main event did slow down in the championship rounds. The amount of exchanges dipped, but Moreno slightly edged those rounds. 

In his final two bouts, Moreno has put on two solid performances to earn back-to-back victories. Those wins have been monumental for his career. The former champion was sitting on back-to-back losses, but he took time off and looked rejuvenated in his return. 

Steve Erceg Needs A Step Down In Competition

Erceg’s loss in the UFC Mexico City main event marked his third consecutive defeat. His run of losses has come against Alexandre Pantoja, Kai Kara-France, and Moreno. It is time he takes a step down in competition from the elite level. 

Erceg is not a poor fighter and can get wins over elite fights. In two of his three losses, he suffered defeat in highly competitive fights. UFC experience will likely go a long way in helping him take a step forward and win those fights. 

If Erceg can drop out of the elite level and take fights against quality ranked opposition, he will have the opportunity to build himself into one of the best fighters in the weight class. It would not take much for him to make those small improvements. 

Manuel Torres Shows Off His Power

In the UFC Mexico City co-main event, Manuel Torres knocked out Drew Dober in the first round. It showed the best portion of his skill set. 

This fight is a great example of what makes Torres dangerous. In the early portion of the first round, he landed a jab, straight combination that dropped Dober. He followed up with ground and pound strikes that finished the fight. 

Torres’ ability to land the early knockout against Dober is impressive. Historically, Dober is highly durable. The fact that he was able to finish Dober provides optimism that his fighting style will translate against quality opponents. That was not established before this outing. 

Kevin Borjas Gets In The Win Column

At UFC Mexico City, Kevin Borjas fought Ronaldo Rodriguez. The pair both entered the octagon with two fights’ worth of UFC experience; however, they had very different runs. Borjas was 0-2 in the UFC against stiff competition, while Rodriguez was 2-0 against poor competition. Ultimately, Borjas looked levels above Rodriguez and earned a decision win. 

Borjas exposed Rodriguez’s poor striking defense, unsustainable fighting style, and poor game planning. The biggest factor in this bout was Borjas’ counter shots. Throughout the fight, Rodriguez aggressively threw big shots, but Borjas made him miss and smoked him with counters. Rodriguez never adjusted his gameplan, became desperate, and threw a ton of wild attacks that never came close to landing. 

This fight showed that Borjas deserves to be in the UFC. On the feet, he is capable of striking with quality opponents. That said, he still has clear flaws that need to be addressed. Those flaws are not always exposed when he is not fighting high-level opponents. 

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Ateba Gautier Is Worth Keeping An Eye On

On the UFC Mexico City prelims, Ateba Gautier impressed as he landed a first-round knockout against Jose Medina.  

On Dana White’s Contender Series, Gautier showed a skillset that featured raw skills and power. That made him an interesting prospect. In his UFC debut, he showed exactly why fans should be keeping an eye on his growth. 

It must be disclosed that Medina is a terrible UFC fighter. The only positive trait he has is his durability. What’s impressive about Gautier’s performance is that he stayed calm and technical before knocking out Medina. It would not have been a surprise to his youth, inexperienced, and raw skills take over and create mistakes. He did not allow that to happen. 

Gautier ultimately finished Medina with a beautiful knee that dropped him badly. It was a well-timed shot that perfectly split Medina’s guard. Gautier deserves credit for knocking out Medina purely based on the durability dynamic. 

At 22 years old, Gautier is not a finished product who will find himself in the rankings. That said, he has a ridiculous amount of upside. It is worth watching his career progress to see if he can make the improvements necessary to reach that upside.

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