Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
The second annual Noche UFC (a.k.a. UFC 306) hits this weekend (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024) in Las Vegas, Nev. … and it is much, much bigger than the inaugural event last year.
Indeed, fighters compete inside The Sphere, which boasts a 160,000 sq. ft. and 16K x 16K resolution interior display plane (in comparison, an IMAX movie screen is less than 4,000 sq. ft.), for the very first time. And according to UFC CEO, Dana White, it will be the greatest live combat sports show ever.
Before the epic pay-per-view (PPV) event, let’s nominate the Top 5 Mexican fighters in UFC history (plus a few honorable mentions). Oh, and if you’re wondering, the fighters do not have to be born in Mexico.
Cain Velasquez
While there were Mexican fighters before, Cain Velasquez cracked the mixed martial arts (MMA) mainstream with his “Brown Pride.” He was the first fighter of Mexican heritage to win a UFC title in 2010. And on top of being a UFC champion, he was the best heavyweight fighter of all-time in the eyes of many.
Unfortunately, injuries plagued Velasquez’s career and robbed the world of his true potential. Nevertheless, he finished his career with a 14-3 record and holds wins over Junior dos Santos, Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, among others.
Unfortunately, he is now facing time in prison.
Brandon Moreno
Brandon Moreno became the first Mexican-born champion in UFC history at UFC 263 on June 12, 2021, forever cementing him in sports history. Moreno’s climb to UFC champion was a feel-good story because he was released from the promotion in late 2018 and had to return to the regional scene to prove his worth.
When “The Assassin Baby” returned, he was a new fighter, rattling off three wins to get a crack at Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 256. The bout ended in a dreaded draw, but was a “Fight of the Year” contender. When UFC made Moreno and Figueiredo run it back six months later, Moreno cashed in on the Flyweight title.
Then the 30-year-old won UFC’s Flyweight title a second time when he unified the championship against Figueiredo at UFC 283 in Jan. 2023.
Alexa Grasso
Alexa Grasso is the first (and only) Mexican female to hold UFC gold. She upset women’s Flyweight G.O.A.T., Valentina Shevchenko, at UFC 285 … and hasn’t lost the belt yet (she defends it this weekend).
Like Moreno, Grasso’s career suffered ups and downs, mainly because of her weight class. She started her UFC career in the Strawweight division, but after going 3-3 and missing weight twice, she made a move to Flyweight and completely flourished by going undefeated (4-0) to earn a shot at Shevchenko.
The rest is history.
Henry Cejudo
Okay, so if we’re only speaking about stats and accomplishments, Henry Cejudo would be at the top of this list … no questions asked. However, Cejudo never represented Mexico in the UFC, and two years after his first retirement — while supporting his local governor — he proclaimed, “My message today, guys — as a Latino-American — because first and foremost I’m American… I was born in this country. I was raised in this country. You guys will see me — as much as I love my culture — you guys will never see me with a Mexican flag.”
However, with all of that being said, it just feels wrong not exclude a UFC “champ-champ” on this list, so here he is.
Cejudo won UFC’s Flyweight title against Demetrious Johnson at UFC 227 and then defended it against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC on ESPN+ 1 back in Jan. 2019. Five months later, he won the vacant Bantamweight championship against Marlon Moraes and then defended it against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249.
Cejudo is/was the fourth fighter to hold UFC championships in two divisions simultaneously.
Tito Ortiz
Though born in Huntington Beach, Calif., Ortiz’s Mexican heritage runs deep … and his accomplishments in UFC have solidified his place among the Top 5 best-ever fighters to hail from Mexico.
Ortiz’s reign as Light Heavyweight champion was nothing short of dominant. One of Ortiz’s most iconic rivalries was with Chuck Liddell. Their intense feud — highlighted by their thrilling trilogy of fights — played a pivotal role in bringing UFC into mainstream conciousness. Their intense battles captivated audiences and helped to solidify MMA as a major sport in the United States.
Honorable Mentions:
Diego Sanchez — The first TUF winner and an absolute legend in the sport.
Tony Ferguson — “El Cucuy” automatically comes to mind when you think of violence and Mexican toughness.
Roger Huerta — The first UFC fighter to be featured on a Sports Illustrated cover, which was iconic at the time.
Nick and Nate Diaz — It was hard to leave these two legends off the list, but whatever.
Kelvin Gastelum — Gastelum had all of the talent in the world but couldn’t make 170 pounds.
Yair Rodriguez — “El Pantera” won the interim Featherweight championship, demolishing Josh Emmett at UFC 284 back in 2023.
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