Sean Strickland is once again choking people out on top of a mountain.
It appears as though the former UFC middleweight world champion has found a new hobby, combining his love of snowboarding and his career as a mixed martial artist into a new extreme sport. While we try to come up with a clever name, enjoy a clip of Strickland mixing it up with yet another fan while out on the ski slopes.
“Always a good time on the mountain!!!!” Strickland wrote on Instagram. “Yall need to stop challenging me lmao!!!!!”
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A post shared by Sean Strickland (@stricklandmma)
“All right dawg, let’s f*cking go … til you quit, motherf*cker!” Strickland declares before mocking his opponent’s stance and slapping him upside the head. “You trying to s*ck me off or something?”
Instead of attempting to strike with Strickland, the unidentified individual immediately shoots in for a takedown. Strickland easily stuffs the attempt before working his to the man’s back and cinching in a face crank, forcing the tap out.
Sean Strickland is making a habit out of fighting people in the snow
If the scene looks familiar, that’s probably because ‘Tarzan’ made headlines for doing the exact same thing with another person roughly two weeks ago. In that clip — which you can see here — Strickland is briefly taken down before regaining control of the situation and similarly submitting his would-be challenger.
“Well @boderayy you’re a way better snow boarder than me but you’re a way worse wrestler,” he wrote in the caption. “Man was trying to fight me all weekend lol!! Respect.”
The fighters scheduled to compete at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event in Mexico City officially weigh-in on Friday morning.
The event is headlined by a flyweight rematch between former two-time champion Brandon Moreno (21-7-2) and third ranked Brandon Royval (15-7). In the co-main event, third-ranked featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez (19-4, 1 NC) faces fourth-ranked Brian Ortega (15-3, 1 NC).
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Official Weigh-In Results
Main card
Brandon Moreno (126) vs. Brandon Royval (126)
Yair Rodriguez (146) vs. Brian Ortega (146)
Daniel Zellhuber (156) vs. Francisco Prado (156)
Raul Rosas Jr. (136) vs. Ricky Turcios (136)
Yazmin Jauregui (115) vs. Sam Hughes (115)
Manuel Torres (155) vs. Chris Duncan (156)
Preliminary card
Cristian Quinonez (135) vs. Raoni Barcelos (135)
Jesus Santos Aguilar (126) vs. Mateus Mendonca (126)
Edgar Chairez (131)* vs. Daniel Lacerda (127)*
Claudio Puelles (156) vs. Fares Ziam (156)
Luis Rodriguez (126) vs. Denys Bondar (126)
Victor Altamirano (125) vs. Felipe Dos Santos (124)
Patricio Pitbull won’t be fighting at Saturday’s PFL vs. Bellator pay-per-view event in Saudi Arabia after losing another opponent in Gabriel Braga, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting following a report by MMAjunkie.
PFL announced Braga was “unable to compete.”
Pitbull, the Bellator featherweight champion, was originally slated to meet Jesus Pinedo, who won the 145-pound season in PFL in 2023, however Braga stepped in as a short-notice replacement after Pinedo withdrew. Braga lost to Pinedo in the 2023 finals.
It’s still unclear what led to the withdrawal.
Braga initially agreed to face Aaron Pico on the undercard before moving to the match with Pitbull on the pay-per-view portion. It was going to be his first MMA fight since the murder of his father and head coach Diego Braga in January.
Pitbull was looking to rebound from back-to-back defeats to Sergio Pettis and future RIZIN titleholder Chihiro Suzuki, the former of which was a shot at the Bellator bantamweight title and the latter of which a short-notice lightweight contest in Japan. It’s still unclear if the Brazilian will enter the 2024 PFL season or continue to defend his title in Bellator.
PFL has yet to announce which bout will be moved to the main card. Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader, the heavyweight champs of PFL and Bellator, collide in the main event.
Welcome to r/mma's pre-fight and weigh-in discussion of UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 from Mexico City, Mexico! Please keep the fight discussions in here. We also have a fight thread in ourKbin communityfor those who would prefer not to use Reddit but would still like to talk about the fights.
Click here to check the event start time.
Card Info
Airing on ESPN+ @ Saturday 02.24.2024 at 07:00 PM ET
Main Card:
Division
Fighters
Flyweight
Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval
Featherweight
Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega
Lightweight
Daniel Zellhuber vs. Francisco Prado
Bantamweight
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios
Strawweight
Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes
Lightweight
Manuel Torres vs. Chris Duncan
Prelims:
Division
Fighters
Bantamweight
Cristian Quiñonez vs. Raoni Barcelos
Flyweight
Jesus Aguilar vs. Mateus Mendonça
Flyweight
Edgar Cháirez vs. Daniel Lacerda
Lightweight
Claudio Puelles vs. Fares Ziam
Flyweight
Luis Rodríguez vs. Denys Bondar
Flyweight
Victor Altamirano vs. Felipe dos Santos
Featherweight
Muhammad Naimov vs. Erik Silva
Fight card order and start time may be inaccurate.
Useful Links
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At the UFC Mexico City weigh-ins, all 26 fighters on Saturday’s card in the UFC’s return to Mexico will step on the scale Friday. MMA Fighting will have live video of the proceedings, courtesy of Indiscutido.
In the main event, former two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval can weigh no more than 126 pounds, the maximum allowed for their non-title flyweight fight.
Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega meet for the second time in the five-round co-main event, with both fighters needing to hit at 146 pounds or less.
The UFC Mexico City official weigh-ins are at 10 a.m. ET.
Watch highlights of the fighters from the top two bouts below.
El primero a la báscula Brandon Moreno en peso marca 126 libras #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/JoRaQXRQz0
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) February 23, 2024
Tenemos co-estelar @panteraufc marca las 146 libras #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/ugL4ij8UFr
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) February 23, 2024
Una mitad de la co-estelar mexicana 146 libras en el regreso de @BrianTCity #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/jtG5WrEDVX
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) February 23, 2024
Ceremonial weigh-ins take place at 6 p.m. ET. Watch a live stream of that event below.
Main Card (ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET)
Brandon Moreno (126) vs. Brandon Royval
Yair Rodriguez (146) vs. Brian Ortega (146)
Daniel Zellhuber vs. Francisco Prado (156)
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios
Yazmin Jauregui (115) vs. Sam Hughes (115)
Manuel Torres (155) vs. Chris Duncan (156)
Preliminary Card (ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET)
Cristian Quinonez (135) vs. Raoni Barcelos (135)
Jesus Aguilar (126) vs. Mateus Mendonca (126)
Edgar Chairez vs. Daniel Lacerda (127)*
Claudio Puelles (156) vs. Fares Ziam (156)
Ronaldo Rodriguez vs. Denys Bondar (126)
Victor Altamirano (125) vs. Felipe dos Santos (124)
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will kick off its International fight campaign this weekend with the UFC Mexico City: “Moreno vs. Royval 2” mixed martial arts (MMA) event, scheduled for this Sat. night (Feb. 24, 2024) inside Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. UFC Mexico City, which airs exclusively on ESPN+, will be headlined by the flyweight showdown between former division champion Brandon Moreno and longtime 125-pound rival Brandon Royval, ranked two spots behind “Assassin Baby” at No. 3 in the weight class.
Before we dive into the main and co-main events, which includes the featherweight rematch between former title challengers Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega, check out Patrick Stumberg’s nifty and thrifty preliminary card breakdowns for UFC Mexico City here and here. In addition, budding free soloist Andrew Richardson did most of the heavy lifting for the rest of the UFC Mexico City main card right here.
For the latest “Moreno vs. Royval 2” odds and betting lines courtesy of our fiscal friends over at Draft Kings go here.
125 lbs.: Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval
Brandon “Assassin Baby” Moreno
Record: 21-7-2 | Age: 30 | Betting line: -270 Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 11 SUB, 5 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 7 DEC Height: 5’7“ | Reach: 70” | Stance: Orthodox Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.80 | Striking accuracy: 43% Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.40 | Striking Defense: 56% Takedown Average: 1.73 (45% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 64% Current Ranking: No. 1 | Last fight: Split decision loss to Alexandre Pantoja
Brandon “Raw Dog” Royval
Record: 15-7 | Age: 31 | Betting line: +220 Wins: 4 KO/TKO, 9 SUB, 2 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 5 DEC Height: 5’9“ | Reach: 68” | Stance: Southpaw Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.80 | Striking accuracy: 43% Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.05 | Striking Defense: 45% Takedown Average: 0.43 (66% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 40% Current Ranking: No. 3 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Alexandre Pantoja
Former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will enter this five-round rematch with a chip on his shoulder, having recently lost the 125-pound title to longtime rival Alexandre Pantoja. In addition, the “Assassin Baby” has yet to score a victory in front of his hometown fans in Mexico, who previously enshrined the ex-champ with his own mural (twice).
“I feel a little bit frustrated, because obviously I want to put that on my legacy,” Moreno said during the UFC Mexico City media day (watch it here). “Raise my hand in front of my people, in front of my Mexican flag. That’s it. It’s something that happened in the past, and I just try to turn the page. It’s frustrating, but I’ve been living with a lot of pressure since 2020, fighting for championships and rematches and the trilogies. I’m just trying to have fun in this one. At the same time, I understand the importance this fight has to my record right now. I’m focusing on Brandon Royval. I’m focusing on the challenge in front, and I’m ready.”
Moreno is a large flyweight who at 5’7” is as tall as most contending bantamweights and in some cases, sports a longer reach at 70 inches. Interestingly enough, opponent Brandon Royval is two inches taller at 5’9” but falls short in reach at 68 inches. “Raw Dog” was submitted by Moreno when they first went to war at UFC 255 back in late 2020, giving him extra motivation for their Mexico City rematch.
Royval is also coming off a loss to Pantoja.
“I just want to show the world what I can do, and I feel like I’ve yet to do that,” Royval said during the UFC Mexico City media day (watch it here). “That Pantoja fight, I’m like, ‘This is it. This time I’m going to show the world what I can actually do and my actual skillset.’ It just did not happen. I feel like this is another great opportunity against a fighter who is going to bring it at all costs. I’m actually not sure what happens with me. I’m pretty sure Brandon Moreno, if he wins, even though we both lost to the same person in our last loss, I’m pretty sure he’s getting a title shot. I’m not sure that’s the same position for me. I know if I go out there and style on him and I go out there and do some cool things, it’s going to be hard to be denied.”
Both fighters have looked outstanding in the three-plus years since they first fought, even with the losses to Pantoja. In order to make a case for the upset, we need to demonstrate that Royval has improved enough to surpass the skills of the “Assassin Baby,” and I’m not sure that’s the case because the former champ has yet to take a step backwards in terms of skills or durability. Moreno was the better fighter at UFC 255 and barring a sloppy, high-chinned defense, he’ll be the better in Mexico City.
Get that “Fight of the Night” bonus check ready.
Prediction: Moreno def. Royval by decision
145 lbs.: Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega
Yair “El Pantera” Rodriguez
Record: 19-4, 1 NC | Age: 31 | Betting line: -180 Wins: 8 KO/TKO, 5 SUB, 6 DEC | Losses: 3 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 1 DEC Height: 5’11“ | Reach: 71” | Stance: Orthodox Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.63 | Striking accuracy: 46% Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 4.07 | Striking Defense: 51% Takedown Average: 0.73 (28% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 59% Current Ranking: No. 2 | Last fight: Technical knockout loss to Alexander Volkanovski
Brian “T-City” Ortega
Record: 15-3, 1 NC | Age: 32 | Betting line: +150 Wins: 3 KO/TKO, 7 SUB, 5 DEC | Losses: 2 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 1 DEC Height: 5’8“ | Reach: 69” | Stance: Switch Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.19 | Striking accuracy: 38% Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 6.66 | Striking Defense: 49% Takedown Average: 0.95 (23% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 56% Current Ranking: No. 4 | Last fight: Technical knockout loss to Yair Rodriguez
Yair Rodriguez stopped Brian Ortega in the first round of their UFC Long Island main event back in summer 2022 and most of the credit has gone to Ortega’s bum shoulder, which took a coffee break somewhere in the opening frame and rendered “T-City” combat ineffective. That was the last time we saw Ortega inside the cage but Rodriguez has appeared twice in the months that followed, scoring a bonus-winning submission over Josh Emmett before falling to Alex Volkanovski in their UFC 290 title fight.
Doesn’t sound like “El Pantera” is jazzed about this rematch.
“It’s always weird, I never wanted to fight the guy,” Rodriguez said during the UFC Mexico City media day (watch it here). “This time is no different. I like his family, I like him. He’s Mexican, so it’s not the same feeling. It’s a job we have to do. Not something that I really wanted to do.”
Ortega remains ranked in the Top 5 of the division which is puzzling when you consider his inactivity, as well as his strength of competition. “T-City” has just one victory over the last six years and that came against a shopworn “Korean Zombie,” who was basically playing fish inside Ortega’s barrel. I think fans have also forgotten that Ortega has a reputation of getting lit up in his fights before scoring a Hail Mary comeback.
Nearly seven strikes absorbed per minute is a troubling statistic.
“My perspective on it is just a continuation of that first fight,” Ortega said during the UFC Mexico City media day (watch it here). “But it depends who you are, how you view the sport, incident, the fight – it’s either a rematch or a continuation. For me, it’s a continuation. We just started getting warmed up. We were very dry. We were still trying to feel each other out, got a hold of each other, hit each other a little bit, felt each other’s strength. It was still partially in that feel-out session. It’s gonna be just two rounds now of that feel-out session.”
Outside of the “Zombie” massacre, I haven’t seen anything from Ortega that would suggest a case for the upset and I don’t make it a habit of picking fighters coming off a two-year layoff. Trying to sell me on a Volkanovski submission that didn’t win the fight is akin to bragging that Nate Diaz wobbled Leon Edwards in a losing effort at UFC 263. To be fair, there’s a tendency to overvalue Rodriguez based on some of his highlight-reel finishes, but I’ve got him pegged as the superior fighter at UFC Mexico City.
Prediction: Rodriguez def. Ortega by technical knockout
Remember, the rest of the UFC Mexico City main card predictions are RIGHT HERE.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Mexico City fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Mexico City news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive news archive here. For the updated and finalized “Moreno vs. Royval 2” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.
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