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PFL vs. Bellator/UFC: Mexico City Takeaways and Thoughts
February 25, 2024
I hope everyone reading this enjoyed the busy, yet entertaining, Saturday with a day full of wrestling and MMA. Personally, I had a lot of fun the entire day. I woke up at 3:45 AM for the WWE Elimination Chamber, which I thought was a really awesome show. After it was over, I had a little bit of time to get an errand or two done before catching some of the Prelims for PFL vs. Bellator. I had to pause the show for a few hours to go to my niece’s 3rd birthday party (man…time is flying with her). When I got back home, I was able to watch the rest of the PFL vs. Bellator show and fast forward through all the commercials and video packages. By the time I was done with PFL vs. Bellator, I was only behind on the UFC show by about 30 minutes, so I was able to catch up to that show live with some more fast forwarding through commercials and video packages. It was a long day and I was tired, but I thought it was all worth it.
Let’s take a quick look at the results for both cards before I go into some of the happenings and thoughts I have:
PFL vs. Bellator Results
Renan Ferreira def. Ryan Bader via TKO (punches) – Round 1
Johnny Eblen def. Impa Kasanganay via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jason Jackson def. Ray Cooper III via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:23
Gabriel Braga vs. Patricio Freire - canceled
Vadim Nemkov def. Bruno Cappelozza via technical submission (arm triangle) – Round 2, 2:13
Yoel Romero def. Thiago Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
A.J. McKee def. Clay Collard via submission (triangle armbar) – Round 1, 1:10
Aaron Pico def. Henry Corrales via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 4:53
Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Emmanuel Palacio via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Claressa Shields def. Kelsey DeSantis via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Abdullah Al-Qahtani def. Edukondala Rao via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:23
Malik Basahel def. Vinicius Pereira via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
UFC: Mexico City Results
Brandon Royval def. Brandon Moreno via split decision (48-47, 46-49, 48-47)
Brian Ortega def. Yair Rodriguez via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 0:58
Daniel Zellhuber def. Francisco Prado via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-26)
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios - canceled
Yazmin Jauregui def. Sam Hughes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Manuel Torres def. Chris Duncan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:46
Raoni Barcelos def. Christian Quinonez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:04
Jesus Aguilar def. Mateus Mendonca via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Edgar Chairez def. Daniel Lacerda via submission ( triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:17
Fares Ziam def. Claudio Puelles via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Luis Rodriguez def. Denys Bondar via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:59
Felipe dos Santos def. Victor Altamirano via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Muhammad Naimov def. Erik Silva via TKO (injury) – Round 1, 0:44
PFL vs. Bellator Takeaways and Thoughts
The Prelims
I had given you, in my preview last week, three names to keep an eye on during the Prelims: Shields, Ali Walsh, and Pico. Shields had another shaky outing. When she was standing, she looked good. In fact, DeSantis (Shields’ opponent) really impressed me because she took some hard shots from Shields and kept moving forward. However, Shields continues to show that her ground game needs a lot of work. She had a bit of judge luck in her victory this time around. Ali Walsh had a clear win and showcased his ability to stay on top on the ground. While he was hoping for a statement first win, it’s still good to get that first win under your belt. Work has to be done, but he’s on the right track. As for Aaron Pico, he showcased why he will probably get more shine in the future. He simply took care of business.
No Patricio Pitbull
Pitbull had some back luck this week, losing both opponents that he was matched up against this week. It would have been nice for him to get on this big card and introduce himself to some new viewers. I’m sure that he’ll get a featured matchup in the near future, though.
A.J. McKee
Just wow. Listen, we all knew McKee was good going into this show. Collard was a tricky opponent, but McKee showed just how well-rounded he is, as he transitioned through some submissions in a super fluid manner to get the win. It was a thing of beauty.
Jason Jackson
Jackson had a lot of fun in the lead up to this fight. He truly embraced being a champion - bringing his belt everywhere he went and having a good time around Riyadh. He also had fun in the cage by getting the TKO victory. It’ll be interesting to see if they decide to pair him back up with his original opponent for this card in Magomedkerimov.
Vadim Nemkov
Nemkov showed why he is one of the best fighters in the heavier divisions of PFL/Bellator. He had no issue in moving up to heavyweight and it’ll be fun to see who they pair him with next.
Eblen/Impa
Man, this fight lived up to the hype. Both men showed why they deserved to be in the spotlight. Eblen got the win, but it was a close one! While Eblen stays undefeated, Impa impressed yet again and should be getting featured heavily when he returns.
Renan Ferreira
If you read my preview last week, I very nicely didn’t give Renan much of a chance. I truly thought Bader’s experience would allow him to pull out the win against the bigger Ferreira. Man, I was very wrong! I guess I was in the minority because Renan was the betting favorite going into the fight and he showed why. It took him only 21 seconds to dispose of Bader and become the next person to face Francis Ngannou when he returns to MMA.
UFC: Mexico City Takeaways and Thoughts
The Crowd
This was the first UFC show in Mexico in over four years - and the crowd showed why the UFC won’t wait that long again. The crowd was hot from the beginning of the night and made the show pretty fun.
The Prelims
As usual, the Prelims had some fights that delivered. If you didn’t watch them, I suggest going back and checking out Luis Rodriguez beating the clock with his submission and just how good Edgar Chairez is. Don’t sleep on the Prelims!
The Judges
I hate talking about judges or refs in any sport. They have a hard job and I wouldn’t want to do it. However, the judges at UFC: Mexico City showed why you can’t let your fight go to them. There were some close fights and some guys were clearly upset with the decisions. However, when you know the judges are not being super consistent, you have to do everything possible to get a finish. Easier said than done, of course.
Rosas Jr.
After his big Contender Series win, Rosas Jr.'s attempted rise to stardom has not been smooth. It seems like the UFC is more than willing to put their team behind him, but he had an unexpected loss last year and then had to pull out of Saturday’s fight at the very last second. Ricky Turcios, his opponent, was NOT happy at all. Dana White said that the fight will happen at a catchweight, possibly as soon as next week, but Turcios is casting doubt about that on social media. Either way, Rosas Jr. had his moment to shine in front of his hometown fans taken away and it’ll be interesting to see how hard the UFC pushes his name in the future.
Zellhuber/Prado
If you didn’t see this fight, then please stop reading this and go watch it. Wow, what a fight! Zellhuber looked great and Prado is a beast. Prado’s coach telling him, “You don’t need your eyes. Just punch!” in between rounds as his eye became more and more swollen is a memory that will stick with me for a long time. Zellhuber will get a strong next opponent, but I hope Prado continues to get featured.
Brian Ortega
With his last fight, in 2022, ending in injury, there were a lot of questions surrounding Brian Ortega in this fight. His opponent, Yair Rodriguez, was also looking to get back on track. It all almost had more questions before they started fighting, as Ortega rolled his ankle during Bruce Buffer’s introductions. Such a weird and scary moment for Ortega. While it clearly impacted him in the first round, almost getting knocked out, Ortega was able to pull it together and get the big win over Rodriguez. While this sets Ortega to be in line for a possible title fight, which he called for, Topuria (the champ) and the UFC do not seem enthralled with the idea. We shall see which way they go in the future, but either way - Ortega put himself back in the mix.
Brandon Royval
Speaking of being back in the mix, Brandon Royval showed why he may deserve a rematch against Alexandre Pantoja. He stayed super active against Brandon Moreno, throwing over 500 strikes. While he connected on just about 30% of them, he did what he had to do to win in the eyes of the judges and most viewers. He looked good and, despite his early leg injury, had a pace that kept Moreno at a distance while also showing improvements from his last fight, where he lost to Pantoja. While a rematch is not guaranteed, it will be part of future talks.
Reviewing My Picks
I was a Prelim master this weekend, getting them all correct, I believe. Overall, I went 17-5 with my picks for both shows. Admittedly, I got some of the more important fights wrong, but that just goes to show how close the fights can be.
Overall Thoughts
I felt like both shows delivered in what they were trying to do. PFL vs. Bellator showcased their best talents and created interest in the future. UFC returned to Mexico in a fun way and created some questions for title contenders. My energy tank was running on empty by the time I got to the UFC show, but it kept me engaged and invested until the very end. It was an enjoyable, long day.
Did you watch the shows? Let me know what you thought at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I’ll be back later this week to talk about UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev, which will be taking place on Saturday at 1:30 PM on ESPN+. See you then!
