Fighters On The Rise | UFC Mexico City

Manuel Torres of Mexico reacts after his knockout victory over Nikolas Motta of Brazil in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 17, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Make Sure You Know Which Athletes Have Momentum Heading Into An Incredible Event in Mexico City.

By Gavin Porter, On X @ItsGavinPorter • Feb. 20, 2024

Saturday night, the UFC returns to Arena CDMX for the first time since September 2019 with a 13-fight card featuring some of the top emerging Latin American talents on the roster and capped by a main event rematch between the UFC’s first Mexican titleholder, former flyweight kingpin Brandon Moreno, and top contender Brandon Royval.

While the headlining attraction and five-round co-main event pairing between Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega — itself a rematch from their prematurely halted meeting on Long Island two summers back — are contests everyone will be talking about the most in the preamble to this weekend’s action, there is a pack of ascending talents slated to hit the Octagon ahead of them that have already been making noise on the big stage and will look to continue doing so on Saturday.

Order UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2

Here’s a closer look at that outstanding trio ready to make waves this weekend in the latest edition of Fighters on the Rise.

Manuel Torres

Manuel Torres Puts Camacho Away In The First Round | UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs Rakic

A lot of fighters like to say, “We’re not paid by the hour,” but Torres lives by that credo inside the Octagon.

The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate has won five straight overall, with each of those victories coming in the opening stanza. After dispatching his final two opponents on the regional circuit in less than five minutes, “El Loco” did the same to Kolton Englund to garner a call to the Octagon, and has since done the same to veteran Frank Camacho and Brazilian hitter Nikolas Motta.

Currently 14-2 overall, the 28-year-old has only been to the scorecards once in his career, and that was more than four years ago. Whether in victory or defeat, the Mexican lightweight rarely competes for more than a round, with each of his setbacks and nine of his 10 documented “methods of victory” being first-round finishes.

Preview Every Fight Happening In Mexico City

His bout with Motta last summer was one of the more entertaining contests that lasted less than two minutes that I can ever remember. Motta landed the better shots in the opening moments of the fight, connecting with a left hand that backed Torres up, and he looked exceptionally comfortable until the Mexican stepped in with a lead elbow that ended the fight in an instant.

This weekend, Torres faces off with fellow DWCS grad and 2-0 UFC fighter Chris Duncan in a matchup that should provide further answers about where each man stands in the talent-rich 155-pound weight class.

After earning a first-round knockout win over Charlie Campbell in his second appearance at the UFC APEX, Duncan has delivered consecutive decision wins to begin his run inside the Octagon, edging out Omar Morales in his debut and out-hustling Yanal Ashmouz last time out to extend his record to 11-1 overall.

This is a great test for Torres, who has good length for the division and clearly menacing power. Duncan has shown a propensity for getting drawn into brawls in the past, but has worked diligently on his wrestling since shifting his training to American Top Team, so it will be interesting to see how the ascending Mexican prospect handles his toughest assignment to date on Saturday night.

Felipe dos Santos

Felipe dos Santos of Brazil punches Manel Kape of Angola in a flyweight fight during the UFC 293 event at Qudos Bank Arena on September 10, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Here’s a recap of the wild three-week run dos Santos had last year, ultimately resulting on his entering 2024 as one of the most intriguing prospects on the UFC roster.

He was scheduled to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series towards the end of August, only to have his opponent, Edgar Chairez, pulled into a short-notice opportunity on the UFC roster. A replacement was found, but then he botched his weight cut, resulting in the contest being scrapped, leaving dos Santos without a fight.

UFC 300 Main Event Announcement

But then Kai Kara-France suffered a concussion during preparation for his UFC 293 bout with Manel Kape, and the Brazilian was tagged in. When he stepped into the Octagon, “Lipe Detona” showed he belonged, pushing the Top 15 fixture to his limits and establishing himself as one to watch in the process.

Now the 23-year-old Diego Lima protege makes his return, facing off with Victor Altamirano on Saturday’s preliminary card.

This is a more important matchup for dos Santos than his debut, as he comes into this one with far greater expectations than he carried with him into the cage in Sydney back in September. Fairly or not, his loss to Kape set the bar extremely high, and now is his first opportunity to validate those lofty projections and live up to the vision of greatness many have conjured in their own minds.

Victor Altamirano is a good test for the young Brazilian — an experienced hand that will surely be buoyed by the partisan crowd in Mexico City. He’s split his first four UFC appearances, sandwiching wins over Daniel Lacerda and Vinicius Salvador between a pair of decision losses, but has been competitive throughout and brings a kick-heavy style into this weekend’s pairing.

There are legions of fans and observers anxiously awaiting dos Santos’ sophomore debut, and now that it’s finally here, it’s time to see if he can build on his tremendous debut effort.

Muhammad Naimov

Muhammad Naimov TKOs Mullarkey | UFC Fight Night: Kara-France vs Albazi

Naimov competed on Season 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series, dropping a competitive decision to fellow Denver-area featherweight Collin Anglin, and when he lost his subsequent appearance on the regional circuit, it felt like his road back to a UFC opportunity had grown exponentially longer.

But the 29-year-old from Tajikistan gathered himself up, garnered three straight wins, and then was ready to answer the phone when the UFC called with a short-notice opportunity opposite Jamie Mullarkey last June. Fighting up a division, Naimov registered a second-round knockout win, collecting a Performance of the Night bonus for his troubles, earning himself a place on the UFC roster.

Check Out The Full UFC 299 Fight Card

He followed that up with a narrow decision win over Nathaniel Wood at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, returning to the featherweight ranks and instantly signaling that he’s close to cracking the rankings. This weekend, Naimov returns in a pairing with Erik Silva, a DWCS grad and former LUX Fight League champ that dropped his promotional debut all the way back at UFC 282.

Saturday’s contest is another opportunity for Naimov to showcase his skills and assert his dominance over an older competitor that has yet to experience success at the UFC level. Silva cannot be overlooked or dismissed, as he has an opportunistic submission game and will be the rooting favorite in the arena, but given the level of competition Naimov has already bested inside the Octagon, another strong showing here is certainly in the cards.

UFC 300 COUNTDOWN

Naimov’s arrival and immediate success in the UFC is a reminder that timing is everything and that when you reach the big stage isn’t as important as making the most of the opportunities given to you.

The 2023 rookie standout has done that, and now it’s time for his sophomore year to commence.

UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 took place live from Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico on February 24, 2024. See the Prelims / Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!