Kavanagh Upsets Moreno at UFC Mexico
England’s Lone’er Kavanagh scored a major upset in the UFC Mexico main event, defeating former champion and hometown favorite Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision. The win vaults the underdog Kavanagh into flyweight title contention and disrupts the division's hierarchy.
The victory for Lone'er Kavanagh was a significant upset, with betting odds closing as high as +175 against the former two-time champion, Brandon Moreno, who was a -205 favorite. Kavanagh, 26, stepped into his first-ever UFC main event on less than a month's notice, replacing the injured Asu Almabayev to face the #6 ranked flyweight in his home country. This was not only Kavanagh's first five-round fight but also a major rebound from the first loss of his professional career, a knockout defeat to Charles Johnson in August 2025. The English fighter showcased a striking-heavy attack, battering Moreno's lead leg with calf kicks and bloodying his face, even scoring a knockdown in the second round. The judges scored the bout 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 in favor of Kavanagh. While Moreno found some success controlling the clinch against the cage in the middle rounds, he was unable to secure a single takedown, with Kavanagh successfully defending all attempts. For the 32-year-old Moreno, this marks his second consecutive loss and drops his record to 2-4 in his last six fights. It was his eighth professional fight in Mexico and his sixth time headlining a UFC card. In his post-fight interview, Kavanagh embraced the magnitude of the win, telling commentator Michael Bisping, "I live for legendary moments. This is a legendary moment." The victory elevates the unranked Kavanagh, who earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in 2024, directly into the title conversation in the 125-pound division.
