Former Champion Brandon Moreno Downs Steve Erceg in UFC Mexico Headliner

Brandon Moreno rose to the occasion yet again.

The two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight titleholder moved forward in his quest to reclaim the 125-pound throne with a five-round unanimous decision over Steve Erceg in the UFC on ESPN 64 headliner on Saturday at CDMX Arena in Mexico City. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it the same: 49-46 for Moreno (23-8-2, 11-5-2 UFC), who has posted three straight wins since his controversial Feb. 24 loss to Brandon Royval.

Erceg (12-4, 3-3 UFC) excelled in spurts, especially with his calling-card jab and sneaky front kicks to the body. However, he could not match Moreno’s aggression. The Fortis MMA star thumped Erceg repeatedly with overhand rights, worked his weapons to all levels and even mixed in strategic takedowns in the fourth and fifth rounds. While it was far from the comprehensive performance for which Moreno has become known, it was enough to get him past the game Aussie.

Meanwhile, Entram Gym standout Manuel Torres disposed of Drew Dober with punches in the first round of their lightweight co-main event. Dober (27-15, 13-11 UFC) checked out 1:45 into Round 1, suffering his third setback in as many outings.

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Torres (16-3, 4-1 UFC) tested the waters with a front kick to the body and a partially blocked head kick. He zapped and dazed Dober with a clean one-two, then made him pay for clinging too long to an attempted single-leg. Torres battered the Elevation Fight Team veteran with no fewer than 15 unanswered hammerfists to the side of the head before referee Mike Beltran decided to wave it off.

The 30-year-old Torres has won seven of his past eight bouts.

Further down the main card, Edgar Chairez rebounded from a Sept. 14 to Joshua Van and dispatched former Fury Fighting Championship titleholder C.J. Vergara with a face crank in the first round of their featured flyweight attraction. Vergara (12-7-1, 3-5 UFC) bowed out 2:30 into Round 1.

Chairez (12-6, 2-2 UFC) set the tone with a probing jab, then flexed his might. He sat down Vergara with a wicked counter left hook, stalked him to the fence and cut loose with follow-up punches. Chairez then maneuvered behind the Pete Spratt protégé, snaked his long arms in place and let his considerable squeeze do the rest. It was a vise from which there was no escape.

Vergara, 33, now finds himself on a three-fight losing streak.

Elsewhere, Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Raul Rosas Jr. outgrappled Vince Morales to a unanimous decision in a three-round bantamweight feature. Rosas Jr. (11-1, 5-1) swept the scorecards with matching 29-28 marks from the cageside judges.

Morales (16-10, 3-8 UFC) had his chances, particularly in the third round. There, he sprawled on attempted takedown and transitioned from a Peruvian necktie to an anaconda choke to a brabo choke. Rosas Jr. was in visible distress but managed to survive and did so again when the scene repeated itself in the waning seconds of the bout. Morales’ inability to finish proved costly and could not erase the efforts his 20-year-old adversary put forth across the first 10 minutes. Rosas Jr. outstruck the Syndicate MMA rep in a few standup exchanges and completed multiple takedowns before seamlessly progressing to the back, at which point he proceeded to pile up copious amounts of control time.

Morales has lost three fights in a row.

Not to be outshined, Bonebreakers MMA prospect David Martinez put away Saimon Oliveira with a sensational volley of strikes in the first round of their bantamweight attraction. Oliveira (18-6, 0-3 UFC) succumbed to blows 4:38 into Round 1, losing for the third time in as many appearances.

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Martinez (12-1, 1-0 UFC) set the tone with blistering leg kicks and exquisite body-head combinations. The onetime Combate Global champion staggered Oliveira with a counter right hand, flurried with punches and sent him crashing to the canvas with a perfectly timed knee up the middle. A hailstorm of hammerfists followed, prompting the stoppage.

The 26-year-old Martinez has rattled off eight consecutive victories.

Finally, ex-Inka Fighting Championship titleholder Kevin Borjas rode slick boxing skills to a unanimous decision over they hyperaggressive Ronaldo Rodriguez in a three-round flyweight appetizer. All three cageside judges scored it for Borjas (10-3, 1-2 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

Rodriguez (17-3, 2-1 UFC), who missed weight for the match by one pound, spent the majority of his time eating punches and wasting energy on high-risk, low-reward offense. Borjas floored him twice with crisp right hands in the first round, seized the reins from there and never relinquished control. He called upon an efficient and effective counter game, lured his opponent into traps and seemed unshakable in the face of constant pressure. Rodriguez scored with leg kicks throughout but too often relied upon an untenable one-strike-at-a-time approach.

The loss snapped Rodriguez’s seven-fight winning streak.

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