Brandon Moreno will once again have a home advantage when he returns next month.
Moreno will welcome fellow flyweight contender Steve Erceg to his home country of Mexico when they collide in the main event of UFC’s March 29th “Fight Night” card, as announced by the promotion on Saturday night. The 125-pound matchup will headline the UFC’s return to Arena CDMX in Mexico City.
Moreno, a former flyweight champion, is coming back to Mexico after snapping a two-fight skid late last year. A five-round performance against Amir Albazi in November gave some momentum back to Moreno after dropping his second 125-pound title reign to Alexandre Pantoja a year prior and losing a split decision to Brandon Royval in 2024.
Hoping to hold onto his second-place spot in the flyweight rankings, Moreno will chase his first UFC victory in Mexico, a win that has eluded him for years. After producing two losses and a draw in his past UFC appearances while in his home country since 2017, Moreno will search for a different result when he meets eighth-ranked Erceg.
Erceg will enter the March booking on a two-fight losing streak, albeit against a pair of highly skilled competitors at flyweight. The Australian talent suffered a one-sided defeat to current champ Pantoja last May, ending an 11-fight win streak which included a trio of past UFC appearances.
The 29-year-old Perth-based talent was then stopped for the first time in his career a few months later, getting put away in just over four minutes by fourth-ranked contender Kai Kara-France. Aiming to end the recent losing streak, Erceg has yet another tough assignment ahead of him.
As of just a few days ago, a trip to Mexico wasn’t in Erceg’s plans for 2025. He was previously booked to appear on UFC’s March 1st card in a matchup against Kazakhstani prospect Asu Almabayev. However, after Almabayev was elevated to the card’s headlining bout due to the withdrawal of Royval, it left Erceg without an opponent. The sudden sequence has lined Erceg up for a fight which could leapfrog him over many big names in the division’s standings.
Here’s a look at some of the other fights that have been confirmed for UFC’s upcoming trip to Mexico:
Bout 7: Brandon Moreno (22-8-2) vs. Steve Erceg (12-3) (Flyweight)
Bout 6: Kelvin Gastelum (19-9) vs. Joe Pyfer (13-3) (Middleweight)
Bout 5: Edgar Chairez (11-6) vs. CJ Vergara (12-6-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 4: David Martinez (11-1) vs. Saimon Oliveira (18-5) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: Ateba Gautier (6-1) vs. Jose Medina (11-4) (Middleweight)
Bout 2: Julia Polastri (13-4) vs. Loopy Godinez (12-5) (Strawweight)
Bout 1: Rafa Garcia (16-4) vs. Joaquim Silva (13-5) (Lightweight)
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