Preview: UFC Mexico ‘Moreno vs. Erceg’

Flyweights

Ronaldo Rodriguez (17-2, 2-0 UFC) vs. Kevin Borjas (9-3, 0-2 UFC)

ODDS: Rodriguez (-170), Borjas (+142)

Rodriguez is a fascinating fighter, at least as far as the UFC’s Mexican market is concerned. He’s highly popular, but “Lazy Boy” has a flawed enough game that he might have trouble continuing to overachieve. Rodriguez wasn’t quite ready for his 2020 spot on the Contender Series but rebounded with enough wins to get the UFC call early in 2024. While he has been effective, Rodriguez is an odd fighter for a flyweight. Slow-footed but powerful, Rodriguez tends to start slow and plod along while refusing to go away, eventually finding one or two spots to blow the fight open and either win rounds or score a finish. It’s a trick that has gotten Rodriguez by Denys Bondar and Ode Osbourne in the UFC thus far, and the promotion seems to be setting him up for a win against Borjas, even if it might be a bit trickier than expected.

In contrast to Rodriguez, Peru’s Borjas is better than his winless record in the UFC would suggest, as he has faced some tough opposition in Joshua Van and Alessandro Costa. That means he might be served well by a step back in competition here. Borjas is a surprisingly crafty boxer, but that has mostly led to more flashes of brilliance in his two UFC fights than any sort of consistent success. Van pulled off one of his signature slow-building comebacks, while Costa used a combination of leg kicks and wrestling to eventually put the Peruvian away. Borjas’ dedication to pressure and volume could be enough to take this if Rodriguez can’t find one of his huge moments, but at this point, the surer bet seems to be that the Mexican prospect eventually finds some way to take this over, even if there might be a lot of frustration on both sides while getting there. The pick is Rodriguez via third-round stoppage.

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Moreno vs. Erceg
Torres vs. Dober
Pyfer vs. Gastelum
Rosas Jr. vs. Morales
Martinez vs. Oliveira
Rodriguez vs. Borjas
The Prelims