A week after an awesome card in London, the UFC is heading to Mexico City for another awesome card. The card is headlined by former Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno taking on a rising prospect, Steve Erceg.
Other notable names fighting on Saturday are Joe Pyfer, who is taking on Kelvin Gastelum, and 20-year-old prospect Raul Rosas Jr., who is taking on Vince Morales. Strap in for a fun night of fights!
Today, I will break down my 3 favorite bets for this weekend’s fight card. Let’s get into it!
I am very excited for this fight. Raul Rosas is a 20-year-old phenom who is already 4-1 in his UFC career. He debuted back in 2022 as an 18-year-old and has shown he can compete so far in his young career.
He will be taking on Vince Morales, who is on his 2nd run with the UFC. He went 3-5 in his first run and is now 0-2 since resigning last September. Rosas is looking to keep his 3 fight win streak alive, but Morales is likely fighting to keep his UFC contract.
In my eyes, this fight is going to come down to who is the fresher and faster fighter. Rosas has shown amazing grappling and has grown on his feet. Morales has looked slow and old in his last 2 fights, and I think that will be his downfall. Give me the young man by finish.
MY PICK: Raul Rosas Jr by KO/TKO or Submission +165
Here we have another fight between a rising prospect and a UFC veteran. Gastelum has had a very interesting career. He gave Israel Adesanya possibly his toughest test until his loss to Jan Blachowicz, but he as struggled since, going 3-5.
Gastelum has fought the best of the best, though, with a UFC career lasting since he won the Ultimate Fighter back in 2013. He will now face off against yet another stud in Joe Pyfer. Pyfer is a scary opponent and he has the ability to knock out anyone. After a tough loss to Jack Hermansson last February, he rebounded with an amazing KO win over Marc-Andre Barriault.
This fight is going to be fun, but I fear Kelvin may be past his prime. He has struggled so much lately but is coming off a solid win against Daniel Rodriguez. However, I think Pyfer is going to be too much to handle.
He is huge, standing at 6’2 compared to Gastelum’s 5’9, and hits like a truck. I think he can get Kelvin out of his game early and make him nervous about the power. Give me Pyfer by finish.
MY PICK: Joe Pyfer by KO/TKO or Submission +120
Last but not least, we have the former Champ Brandon Moreno headlining in his home country. Moreno is 1-1 since losing the belt to Alexandre Pantoja back in 2023, but I think he is ready to cement himself for a rematch.
Erceg is interesting to me. He is very well-rounded, but we saw him get dominated by Alexandre Pantoja for the belt in 2024 and lose by TKO to Kai Kara-France in August. He is now looking to stay in the mix, but he has a very crafty fighter in his way.
I think this fight is going to be amazing. Both of these guys are willing to throw down and have a wide variety of skills. Moreno always puts on a show, and Erceg’s style should be great for pushing the pace of this fight.
However, I think Erceg’s tough streak will continue. Moreno is going to be too crafty, and I think has the upper hand wherever this fight goes. Give me the former champ in his home country.
MY PICK: Brandon Moreno by Decision +110