MMASucka staff picks are locked in for the second of two Saturday fight cards.
Later tonight, February 24th, sees UFC Fight Night 237 set to take place from the Arena Ciudad de Mexico (CDMX) in Mexico City, Mexico. This will be the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s sixth visit to the venue and capital city since UFC 180 in November 2014 and the first since UFC Fight Night 159 in September 2019. The preliminary card will begin at 7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT) followed by the main card at 10:00pm ET (7:00pm PT). All fights will be available to watch on ESPN+.
UFC Fight Night 237: Moreno vs. Royval 2 results will be available here at MMASucka.
Be sure to recap our staff picks and predictions from today’s monumental PFL vs. Bellator event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Main Event
In the night’s headliner, former LFA Champions Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval will fight for their spot at 125 pounds across five possible five-minute rounds. The two priorly met in November of 2020 with Moreno taking the victory by knockout in the first round.
Since the fight, Moreno has become the UFC Flyweight Champion on two separate occasions after a tetralogy with Deiveson Figueiredo and an interim title victory over Kai-Kara France. A loss last July in a rematch with Alexandre Pantoja saw him lose the belt as the 30-year-old looks for a win in his home country. Moreno’s opponent, Royval, went on two a 3-2 record with both losses coming to the aforementioned Pantoja. His December defeat was for the title as the Factory X talent makes a fast return to the octagon.
Battle of the Brandon’s is happening tomorrow night 💥
Brandon Moreno vs @BrandonRoyval
[ #UFCMexico | @ESPNPlus | 10pmET/7pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/GICIqVphq8
— UFC (@ufc) February 23, 2024
Co-Main Event
Another rematch comes in the co-main event between Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega at featherweight. A shoulder injury from Ortega in their July 2022 fight saw the meeting end inside round one. Mexico’s Rodriguez looks to rebound after a knockout defeat for the UFC Featherweight Championship against former title holder Alexander Volkanovski last July. Two-time title challenger Ortega returns for the first time since the loss injury in hopes to snap a two-fight skid and capture his first win since Chan Sung Jung in the fall of 2020.
Remaining Card
2021 Contender Series contract signee Daniel Zellhuber will faceoff against former Samurai Fight House Champion Francisco Prado in the lightweight division.
Rising youthful star of Raul Rosas Jr. makes his first appearance of the calendar year at bantamweight opposite The Ultimate Fighter 29 competitor Ricky Turcios.
After suffering her first professional defeat, strawweight Yazmin Jauregui aims for the home-crowd victory as she fights former LFA Champion Sam Hughes.
Opening the ESPN+ main card sees a lightweight pairing between Contender Series standouts Manuel Torres and Chris Duncan.
See our UFC Fight Night 237: Moreno vs. Royval 2 picks further below.
Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL) with Bellator MMA, ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS).
- UFC picks will compose main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
- PFL and Bellator MMA see picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
- ONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.
The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2024 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2023 were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.
Who is picked to win at UFC Fight Night 237: Moreno vs. Royval 2?
RECORDS AFTER UFC 298:
1. Frazer Krohn: 27-12
2. Nate Freeman: 25-14
3T. Jeremy Brand: 21-18
3T. Wesley Riddle: 21-18
5T. Michael DeSantis: 20-19
5T. Julio Monteros Jr.: 20-7
7T. Andrew Benjamin: 13-12
7T. Lukas DeWitt: 13-9
9. Michael Kachan: 6-2
10. Casey Cooper: 4-5
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
*Note – PFL vs. Bellator picks will be added to records NEXT weekend*
Manuel Torres (14-2), -180
vs.
Chris Duncan (11-1), +150
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
– 155 LBS. ~ 70.3 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Torres via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Torres via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Torres via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Torres via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Duncan via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Torres via Round 2 TKO
Lukas DeWitt: Torres via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Torres: 6
Staff picking Duncan: 1
Yazmin Jauregui (10-1), -600
vs.
Sam Hughes (8-5), +245
WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT DIVISION
– 115 LBS. ~ 52.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Jauregui via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Jauregui via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Jauregui via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Hughes via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Jauregui via Round 2 SUB
Nate Freeman: Jauregui via Round 2 TKO
Lukas DeWitt: Jauregui via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Jauregui: 6
Staff picking Hughes: 1
Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1), -230
vs.
Ricky Turcios (13-3), +190
BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION
– 135 LBS. ~ 61.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Turcios via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Rosas Jr. via Round 2 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Rosas Jr. via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Rosas Jr. via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Rosas Jr. via Round 1 SUB
Nate Freeman: Rosas Jr. via Split Decision
Lukas DeWitt: Rosas Jr. via Round 2 SUB
Staff picking Rosas Jr.: 6
Staff picking Turcios: 1
Daniel Zellhuber (14-1), -275
vs.
Francisco Prado (12-1), +230
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
– 155 LBS. ~ 70.3 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Zellhuber via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Zellhuber via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Zellhuber via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Prado via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Prado via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Zellhuber via Unanimous Decision
Lukas DeWitt: Zellhuber via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Zellhuber: 5
Staff picking Prado: 2
Yair Rodriguez (16-4), -150
vs.
Brian Ortega (15-3, 1 NC), +125
FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION
– CO-MAIN EVENT –
– 145 LBS. ~ 65.8 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Ortega via Round 2 SUB
Wesley Riddle: Rodriguez via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Rodriguez via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Rodriguez via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Rodriguez via Round 4 TKO
Nate Freeman: Rodriguez via Unanimous Decision
Lukas DeWitt: Rodriguez via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Rodriguez: 6
Staff picking Ortega: 1
Brandon Moreno (21-7-2), -300
vs.
Brandon Royval (15-7), +240
FLYWEIGHT DIVISION
– MAIN EVENT –
– 125 LBS. ~ 56.7 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Moreno via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Moreno via Round 3 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Moreno via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Moreno via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Moreno via Round 4 SUB
Nate Freeman: Moreno via Unanimous Decision
Lukas DeWitt: Moreno via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Moreno: 7
Staff picking Royval: 0
