England's Lone'er Kavanagh (10-1) secured the biggest win of his career, defeating two-time UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno (23-10-2) via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 268 at Arena CDMX in Mexico City on February 28, 2026. The 26-year-old stepped in on short notice after Asu Almabayev's injury withdrawal, rebounding from a knockout loss to outwork the local hero. Moreno suffered his second straight defeat and fourth loss in six fights. In the co-main, David Martinez extended his streak to 10 against Marlon Vera.
UFC Fight Night 268 marked the promotion's return to Arena CDMX after three years, drawing 16,454 attendees—short of a sellout by about 3,500 seats, the first such instance for a UFC event in Mexico since at least 2023. Lower turnout may stem from recent civil unrest tied to cartel violence in the Jalisco region.
The main event featured hometown favorite Moreno, who entered aiming to rebound from a technical knockout loss to Tatsuro Taira two months earlier, a sharp contrast to his five consecutive title fights from 2020-2023. Opposite him was short-notice replacement Kavanagh of Great Britain Top Team, who adjusted from a scheduled bout against Bruno Silva on March 14 after his own knockout defeat to Charles Johnson at UFC Shanghai in August 2025. Now 3-1 in the UFC, Kavanagh stuffed all eight takedown attempts, outstruck Moreno with jabs, low kicks, and volume, and hurt him in Round 2.
Kavanagh opened Round 1 with tight boxing, front kicks, and a spinning back kick to counter Moreno's overhand rights. Round 2 shifted decisively with a blistering counter combination that wobbled Moreno, followed by calf kicks. Moreno pressed in Round 3 with overhand rights and clinch knees/elbows, but Kavanagh defended takedowns. Later rounds featured more fence work from Moreno, but Kavanagh targeted legs, landed elbows and teeps, and broke free repeatedly.
"Sometimes you’ve just got to say f—k the fear and do it," Kavanagh said post-fight. "Believe in yourself, believe in the people behind you and let the rest write itself." He aims to become UFC champion within his first two years in the promotion. The win positions him as a flyweight contender, while Moreno eyes bounce-back fights against Charles Johnson or Tagir Ulanbekov.
In the co-main bantamweight bout, David Martinez (14-1, now 3-0 UFC) outpaced Marlon "Chito" Vera (23-12-1) with speed and volume for a 29-28 unanimous decision, extending his streak to 10 despite Vera's late surge; Vera has now lost four straight. Main card highlights: King Green TKO'd Daniel Zellhuber (Rd. 2, 4:55), Edgar Chairez def. Felipe Bunes (split decision), Imanol Rodriguez TKO'd Kevin Borjas (Rd. 2, 4:21), Santiago Luna def. Angel Pacheco (unanimous decision).
Prelims included Ryan Gandra's 41-second TKO of Jose Daniel Medina and Damian Pinas's Rd. 1, 2:30 TKO of Wes Schultz. Performance of the Night bonuses went to Kavanagh and Rodriguez; Fight of the Night to Regina Tarin vs. Ernesta Kareckaite.
