MMA takeaways: Mexico’s next wave of talent is here, Bellator gets bragging rights over PFL

What were the most important moments of UFC Mexico City and PFL vs. Bellator? Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim offer their final thoughts after a historic 10-fight card in Saudi Arabia and a 12-fight card in Mexico.

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Takeout meals from UFC Mexico City

Could we finally be seeing? Brian Ortega fully realized?

Raimundo: If you’re a “T-City” fan, it’s a frustrating existence. He’s had the skill set (power in his hands, slick boxing, and otherworldly submission instincts) to beat any featherweight in the world for years. The man almost drowned Alexander Volkanovski in 2021, the closest a 145-pound fighter has come to beating Volkanovski at featherweight until Ilia Topuria he knocked him out last weekend. But Ortega has had to deal with injuries and other issues over the years. Saturday was only his fourth fight since 2018. That’s four fights in almost six years.

Ortega overcame adversity against Yair Rodriguez, as he always seems to be able to do. He apparently hurt his ankle during the innings, was hit early by the Mexican-born fighter and weathered the storm. At the end of the first round, Ortega had attacked his opponent. In the second round, Ortega took power. On the third, he strangled Rodríguez.

In his post-fight interview, Ortega said he already had his life in order and is not doing the same nonsense. He is still only 33 years old. “T-City” fans have another glimmer of hope. After a victory over Rodriguez, the Los Angeles port area project boy is back near the top of the featherweight division.

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The next wave of Mexican talent is ready for prime time

Raimundo: Yair Rodriguez He is 31 years old. Brandon Moreno He is still 30 years old. Those two and Alexa Grasso, 30 years old, continue to be the present and the future of Mexican MMA. When their careers are over, the next wave will clearly arrive, and nearly all of those prospects showed up Saturday night at UFC Mexico City.

Daniel Zellhuber give a master class against Francisco Pradousing his reach and destroying Prado with punches and front kicks until both eyes were basically closed shut and covered in blood. Manuel “El Loco” Torres rolled Chris Duncanending with a brute force rear naked choke submission. Yazmín Jáuregui bloody Samuel Hughes in three rounds in a one-sided victory by unanimous decision.

Zellhuber and Jáuregui are only 24 years old. Torres is 28 years old. Raul Rosas Jr.who was born in the United States to Mexican parents and represents Mexico, could not compete on Saturday due to illness, but he is only 19 years old and is a super prospect.

This week, ESPN MMA ranked Mexico No. 5 in its first-ever MMA World Power Index. Let those potential future stars continue to develop and evolve, as well as bring in some developing athletes who could emerge from the new UFC Performance Institute in Mexico City, and watch out.

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PFL vs Bellator: conclusions of the champions

PFL finally gets its boxing match

Wagenheim: It took about half a second. No, I’m not talking about how long it took the immense PFL heavyweight champion, Renan Ferreirato knock out the huge Bellator champion, Ryan Bader. That took 21 seconds. But after referee Kerry Healey shoved Ferreira away from a prone, motionless Bader and waved off the fight, it took about half a second for the television broadcast to shift focus from him to the side of the cage and a smiling Francisco Ngannou.

Ngannou, the prized PFL signee, had said earlier in the week that he would face the winner of Saturday’s main event when he makes his PFL debut later this year. Of course, the former UFC heavyweight king has work to do first, as he will face former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua in a boxing ring on March 9. That fight, Ngannou’s second as a boxer after last October’s hard-fought split decision loss. against current champion Tyson Fury, will also take place in Riyadh.

Ngannou stood cageside Saturday in the makeshift outdoor arena, leading to a huge gathering of heavyweights. UFC Champion John Jones was there, as was boxing legend Mike Tyson, who was recruited to wrap championship belts around the waists of the winners of the day’s PFL champion vs. Bellator champion fights.

For most of the day, Bellator fighters took home the gold, winning all five fights before the main event. The PFL may have purchased Bellator MMA a few months ago, but on that day, Bellator owned the PFL.

Until the final act, of course. That’s when the PFL got precisely what it wanted. Ferreira, who has lost only one of his last 10 fights, scored his fourth consecutive knockout, all but one in the first round. We all know what Ngannou is all about. He is now prepared to fight a man with equally devastating power.

For the PFL, it’s a dream matchup combined with the nightmare of a waiting game. If Ngannou defeats Joshua in a couple of weeks, he will almost certainly continue in boxing, where lucrative opportunities will await him. But when he is ready to return to MMA, he has a tremendously big challenge ahead of him.

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Ferreira made the stronger statement, but Nemkov might be the better heavyweight

Okamoto: Don’t be surprised if within 12 to 18 months we’re talking about Vadim Nemkov as the best heavyweight in the PFL/Bellator world. Yes, Ferreira knocked out Bader in spectacular fashion on Saturday and deserves the fight with Francis Ngannou more than anyone. He certainly he is capable of winning that fight. The athletically talented Ferreira has been on the hardcore radar for a couple of years, and now we’re seeing that potential come to fruition.

At this point in his career, Nemkov is a heavyweight and not too small at heavyweight. He faced a former PFL champion in Bruno Cappelozza. Nemkov will have to wait his turn on some of these opportunities, but sitting here, right now, I’m not sure I wouldn’t pick him against any of these other heavyweights, including Ferreira and Ngannou. He is extremely consistent and has heavyweight power for a former light heavyweight.

Let’s all watch and enjoy the Ngannou-Ferreira showdown that looks like we’ll be getting in the near future, but keep in mind that there could be a dark horse lurking in Nemkov.

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Bellator’s initial investment in McKee-Pico could pay dividends for PFL

Raimundo: AJ McKee and Aaron Pico They were considered the two cornerstones of Bellator’s future. Former Bellator president Scott Coker signed them when they were extremely young. McKee debuted in Bellator three days after turning 20 in 2015. Pico was just 18 years old when he put pen to paper in 2014.

McKee and Pico were supposed to take the reins of Bellator from some of the legends of yesteryear and take the promotion into the future. Those best-laid plans didn’t quite work out. Bellator failed and PFL acquired the company in late 2023 from parent company Viacom. But, about a decade later, McKee and Pico still have the opportunity to be the protagonists of a brand: PFL.

Both won on Saturday on the PFL vs. card. Bellator: Champs in Saudi Arabia, each due to definitive results in the first round. McKee presented clay necklace with a wonderfully slick triangle arm bar at the bottom. Peak hit Henry Corraleswhich arrived with little notice, by technical knockout to avenge a previous defeat.

McKee has already reached some of his potential, winning the Bellator featherweight title. But he still has a lot more to show at just 28 years old. Pico, once considered the best prospect in MMA history, has only accomplished a fraction of what he is capable of after stumbling when he was in his early 20s. At 27 years old, Pico seems to be one of the most polished fighters on this new roster. The same goes for McKee.

It may not have been what everyone thought would happen nine or ten years ago, but it will be fascinating to see what McKee and Pico can do in this new PFL and Bellator merger.