Flyweight division, beware: Lone'er Kavanagh is now in the mix of the flyweight title picture following his upset victory over Brandon Moreno in the main event of UFC Mexico.
The two looked to get on a quick start at the beginning of the fight, with Kavanagh looking to bring speed and volume in his striking, including his jabs and leg kicks. Moreno reached on a number of his strikes, resulting in Kavanagh tagging him with counterstrikes.
Kavanagh landed a combination late in the second round that wobbled Moreno. Kavanagh stayed patient but kept pressure, and while Moreno fought back and survived, Kavanagh solidified himself as firmly in control.
Moreno started to swing with the left hook, attempting to take momentum from a tired Kavanagh. About halfway through the third round, Moreno got a hold of Kavanagh, controlling him throughout the remainder of the round -- a strategy that continued in the fourth. Moreno landed small shots inside the clinch, attempting to drain Kavanagh more.
Lone'er Kavanagh Gets Decision Over Brandon Moreno At UFC Mexico
Kavanagh, however, was remaining in the fight, stopping all six of Moreno's takedown attempts through the first 20 minutes. He continued to fight smartly, with his leg kicks doing damage. Moreno was noticeably limping during the fourth round.
Moreno continued to try and continue to clinch up and control the pace in the fifth round, but it wasn't enough, as Kavanagh took the decision.
Kavanagh, who took this fight with just under a month's notice, rebounds from his loss to Charles Johnson at UFC Shanghai in August -- the first loss of his professional MMA career. Prior to that, Kavanagh earned a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series and scored wins over Jose Ochoa and Felipe dos Santos.
Moreno has now lost four of his last six since dropping the UFC flyweight title to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290. He entered this fight off getting finished for the first time in his career when he lost to Tatsuro Taira at UFC 323.