Losing Almabayaev put the UFC in a tough position with only a few weeks to go until UFC Mexico, but Al Zullino<\/a> reports that #15-ranked Lone\u2019er Kavanagh has been pulled from his upcoming matchup to step in and meet Moreno in Mexico City. <\/p>\n Lone’er Kavanagh Steps Up For UFC Mexico Main Event<\/p>\n Currently sitting at #15 in the official UFC flyweight rankings, Kavanagh earned a UFC contract on Dana White\u2019s Contender Series in 2024 when he scored a first-round knockout against An Tuan Ho in a battle between undefeated flyweight prospects. <\/p>\n READ MORE: MMA Fans Stunned as UFC Mercilessly Pulls Injured Star From Official UFC Rankings<\/a><\/p>\n The former Cage Warriors standout made his formal promotional debut later that year and took a unanimous decision over Jose Ochoa. Kavanagh went on to improve his unbeaten record to 9-0 last March when he also defeated Felipe dos Santos via decision and earn a step up in competition at UFC Shanghai against Charles Johnson, who stopped the 26-year-old with strikes<\/a> in the second round. <\/p>\n Lone\u2019er Kavanagh (red gloves) fights against Felipe dos Santos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Kavanagh was scheduled to return against Bruno Silva at a UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas on March 14, but now he\u2019ll take advantage of a short-notice opportunity to face a two-time UFC titleholder in Moreno\u2019s home country. <\/p>\n Brandon Moreno Gets For Risky Matchup After Controversial Loss<\/p>\n The UFC\u2019s #5-ranked flyweight contender, Moreno\u2019s second reign with the flyweight belt ended in mid-2023 when Alexandre Pantoja defeated him via split decision at UFC 290. <\/p>\n READ MORE: UFC Star Sean O’Malley Eyes Crossover Fight With Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe Assassin Baby\u201d also fell short in his next outing against Brandon Royval but rebounded with back-to-back unanimous decisions over top flyweight contenders Amir Albazi and Steve Erceg. Possibly on the cusp of another title shot, Moreno squared off with Tatsuro Taira at UFC 323 but lost via a somewhat-controversial TKO stoppage<\/a> in the second round. <\/p>\n Brandon Moreno (red gloves) fights Tatsuro Taira (blue gloves) during UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Moreno was already set to fight a couple spots down the rankings against Almabayev but now faces a young contender with absolutely everything to gain from his short-notice opportunity, and fans will get to see if Kavanagh is able to pull off the upset when UFC Mexico takes place on February 28. <\/p>\n UFC Mexico Fight Card<\/p>\n \u2022\tMain Event: Brandon Moreno vs. Lone\u2019er Kavanagh<\/p>\n \u2022\tCo-Main Event: Macy Chiasson vs. Ailin Perez <\/p>\n \u2022\tDaniel Zellhuber vs. King Green<\/p>\n \u2022\tMarlon Vera vs. David Martinez<\/p>\n \u2022\tEdgar Chairez vs. Felipe Bunes<\/p>\n \u2022\tImanol Rodriguez vs. Kevin Borjas<\/p>\n \u2022\tJose Medina vs. Ryan Gandra<\/p>\n \u2022\tWes Schultz vs. Damian Pinas<\/p>\n \u2022\tSantiago Luna vs. Angel Pacheco<\/p>\n \u2022\tChristian Qui\u00f1onez vs. Kris Moutinho<\/p>\n \u2022\tErnesta Kareckaite vs. Sofia Montenegro<\/p>\n \u2022\tDouglas Silva de Andrade vs. Javier Reyes<\/p>\n \u2022\tErik Silva vs. Francis Marshall<\/p>\n More MMA Knockout News<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Undefeated MMA Fighter Leaves Opponent Facedown After Savage Walk-Off Knockout<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0UFC Reveals Incredible Main Event & Full Card for UFC Fight Night London<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a03 Biggest Overreactions From UFC 325: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Fighter Pulled from UFC 325 Fight After Cheating Scale During Weigh-Ins<\/a><\/p>\n Stick with\u00a0MMAKnockout<\/a>\u00a0for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n Follow MMAKnockout on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Lone\u2019er](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/01kgmdx0k9jeacc8k2gv.jpg\" "\\"Lone\u2019er")
<\/p>\n![\"Brandon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/01kgmdyjpa5qv8dz0x0z.jpg\" "\\"Brandon")
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