Mexico has arrived at the highest level of MMA, and there’s no denying it.
Just six months into 2023 and to the surprise of many, the UFC has already crowned three Mexican champions, with the possibility of a fourth this Saturday in the headlining act of UFC 289. Sinaloa’s Irene Aldana challenges two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes, widely regarded as the greatest female MMA fighter of all time, for her belt at 135 pounds.
This championship fight comes on the heels of historic Mexican triumphs in the promotion: Brandon Moreno’s closure of the Deiveson Figueiredo rivalry to claim the UFC flyweight title in January; Yair Rodriguez’s UFC interim featherweight title win in February; and Alexa Grasso’s giant upset of all-time great Valentina Shevchenko to take the UFC women’s flyweight belt.
