Brandon Moreno has a brand new dance partner in Mexico City, with English flyweight Lone’er Kavanagh stepping in on short notice to headline UFC Fight Night on Feb. 28 at Arena CDMX. The change comes after original opponent Asu Almabayev withdrew, prompting the UFC to pivot quickly to maintain Moreno atop the cardboard in front of his home-country crowd.
Short notice? No problem! 🥷 🏴
Lone’er Kavanagh vs Brandon Moreno is your latest #UFCMexicoCity major event 🤩👏 pic.twitter.com/ZRMDnU6gmJ
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 4, 2026
For Moreno, it’s a high-pressure but familiar project: carry an event week, shoulder five-round expectations, and do it with the additional glare that comes with being the primary Mexican-born UFC champion. He enters this one trying to reset after a December stoppage loss to Tatsuro Taira, and the matchup shift forces a unique form of preparation—less about long-camp specificity, more about disciplined fundamentals and handling chaos.
Kavanagh, 26, gets the form of opportunity that may rewrite a profession overnight. The UFC has highlighted his Cage Warriors background and his Contender Series breakthrough (a first-round KO of An Tuan Ho) as the muse of his fast rise, and now he’s being asked to weaponize that confidence against a proven five-round operator. Even with the compressed timeline, that is the classic short-notice equation: Moreno brings elite experience and pace; Kavanagh brings the volatility—and the liberty—of a fight where few expect him to win.
The show continues to be scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28, with prelims at 5 p.m. ET and the major card at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount+.
Updated UFC Mexico City fight card
Brandon Moreno vs. Lone’er Kavanagh (major event)
Marlon Vera vs. David Martinez
Daniel Zellhuber vs. Bobby Green
Macy Chiasson vs. Ailin Perez
Edgar Chairez vs. Felipe Bunes
Imanol Rodriguez vs. Kevin Borjas
Jose Medina vs. Ryan Gandra
Wesley Schultz vs. Damian Pinas
Santiago Luna vs. Angel Pacheco
Cristian Quinonez vs. Kris Moutinho
Ernesta Kareckaite vs. Sofia Montenegro
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Javier Reyes
Erik Silva vs. Francis Marshall