UFC flyweight Sergio Pettis has already turned in a number of incredible performances for his 23 years of age, but Saturday was the best yet.
Pettis (16-2) overcame a difficult first round en route to a dominant decision win over Brandon Moreno (14-4). The 125-pound fight headlined UFC Fight Night inside Mexico City Arena.
All three judges scored the five-round bout for Pettis: 48-46, 48-46 and 49-46. It was his fourth win in a row and seventh in the UFC overall. Despite his young age, he has already accumulated nine UFC appearances.
"He put me in a dangerous position, but I had four more rounds to prove I'm better than this man, and I did it," Pettis said. "I've got to wait for the higher powers to tell me what I want. Obviously, I'd like my title shot, but there are a lot of things I need to polish up to get there still."
The dangerous position Pettis referred to came in the opening round, when Moreno, of Tijuana, caught a body kick and took him down. He quickly transitioned to Pettis' back and threatened with rear-naked chokes for the better part of three minutes.
Pettis, of Milwaukee, did well defending the chokes, however, and made adjustments in the next frame. He caught Moreno with several high left head kicks and cut him over the right eye near the end of the third.
"I know I won the first and second rounds, but three, four and five were more difficult," Moreno said. "I know I failed [the Mexican crowd] this time, but I know I'm going to be better, and I'll get up there."
As good as Pettis looked in the middle rounds, he needed to win the fifth to avoid a potential 47-47 draw, as two judges awarded Moreno 10-8 scores in the first round.
Moreno scored a big takedown one minute into the frame, but Pettis was able to create a scramble and ultimately separate. He landed a hard kick to the body and a stinging right hand in the final minute.
Pettis was supposed to face former title challenger Henry Cejudo in May, but Cejudo was forced out at the last minute because of a hand injury. The younger brother of former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, Sergio is certainly in line for a big fight. Current champion Demetrious Johnson is scheduled to face Ray Borg at UFC 215 in September.
Moreno, who is also 23, suffered his first defeat in the UFC.
Alvey claims decision; Evans loses fourth straight
Hard times continue for former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans (19-7-1). Evans, 37, suffered his fourth consecutive defeat, a split-decision loss to middleweight Sam Alvey (31-9).
Judges scored the 185-pound bout 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29 in Alvey's favor. ESPN also saw it 29-28 for Alvey.
Evans, who hasn't won a fight since November 2013, consistently worked for takedowns throughout the 15-minute affair but was mostly unsuccessful. The two times he did manage to drag Alvey down, he was not able to keep him there long.
Alvey, who fights out of Temecula, California, did not exactly set the world on fire, either. He outlanded Evans in total strikes 51-28, according to Fightmetric but never really found his offensive groove.
"I was terrified in there," Alvey said. "Rashad Evans is a hero of mine, and I was starstruck. I know what he's capable of, and I just couldn't pull the trigger."
Still, it's Alvey's fifth win in six fights. Evans, who trained in New Jersey for this bout, drops to 0-2 at middleweight.
Strawweight prospect Grasso hangs split decision over Markos
Mexican strawweight prospect Alexa Grasso (10-1) squeaked out a split-decision victory over Randa Markos (7-5) via scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29.
A 23-year-old native of Guadalajara, Grasso outpointed Markos on the feet and defended several key takedown attempts late to seal the victory, her second in the UFC.
After getting off to a good start in the opening round with punches and leg kicks, Grasso allowed Markos to outgrapple her in the middle frame. It looked like it might happen again in the third, as Markos scored an outside trip just two minutes in, but Grasso managed to scramble back to her feet.
Markos went for one final takedown in the final minute, but Grasso immediately threatened a guillotine choke that forced Markos to bail on the attempt.
Grasso has now defeated Markos and Heather Jo Clark during her UFC career. Markos, who fights out of Canada, continues her pattern of alternating wins and losses. She has done so in her past seven fights.
Undefeated welterweight Price scores first-round finish
Welterweight Niko Price (12-0) picked up the eighth first-round finish of his career, stopping Alan Jouban (15-6) with strikes at 1:44 of the opening round.
Price, who fights out of American Top Team in south Florida, perfectly countered a Jouban leg kick with a stiff right hand. Jouban immediately fell backward from the punch, and Price swarmed on the finish.
After putting together a three-fight win streak last year, Jouban has been finished in back-to-back fights in 2017. Price moves to 3-0 in the UFC.
Newcomer Bandenay scores highlight knockout
Peruvian featherweight Humberto Bandenay (14-4) kicked off his UFC career with a bang, knocking out Martin Bravo (11-1) in just 26 seconds with a left head kick.
The 22-year-old prospect ripped a left kick to Bravo's body and followed that with a high kick seconds later. He caught Bravo in the side of the head with his knee, and that was it. It was Bandenay's fifth career knockout.
The win also extended his win streak to six. Bravo, of Rosarito Beach, Mexico, dropped to 1-1 in the Octagon.