Noche UFC 4: Key Fights and Future Matchups

Mexico’s Independence Day has become a fixture on the UFC calendar, and Noche UFC 4 stayed on script: a raucous crowd, a main event comeback, a former champion digging deep, and a handful of results that reshape multiple divisions.

What comes next for the winners tells an even better story.

Jean Silva vs. Yair Rodriguez: Unfinished Business

Jean Silva had to walk through fire to close the show.

Delgado started faster, sharper, and meaner. For a while, Silva looked a step behind, eating shots and struggling to find his rhythm. Then the Brazilian adjusted. The pace changed. The cage started to feel smaller for Jose Delgado.

Once Silva (18-3, 7-1 UFC) finally latched onto the back, the end felt inevitable. “Lord” threaded the arm under the chin and forced the tap at 2:57 of Round 3, collecting the 16th finish of his 18-win career. It was a hard night, but the kind that hardens a contender.

There’s a natural next step, and it’s one that was already written into the schedule once: Yair Rodriguez.

They were supposed to meet at Noche UFC 4 before Rodriguez withdrew through injury. Stylistically, it still sings. Rodriguez, the mercurial former interim titleholder, against Silva, the surging finisher who just proved he can survive adversity on a big stage. Same date, same stage, same stakes—just delayed.

Some fights feel manufactured. This one doesn’t. This one feels owed.

Brandon Moreno vs. Kyoji Horiguchi: A Champion’s Test

Brandon Moreno’s relationship with Glendale is starting to look like destiny.

He won his first UFC flyweight title there at UFC 263. He returned at Noche UFC 4 and went to war again, this time with Joseph Morales, the “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 33 winner who refused to go away.

Moreno (24-10-2, 13-7-2 UFC) had to work for everything. Fifteen tense minutes, momentum swinging in pockets, both men having their moments. When the scorecards landed, it was a split decision, two judges siding with “The Assassin Baby” to give the former two-time champion another crucial win at 125 pounds.

At this stage of his career, Moreno doesn’t need tune-ups. He needs legacy fights.

Enter Kyoji Horiguchi.

The former two-division Rizin titleholder and Bellator MMA champion remains one of the most respected flyweights of his era, even as he looks to rebound from a setback against Manel Kape. Moreno vs. Horiguchi isn’t about rankings alone; it’s about timing and pedigree. Yes, it might be a couple of years later than ideal, but the intrigue hasn’t faded.

Two veterans, two championship résumés, one crossroads. The winner moves back toward the summit. The loser faces hard questions about what comes next.

Tommy McMillen vs. Losene Keita: Prospects on a Collision Course

On a night built on proven names, Tommy McMillen quietly made his own statement.

Matched with fellow DWCS product Marwan Rahiki, McMillen (12-0, 3-0 UFC) didn’t get the finish he wanted, but he got something more important: a clean, professional win over a dangerous prospect. Rahiki pushed him for all 15 minutes, but the 28-year-old stayed composed, banked rounds, and walked away with a unanimous decision.

Undefeated. Untouched in terms of record. And very clearly ready for a step up.

He used his post-fight interview wisely, calling for a December 12 appearance. The UFC has the perfect dance partner waiting: Losene Keita.

Keita, a former two-division Oktagon MMA champion, just announced himself to the wider fanbase with a first-round knockout at UFC Paris. He’s explosive, aggressive, and exactly the kind of opponent who can test whether McMillen’s unbeaten run is built for the top of the division.

This matchup doesn’t feel like a “maybe one day” fight. It feels inevitable. The only question is whether the UFC wants to cash that ticket now, while both are streaking, and the stakes are already high.

Alexa Grasso Back to the Belt

There was only one women’s bout on the main card, but Alexa Grasso made sure it mattered.

The former flyweight champion had no easy task in Manon Fiorot, the French contender who has made a habit of shutting down opponents with disciplined, structured striking. Grasso (18-5-1, 10-5-1 UFC) had to solve a tricky puzzle, and she did just enough, edging Fiorot on the scorecards to earn a unanimous decision.

It wasn’t dominance. It didn’t need to be. It was a win over one of the division’s most difficult outs, and it came at a time when the title picture is wide open.

Valentina Shevchenko, the two-time flyweight queen, is sidelined with injury. Natalia Silva and Cong Wang are set to headline UFC 332 on Oct. 3, with the belt on the line. That leaves Grasso in the perfect spot: clear, logical No. 1 contender on a two-fight win streak, with a fresh claim to another title shot.

She’ll watch Silva vs. Wang with more interest than anyone else on the roster. Whoever emerges with the belt knows what’s coming next: a sharp, seasoned former champion who has already climbed the mountain and looks ready to do it again.

Curtis Blaydes vs. Serghei Spivac: A Heavyweight Litmus Test

Curtis Blaydes won, but he didn’t win many hearts.

His unanimous decision over Waldo Cortes-Acosta (17-4, 10-4 UFC) in the lone heavyweight bout of the main card carried significant divisional implications, but the fight itself never caught fire. Blaydes (20-6, 1 NC; 15-6, 1 NC UFC) did what he needed to do, kept control, and walked away with another victory on a résumé that already labels him as the gatekeeper to the top five.

He’s alternating wins and losses, stuck in a holding pattern just outside the title conversation. After a performance like this, he shouldn’t be anywhere near a championship fight. The next step has to be meaningful without being premature.

Serghei Spivac fits that bill.

Spivac (18-7, 9-7 UFC) has quietly carved out a reputation as a rugged, grappling-heavy heavyweight who can drown opponents with pressure. Matching “The Polar Bear” with the division’s premier takedown machine is more than just a stylistic curiosity; it’s a measuring stick for both.

Can Spivac handle Blaydes’ relentless wrestling? Can Blaydes shut down another dangerous big man and remind everyone why he’s still a problem for anyone outside the elite few?

It’s the kind of fight that doesn’t need trash talk. The clash of styles sells itself.

David Martinez vs. Mario Bautista: A Contender Emerges

David Martinez walked into Noche UFC 4 with momentum and walked out with something bigger: credibility.

Tasked with welcoming longtime featherweight Dan Ige to the bantamweight division, Martinez (15-1, 4-0 UFC) refused to be overawed by the veteran’s name or experience. “Black Spartan” leaned on precision and volume, pressed the action, and steadily pulled away on the scorecards to secure a unanimous decision.

The crowd didn’t always love the tempo, but the result is undeniable: an 11-fight win streak, a perfect UFC record, and the sense that the DWCS graduate is ready for a serious step up.

Mario Bautista is that step.

Bautista (18-3, 12-3 UFC) is riding back-to-back wins, including a crucial victory in his rematch with Cory Sandhagen at UFC 329. He’s tough, tested, and entrenched near the top of the division. Matching him with Martinez isn’t just clever matchmaking—it’s a potential title eliminator.

The winner would have a compelling case to stand next in line for a shot at gold. The loser would still remain firmly in the mix, but with a much longer road back.

Noche UFC 4 didn’t just celebrate a date on the calendar. It quietly set up a series of fights that could define the next year in multiple divisions. Now the question is simple: which of these winners will turn opportunity into something more?