The UFC's fourth annual Noche UFC landed at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on September 12 — the promotion's Mexican Independence Day weekend tradition, this time headlined by a featherweight clash between No. 6-ranked Jean Silva and short-notice replacement Jose Miguel Delgado.
“"A former champion trying to get back on track. Top contenders fighting for a potential title opportunity. And undefeated prospects looking to announce themselves."”
A former champion trying to get back on track. Top contenders fighting for a potential title opportunity. And undefeated prospects looking to announce themselves.
Here were the biggest storylines heading into the 13-fight card.
The main event nobody expected
Jean Silva was originally scheduled to face former interim title challenger Yair Rodriguez. When Rodriguez withdrew because of an undisclosed injury, Jose Miguel Delgado — a fellow Dana White's Contender Series alum — stepped in on short notice.
That turned a highly anticipated matchup into a completely different opportunity.
Silva, ranked No. 6 at featherweight, was looking to move back toward the title picture. His second straight Noche UFC headlining slot came after a chaotic loss to Diego Lopes the previous year — stopped by a spinning back elbow — and a rebound victory over Arnold Allen in January.
Delgado, fighting in front of Arizona fans, had the chance to make a huge jump with the biggest victory of his UFC career. Beat a ranked contender in a main event, and suddenly everyone knows your name.
A former champion at a crossroads
Brandon Moreno had already been a UFC champion — a two-time flyweight titleholder and one of the most beloved fighters in the division.
But he entered Noche UFC 4 riding a two-fight losing streak, facing TUF 33 winner Joseph Morales — a rising fighter trying to establish himself at the highest level, and one who had finished both of his UFC fights by submission.
For Moreno, another defeat would raise serious questions about where he stood among the division's elite. For Morales, beating a former champion could dramatically accelerate his own rise.
This was more than a fight between two flyweights. It was a fight between two different stages of a career.
Two undefeated prospects collide
Tommy McMillen and Marwan Rahiki were both undefeated heading into Glendale, and their featherweight matchup had already generated plenty of attention during fight week — their confrontation at the ceremonial weigh-ins turned physical, forcing security to intervene.
McMillen (11-0) was coming off a record-setting performance in Oklahoma City, where he landed 252 significant strikes in a three-round fight. Rahiki (9-0) had built his record on a 100-percent finish rate, with back-to-back UFC finishes since joining the promotion.
For undefeated prospects, these are the fights that can change a career. One fighter leaves with the first loss of his professional career. The other leaves with an undefeated record — and potentially a much bigger spotlight.
More than just another UFC card
Noche UFC is designed around Mexican Independence Day, and the card featured several fighters with Mexican heritage, including Brandon Moreno, Alexa Grasso and David Martinez.
The full main card, airing on Paramount+, also featured Manon Fiorot vs. Alexa Grasso in a women's flyweight clash with title implications, heavyweights Curtis Blaydes vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta, and bantamweights David Martinez vs. Dan Ige.
Six bouts on the main card, seven on the prelims — and by the end of the night in Glendale, several fighters would find themselves in completely different positions than where they started.
