Silva submits Delgado and gets rid of the thorn in his side with UFC Noche
The Brazilian fighter submitted the Mexican to redeem himself from his loss a year ago to Diego Lopes
A year ago, Jean Silva (18-3) experienced the bitter side of defeat at UFC Noche when he was knocked out by Diego Lopes with a spinning elbow. However, in 2026 things have changed for the Brazilian fighter, as he submitted José Delgado (12-3) to crush his aspirations on a very special night for the Mexican people. In this way, "Lord" is now on the verge of a featherweight title shot , although he did it the hard way after being close to getting knocked out in the first round.
'In theory, Silva should have faced Yair Rodriguez. However, an injury to "El Pantera" forced the UFC to look for a short-notice replacement , and Delgado was the one who benefited as the other big Mexican name in the division. It was a very big step up in quality for him, but in the first round he landed good shots on Jean and came very close to pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the year.'
"Far from falling apart, Silva went from being calculated to going on the attack, and after a beautiful slip he dropped Delgado with a counter shot and ended up submitting him with a rear-naked choke. A performance that could earn him a shot at the featherweight belt against the winner of the title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev which will take place at the end of October at UFC 333.
McMillen vs Rahiki, one of the best fights of the year
In the co-main event, Mexico had better luck, as Brandon Moreno (24-10-2) managed to overcome Joseph Morales (15-3) by split decision to put behind the two consecutive losses he had suffered in recent months. The former flyweight champion looked very technical in the striking, and in the post-victory interview he acknowledged that he was back after going through an emotional rough patch that had affected his performances.
That said, the fight of the night was the one everyone was waiting for: Tommy McMillen (12-0) vs Marwan Rahiki (9-1). The best fight of the event, and one of the best of the year. A no-holds-barred war in which the Australian fighter came very close to knocking out the American in the second round, but ultimately succumbed by unanimous decision to the grit and resilience of Sean O"Malley’s teammate. In fact, Tommy could also have finished the bout in the third round, but both were far too exhausted. There was a lot of beef between them before the fight, and they more than lived up to expectations in a matchup that could very well happen again in a few years , when both are established in the top 15 at featherweight.
Grasso sets her sights on the belt
Another notable performance was that of Alexa Grasso (18-5-1), who gave a striking masterclass to Manon Fiorot (13-3) to more than earn a shot at the women's flyweight belt. Now that Valentina Shevchenko is sidelined with a long-term injury, the most likely scenario is for the former champion of the division to face the winner of the title fight between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong.
Yousri Belgaroui (11-3) also shone brightly with a brutal KO over Djorden Santos (11-4), as did Tommy Gantt (13-0, 1NC) with a great submission over Drakkar Klose (16-4-1) in the third round. However, the card’s biggest finish was delivered by Sean King III (7-0), with a suplex on Jessie Rosas (8-2) just 30 seconds in that completely silenced the Arizona crowd. A special Fight Night for what it represents for Mexico, and an event that can be described as one of the best of the year not counting the numbered ones.
Jean Silva defeated José Delgado by submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 2:57
Brandon Moreno defeated Joseph Morales by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27).
Tommy McMillen defeated Marwan Rahiki by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27).
Alexa Grasso defeated Manon Fiorot by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Curtis Blaydes defeated Waldo Cortes-Acosta by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
David Martínez defeated Dan Ige by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Tim Elliott defeated Edgar Chairez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ignacio Bahamondes defeated Muslim Salikhov by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Yousri Belgaroui defeated Djorden Santos by technical knockout (strikes) – Round 1, 4:25
Tommy Gantt defeated Drakkar Klose by submission (inverted triangle choke) – Round 3, 2:46
Rong Zhu defeated Rafa Garcia by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sean King III defeated Jessie Rosas by knockout (slam) – Round 1, 0:36
Regina Tarin defeated JJ Aldrich by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
