UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 predictions, picks, odds

It's not often that UFC Fight Nights catch the eyes of casual MMA fans as they're not as flashy as the pay-per-view events. However, a quick glance at the participants in the main event this evening will turn heads due to some familiar names featuring in the fights.

This special edition of UFC Fight Night comes to audiences live from Mexico City. Each of the bouts on the main card features one prominent Mexican fighter, all leading up to Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega and Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 2 as the co-main and main events respectively.

The main event, Moreno vs. Royval 2, is a rematch from UFC 255 back in 2020. Moreno was scheduled to fight Amir Albazi in this headliner, but the Iraqi fighter withdrew from the event due to an ongoing neck issue. Royval happily stepped in to get his shot at revenge, even on just one month's notice.

The last time these flyweights fought was in front of an empty arena at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreno — who was a -180 favorite that evening — won the fight via TKO with a few seconds left in the first round. Both fighters are coming off losses by decision to the current flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja.

There's little doubt that Royval will perform better this time around with more than three years to develop as a fighter. However, many — myself included — do not believe he's as refined as the two-time UFC Flyweight Champion.

The American is always moving, and he's found ways to use that agility to his advantage in recent years. However, the one thing that remains unchanged from the last time these two met is Royval's inability to grapple at an elite level. He spent more than 15 minutes of his fight against Pantoja on the ground and he surrendered eight takedowns to the champ.

Moreno has a much stronger ground game, as he showed at UFC 255 against Royval. The Mexican flyweight controlled much of the first round with ground domination before putting the finishing touches on his opponent. He's comfortable fighting on his feet too, though, where he brings a patient approach.

Moreno packs a punch — to say the least. He's incredibly powerful, disciplined and tactical in his approach to each fight. The 30-year-old is the only fighter to knock out Royval in his career, so don't expect lightning to strike twice.

In the end, this is essentially a tune-up for Moreno — who hasn't fought since July — before getting another shot at the belt. He's seen more than 50% of his career fights (16/28) finish inside the distance and his opponent has only gone to a decision once in his last five. My favorite play here is , which you can get at +350 odds at DraftKings.

Let's take a look at the line-up for the evening, as well as the odds for each fight on the Main Card, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:

UFC Fight Night 237

Time/TV: Main card starts at 9 p.m. CT (ESPN+)

Location: Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico

Main Card (Projected winners in Italics):Daniel Zellhuber (-270) vs. Francisco Prado (+220); Raul Rosas Jr. (-225) vs. Ricky Turcios (+185); Yazmin Jauregui (-575) vs. Sam Hughes (+425); Manuel Torres (-192) vs. Chris Duncan (+160)

Co-Main Event: Yair Rodriguez (-148) vs. Brian Ortega (+124)

Main Event:Brandon Moreno (-298) vs. Brandon Royval (+240)