Flyweights
Mateus Mendonca (10-2, 0-2 UFC) vs. Jesus Santos Aguilar (9-2, 1-1 UFC)Mendonca’s UFC career has been a disappointment thus far, to say the least. Mendonca looked absolutely electric in earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, winning via knockout in just 48 seconds and appearing to be a prospect who could hit the ground running at bantamweight. However, a UFC debut against Javid Basharat was a bit too much too soon. Mendonca put in a game effort but clearly lost a decision to a fighter who would be ranked in most other divisions. It came as a surprise when it was announced that Mendonca’s next fight would come down at flyweight, and the Brazilian’s performance in a loss raised even more questions about what to make of him going forward. Mendonca’s style has typically relied on high-risk aggression, but his commitment to a low-percentage kneebar submission as Nathan Maness pounded him unconscious was the poorest showing of his career. Mendonca is still a 25-year-old with a ton of impressive tools, but he will need to show something here against Aguilar. Mexico’s Aguilar is an entertaining fighter, as he has a case as the stockiest fighter on the UFC roster. He makes up for his short reach by attempting to cover ground quickly, charging forward and hunting for a finish either on the feet or on the mat. Aguilar is at his best as a grappler, so a submission loss in his UFC debut against top prospect Tatsuro Taira was a bit disappointing. Even so, after Aguilar’s 17-second demolition of Shannon Ross in July, that result was quickly forgotten. Mendonca has all the ability to either clip Aguilar immediately or pick him apart from range, so he could win in spectacular fashion. Yet the surer bet seems to be the Mexican and his much more focused approach. The pick is Aguilar via first-round submission.
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