The UFC returns to Mexico this Saturday night, with UFC Fight Night 78. Headlined by #13 ranked Kelvin Gastelum vs. #15 Neil Magny, there’s a lot to be excited for this weekend.

Gastelum is coming off a strong TKO win over Nate Marquart at middleweight, but is being allowed another chance at welterweight, despite missing weight twice in his last four fights. Magny is coming off another short notice fight, where he won a decision over Erick Silva in August.

In the co-main event,  #4 ranked featherweight Ricardo Lamas welcome legendary brawler and TUF 1 winner, Diego Sanchez, to featherweight for the first time. Down the card at flyweight, Henry Cejudo will look to make his case for a flyweight title shot as he takes on #3 ranked, Jussier Formiga. The rest of the card features a number of intriguing matchups, including a number of Mexican natives making their return.

Fight of the Night

Even though Andre Fili vs. Gabriel Benitez is a preliminary bout, it looks certain to be an exciting matchup with a great chance at FOTN honors. Both guys throw down and have exciting, well-rounded styles. Fili has had mixed success in the octagon, but has shown a propensity for losing in exciting style, most notably in his last fight where he was the victim of a Godofredo Pepey flying triangle choke. Benitez has a style that compliments the sometimes wreckless Fili, and there is a great chance of one of these fighters being finished after a couple of back-and-forth rounds. The combination of power and submission prowess that will be on show here should make for an unpredictable and exciting showdown that will be hard to top.

Performance of the Night

Gastelum will no doubt be disappointed that his original opponent, Matt Brown, pulled out injured, but the pressure is still on for him to deliver an impressive performance. Magny is a worthy replacement, but doesn’t bring the same sense of danger to a fight that Brown would have. Gastelum is a versatile fighter that should be looking for a finish here, and whether by taking the back of Magny or pounding him out for a TKO, I expect him to get the stoppage. Magny is a very solid fighter, but Gastelum is not someone you want to face on short notice. Look for Gastelum to score a finish and take home a POTN award in his first main event.

Alejandro Perez gets a chance to make a splash in the bantamweight division by taking on UFC and WEC veteran Scott Jorgensen this Saturday. After a 23 second submission loss to Patrick Williams on the last Mexico card, Perez will be looking to put on a show for his native country this time around. Jorgensen is a respected veteran, but has been on the decline for some time now. He has lost five of his last six fights, and has been finished in three of these. This fight should be a showcase for Perez if he approaches it correctly, and as a slight betting underdog, a finish will be all the more impressive. Perez should hit Jorgensen with a big shot early for the TKO win, and score a bonus for his efforts.

About The Author

Chris Kennefick
Staff Writer

Chris Kennefick is a journalism graduate and a native of Dublin, Ireland. Chris first became aware of MMA when he stumbling onto a video of Fedor versus Hong-Man Choi, and has been hooked ever since. Chris is currently enjoying and closely observing the Irish MMA boom, but also has aspirations of one day living somewhere where he won't have to stay up until 6am to watch his favourite fighters live. In his downtime, he also enjoys athletics, poker and travelling.