Lone’er Kavanagh took his opportunity and ran with it at UFC Fight Night 268 when he pulled off arguably the most noteworthy upset of 2026 so far against former champion Brandon Moreno.
Kavanagh (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) stepped in as a replacement for Asu Almabayev on roughly three weeks’ notice as he was preparing for a bout later this month, and he maximized his chance with a clear unanimous decision victory over Moreno (23-10-2 MMA, 11-6-2 UFC) on Saturday – and in enemy territory no less at Arena CDMX in Mexico City.
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Many pundits thought this was too great a step up for Kavanagh. Maybe he had the skill set to give Moreno trouble on his best night, but on short notice? At elevation? In Mexico? After a knockout loss to Charles Johnson in his previous fight? No way.
Kavanagh flipped the script, however, by landing clean strikes in the opening rounds including a near-stoppage. He rendered Moreno largely unwilling to strike after that. The two-time champion tried only to push him against the fence and steal a decision. The right man won, and now the 26-year-old from England is a relevant part of the discussion in the ever-evolving flyweight division.
With Joshua Van set to defend vs. Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327 on April 11 in Miami, and Alexandre Pantoja waiting for the winner, there are several notable names who aren’t booked that Kavanagh could share the octagon with next.
Longtime contender Brandon Royval is coming off back-to-back losses against Manel Kape and Van, but he is a proven veteran who has challenged for the title and would be another firm test for Kavanagh.
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At 33 and with many wars under his belt, Royval (17-9 MMA, 7-5 UFC) is in a spot at which he needs to prove he’s still worthy of his top-five spot at 125 pounds. Derailing the flourishing hype around Kavanagh would be one good way to do it.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Mexico matchmaker: Who’s next for Lone’er Kavanagh after win?
