3 cities the UFC needs to travel to in 2024

1. Mexico City, Mexico

At one point this year, Mexico had three champions in the UFC. Unfortunately, one evening in July, Brandon Moreno lost his flyweight title in an all-out war against Alexandre Pantoja. On the same card, Yair Rodriguez failed to promote himself from interim to undisputed featherweight champion against Alexander Volkanovski in UFC 290's headliner.

Losing never leaves a sweet taste. But if there's any loss to have no shame in, it would be those two bouts. Moreno and Pantoja gave us a potential Fight of the Year. Assassin Baby just fell short in the cards. As for El Pantera, Volkanovsi is Volkanovski. The featherweight king has yet to find anybody on his level in the weight class-- making every top contender look average.

On the bright side, one champion from south of the border still lies northmost in her division. Alexa Grasso pulled the upset against Valentina Shevchenko in March to win the women's flyweight strap. Grasso will rematch Shevchenko for the title in September.

Mexico is a familiar host to the UFC. UFC 180 took place in Mexico City in 2014. This was followed by UFC 188 in 2015, where the infamous and ironic submission of "Cardio Cain" Velasquez in the hands of Fabricio Werdum happened. The UFC held four more events in Mexico after, with the last one in 2019 ending in a no-contest between Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens.

Mexico is a proud fighting nation, and right now feels like the golden age of Mexican talents in the UFC. With or without title implications, you can bet the house that a UFC event in Arena CDMX will sell out quickly.

In February, the UFC also announced its plans to open a Performance Institute in Mexico, further solidifying its plans to develop the country's MMA prospects.

So why wait? Get Grasso, Rodriguez, and Moreno on a card. Throw Raul Rosas Jr. in the lineup as well. Best believe they will put on a show.