UFC Fight Night 114: Pettis vs. Moreno | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Dana Black
- May 20
- 7 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 114: Pettis vs. Moreno took place on Saturday, August 5, 2017 at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico — broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 to 859,000 average viewers (988k peak, 633k FS1 prelims). The card drew 10,172 fans. The main event was a five-round flyweight bout between Sergio Pettis and Brandon Moreno — with Moreno competing in front of a home Mexican crowd.
Pettis won by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-46, 48-46), handing Moreno the first UFC loss of his career on home soil. Alexa Grasso defeated Randa Markos by split decision in a battle of two Mexican fighters before the home crowd. No Fight of the Night bonus was awarded. Niko Price, Humberto Bandenay, Dustin Ortiz, and Joseph Morales each earned Performance of the Night. Sam Alvey’s split decision over Rashad Evans was the card’s most significant career-narrative result.
Mexico City Returns — 859k Viewers & Moreno’s Home Loss
The Arena Ciudad de México holds approximately 22,000. The UFC’s Mexico City card generated 859,000 average Fox Sports 1 viewers — one of the highest viewership figures for a 2017 UFC Fight Night, reflecting the Mexican market’s consistent commercial pull for UFC Fight Night programming when the card features Mexican fighters. Brandon Moreno — from Tijuana, Baja California — had come into the card on an 11-consecutive-win streak with seven submission finishes. His first UFC loss on home soil was one of the year’s more emotionally loaded competitive results.
Alexa Grasso — from Guadalajara, Jalisco — was returning to action after her loss to Felice Herrig at UFC Fight Night 104 in Houston. Her split decision win over Markos in front of the Mexico City audience added a second Mexican fighter’s narrative to the card’s commercial story. Islam Makhachev had been scheduled to fight Michel Prazeres on the card but pulled out in early August; the replacement, Mads Burnell, was moved to the Rotterdam card scheduled a month later.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, August 5, 2017
📍 Venue: Arena Ciudad de México, Mexico City, Mexico
👥 Attendance: 10,172
📺 Broadcast: Fox Sports 1 — 859,000 avg. viewers (988k peak, 633k FS1 prelims)
🏆 Main Event: Sergio Pettis vs. Brandon Moreno — Flyweight (5 rounds; Moreno 1st UFC loss on home soil; Pettis on 3-fight win streak)
✅ Result: Pettis def. Moreno via UD (49-46, 48-46, 48-46) (Moreno dominated R1 with body triangle/RNC; Pettis took over R2-5 with superior striking)
Main Event: Pettis Outworks Moreno Over 5 Rounds
Moreno’s opening round was the Mexico City crowd’s best moment: he secured a body triangle on Pettis, worked for a rear-naked choke, and maintained the position for most of the first five minutes. Observers argued the round was 10-8 for Moreno given his complete control. His grappling quality — which had produced 11 consecutive wins before Mexico City — was evident and genuine.
From round two, Pettis’ striking superiority asserted itself. The younger brother of former UFC LW Champion Anthony Pettis showed the footwork, head movement, and combination quality that separated him from Moreno on the feet. By round five, with Moreno attempting desperately to bring the fight back to the ground, Pettis controlled the range and accumulated scoring strikes. The unanimous decision was a comprehensive competitive result over rounds two through five, sufficient to overcome the contested first round.
Grasso’s Bounce-Back, Bandenay’s 26-Second KO & The Card
Alexa Grasso’s split decision over Randa Markos — a close three-round SBW battle — was the Mexico City crowd’s second celebration: Grasso is from Guadalajara and the Mexican audience’s connection with a Mexican fighter competing in front of them produced a warmth that Markos’ competent effort could not prevent. Humberto Bandenay’s 26-second knee KO of Martin Bravo was the card’s fastest finish and most emphatic individual performance: a knee strike at just 0:26 of round one.
Sam Alvey’s split decision over Rashad Evans was the card’s most significant career-narrative result. Evans was 37 years old and had won only two of his last seven UFC fights. His split decision loss to Alvey — a fighter known for crowd-pleasing brawls but not elite contendership — produced media discussion about the appropriate point for Evans to consider retirement. Niko Price’s TKO of Alan Jouban at 1:44 of R1 was Price’s return to a UFC win following his FN104 no-contest result. Dustin Ortiz earned PoN for his finish of Hector Sandoval.
Full Results
Main Card (Fox Sports 1)
Sergio Pettis def. Brandon Moreno — Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-46, 48-46) — Flyweight (5 rounds; MORENO’S FIRST UFC LOSS; on home soil in Mexico City; Moreno dominated R1 with body triangle; Pettis struck brilliantly R2-5)
Alexa Grasso def. Randa Markos — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Women’s SBW (Grasso hometown crowd Guadalajara; bounce-back from FN104 Herrig loss)
Niko Price def. Alan Jouban — TKO (punches) — R1, 1:44 — WW (PoN $50k; Price returns to win after FN104 marijuana NC)
Humberto Bandenay def. Martin Bravo — KO (knee) — R1, 0:26 — FW (PoN $50k; 26-SECOND KNEE KO!)
Sam Alvey def. Rashad Evans — Split Decision — MW (Evans 2 wins in last 7 UFC fights; career narrative at crossroads)
Alejandro Perez def. Andre Soukhamthath — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — BW
Preliminary Card (FS1 / UFC Fight Pass)
Jack Hermansson def. Brad Scott — TKO (punches) — R1, 3:50 — MW
Dustin Ortiz def. Hector Sandoval — [finish] — FW (PoN $50k)
Rani Yahya def. Henry Briones — BW
Jose Quinonez def. Diego Rivas — FW (Quinonez early UFC career)
Joseph Morales def. Roberto Sanchez — [finish] (PoN $50k)
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: NOT AWARDED
🥇 Performance of the Night: Niko Price + Humberto Bandenay + Dustin Ortiz + Joseph Morales — $50,000 each
Records & Milestones
• Brandon Moreno’s first UFC loss — ending an 11-consecutive-win streak on home soil in Mexico City.
• 859,000 average Fox Sports 1 viewers (988k peak) — one of the strongest Fight Night viewership numbers of 2017.
• Humberto Bandenay’s 26-second knee KO — the fastest finish on the card.
Legacy & Impact
Moreno’s Mexico City loss was a significant setback but not a career-defining one. His UFC career recovered with wins over Dustin Ortiz, Alexandre Pantoja, and Jussier Formiga before the UFC FW Championship trilogy with Deiveson Figueiredo: losing at UFC 256 in December 2020, winning the title at the UFC 256 rematch in June 2021, and trading the belt across three consecutive championship fights. His first UFC loss on home soil was the beginning of a competitive journey that produced the most celebrated flyweight series in UFC history. Alexa Grasso’s Mexico City win contributed to a rebuilding phase that eventually produced the UFC Women’s SBW Championship against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285 in March 2023.
Rashad Evans’ Mexico City split decision loss to Alvey deepened his declining career narrative. He fought once more in 2018 — a KO loss to Anthony Smith at UFC 225 — before retiring. His career ending with a string of losses to Sam Alvey, Glover Teixeira, and Anthony Smith reflected the physical toll of competing at the highest MW level through his late thirties. Sam Alvey’s win over Evans was one of the defining commercial moments of his UFC MW career.
FAQ
Why was Moreno fighting at flyweight when he’s Mexican?
Moreno is from Tijuana, Baja California, where he trained at Entram Gym before his UFC signing. His competitive weight class is flyweight (125 lb) — a division with no cultural weighting toward any specific national market. Mexican fighters historically compete most prominently at featherweight and lightweight, making Moreno’s flyweight career commercially unusual for the Mexican UFC market. His Mexico City appearance was his first UFC fight on home soil and generated the strongest individual crowd reaction of the card’s Mexican fighters.
What was Alexa Grasso’s significance in Mexico?
Grasso was the UFC’s most commercially significant Mexican women’s fighter at the time. Her Guadalajara origin, attractive fighting style, and rising SBW ranking made her the highest-profile Mexican woman on the card. Her loss to Felice Herrig at FN104 in Houston earlier in 2017 had broken a 3-fight win streak; her Mexico City split decision win restored her trajectory. The Mexican crowd’s warm reception for her decision win — even in a closely contested fight — reflected her growing commercial significance in the market.
What was the state of Rashad Evans’ career by Mexico City?
Evans was a 37-year-old former UFC LHW Champion who had moved to middleweight from LHW. His career from 2013 onwards had produced wins over Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen, but a 2-5 record in his final seven UFC fights. The Mexico City loss to Alvey — a fighter known for entertainment rather than elite contendership — was the result that prompted the clearest public discussion of whether Evans should retire. He fought once more in 2018 before stepping away from competition.
Who was Sergio Pettis at this stage?
Pettis was a 23-year-old Milwaukee flyweight and the younger brother of former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis. He had won five of his last six UFC FW fights entering Mexico City. His technical striking style — influenced by his Pettis family martial arts training background — was the tool that overcame Moreno’s grappling over five rounds. His Mexico City win elevated him to UFC FW contendership consideration, with the title picture dependent on Ray Borg’s upcoming fight with Demetrious Johnson at UFC 215.
What was Islam Makhachev’s situation?
Makhachev had been scheduled to fight Michel Prazeres on the Mexico City card but pulled out in early August. He was a 25-year-old Dagestani lightweight affiliated with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s training camp, and had been in the UFC since 2015. His Mexico City pullout was one of several early career scheduling difficulties that preceded his eventual emergence as one of the UFC’s most dominant champions. The withdrawal moved Prazeres to the Rotterdam card the following month, where he faced Mads Burnell instead.
Why were four PoN bonuses awarded instead of a FotN?
The UFC’s Fight of the Night bonus requires a bilateral competitive exchange that both fighters contributed to at an exceptional level. Mexico City’s card produced four individual performances — Price’s TKO, Bandenay’s 26-second KO, Ortiz’s finish, and Morales’ finish — that each warranted individual recognition without any single fight meeting the FotN standard. The pattern of four PoN awards and no FotN reflects a card that produced one-sided individual finishes rather than competitive exchanges.
References
Comments