Daniel Zellhuber Defeats Francisco Prado at UFC Fight Night in Mexico City
The 24-Year-Old Fighter from Mexico City Earns a Unanimous Decision Victory in Front of a Hometown Crowd.
What an epic night for MMA in Mexico! Monster Energy congratulates MMA athlete Daniel Zellhuber on defeating Francisco Prado at UFC Fight Night 237 in Mexico City. In the lightweight division fight, the 24-year-old from Mexico City went the distance to claim a unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) after three rounds.
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 was contested in front of 20,000 spectators inside Arena CDMX in Mexico City. With five fights on the card, the event was broadcast live to fans on the ESPN+ service.
Monster Energy’s Zellhuber (15-1) stepped into the Octagon on a two-fight victory streak. Nicknamed “Golden Boy,” the rising MMA star from Mexico City defeated Lando Vannata in April 2023, and earned a submission victory over Christos Giagos for a $50,000 bonus at UFC Fight Night 322 in September 2023.
Zellhuber’s opponent on Saturday night was 21-year-old Francisco Prado (12-2). The Argentinian MMA fighter most recently knocked out Ottman Azaitar at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva in July 2023.
Cheered on by the hometown crowd in Mexico City, Zellhuber opened the fight with confidence and strategy. Keeping his distance with fast footwork, Zellhuber hurt his opponent by landing precise jabs and body kicks while Azaitar fired big punches in a close first round.
The second round saw Zellhuber bloody Azaitar’s eye and nose, but the Argentinian returned fire and landed damaging shots. Nevertheless, Zellhuber retained the upper hand and dealt a punishing knee to the body and more hits to Azaitar’s swollen left eye.
The final round started with Zellhuber dealing a heavy knee to the shoulder. As Azaitar began swinging wildly with big shots, Zellhuber kept out of range, connecting precise jabs to the head. The crowd was behind their hometown hero in the final moments of the fight when both fighters unloaded until the bell.
When all was said and done, Zellhuber’s precision and control earned him the victory by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
“Francisco is a very tough guy. I rocked him with some very hard shots, and he didn’t go down. Being able to do this in front of all my people, it’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Monster Energy’s Zellhuber upon winning his lightweight division fight at UFC Fight Night 237.
Zellhuber is now on a three-fight win streak with a 3-1 record in the UFC. After building a perfect 11-0 record in his professional career across Mexican fight promotions, he earned the chance to compete in Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021. Zellhuber made his UFC debut in September 2022. Keep a close eye on this rising young talent!
