Mexican Independence Day has been a staple for the UFC, and this Saturday will be no different.

This time, the UFC will host its Mexican Independence Day card in Glendale, Ariz., with nine fighters representing Mexican heritage.

Last year’s UFC Noche card was, by all accounts, one of the most exciting of the year, and this one with 13 bouts could easily match it.

The card begins at 2 p.m. on Paramount+.

UFC Noche predictions

Jean Silva vs. José Delgado

This looks to be a little eliminator at featherweight if Silva comes out victorious over Delgado, who comes in here on short notice.

Delgado agreed to this fight just three weeks ago, which is the reason he’s a +350 underdog.

Silva is a scary fighter with insane amounts of explosive energy that he dumps out if he doesn’t land a finish.

The last time we saw Silva on Mexican Independence Day, he beat the brakes off Diego Lopes but couldn’t get him out of there in the first round.

He completely ran out of gas in the second round and was finished by Lopes in phenomenal fashion.

The winning fighter will be the one who lands the most body work in this fight. Silva has strong hooks to the body, and Delgado does a lot of good work there, too.

His kicks are a particularly interesting option if he wants to maintain a solid distance from his opponent.

Silva will go alpha-aggressive in Round 1 and will probably try to get Delgado out of there early. If Delgado is still standing into Round 2, live bet him.

Prediction: Delgado live if he survives Round 1 (+500 or better)

Brandon Moreno vs. Joseph Morales

On the wrong side of his career, Moreno is another big name who probably shouldn’t be in a co-main event spot in the UFC.

Moreno has lost his past two, getting outstruck 125-88 in those two fights. Even in his win over Steve Erceg in March 2025, he was out-landed 116-89.

At his best, Moreno was an insatiable fighter who could out-volume anyone, grapple when needed and put on a pace that his opponents could not keep up with.

That appears to have escaped him at this point, as Moreno has lost four of six and is now 32, quite old for the bantamweight division.

I am kind of surprised that Moreno is only +110 here; I think Morales is an excellent rising prospect with strong grappling skills and legitimate power to take opponents out.

Morales hasn’t won by knockout since a minor league promotion bout at CFFC in 2017, but the 12/1 number is quite tempting considering I don’t suspect Moreno will succumb to a submission as a hard-nosed grappler himself.

I prefer the moneyline angle on Morales with a small shot at KO/TKO.

Predictions: Morales ML (-115, theScore Bet) | Morales by KO/TKO (+1200, Fanatics)

Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps

UFC Noche full card picks

Tommy McMillen vs. Marwan Rahiki: McMillen ML (-142, DraftKings) | McMillen by KO/TKO (+310, FanDuel)

Manon Fiorot vs. Alexa Grasso: Grasso ML (+210, theScore Bet) 

Waldo Cortes Acosta vs. Curtis Blaydes: Cortes Acosta by decision (+312, Kalshi)

David Martinez vs. Dan Ige: Fight goes the distance (-159, Polymarket) 

Tim Elliott vs. Edgar Chairez: Chairez by KO/TKO (+650, FanDuel) 

Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Muslim Salikhov: Bahamondes by KO/TKO (-105, DraftKings)

Yousri Belgaroui vs. Djorden Santos: Belgaroui by KO/TKO (-125, DraftKings) 

Drakkar Klose vs. Tommy Gantt: Gantt by KO/TKO (+165, FanDuel) 

Rafa Garcia vs. Rongzhu: Rongzhu wins and the fight starts round 2 (+100, DraftKings)

Sean King III vs. Jessie Rosas: Live bet Rosas after round one (+300 or better)

JJ Aldrich vs. Regina Tarin: Aldrich by decision (+310, FanDuel)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.