Athletes
CJ Vergara Connected All The Dots
After His Last Loss, Flyweight CJ Vergara Did Some Self-Reflecting And Is Eager To Get Back In The Win Column In Mexico
Throughout one’s career, there is often a time of reflection and learning that happens, mainly after a loss. And in a sport like MMA, sometimes losing is part of the journey. For CJ Vergara, he dealt with losses and has been able to bounce back from them. But something hit different after his defeat against Ramazan Temirov last October.
It marked the first time the flyweight had been finished by strikes and it stung a little more than others.
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“I've heard it over and over that you learn the most from the failures and I've had plenty of failures, but never one quite that extreme to where I got finished in the first round and was just completely dominated in that fashion,” Vergara said. “It led to a different level of self-reflection that I hadn't hit quite yet in my journey. From that, I really evaluated myself and what changes I could have made that I didn't and from that became the best version of myself that I've seen within. Now I'm excited to display that version of myself and to do it here in Mexico City.”
The 33-year-old is ready to get things back on track when he faces Mexico’s Edgar Chairez Saturday night in Mexico City. Even though he was born in Texas, Vergara has a lot of roots to Mexico and is excited to put on a show for the crowd inside Arena CDMX.
“I have a lot of family, a lot of my grandparents and great grandparents are from Mexico,” Vergara said. “I grew up on the border, so I have a lot of Hispanic and Latino ties to my name. I feel right at home here, and I feel like the journey that God brought me to get to this moment had to play out this way.”
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After that loss against Temirov, he took some time to look within. He said after that loss he really took it to heart and felt down for a couple of days. He wanted to focus on becoming the best version of himself inside of the Octagon and leave no stone unturned, so that, regardless of the outcome, he would feel complete and happy with what he put into the lead-up.
Part of that included coming out to Mexico City early in order to get properly acclimated to the altitude change. Vergara said it wasn’t an easy process, and early on he felt super gassed after running for only 10 minutes, but he trusted in his body and knows that he is more than prepared for fight night.
And it isn’t an easy task on Saturday night when faces Chairez, who is hungry to bounce back from his loss to Joshua Van at Noche UFC in September. Vergara is excited to test himself against someone like Chairez, who has all of his wins by finish, and a fighter that embodies the Mexican fighting spirit.
“I'm hoping to show my ability to be athletic and elusive and show my cerebral side while still being willing to step into the fire when the fire presents itself,” Vergara said. “I'm aware that he's powerful. I'm aware that he's dangerous, but I also have power. I also have danger. I have agility, I have different weapons, and I'm bringing them all to the cage that night.”
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For Vergara, all of the pieces are in place, all that’s left to do is go out and perform. And more importantly, get back in the win column.
“I'm going to get my hand raised this Saturday, and after that, I'm going to enjoy the city for a few days, return back home, continue to build on this momentum,” Vergara said. “I have a great team. I hired a new strength conditioning coach for this camp that's really elevated my fitness. I hired a new nutritionist for this camp, and we're just going to continue to build forward.”
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Erceg took place live from Arena CDMX in Mexico City on March 29, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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