The UFC’s new broadcast deal with Paramount is already drawing the ire of fans. For many, the grass isn’t greener on Paramount, and the promotion’s first 2026 event announcement for Mexico City, set for February 28, has them already longing for the ESPN days. Dana White & Co. will make their eighth visit to Mexico City, hosting the event inside the CDMX arena.

The year kicks off with UFC 324, where the promotion reportedly snubbed Arman Tsarukyan, instead highlighting English-speaking fighters like Paddy Pimblett to engage Western fans and drive numbers for Paramount. Even before the event begins, fans have started to “miss” the UFC-ESPN era.

The Mexico card will headline with former champion Brandon Moreno taking on seventh-ranked contender Asu Alambayev. Meanwhile, other notable bouts include Christian Quiñonez vs. Kris Moutinho in the flyweight division. The promotion recently confirmed the co-main event.

“Ailín Pérez vs. Macy Chiasson set for the co-main event of #UFCMexico on February 28th,” wrote ‘West Till Death’ on X.

Still, fans remain skeptical about women’s MMA, which hasn’t drawn much attention historically. The rest of the card also looks less exciting compared to last year’s event, which featured matchups like Manuel Torres vs. Drew Dober and Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Vince Morales.

Fans are questioning UFC’s upcoming Mexico show, especially since neither co-main event fighter is actually from Mexico.

UFC Mexico co-main event draws heat as fans mock Dana White & Co.

Last year, Dana White & Co. endured a disappointing run, as the promotion struggled to sell tickets across multiple events. Several pay-per-view and Fight Night cards failed to generate excitement, and even the promotion’s highest live gate fell short of the UFC’s top five live gates from 2024. As a result, the slump hurt the UFC’s reputation and prompted one fan to comment, “I miss the ESPN era.”

Now, as the UFC prepares for its Mexico card, the promotion is leaning heavily on Mexican fighters to help sell out the event. However, the co-main event does not feature a Mexican fighter. One fan reaction read, “Bro I thought that s–t said co-main event,” while another echoed the frustration, writing, “CO MAIN?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!.”

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Fighters like Sean Strickland have reignited criticism around women’s MMA. In fact, the former middleweight champion openly questioned fan interest in women’s bouts, stating, “I don’t think most people like to watch it. If the females in MMA were to separate from male MMA, no one is gonna watch this sh-t. No one wants to watch this sh-t. It is what it is, man. I don’t know what toF—ing tell you, dude. F—ing, it is what it is.”

Not surprisingly, some fans appeared to agree with that view. One bluntly responded, “good 15 minute speak break,” directly labeling the segment as boring.

The matchup itself has failed to spark excitement, pitting Macy Chiasson, a 34-year-old Texan on a losing streak, against Ailin Perez. While Perez, a 31-year-old fan favorite from Argentina, rides a five-fight win streak, the pairing has left fans questioning the booking for a high-profile Mexico card. One wrote, “Why this??? Why not Aldana or Alexa?? Or at least Chairez??? Ailin is good but for the Mexico card, it should’ve been somebody else.”

Another fan echoed the disbelief, commenting, “New words will need to be created to laugh at this nonsense.”

Even though the UFC has already unveiled plans stretching through August 2026, fans remain unimpressed with the promotion’s long-term vision. The frustration only grew after the UFC passed over Arman Tsarukyan for an interim title shot and instead allowed Paddy Pimblett, who is set to face Justin Gaethje at UFC 324. Analysts like Daniel Cormier criticized the move, while some acknowledged the business logic behind it.

For now, skepticism continues to grow among fans.  One summed up the mood by writing, “Years already cooked then Imao GG.”

With the promotion’s new broadcast era off to a rocky start, the lukewarm reception to the Mexico card’s co-main event suggests the UFC has work to do to win back a skeptical fanbase.