Mexico and England are scheduled to kick off within the Spherical of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Mexico Metropolis’s Estadio Azteca tonight at 8pm ET (Monday, July sixth, 1am JST), however the match is already trying like a melodrama. FIFA tried to maneuver the kick-off ahead by six hours, citing thunderstorms in Mexico Metropolis, however this was ultimately backed down after each associations expressed their displeasure. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre referred to as the proposed modifications “gut-wrenching” earlier than FIFA quietly withdrew the concept.
mexico vs england
Mexico, which performs at an altitude of seven,220 toes, has misplaced simply two of its 89 video games. In the meantime, England wanted Harry Kane’s brace within the 74th minute to defeat the Democratic Republic of the Congo within the Spherical of 32, making Kane the primary English participant to attain twice in a World Cup ultimate since Gary Lineker in 1990. The 2 international locations had solely met as soon as within the World Cup, with England defeating Mexico 2-0 within the group stage in 1966 and transferring on to win the trophy. England have gained all of their final 4 tournaments, however none of them have been performed at altitude in entrance of 87,000 Mexicans, the place a spot within the quarter-finals was at stake.
Whereas the footballers remedy that, there are extra vital points right here. If you happen to lined up the 5 finest MMA fighters of all time from every nation, who would win?
Mexico lineup
Brandon Moreno “Murderer Child”
From constructing piñatas in Tijuana to changing into the primary Mexican-born UFC champion in historical past, Brandon Moreno’s story would most likely be ruined if Hollywood tried to make it right into a film. The 125-pound flyweight holds a 23-10-2 report and fought 4 instances towards Deiveson Figueiredo in one of the crucial entertaining rivalries the flyweight division has ever produced. He gained the title towards Figueiredo at UFC 263 and defended it with a TKO at UFC 283, changing into a two-time champion within the course of. He trains underneath Crew Fortis MMA, has 11 submission wins, and his floor recreation is one thing you would not need to discover by yourself.
The Tijuana native, who began coaching on the age of 12 and as soon as cited Rocky Balboa as one among his heroes, has a cage-like presence that makes the gang cringe at any time when he takes a step.
Yair Rodriguez “The Panther”
Yair Rodriguez is the sort of fighter who makes you neglect what you noticed earlier than he confirmed up. The featherweight, born in Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua, has constructed a profession round taekwondo-based putting, unconventional motion and creativity, incomes him 9 UFC bonuses, probably the most in UFC historical past.
He gained the interim featherweight title towards Josh Emmett in February 2023. His 4:59 KO of Chan with an elbow within the ultimate seconds of the fifth spherical stays one of the crucial iconic finishes in UFC historical past. A black belt in Taekwondo and a grasp of Valle Circulation Hanging, El Pantera has competed in 5 Combat of the Evening bonuses throughout his profession. He began off with a win in TUF LATAM’s first season in 2014, which tells you it is the place he all the time needed to be.
Alexa Grasso
On March 4, 2023, at UFC 285, Alexa Grasso choked Valentina Shevchenko in 4 rounds to turn out to be the UFC ladies’s flyweight champion and the primary Mexican and Latin American lady to carry a UFC title. The Guadalajara-born fighter boasts a report of 17-5-1 and made historical past towards probably the most dominant ladies’s champion of the previous decade. She drew a break up resolution with Shevchenko in a rematch and retained the belt, however finally dropped it within the third combat at UFC 306 in September 2024.
Grasso is a official striker who scores 4.11 important strikes per minute and stands 5 toes 5 inches tall with a 66 inch attain. She has been coaching with Diego López at Robo Fitness center in Guadalajara, however at 32 years outdated she remains to be removed from completed.
Diego Lopez
Technically, Diego López was born in Manaus, Brazil, however moved to Mexico on the age of 19 and constructed his profession there, coaching at Lobo Fitness center in Guadalajara, opening a gymnasium referred to as Brazilian Warriors in Puebla, and strolling out waving each the Brazilian and Mexican flags. At this level Mexico claimed his rights, and he quickly claimed Mexico as nicely. He has a UFC report of 28-8-0 (10 KOs, 12 submissions) and has twice challenged for the featherweight title towards Alexander Volkanovski in 2025. He knocked out Sodiq Yousaf in 1 minute 29 seconds at UFC 300, and Pat Sabatini in 1 minute 30 seconds at UFC 295, leading to back-to-back one-round destruction on the most important playing cards of the 12 months. A 2nd diploma black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he began coaching on the age of 5, as his father ran a Jiu-Jitsu gymnasium at dwelling, and has a strong basis within the artwork.
Sphere’s look at UFC 306, the second annual Noche UFC to be held over Mexico’s Independence Day weekend in September 2024, was basically a nationwide coming-out occasion for Lopez. He dominated Brian Ortega for 3 rounds inside one of the crucial visually spectacular venues within the historical past of the game, incomes a knockdown within the first spherical earlier than successful by unanimous resolution (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) and declaring to the featherweight division that he was prepared for a title shot.
And in June 2026, Lopez opened probably the most uncommon occasion in UFC historical past, UFC Freedom 250, on the South Garden of the White Home, knocking out Steve Garcia within the second spherical. A left hook harm Garcia and Lopez flashed a proper hand to the jaw, however referee Mike Beltran waved it away at 2:42. He then instructed Joe Rogan that he felt “unbelievable” and provided to come back again in the primary occasion if wanted. The person can not help himself.
Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez was the primary Mexican standard-bearer for the UFC heavyweight division and the template that acquired Mexican combat followers hooked on the game at 265 kilos. Velasquez, the son of Mexican migrant staff from Salinas, California, is a two-time UFC heavyweight champion and the primary Mexican-American to win a gold medal in a serious contact sport.
He gained his first title by stopping Brock Lesnar within the first spherical of UFC 121, however then misplaced to Junior dos Santos, then gained consecutive video games towards dos Santos, and defended towards Antonio Silva, exhibiting overwhelming power. His wrestling fundamentals from Arizona State College gave him the sort of strain and cage management that made it just about unimaginable to cease at his peak.
England squad line-up
Michael Bisping “The Depend”
Michael Bisping is the best British combined martial artist of all time. The Manchester-raised middleweight went 29-20-9 within the UFC, fought on headline playing cards in seven international locations, greater than every other fighter in UFC historical past, and have become the primary British champion in UFC historical past when he knocked out Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 in 2016 on 14 days’ discover. He was 37 years outdated when he did it.
His 1,567 important strikes within the UFC have been probably the most within the firm’s historical past on the time of his retirement. Bisping gained Season 3 of The Final Fighter in 2006, first competed in Britain’s distinctive No Holds Chook occasion on the age of 15, and skilled as an expert kickboxer earlier than switching to MMA. He was inducted into the UFC Corridor of Fame in 2019 and presently co-hosts the podcast Imagine You Me and likewise works as an analyst.
Leon Edwards “Rocky”
Leon Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and grew up in Aston, Birmingham after his father was murdered when he was 14, drawn into gang tradition, after which marched to the native combined martial arts gymnasium by his mom to maintain him off the streets. It paid off, and he turned the UFC welterweight champion. Kamaru Usman’s head kick KO within the fifth spherical of their rematch at UFC 278 was one of the crucial dramatic finishes in UFC welterweight historical past and was named ESPN’s 2022 Knockout of the 12 months.
He defended his title towards Usman by majority resolution at UFC 286 in London, making his 12-fight undefeated streak within the UFC welterweight division the second-longest in historical past, together with Georges St-Pierre. He has an general report of 21-3-1 at North Carolina, trains on the UTC Fitness center in Erdington, Birmingham, and refused to maneuver to america even on the peak of his profession. Second British UFC champion in historical past.
tom aspinall
Tom Aspinall is the present undisputed UFC heavyweight champion after Jon Jones formally retired in June 2025 and Aspinall was promoted from interim title. The Salford-born heavyweight held the interim title for 535 days earlier than being promoted, making it the longest interim title reign in UFC historical past. His report is 15-3-0 with 12 knockouts and 14 first-round finishes, together with interim title wins over Sergei Pavlovic (69 seconds) and Curtis Blaydes (60 seconds). He completed off Alexander Volkov with an armbar in simply over three minutes, submitted Andrei Arlovskiy, and stopped Marcin Tybura in 1 minute and 13 seconds. In different phrases, this man will not final lengthy within the recreation.
He took an curiosity within the sport by means of his father and trains at Crew Caobon in Atherton, and stands 6ft 5in tall with a 78in attain. The 33-year-old is probably the most full heavyweight England has ever produced.
Paddy Pimblett “The Buddy”
Paddy Pimblett entered the UFC from Liverpool in September 2021, bringing with him the power of a person who had already been well-known for years as a former Cage Warriors featherweight champion. The light-weight has an expert report of 23-4-0, seven knockouts and 10 submissions, and has defeated a lot of the UFC roster by knockout or submission. At UFC 314 in April 2025, he stopped Michael Chandler, and at UFC 304 he was submitted by King Inexperienced with a triangle choke, reaching a nine-fight successful streak, however misplaced to Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 in January 2026.
Subsequent Era MMA A 2nd diploma Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt skilled in Liverpool, ‘The Buddy’ is among the hottest fighters within the promotion worldwide. His subsequent combat at UFC 329 is already booked towards Benoit Saint-Denis in July 2026.
Dan Hardy “The Outlaw”
Nottingham’s Dan Hardy is a wild card on this record, however he has earned a spot. The welterweight fought Georges St-Pierre for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 111 in 2010, surviving each submission try GSP threw at him over 5 rounds. Hardy made his UFC debut in 2008 and compiled a 25-10-0 report within the division, together with wins over Carlos Condit and Marcus Davis.
After a four-year layoff because of a coronary heart situation referred to as Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, he returned to UFC Combat Evening in 2012 and ultimately retired. Hardy has carved out a second profession as one of the crucial revered MMA analysts and commentators within the business, serving in that position for a few years with PFL and stays a distinguished voice within the sport.
With 10 fighters, two international locations, and nil weight lessons, there’s completely no technique to decide a definitive winner. That is precisely what makes this recreation so enjoyable. Mexico will ship a flyweight world champion, an interim featherweight champion, the primary Latin American ladies’s UFC title holder, a Brazilian who selected Mexico a lot that she opened a gymnasium there, and a two-time heavyweight champion who has the octagon on the Mexican flag. England will tackle the best welterweight opponent of all time within the first British UFC champion, a former world welterweight champion who made head-kick historical past, the undisputed present heavyweight champion, Liverpool’s most charismatic export, and a welterweight who as soon as almost hit an armbar however refused to stop regardless of a coronary heart situation.
On paper, England’s depth on the prime is debatable, with Bisping, Edwards and Aspinall all real world title holders, with Aspinall presently sitting on the prime of the game’s largest division. However Mexico’s cap with Moreno and Rodriguez is simply as legitimate, with the Grasso department alone rewriting the chances for Mexican fighters within the UFC. The reality is that both crew can fill any card on the planet, and promoters will write huge checks to e-book both crew.
