Combat sports: Mendoza wins in Mexico

Brian Mendoza is back in the ring — and back in the win column.

Mendoza, a Cleveland High School graduate, defeated Jesús Antonio Rojas by fourth-round TKO Friday on a pro boxing card in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

After Mendoza’s dramatic, seventh-round knockout of previously unbeaten Sebastian Fundora in April 2023, earning the WBC interim super welterweight title, Mendoza (23-4, 17 KOs) lost high-profile bouts by decision to Tim Tszyu (in a challenge for the WBO super welter title) and to Serhii Bohachuk for the WBC interim belt Mendoza had won against Fundora.

Mendoza had been idle for 15 months since the Bohachuk fight. He had a fight on the ill-fated Signature Punch Promotions card, scheduled for the Pit in April, fall through along with the entire card.

Rojas (12-11-2, 10 KOs), of Ciudad Delicias, Chihuahua, was a late replacement for Mendoza’s original opponent in Juárez.

PICO’S PATH: When wrestling star Aaron Pico entered the MMA ranks in 2017, Bellator didn’t hesitate to throw him into the deep water. He lost three of his first seven fights.

Now, eight years and 13 victories in 14 Bellator fights later — the lone loss coming due to a dislocated shoulder — the UFC is doing the same.

Pico, a California native who trains in Albuquerque at Jackson-Wink, is scheduled to make his UFC debut in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates against unbeaten (19-0) Russian Movsar Evloev on July 26.

After a 16-month hiatus while he negotiated his way out of his Bellator contract, Pico probably doesn’t care who his opponent is.

He just wants to fight.

GAETHJE APPEARANCE: UFC star Justin Gaethje is scheduled to make a guest appearance on Anthony Pettis’ July 27 MMA card at Isleta Resort & Casino.

Pettis, himself a former UFC fighter, has been promoting under the banner of Anthony Pettis FC for some two-and-a-half years. Though he was never based in New Mexico, he was a frequent visitor to Albuquerque’s Jackson-Wink MMA and knows the territory.

His July 27 main event matches Jackson-Wink middleweight Dahlen Wilson (9-4) against Roland Dunlap (4-0) of Oceanside, California.

Names familiar to area fans listed on the card include Rio Rancho’s Jalin Fuller and Albuquerque’s Henry Barahona.

CAPTAIN JOS: Las Cruces amateur boxer Joscelyn Olayo-Muñoz, named a captain of USA Boxing’s Youth High Performance team, was scheduled to leave Sunday for Colorado Springs. She’ll train there with her teammates before flying to Germany for The Brandenburg Cup competition, scheduled for July 29-Aug. 3.

Olayo-Muñoz, a recent graduate of Las Cruces High (where she ran track for the Bulldawgs), has 16 national amateur boxing titles to her credit.

THE BLOOD KEEPS COMING: In January, the Journal published a photo of veteran fighter Cody East’s blood-covered face after a BYB bare-knuckle event at Revel ABQ. Too graphic, some Journal readers complained.

Fortunately, the Journal owns no rights to almost identical photos of East taken after his fight on a BKB (same organization, different name) event staged on June 21 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Unfortunately for East, this time he lost.

On Jan. 11 in Albuquerque, East defeated Dylan Rush by fourth-round TKO when Rush was unable to answer the bell for round five.

In Nashville, doctors ordered East’s fight against Utah’s Jarome Hatch stopped in the fourth round due to the damage inflicted on East — not that Hatch emerged unscathed.

After Hatch’s hand was raised, East collapsed to the canvas.

On June 25, East proudly displayed twin photos of his bloody countenance — one from January in Albuquerque, one from June in Nashville.

The non-squeamish can view them on East’s Instagram feed.