UFC Mexico City lost a fight, but quickly found a replacement.
Season 9 Contender Series contract winner Sofia Montenegro was slated to make her UFC debut this weekend (Sat., Feb. 28, 2026) inside Arena CDMX. However, she has withdrawn from the bout for undisclosed reasons, leaving Ernesta Kareckaite without an opponent just days before fight night.
That vacancy didn’t last long as undefeated prospect Regina Tarin has stepped in on just three days’ notice to make her Octagon debut in Mexico City. The fight will be at a 130 lb catchweight
Eurosport was first to report the news.
Tarin (7-0) is a 21-year-old knockout artist who was already scheduled to compete in a Muay Thai bout this weekend in Mexico City, making the turnaround slightly less chaotic than usual. A three-fight veteran under the Combate Global banner, Tarin picked up a notable win over former Ultimate Fighter competitor Kaytlin Neil last year.
“Kill Bill,” Tarin boasts an 84 percent finish rate, with four knockouts and two submissions. She has gone to the judges’ scorecards just once in her professional career. For what it’s worth, she also reportedly participated in a WWE tryout back in January.
Kareckaite (6-1-1) enters the matchup at 1-1 in the UFC. She is coming off a split-decision victory over fellow Contender Series alum Nicolle Caliari, rebounding from a promotional debut loss to Dione Barbosa at UFC 301.
Checkout UFC Mexico City’s final lineup below (fingers crossed):
Brandon Moreno vs. Lone’er Kavanagh
David Martinez vs. Marlon Vera
Daniel Zellhuber vs. King Green
Felipe Bunes vs. Edgar Chairez
Kevin Borjas vs. Imanol Rodriguez
Santiago Luna vs. Angel Pacheco
Ryan Gandra vs. Jose Medina
Macy Chiasson vs. Ailin Perez
Kris Moutinho vs. Cristian Quinonez
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Javier Reyes
Ernesta Kareckaite vs. Regina Tarin
Francis Marshall vs. Erik Silva
Damian Pinas vs. Wesley Schultz
