Victor Altamirano wants UFC Mexico: ‘I want to be there with my people’

SAN ANTONIO – Victor Altamirano beat Vinicius Salvador with a unanimous decision Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 43 at AT&T Center in San Antonio.

Take a look inside the fight with Altamirano, a Texas resident who ignited his home fans to jerk the curtain on the event.

Victor Altamirano vs. Vinicius Salvador

Mar 25, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Bruce Buffer announces the fighters during UFC Fight Night at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Meullion-USA TODAY Sports

Result: Victor Altamirano def. Vinicius Salvador via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Altamirano (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), Salvador (14-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: Altamirano outstruck Salvador 111-77, landed three takedowns and had more than five minutes of control time.

Altamirano on the fight's key moment

Mar 25, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Victor Altamirano (red gloves) fights Vinicius Salvador (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Meullion-USA TODAY Sports

“I always expect a fight. That’s why we’re here. That’s why the fans are here – because it’s a fight. People probably wouldn’t be so excited or show up if they knew someone was going to win easy. People want to see difficulty. People want to see a fight. As long as we, the athletes, are able to deliver that, I think that we’ve accomplished their goal.”

Altamirano on the friendly crowd

Mar 25, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Victor Altamirano (red gloves) fights Vinicius Salvador (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Meullion-USA TODAY Sports

“I’m feeling great. I’m feeling really grateful to be here in my home state of Texas and I’m very happy to be fighting in San Antonio, especially because of the great Latino crowd. I’m really thankful for that. I really feel the love. I’ve been feeling it all week and it just feels great to be here in my second home.”

Altamirano on what he wants next

Jan 21, 2023; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Brandon Moreno (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Deiveson Figueiredo (red gloves) during UFC 283 at Jeunesse Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports

“I always want to call out the champion, (Brandon Moreno). That’s where I am. That is my goal. If I don’t call out the champion, then I don’t know what I’m doing. That is the main goal. That is where I want to be. That is what I want to do. And as soon as they can give me that fight, I’ll take it. I’ll fight it as soon as possible. But I do know that they’re planning a card, so I want to be in my hometown. I want to do my camp (in Mexico) with the altitude and just be there with my people.”

To hear more from Altamirano, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.