Brandon Moreno has plenty left to give in UFC’s flyweight division.
The promotion’s return to Canada at UFC Edmonton was capped off by a vintage Moreno victory over Amir Albazi this past Saturday. Earning a one-sided unanimous decision nod to hand Albazi his first UFC loss, Moreno snapped a two-fight losing skid that keeps him in the thick of contention at 125 pounds.
Despite the positive result, Mexico’s favorite fighting son finds himself in a tricky spot with two losses — three including “The Ultimate Fighter” — to the current champion Alexandre Pantoja. Outside of Pantoja, Moreno has already fought several of his fellow top contenders multiple times.
Moreno, 30, noted after his Albazi win that he sees one more win before returning to a title fight as realistic. In the meantime, Pantoja will defend his title against the former two-time RIZIN bantamweight champion and UFC newcomer Kai Asakura on Dec. 7 at UFC 310. Therefore, it leaves fans wondering what’s next for “The Assassin Baby.”
“I would love to say, ‘Hey, my performance was fantastic so I think I deserve the next title shot,'” Moreno said Wednesday on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “If the UFC called me today to send me that, let’s go. I’m gonna make it happen. But [Brandon] Royval is doing an amazing job.
“I understand the position of the division right now. So, maybe a rematch with Brandon Royval would be nice. Tatsuro Taira is there. He lost to Brandon but I don’t know, man. A lot of names are coming. What did Manel Kape say? My performance was terrible last weekend, or something like that.”
A combination of Pantoja and Royval setbacks in consecutive rematches temporarily took Moreno off the winner’s trail. Although they were losses on paper, Moreno put up highly entertaining and competitive efforts that resulted in split decisions. The Royval fight, in particular, came on short notice after an injury pulled Albazi from the matchup this past February.
Moreno and Royval are 1-1 in their two-fight series, but a trilogy clash might be too soon. Royval has since picked up another big win, handing the previously undefeated 16-0 Tatsuro Taira his first loss at UFC Vegas 98 in October.
Regarding Kape, he’ll have to get through Bruno Gustavo da Silva at UFC Tampa on Dec. 14. After that, Moreno is happy to take on the Angolan.
Moreno’s status as a former two-time champion could ultimately also be enough to secure him a title shot without winning another fight. That possibility increases if Asakura can dethrone Pantoja.
“I know it’s not my opportunity for the title right now, so what Pantoja is doing right now, I don’t care,” Moreno said. “He can fight with whoever he likes and I’m getting my next opportunity for the title.
“It’s good for the division to get Kai Asakura. He’s good. I think I trained with him two years ago. Good striker, very fast. I think he’s gonna be complicated for Pantoja. He has to put a lot of attention on him.”
Moreno announced intentions to take a much-needed hiatus in February after the loss to Royval. A hiatus typically doesn’t draw expectations of a return in less than a year, but the former champion looked like his vintage self in UFC Edmonton’s return against Albazi. Moreno said he stopped training of any kind during his break, focusing primarily on spending time at home with his family. The brief relaxation period was a healthy reminder of how much Moreno loves the sport and what he does.
When getting ready to come back, the goal was clear — back up any talk and put on an amazing show.
“I was just very tired, you know?” Moreno said of his time away from the sport. “Tired [from] all the responsibilities, to be always in the main [event] spot and have two, three years fighting in main events, for titles. It’s always important fights in my career, which is what we’re [pursuing], and my goals. But all the pressure, all the responsibilities, at some point it was too much.
“You don’t even realize all the pressures you’re holding on your back. You really feel it at the end. That’s why I decided to take the little break. A lot of people thought I was done and tried to retire, and see what happens in my future. But no, everything was very clear. I just needed to rest. I just needed to be with my family, with my daughters, and stop flying and traveling for training camps.
“I kind of forgot this amazing feeling when you win and just spend time with your coaches, with your team, with my wife, and we’re just around the hotel talking sh*t to each other, making jokes,” he continued. “It’s very cool to remember all those good moments. That’s the thing, man. When I feel good, I know good things are going to happen with me and my loved ones around me.”
Fighters have been more open about mental struggles in recent years. Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and perennial lightweight contender Dustin Poirier have been some of the notably outspoken advocates for speaking out on darker times.
As happy and positive as he always is on the outside, the light can even dim for Moreno, which he recently dealt with.
“You always have those negative thoughts when things are not your way, for sure,” Moreno reflected on his losing streak. “I was thinking, like, maybe that’s enough for me. Maybe the competition is more at this point of my life and maybe I don’t have enough — the necessary [skills] to keep fighting at the top in mixed martial arts.
“I think all the fighters, we pass for those kind of moments. When we doubt ourselves a little bit, all the greatest find a way to go out of that dark situation and keep going.”
Another challenge Moreno battled was fulfilling those old highs after all he’s already accomplished.
The losses have been fewer than the wins since his 2016 arrival in the UFC, when Moreno entered Portland’s Moda Center on short notice as a sizable underdog to the surging contender Louis Smolka and left with a big first-round guillotine upset. The loudest reaction from the crowd that night went to Moreno. As long as his new experiences can still deliver similar feelings, Moreno will stay on the pursuit.
“Maybe it’s impossible to replicate all the feelings when you start, but if you can get a little piece, that’s really cool,” Moreno said.
“I made my UFC debut when I was 22 years old, eight years ago, almost nine. That’s very crazy, but this right now, just the energy I feel, I feel refreshed. I feel better.”