Brandon Moreno has faced UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja three times, but victory has eluded him each time.
Their most recent encounter at UFC 290 in July 2023 ended in a razor-close split decision that favored Pantoja. Moreno followed this up with a unanimous decision loss to Brandon Royval in February before taking a step back from competition.
Despite these setbacks, coach Sayif Saud remains confident that Moreno has what it takes to dethrone Pantoja. Moreno made a triumphant return to the Octagon in November at UFC Alberta, where he defeated Amir Albazi in the main event, snapping the Iranian's six-fight win streak in the process.
You look at the talent of the flyweights — they are so good, all of them,” Saud told MMA Junkie. “Manel [Kape] looked amazing, Royval too. But to me, Brandon [Moreno] is still the most complete fighter overall. If you look at Brandon’s last fight with Pantoja, I feel like if that was judged with today’s criteria emphasizing damage, we win that fight.
Saud acknowledges that Moreno’s history with Pantoja complicates the path to a fourth bout. Still, he believes Moreno is better prepared than ever to face the reigning champion.
That fight was so close, but it’s kind of gotten lost in the narrative because Brandon has lost to him before,” Saud said. “The thing is, Brandon now is even better, but Pantoja is also better. You can’t take anything away from Pantoja — he’s dominating and finishing opponents. But Brandon’s skill set matches up so well with him. I think Brandon could absolutely win that fight.
Saud understands that the UFC might hesitate to book a fourth fight between Moreno and Pantoja so soon, given their history. However, he believes Moreno is always just one fight away from earning another title shot.
We’ve got to see what happens with Brandon. He’s one fight away, I think, all the time,” Saud explained. “But the question is, who? I get why Mick Maynard and the UFC aren’t giving us the title shot right now — they’ve already fought so many times. Even though I think it’s probably the best fight out there, personally.
Saud speculated about potential contenders, including Kai Kara-France, but questioned whether the New Zealander could handle Pantoja’s dominant ground game.
Kai is amazing and will do great on the feet, but I just don’t know if he can handle Pantoja’s ground game. He’s not easy to take down, but you saw Albazi take him down and take his back. Meanwhile, Albazi couldn’t even get close to Brandon — it wasn’t even close.
For now, Saud is taking a wait-and-see approach. He remains optimistic that circumstances — such as an injury to another top contender — could pave the way for Moreno to step in.
We’ve just got to sit and wait. Maybe one of Manel or Royval gets hurt, and we step in to fight that guy. Or we fight someone else and see what happens. But I truly believe Brandon matches up best with Pantoja, and he’s capable of finally beating him.