Brandon Moreno is determined to reclaim UFC gold but acknowledges that the journey back to the top may be more challenging than winning it initially. Moreno first clashed with Deiveson Figueiredo for the flyweight title at UFC 256, ending in a draw. He claimed the title in their rematch at UFC 263 in June 2021 via submission. However, he lost the belt to Figueiredo in a close decision at UFC 270. Moreno rebounded with an interim title win over Kai Kara-France at UFC 277 by TKO and unified the flyweight title in a trilogy fight with Figueiredo at UFC 283, winning via TKO.
In July 2023, Moreno lost the title to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 by split decision, followed by another decision loss to Brandon Royval in February 2024. Earlier this month, he bounced back with a decision win over Amir Albazi.
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Moreno affirmed his commitment to reclaiming the championship and believes he has what it takes to wear the belt again. “Being very honest with myself, I think that, sporting-wise, Royval is likely the one who most deserves the opportunity,” Moreno said. “I have no problem saying that at all. He’s done a very good job, and in his last fight against Tatsuro (Taira), he looked very good. It was a great fight.”
He added, “There’s also Kai (Kara-France), but he’s in a weird position. He deserves it after his knockout against (Steve) Erceg, but I think my performance was very good, and Royval is right there, too. Kai has the most awkward position.”
Moreno acknowledged that he likely needs one more fight to earn his title shot. “As far as names, there’s Tatsuro Taira, Manel Kape, and maybe Kai Asakura, depending on his fight with Pantoja at UFC 310,” he said. “I’m just going to stay healthy and be ready for whatever comes next.”
