For Brandon Moreno (Mexico, 1993), there are no complicated situations. The Mexican fighter (21-8-2) has a new acid test this Saturday, November 3, to keep his hopes of regaining the flyweight belt alive, a category in which he was a two-time champion. His opponent will be Iraq’s Amir Albazi (17-1), a prospect who has yet to lose in the UFC in his five fights. For a warrior who was fired from the company at one point and then came back to be champion, this is just another bump in the road.
If he loses, it would be three defeats in a row for ‘The Assassin Baby’, which would put him in a very difficult situation in the category. Brandon Moreno took a division destined for oblivion to be one of the most exciting thanks to his personality, so beloved by MMA fans. His four wars against Deiveson Figueiredo for the title are already history for the company.
The first was a draw, the second was won by the Mexican by submission, the third by the Brazilian by decision, and the fourth and final – after knocking out Kai Kara-France before – was won by Brandon by medical stoppage. This forced Figueiredo to move up to the bantamweight division, while Moreno was able to fulfill the promise he had made years earlier to have the belt one day, when the UFC cut him in 2018 after two straight losses. ‘The Assasin Baby’ returned just over a year later, and already a champion he became a real superstar for his country.
Alexandre Pantoja, his eternal nemesis
However, when he was at his best, he crossed paths again with his nemesis, Alexandre Pantoja. The Brazilian fighter had already beaten him twice, one of them the culprit of his dismissal and another in ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. In 2023, a great winning streak by the Brazilian earned him a third fight with Moreno, whom he beat again to take the belt by split decision.
This was a hard blow for the Mexican, who took the rest of 2023 off to come back stronger in 2024. However, his return on the Mexico card last February against Brandon Royval showed a Brandon Moreno very different from that aggressive and courageous fighter that people were used to.
The last time I went away and came back, I was world champion
Brandon Moreno, excampeón de peso mosca de la UFC
His performance caused him to lose again by split decision, which led him to another long break. “It’s not a goodbye, I tell them: ‘Wait for me, be patient, it’s waiting for my mind to get right to do things right again’. The last time I left and came back, I was world champion,” he said in March. It has been just over eight months since that bad experience for ‘The Assassin Baby’, who this time wants to make a statement to prove that at 30 years old he is more relevant than ever.
Albazi, a tough nut to crack
The reality is that Brandon Moreno’s opponent is not the one he wants to get back to winning ways, as Amir Albazi is one of those names destined to do great things in the UFC. The Iraqi began his professional career in 2009, and went on to have a record of 11-0 with 10 finishes – six submissions and four KOs. The only loss of his career came in Brave FC against Jose Torres by decision, which did not prevent him from earning a contract with the UFC after another submission victory.
He made his UFC debut in 2020, and since then he has five wins and four finishes to his name, putting him one step away from a title fight. It is true that his last victory against Kai Kara-France was by split and very controversial decision, but Brandon Moreno is aware of the finishing ability of his opponent. Whoever wins that fight, if they do so convincingly, will be placed as the top contender for the flyweight belt.