Brandon Moreno’s career can be summed up in five words: “It all happened so fast.” Although he is an example of perseverance, he is accustomed to sudden changes. On Saturday, he will fight at Arena Ciudad de Mexico for the fifth time, fourth as a headliner and, at 32 years old, close to completing his first contract in the UFC. It went by quickly for him. The Tijuana-born flyweight is an unforgettable figure for Mexican mixed martial arts fans. In June 2021, he became the first Mexican-born UFC champion when he submitted Deiveson Figueiredo with a stunning rear-naked choke in the third round at UFC 263. That was the second in a string of six consecutive championship bouts over three years for Moreno — four against Figueiredo — a span of time that passed in the blink of an eye.
Since that six-title streak ended with a split decision loss to Alexandre Pantoja in July 2023, Moreno has gone 2-2, including a decision over Steve Erceg last March that gave Moreno his first win in Mexico City. On Saturday, ESPN’s No. 7-ranked flyweight takes on Lonier Kavanagh in a five-round fight with a chance to defeat an exciting prospect and get back on the flyweight contenders list. But a loss could put him in limbo, as he would be an attractive name for events focused on Latino fans but far from championship considerations.
Moreno needs a convincing win to add to his decade-long legacy in the UFC. He changed the history of Mexican mixed martial arts, but as he reflected on his journey, he still felt young enough to keep fighting.
Entering “TUF” and making an exciting debut
Moreno joined the UFC amid TV drama. After spending months as Henry Cejudo’s training partner, the former two-division champion helped Moreno make the roster for Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2016, where he was scheduled to train Cejudo against Joseph Benavidez. The contestants were seeded 1 to 16 in a bracket tournament, with Moreno at No. 16. Cejudo Pantoja then selected the No. 1 seed for his team, sending Moreno to Team Benavidez. Moreno was bounced from the show after his loss to Pantoja, and his friendship with Cejudo ended.
But all is not lost. While the reality show was airing, an opportunity arose to replace Sergio Pettis against the then UFC champion. 9 flyweight, Louis Smolka. Not only did Moreno submit Smolka in the first round for the win in short order, but he also received his first $50,000 performance bonus.
“I was living in the moment,” Moreno told ESPN this week. “It was all so fast, I didn’t have time to think. When they called me to fight Louis Smolka, I didn’t hesitate; it was what I wanted. I was just happy that they gave me the uniform, took pictures and did some interviews. I didn’t focus on anything else. It was fun to hear (broadcaster) Bruce Buffer say my name – it helped me enjoy the moment.”
Moreno said the reward instantly changed his life.
“I was at the bar after the fights,” Moreno recalls. “Sean Shelby (UFC matchmaker) came and told me I got my first bonus. So I bought my first house and gave my family a better life.”
He picked up another win on the final card of “The Ultimate Fighter” two months later against Ryan Benoit. He finished ranked Dustin Ortiz the following April, opening the door for Moreno to fight in his first UFC main event in Mexico City against Pettis.
End of the first half
Moreno was the first in his “TUF” class to land a UFC main card, but it ended as quickly as it started. “It was like a debut; everything happened so fast,” Moreno said of his first loss in the UFC. “In one year, I had three fights, and by August 2017, I was fighting Sergio Pettis. I was young, and I wanted to conquer the world. I realize now that Sergio had more experience. I was sure I could win, but (his previous eight fights in the UFC) were too heavy.”
Although he appeared safe in the promotion with a 3-1 record, executives were considering cutting the division at the time, putting all flyweights in jeopardy. After a fight against Ray Borg in Brooklyn was canceled due to injuries Borg sustained when Conor McGregor attacked a fighter’s bus before UFC 223, Moreno signed a rematch with Pantoja in Santiago, Chile, in May 2018.
“I lost in Chile in May with two losses, and it was one of the easiest cuts when they wanted to get rid of the first division,” Moreno said. At the time of his release, one of Moreno’s daughters began experiencing health challenges, and mounting medical expenses were without the assurance of a steady income.
“There were many obstacles I had to overcome at the same time,” he explained.
Return
Although his relationship with Cejudo was broken, the Olympic champion inadvertently helped Moreno once again. In August 2018, Cejudo captured the belt from Demetrius Johnson, ending Johnson’s 11-fight reign at flyweight and his rocky relationship with the UFC. Johnson’s departure opened up new possibilities for a weight class that had become impenetrable.
After a year without a fight, “The Assassin Baby” received an offer to fight for the flyweight title against Cuban Mikel Perez – a very dangerous contender – in the LFA, a promotion that became a stepping stone to the UFC.
“I knew Michael, I trained with him, I wrestled with him and he destroyed me,” Moreno said. “I was nervous but I took a risk. I won, signed with my current management agency who had a good relationship with the company, and returned to the UFC.”
Even though he knew it was a dangerous battle, he had a strong reason for winning: “It was comfort and an inner fire. I couldn’t have my family go through those problems again because of me; that was a great motivation.”
Height
Moreno re-signed with the UFC a month after winning the LFA title, and once again, he was in a hurry. He drew with Askar Askarov in September 2019 in Mexico City in his comeback fight, beat Kai Cara France three months later at UFC 245 and beat Jussier Formiga in March 2020.
In November of that year, he faced Brandon Royal at UFC 255, winning by TKO due to injury. That same night Figueiredo submitted Alex Perez in the first round. Amid one of the promotion’s most complicated years, UFC CEO Dana White has decided to face Moreno and Figueiredo three weeks later in the main event of UFC 256.
The fight was one of the most exciting in the division’s history but ended in a draw, starting a rivalry that could take four fights to decide. Moreno won the second encounter, becoming the 125-pound champion in June 2021. Figueiredo regained the title at UFC 270 in January 2022, and a year later, Moreno ended the story with a TKO victory in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 283. Along the way, Moreno also beat Cara France for a second time for an interim title shot at UFC 277, then lost the belt at UFC 290 to Pantoja, another professional rematch.
“It’s been very productive years, I can’t complain,” Moreno said. “It paved a way for my family’s future. I traveled a lot, and I worked a lot trying to build that future for my daughters and my wife. It drained my energy a little bit, but I don’t deny that those years helped me a lot. Championship fights, interim events, main events, five-round camps, and travel came, all of which helped shape my career and legacy today.”
After losing the belt, he faced the best teams in the division, but a painful loss to Tatsuro Taira at UFC 323 in December prompted him to return as soon as possible.
The hero without a crown
The flyweight division has a promising future, with 24-year-old champion Joshua Phan and several quality contenders, such as Tyra, Manel Kabe, Kyoji Horiguchi and former champion Pantoja. But Moreno’s connection with the fans makes him one of the most popular fighters in the division.
“I like to think I’m in the top five in the division (all-time),” Moreno said. “No one is going to dethrone (the greatest flyweight of all time) Demetrius Johnson, at least in the near future. Current champion Joshua Vann has every time to make history, but I think I’m in the top five.”
Despite this, he is not satisfied. He said he still feels very young but has to understand that he started this journey at a young age.
“I think my path is full of experience,” he said. “I know I’m the most experienced fighter in the division but I’m still very hungry. At the end of the day, I want to be a champion. But I think the essence of fighting is what motivates me — the competition, getting up early, the discipline, the sweat, and that primal feeling of getting into a fight with another guy.” Being a UFC champion is a great accomplishment. Losing it and getting it back is an even greater accomplishment. But doing it a third time would be the highlight of his career. Moreno envisions a scenario in which a win pits him against another top-five contender — and puts him one step closer to a new title shot.
“This would put my name in a high place in the history of this sport,” Moreno said. “I’m doing everything I can – keep working, getting up early, being disciplined in training. I’m an example that if I want to achieve my goals, I can, and my goal is to become a champion again.”
