‘The Assassin Baby’ has got an incredible story with heart and determination taking him to the top of the sport after having his dream fall apart.
Brandon Moreno has produced some of the greatest fights in the history of the flyweight division but there was a time when his tenure came to an end.
The former titleholder recently showed that he is here to stay as Moreno put on a clinic against Amir Albazi to bounce back into the win column.
He now looks to continue this momentum when he headlines this weekend’s Fight Night card in Mexico City against former title challenger, Steve Erceg.
Whilst he has become a fixture at the top of the 125-pound division, in 2018, he became a casualty of the flyweight division clear out.
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Brandon Moreno was cut from the UFC before becoming the first Mexican-born champion
Brandon Moreno’s entry into the UFC wasn’t a straight path as he was eliminated by Alexandre Pantoja in the first fight on The Ultimate Fighter 24 after being the lowest ranked seed.
Despite this, the Tijuana-native arrived in the Octagon whilst the show was still airing and hit the ground running with three consecutive wins.
His momentum ended here with back-to-back losses to Sergio Pettis and Pantoja which led to him being shockingly cut from the roster at a time where the future of the flyweight division was hanging in the balance.
Whilst the UFC eventually decided to keep the 125-pounders around, Moreno went away and won the LFA flyweight title during an incredibly difficult chapter of his life that tested his resolve.
His dedication and perseverance led him back to the Octagon where he faced Askar Askarov in Mexico City, fighting to a split draw that many believed he deserved to win.
Whilst his return to the UFC didn’t bring the result that he would’ve wanted, Moreno went on to prove that he was one of the vert best in the division by stringing together three wins over top opponents in Kai Kara-France, Jussier Formiga and Brandon Royval, Moreno earned a massive opportunity.
He and the champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, took no damage in their UFC 256 wins and as a result, both men agreed to meet at the following month’s PPV event, UFC 256 in December of 2020.
An instant classic title fight resulted in a majority draw but many felt that the underdog challenger had come away as the winner in the eyes of the fans after defying the odds with an incredible display of heart and toughness.
In the rematch, Moreno left no room for debate as he put in arguably the best performance of his career before submitting Figueiredo in the second round to go from a fighter who was cut from the roster to a world champion in the space of three years.
Brandon Moreno still has more chapters to write
Despite everything that he has been through in his MMA career, Brandon Moreno is still only 31-years-old.
Even since he won the title at UFC 263, the Mexican star has lost it again, won the interim title and then unified the belts to close out his quadrilogy with Deiveson Figueiredo.
Moreno returned after back-to-back losses and some time off with a statement performance against Albazi which showed that he still belongs right at the top.
‘The Assassin Baby’ has still got many twists and turns still to come in what has been as storybook career thus far.