On the final UFC pay-per-view card of the year, former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno attempts to stake his claim to the throne as he faces one of the best contenders Japan has ever produced.
Brandon Moreno faces Marquee Flyweight at UFC 323
After a brief hiatus from competition for most of 2024 after losing back-to-back fights to Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval, Brandon Moreno has looked dominant in his recent promotional appearances. The previous 125-pound gold standard outscored stalwart Amir Albazi in his return match last November at UFC Fight Night 246 and nearly put himself back in championship contention with a stunning win over Steve Erceg last March.
With the title looming closer than ever on the horizon, Moreno may now only need one more emphatic win to earn another shot against the streaking Alexandre Pantoja. That victory won’t come easy, however, as “The Assassin Baby” draws the real Tatsuro Taira for his final assignment of 2025 at UFC 323 next month.
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Tough test for Brandon Moreno in Taira’s form this Saturday
Bouncing back from his own unfortunate setback against the aforementioned Royval, the first of his professional career, the Blackbelt Japan flyweight product shot back into the winner’s circle by defeating then-undefeated Park Hyun-sung. Despite the Korean’s mind-boggling 100% finish rate, Taira had little trouble taking his opponent to the canvas before landing an impressive face crank to move him up to 2-1 in UFC main events.
Brandon Moreno fights for fourth bid against flyweight king
Brandon Moreno has been a flyweight staple for nearly a decade and has fought some of the most respected fighters in the weight category, including Askar Askarov, Kai Kara-France and Deiveson Figueiredo. He also made it to 125 pounds twice, cementing his legacy as a legend of the weight class and of the entire sport. However, despite all his accolades, there is one opponent that Moreno still hasn’t been able to figure out, and that is current top flyweight Pantoja.
During their professional tenure, both men clashed three times: once in Ultimate Fighter Season 24, where the Brazilian knocked out the Mexican, and twice in the Octagon, with Pantoja twice getting the nod on the scorecards. Their last meeting at the time of this writing took place over two years ago in the co-main event at UFC 290, a bout that saw “The Cannibal” take the title away from Brandon Moreno after a hard-fought split decision.
Can Brandon Moreno score the last chance at the championship?
Over the course of his reign as flyweight king, Pantoja has separated himself from the rest of the division by leaps and bounds, racking up four championship defenses. He is currently booked to fight rising contender Joshua Van at UFC 323, the same card on which “The Assassin Baby” will compete. For Brandon Moreno, a convincing victory over Taira is paramount to propel himself towards UFC gold. More than that, however, it will likely be his last attempt to beat the dominant Pantoja as the company may not grant him a fourth chance after losing to the same man three times.
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