Under the bright lights of Arena CDMX, Mexico’s fighting spirit returns home with something to prove. Former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno steps back into familiar territory on Saturday night, headlining UFC Mexico City against rising contender Lone’er Kavanagh.
Moreno (23-9-2) was originally scheduled to face Asu Almabayev at UFC Mexico City, but an injury forced the Kazakh contender off the card. Kavanagh steps in to replace him, who now gets a high-profile opportunity against a former champion on hostile territory. The late opponent change adds another layer of intrigue to an already crucial flyweight clash.
“I was fine with it. UFC made it clear that they would get me another opponent, so it was no problem,” Moreno told reporters on Wednesday.
“I talked to my team and thought the work was already done, we were already on our way to Mexico City. The physical toll of the training, the financial costs of the camp and getting everyone to Mexico, so canceling the fight never crossed my mind.”
Moreno arrived in Mexico City only to learn a few days later that he would face a new opponent in Kavanagh. The move raised eyebrows among fans, especially considering Kavanagh was coming off a knockout loss to Charles Johnson. Still, the former flyweight champion understands that while the replacement may not have the biggest name value, he remains a dangerous and unpredictable threat inside the cage.
“Obviously he doesn’t offer anything in terms of name value, but he’s still very dangerous. He’s technically very good, very explosive, he’s aggressive and he’s young. So he comes in hungry,” he said.
“He’s the underdog. Most people don’t know who he is, so he’ll try to use me to boost his name. That makes him dangerous, but I feel really good, what can I say?”
Asked about the possibility of competing on the UFC’s proposed White House card later this year, Moreno didn’t hesitate when addressing the speculation. The former champion made it clear that the idea does not appeal to him at all.
“Brother, I want you to tell me: why would I want to fight there,” Moreno said.
“I’m not interested in that at all, thank you very much.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Brandon Moreno above. He will face Lone’er Kavanagh on Saturday night at UFC Mexico City.
Translation by Cageside Press.
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