Former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will have to wait a little longer for another shot at potentially another title fight.
Moreno and Asu Almabayev were scheduled to face each other in the UFC Mexico City Main Event in March. The fight was booked just weeks after Moreno suffered a controversial TKO loss to Tatsuro Taira at UFC 323 in December.
Midway through the second round, Taira caught Moreno with several ground punches before the referee stepped in to end the fight. Moreno was seen defending himself adequately during the final exchanges, leading to the former champion protesting the stoppage in his first post-fight statement.
As for Almabayev, he has won back-to-back fights since suffering his first UFC loss to Manel Kape last March.
Moreno vs. Almabayev was a potential No. 1 fighter amid uncertainty to kick off Joshua Van’s title reign. In the meantime, Moreno will have to wait a while for another five-rounder.
Brandon Moreno vs. Asu Almabayev shined as the headliner of UFC Mexico
As first reported by Ag.VechtAlmabayev was forced to withdraw from his upcoming fight with Moreno due to undisclosed reasons. It is uncertain whether Moreno will remain on the UFC Mexico City card as matchmakers consider potential replacement opponents.
Names to keep an eye on as potential replacements for Asu Almabayev include Kyoji Horiguchi, Brandon Royval and No. 2 contender Manel Kape. Kape last defeated Royval in the final UFC main event of 2025 at the Apex.
At the time of writing, it is uncertain how long Almabayev will be sidelined and whether or not Moreno will fight in March. In the meantime, the UFC flyweight title photo remains a hot topic as 2026 kicks off.
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