Alexandre Pantoja Outworks Brandon Royval to Retain UFC Flyweight Championship

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a successful defense for Alexandre Pantoja.

The 33-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist secured the first defense of his flyweight championship on Saturday, outworking Brandon Royval in a clear decision victory in the co-main event at UFC 296 inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Pantoja (27-5) looked gassed midway through the five-round affair, but still managed to dominate Royval (15-7) on the ground en route to unanimous judges scores of 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46.

For Pantoja, it was his second victory over Royval.

The two met as rising contenders in August 2021, with Pantoja winning by submission.

“The fight was maybe boring. I don’t like to do that [kind of fight],” said Pantoja, who racked up nearly 16 minutes of top control, according to UFC Stats. “I needed to keep this belt for my family and Brazil. Brazil needs some [role models] right now. It’s a very hard place right now.”

Royval looked fresh at the end of the five rounds, but he simply had no answer for Pantoja’s grappling. Royval did well landing his jab and obviously commanded Pantoja’s respect on the feet, but he surrendered eight total takedowns — even in later rounds, when it was clear Pantoja was struggling with the pace.

“I felt a little dizzy during this fight,” Pantoja said. “This guy keeps a level that doesn’t stop any time, five rounds. I love that kid. He grew up [since the first fight]. I knew he was coming here to take the belt and I stayed here to defend.”

In addition to just getting Royval to the canvas, Pantoja was also effective at scoring offense and threatening submissions once he had him there. He passed Royval’s guard on several occasions and very nearly tapped him with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round.

Pantoja had his moments on the feet as well. He clipped Royval with a right hand in the second round that left him visibly shaken, and his kicks to the body were a good weapon, particularly earlier in the fight. Royval seized momentum in the fifth with a steady jab, but Pantoja eventually took him down to squash out the threat.

Pantoja has established himself as the clear No. 1 flyweight in the world. In addition to defeating Royval twice, he has defeated former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno three times, including an exhibition fight on The Ultimate Fighter reality series.

Brandon Moreno to Fight Amir Albazi in UFC Fight Night in Mexico City Next February

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Brandon Moreno is preparing for a battle south of the border…

The 30-year-old Mexican mixed martial artist and former UFC flyweight champion will fight Amir Albazi in a flyweight contender bout on February 24 in Mexico City, Moreno has confirmed.

The five-round bout will serve as the co-main event on the UFC Fight Night card, which will be the promotion’s first trip to Mexico since 2019.

ESPN has Moreno ranked No. 2 in the world at flyweight and Albazi at No. 4.

Moreno (21-7-2) is a former two-time UFC flyweight champion and the first-ever Mexican-born UFC champ. The Tijuana native dropped the title in a close split decision to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 in July. Moreno was on a two-fight winning streak before the loss to Pantoja.

Moreno will also act as the official backup for the UFC 296 co-main event on December 16 in Las Vegas, according to ESPN, confirming news first reported by Eurosport Netherland.

Pantoja will defend the UFC flyweight title against Brandon Royval, and if either competitor is forced to withdraw, then Moreno will step in and compete.

Albazi (17-1) has won six in a row, most recently a split decision win over Kai Kara-France in June. The Iraq native is a perfect 5-0 in the UFC. Albazi, 30, previously won titles in Ultimate Challenge MMA and FightStar Championship.

Moreno has not fought in his home country since becoming the first Mexican-born UFC champion in 2021.

“I want to go there and win and celebrate with my people and [wave] the Mexican flag,” Moreno told ESPN. “It’s something special for me. I’m Mexican. At the end of the day, I’m working for that. I want to give more opportunities to the Mexican fighters.”

Deiveson Figueiredo to Make Bantamweight Debut in December

Posted on September 24, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Deiveson Figueiredo is movin’ on up…

The 35-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist will make his long-awaited move up to bantamweight before the end of the year.

The former two-time UFC flyweight champion will face Rob Font in a contender bout at UFC Fight Night on December 2.

Figueiredo was first scheduled to return to flyweight over the summer, but he withdrew due to injury and decided to move up a division.

ESPN has Figueiredo ranked No. 4 in the world at flyweight and Font ranked No. 10 at bantamweight.

Figueiredo (21-3-1) has not fought since losing the flyweight title to Brandon Moreno via TKO last January at UFC 283. He went 1-2-1 against Moreno in their tetralogy. Figueiredo is tied with Demetrious Johnson for the most finishes in UFC flyweight history (7).

Font (20-7) is coming off a unanimous decision loss to top contender Cory Sandhagen on August 5. The 36-year-old Massachusetts native has dropped three of four.

Alexandre Pantoja Defeats Brandon Moreno via Split Decision to Claim UFC Flyweight Belt

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alexandre Pantoja is officially a titleholder…

After five hard-fought rounds, the 33-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist (26-5) claimed Brandon Moreno‘s 125-pound championship, as he narrowly edged the defending champion via split decision in the co-main event of UFC 290 inside T-Mobile Arena.

Two of the judges scored the title fight 48-47 for Pantoja, while a third had it 49-46 in Moreno’s favor.

UFC president Dana White said afterward that Moreno suffered a broken hand in the first round.

Saturday’s bout officially marked Pantoja’s second win over Moreno (21-7-2), although it’s really his third.

Pantoja submitted Moreno in a bout on The Ultimate Fighter reality show in 2016, but that result didn’t count toward their professional records as it took place as part of the show. They fought again in 2018, with Pantoja claiming a unanimous decision.

Saturday’s contest was the closest and most skilled to date.

“Moreno evolved so much,” Pantoja said. “I don’t expect a tough guy like that tonight, but I worked so hard for this. The last two years, I worked so hard, bringing my family to the U.S. [from Brazil] and my camp to American Top Team. … Guys, if you know my story, you’re gonna love me. I’ve worked so hard for that.”

The final numbers of the fight reflected just how close it was. According to UFC Stats, Moreno slightly outlanded Pantoja 167-161 in total strikes. Pantoja did better work on the ground, however. He took Moreno’s back multiple times and racked up more than eight minutes of control time. Moreno proved to be very tricky to hold down, but Pantoja maintained slightly dominant positions in crucial moments, which might have proved key on the scorecards.

Pantoja also dropped Moreno in the opening round with a nasty left hook. Moreno, 29, recovered quickly and never appeared close to going out, but Pantoja hurt him again with another left hook later in the round. Moreno roared back in the second round behind arguably one of the best jabs in MMA. He doubled and tripled up the jab on Pantoja, occasionally ripping in left hooks to the body and head.

Moreno’s shots bloodied Pantoja’s forehead and nose by the third round, but Pantoja’s takedowns, work in the clinch and body shots of his own all made for strong answers to Moreno’s offense. The pace of the fight finally slowed a little in the fourth and fifth rounds when Pantoja worked his way into threatening grappling positions and Moreno was forced into a bit of caution.

The victory snaps a two-fight streak in title fights for Moreno, who is from Tijuana, Mexico.

Earlier this year, he closed out a very rare four-fight rivalry against another Brazilian in Deiveson Figueiredo. Moreno unified the flyweight belt by finishing Figueiredo in the third round of their final meeting in January, but now surrenders the belt in his first attempted defense.

Irene Aldana Replaces Injured Julianna Peña in UFC 289 Fight Versus Amanda Nunes

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Irene Aldana is stepping up to take on a champion…

The 35-year-old Mexican mixed martial artist will face UFC double champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 289 on June 10.

Aldana is filling in for Nunes’ previously scheduled opponent Julianna Peña, who suffered a rib injury.

UFC president Dana White broke the news via social media.

The new 135-pound matchup will headline the pay-per-view event, which takes place at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

“Unfortunately, [Peña] broke her ribs and she can not compete,” White said on Instagram. “We have Irene Aldana coming in, who has won four of her last five and three of those were finishes. We could have another Mexican world champion.”

Aldana (14-6) is a former Invicta FC title challenger with an 8-4 record in the UFC. She has won six of her past eight, including a first-round knockout of Ketlen Vieira in 2019.

Her most recent loss came at the hands of former champion Holly Holm in October 2020. She is vying to become the fourth active Mexican-born champion, alongside flyweight Brandon Moreno, interim featherweight champ Yair Rodriguez and flyweight Alexa Grasso, her teammate at Lobo Gym.

Nunes (22-5) is universally considered the No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world. She suffered a shocking upset against Peña in December 2021 but bounced back in dominant fashion with a decision win over her last July.

The UFC 289 card also features a lightweight matchup between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, which was supposed to take this weekend in Newark but was postponed due to an Oliveira injury.

Yair Rodriguez Defeats Josh Emmett to Become UFC’s Interim Featherweight Champion

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Yair Rodriguez is officially a titleholder…

The 30-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist is the UFC‘s interim featherweight champion following a masterful finish over Josh Emmett at UFC 284.

Rodriguez (15-3) submitted Emmett via triangle choke at 4 minutes, 19 seconds of the second round. The 145-pound bout co-headlined UFC 284, which took place on Sunday morning local time at RAC Arena.

The UFC created an interim title because defending champion Alexander Volkanovski (25-2) moved up in weight to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt. Volkanovski came up just short in his bid in the main event of UFC 284, losing to Makhachev by unanimous decision.

Rodriguez went into the fight as a favorite, but Emmett (18-3) had him in trouble early. Emmett, a Sacramento-based fighter, hurt Rodriguez in the opening round with a right hand, which Rodriguez later admitted nearly put him out. Emmett used the shot to get into top position and cause more damage.

Rodriguez regrouped in the second round, however, and started hurting Emmett badly to the body with kicks. Emmett was clearly affected by the shots and started to turn into an easier target for Rodriguez’s versatile offense. He hurt him moments later with an elbow along the fence.

Emmett managed to get Rodriguez to the ground a little later in the round, but Rodriguez stayed active and caught the triangle off his back.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a kid,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez becomes the second Mexican-born champion in UFC history.

The first, Brandon Moreno, is a two-time flyweight champion who just reclaimed his belt with a victory over Deiveson Figueiredo last month.

Volkanovski, of Australia, will likely look to unify his title against Rodriguez in their next appearances.

Brandon Moreno Defeats Deiveson Figueiredo by TKO to Reclaim UFC Flyweight Title

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Brandon Moreno has come away the champion in UFC’s first-ever tetralogy.

The 29-year-old Mexican professional professional mixed martial artist finished Deiveson Figueiredo in their fourth meeting in a span of 25 months.

A cageside physician waved off the flyweight title fight before the start of the fourth round, after Figueiredo’s right eye closed from swelling caused by a Moreno left hook. The 125-pound title unification bout co-headlined UFC 283 inside Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

The finish was somewhat unfortunate, in that such an important fight was stopped due to injury, but the injury was clearly caused by a legal punch from Moreno.

Figueiredo (21-3-1) reached for the right eye immediately after Moreno landed the left hook, protesting what he thought might have been an eye poke. The punch had a devastating effect on the Brazilian. He fell to his back shortly after the shot and spent the rest of the round in a defensive mode off his back. The eye was badly swollen and bloodied.

Moreno (21-6-2) was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage: 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27. He out-landed Figueiredo in total strikes 85 to 24 and had 6:52 of control time compared to just 35 seconds for Figueiredo.

The victory closes out the first tetralogy in UFC history. The two first met in December 2020, when Moreno fought Figueiredo to a draw as a massive underdog. Moreno won the rematch in June 2021, before dropping a close decision in the third fight last January.

Immediately following the loss, Figueiredo, 35, said he intended to move up to the 135-pound division.

Moreno mixed up his offensive attacks well, although Figueiredo did force him to defend dangerous submission attempts in the first and second rounds. Figueiredo caught him in a guillotine in the opening seconds of the fight, and again with the same submission in the second round. He also looked for a heel hook at the end of the first round.

Moreno showed good composure in enemy territory, however, and started to find his range with left hooks to the body and head. The doctor’s stoppage result was the first time that has happened in a UFC title fight since Max Holloway defeated Brian Ortega in a featherweight title bout in 2018.

Deiveson Figueiredo to Fight Brandon Moreno in First-Ever UFC “Quadrilogy” Fight

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Deiveson Figueiredo is making history while going on the defense…

The 34-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist will take part in the first-ever quadrilogy fight in UFC history.

Figueiredo will defend his flyweight belt against former champion and current interim champ Brandon Moreno at UFC 283 on January 21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Figueiredo posted about the matchup Monday night on Instagram. Both bout agreements have been signed, according to ESPN sources.

This will be the fourth meeting between the top two 125-pound fighters in the world.

Figueiredo and Moreno battled to a draw at UFC 256 in December 2020. Then in the rematch, Moreno became the first Mexican-born fighter to win a UFC title, defeating Figueiredo via third-round submission at UFC 263 in June 2021. Figueiredo got revenge at UFC 270 last January, beating Moreno in a close unanimous decision to regain the title.

It’s not yet known whether Figueiredo vs. Moreno will be the main event of UFC 283. The UFC is weighing several other headlining options for its return to Brazil, a key country for the promotion.

This will be the UFC’s first trip back to Brazil since March 2020, and the first time fans will be in attendance for a Brazil UFC event since November 2019.

ESPN has Figueiredo tied for ninth on its MMA pound-for-pound list. At flyweight, Figueiredo and Moreno are ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.

Figueiredo (21-2-1) has just one loss in his past eight fights, coming against Moreno. The “God of War” owns a 10-2-1 UFC record and has not fought since taking the title back from Moreno earlier this year. Figueiredo is tied for the most finishes in division history with Demetrious Johnson (7).

Moreno (20-6-2) has only one loss in his past nine fights, coming against Figueiredo. The “Assassin Baby” won the interim flyweight belt by beating Kai Kara-France at UFC 277 in July via third-round TKO. Moreno, 28, is a former LFA flyweight champion.

Brandon Moreno Defeats Kai Kara-France to Claim UFC’s Interim 125-Pound Title

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Brandon Moreno is a UFC champion once again…

The 28-year-old Mexican professional mixed martial artist (20-6-2) claimed the interim 125-pound title in thrilling fashion on Saturday, as he finished Kai Kara-France in the third round with a nasty left body kick followed by ground and pound. The TKO came at 4 minutes, 34 seconds.

The title fight co-headlined UFC 277 from inside American Airlines Arena. Figueiredo, the defending unified champion and a longtime rival of Moreno’s, was in attendance cageside.

UFC originally wanted Figueiredo to defend his title against Moreno this summer, but Figueiredo was unavailable due to injury. The Brazilian champion entered the Octagon after Moreno’s win and asked to do it in Brazil.

“This guy right here, tonight is his night and he is the champion,” Figueiredo said through an interpreter. “I have a lot of respect for him. … I want to take this fight home to Brazil.”

Moreno, of Tijuana, quickly accepted the invitation. He also apologized to Figueiredo for any bad blood between them in the past. The two have had a heated rivalry, mostly from Figueiredo’s side, since 2020. Moreno challenged Figueiredo for the belt in December 2020 and fought him to a majority draw. He then beat Figueiredo by submission in an immediate rematch before losing a controversial decision in their third fight in January.

“I don’t hate you. I don’t feel nothing against you. I forgive you,” Moreno told Figueiredo. “Please forgive me if I did something bad against you. I want to fight in December.”

Saturday’s fight was Moreno’s first since he left his original training camp in Mexico and joined forces with veteran MMA coach James Krause in Missouri. It proved to be one of the most impressive performances of his career. He already held a prior decision win over Kara-France (24-10) from 2019, and the rematch was similar in that Moreno simply had more tools than the challenger from New Zealand.

He attacked Kara-France with leg kicks, jabs and right hands. He looked for the takedown when the opportunity came but didn’t force it.

However, Kara-France, 29, was certainly competitive until the finish. He relied mostly on leg kicks as his primary offense and had success with it. Moreno’s lead leg was very red from kicks early on. In the third round, Kara-France did his best work after he caught a Moreno kick and dumped him to the floor. He landed a hard elbow from top position that opened a cut under Moreno’s right eye.

Just when it appeared Kara-France had seized momentum, however, Moreno caught him with a spinning back fist and then the body kick that put him down. Kara-France immediately rolled over and covered up, which brought in a quick stoppage from referee Herb Dean, as Moreno swarmed on him with hammerfists.

Moreno, who was cut from UFC in 2018, now holds a 4-1-2 record since re-signing in 2019.

Brandon Moreno to Fight Kai Kara-France for UFC’s Interim Flyweight Title Fight

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Brandon Moreno is heading back to the Octagon in July…

UFC is moving forward with an interim flyweight title fight between the Mexican mixed martial artist – the first Mexican-born UFC champion – and Kai Kara-France on July 30, according to ESPN.

Moreno and Kara-France will meet for the interim belt at UFC 277 at a location to be announced.

It will mark the second time Moreno and Kara-France square off. Moreno took a unanimous decision in their first fight in December 2019.

Deiveson Figueiredo (21-2-1) will retain his title, but is not available to defend against the next No. 1 contender. The Brazilian has not made a public statement on the creation of an interim belt. Previously, he had expressed a desire to fight Kara-France.

Moreno (19-6-2) is coming off three consecutive title bouts against Figueiredo. The two fought to a draw in late 2020 and met in an immediate rematch in June 2021. Moreno submitted Figueiredo in the third round of that fight to claim the 125-pound title, but surrendered it back via unanimous decision in a trilogy bout in January.

Kara-France (24-9), of New Zealand, has surged into contention behind a 4-1 record in his past five bouts. He recorded back-to-back first-round finishes against top-tier opponents in Rogerio Bontorin and Cody Garbrandt in 2021. He also defeated Askar Askarov in March.

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