Brandon Moreno, former UFC flyweight champion, He has not been able to emerge victorious the two times he has fought in his country and admitted that he feels a little frustrated due to his negative record, but he hopes to turn the page and achieve his first victory in UFC Mexico against Brandon Royval this Saturday, February 24.
At the UFC Mexico media day, Moreno expressed that a victory in Mexico in front of his people would be important for his legacy and he assured that on this occasion he is only focused on the challenge he has against Royval without any type of pressure.
“I feel a little frustrated, because obviously I want to leave that in my legacy. Raise my hand in front of my people, in front of my Mexican flag. That’s all. It’s something that happened in the past and I’m just trying to move on. It’s frustrating, but I’ve been living with a lot of pressure since 2020, fighting for championships, rematches and trilogies,” he said.
“I’m just trying to have fun on this one. At the same time, I understand the importance this fight has to my record right now. I’m focusing on Brandon Royval. I am focusing on the challenge ahead and I am ready”he added.
This will be Brandon Moreno’s first fight since losing the flyweight title to Alexandre Pantoja in July 2023 and his third in Mexico. It should be noted that in the first billboard that he starred in in his country in 2017, The Mexican lost to Sergio Pettis by unanimous decision and in 2019 he tied with Askar Askarov.
The confrontation with Brandon Royval, who replaced Amir Albazi after suffering an injury, will be the second between the two. In the first, Brandon Moreno defeated the American by technical knockout at UFC 255, an event that was held in November 2020. This time the odds are in favor of the Mexican who wants to celebrate the victory in his homeland.
In his last fight in July 2023, Moreno lost his flyweight title to Pantoja via split decision in the co-main event of UFC 290. The Mexican suffered a fracture in his right hand in the first round of the fight, but he still continued fighting and now wants to get a new victory in UFC Mexico to recover the belt.
For his part, Brandon Royval also comes from losing by unanimous decision in a confrontation for the belt against the Brazilian last December.
Brandon Moreno, 30, He has a record of 21 wins and 7 losses as a professional MMA fighter.. On the other hand, Brandon Royval, 30, has a record of 15 wins and the same number of losses as the Mexican.
Keep reading:
· How to watch UFC Mexico live: schedules and complete card of Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 2
· UFC Mexico: Meet the nine Aztec fighters who accompany Brandon Moreno and Yair Rodríguez
· UFC announces its return to Mexico in February with a card starring Brandon Moreno