Brandon Moreno
The Assassin Baby
Mexico
Stunned by Lone'er Kavanagh
Moreno lost to Lone'er Kavanagh via unanimous decision (46-49, 47-48, 47-48) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Mexico City.
ANALYSIS
It's foolish to bet against Moreno given the success he's had in the past, but this loss should just about do it terms of him impacting the title picture moving forward. Facing an opponent that accepted this fight just a handful of weeks ago, entering as a -210 favorite, and competing in his native Mexico, Moreno's main offensive weapon in this fight consisted of pinning Kavanagh along the fence. He was thoroughly dominated on the feet and failed on all eight of his takedown attempts. In many ways, it wasn't as close as the scorecards made it seem like, at least in terms of damage inflicted. Yes, Moreno has been facing the best the division has to offer for years, but you are what your record says you are in this sport and Moreno's record suggests he's 2-4 in his past six fights.
It's foolish to bet against Moreno given the success he's had in the past, but this loss should just about do it terms of him impacting the title picture moving forward. Facing an opponent that accepted this fight just a handful of weeks ago, entering as a -210 favorite, and competing in his native Mexico, Moreno's main offensive weapon in this fight consisted of pinning Kavanagh along the fence. He was thoroughly dominated on the feet and failed on all eight of his takedown attempts. In many ways, it wasn't as close as the scorecards made it seem like, at least in terms of damage inflicted. Yes, Moreno has been facing the best the division has to offer for years, but you are what your record says you are in this sport and Moreno's record suggests he's 2-4 in his past six fights.
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More Fantasy News
Kavanagh new opponent
Moreno is scheduled to compete against fellow flyweight Lone'er Kavanagh in the main event of UFC Mexico on Feb. 28, per Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
ANALYSIS
Initially scheduled against Asu Almabayev, Moreno needed a new opponent for UFC Mexico and got it in the form of Kavanagh, currently with a 9-1 MMA record and 2-1 in the UFC. Moreno will look to bounce back with a relatively quick turnaround after getting finshed by Tatsuro Taira late last year, thereby maintaining his status as a top contender for the UFC Flyweight Championship.
Initially scheduled against Asu Almabayev, Moreno needed a new opponent for UFC Mexico and got it in the form of Kavanagh, currently with a 9-1 MMA record and 2-1 in the UFC. Moreno will look to bounce back with a relatively quick turnaround after getting finshed by Tatsuro Taira late last year, thereby maintaining his status as a top contender for the UFC Flyweight Championship.
Needs new opponent
Moreno will need a new opponent for UFC Mexico on Feb. 28 after Asu Almabayev (undisclosed) withdrew from the fight, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Moreno was planning to bounce back against Almabayev following his recent defeat to Tatsuro Taira, but now he needs a new challenger. Moreno will try to defend his No. 4 spot in the flyweight rankings, but it's unclear who he'll be facing.
Moreno was planning to bounce back against Almabayev following his recent defeat to Tatsuro Taira, but now he needs a new challenger. Moreno will try to defend his No. 4 spot in the flyweight rankings, but it's unclear who he'll be facing.
Quick turnaround on tap
Moreno is scheduled to compete against Asu Almabayev in a flyweight fight at UFC Mexico on Feb. 28, MMA reporter Ariel Helwani reports.
ANALYSIS
Less than a week after getting finished by Tatsuro Taira, Moreno will look to get back on track with a strong start to his 2026. 2025 saw the Mexican go 1-1, with his lone win via decision over Steve Erceg in Mexico. Moreno will defend his No. 4 spot in the flyweight rankings against the division's No. 7, who went 2-1 this year.
Less than a week after getting finished by Tatsuro Taira, Moreno will look to get back on track with a strong start to his 2026. 2025 saw the Mexican go 1-1, with his lone win via decision over Steve Erceg in Mexico. Moreno will defend his No. 4 spot in the flyweight rankings against the division's No. 7, who went 2-1 this year.
First stoppage loss of career
Moreno lost to Tatsuro Taira via TKO (punches) at 2:24 of Round 2 at UFC 323 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It's the first stoppage loss of Moreno's storied career, and it may have been been a slightly early one from referee Mark Smith. Regardless, Brandon didn't look very good. He won Round 1 because he had Taira trapped in a modified triangle choke nearly the entire round, but he never appeared close to actually earning the submission. He was muscled to the mat early in Round 2 and never able to recover. Taira eventually ended up in a dominant position, and Smith had seen enough following several unanswered blows to the side of the head. Set to turn 33 years of age Sunday, Moreno falls to 2-3 in his past five fights dating back to July 2023, although both those losses (Brandon Royval, Alexandre Pantoja) came via split decision. He has work to do to get back into the title discussion at 125 pounds.
It's the first stoppage loss of Moreno's storied career, and it may have been been a slightly early one from referee Mark Smith. Regardless, Brandon didn't look very good. He won Round 1 because he had Taira trapped in a modified triangle choke nearly the entire round, but he never appeared close to actually earning the submission. He was muscled to the mat early in Round 2 and never able to recover. Taira eventually ended up in a dominant position, and Smith had seen enough following several unanswered blows to the side of the head. Set to turn 33 years of age Sunday, Moreno falls to 2-3 in his past five fights dating back to July 2023, although both those losses (Brandon Royval, Alexandre Pantoja) came via split decision. He has work to do to get back into the title discussion at 125 pounds.
Fighting Tatsuro Taira
Moreno will fight Tatsuro Taira at UFC 323 on Dec. 6, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Moreno will face off against Taira, who rebounded from his first professional defeat by defeating Hyun Sung Park via a second-round submission. Moreno has won back-to-back fights after dropping two straight before then.
Moreno will face off against Taira, who rebounded from his first professional defeat by defeating Hyun Sung Park via a second-round submission. Moreno has won back-to-back fights after dropping two straight before then.