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By Fernando Quiles Jr
Contributing Sports Writer
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Brandon Moreno (23-9-2) doesn't know if Alexandre Pantoja will be able to return to form. Moreno and Pantoja have had their share of memorable wars inside the Octagon. Pantoja had been building his legacy as one of the greatest flyweight fighters with four successful title defenses, but an injury 26 seconds into his last bout with Joshua Van broke the streak.
Speaking to Newsweek Sports, Moreno mulled over whether or not Pantoja can respond to the dislocated shoulder injury by picking up where he left off.
"It's hard to predict, brother," Moreno said. "It's very hard because every fighter takes those kind of moments different. It can be a huge motivation for him. Like, 'Now I'm going to show to the world I'm still there, I'm still ready,' or maybe it can be the opposite. You never know. So, let's see how much time he will need to recover."
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Reflecting on Tatsuro Taira Fight
Moreno's last fight in 2025 didn't end the way he had hoped. The former 125-pound king was stopped by Tatsuro Taira in the second round of their UFC 323 bout. Many agree that the fight ended prematurely, but Moreno is just glad to have been offered a fight in early 2026.
"Oh man, it feels amazing," Moreno said. "After my last fight in December, a lot of different feelings, especially frustration. I've been trying to not think about it. I'm not that kind of guy to pass the page as soon as possible, but obviously with all the interviews and all the questions, you have to remember. So, a little bit frustrated because the fight finished in a weird way. I feel the ref stopped the fight a little bit soon, but I'm trying to be focused on the positive things."
Despite feeling he didn't get enough of a chance against Taira, Moreno admits there was a valuable lesson to be learned from the defeat.
"For sure, I made a mistake," Moreno admitted. "Tatsuro took my back in a really fast scramble, and maybe I had the opportunity to choose another option to escape. You have to try to learn in every single moment, win or lose."
Respect for Lone'er Kavanagh
Moreno will step back inside the Octagon in the main event of UFC Mexico City on Saturday. He'll be standing across from Lone'er Kavanagh (9-1). Initially, Moreno was expecting to face Asu Almabayev, but Kavanagh now serves as the replacement opponent.
The No. 6-ranked UFC flyweight believes Kavanagh will be motivated given he is receiving a big opportunity.
"He has all my respect," Moreno said. "Obviously taking a fight on short notice, it's a huge challenge for every single athlete. So, all my respect to Lone'er Kavanagh. He was preparing himself for his next fight against Bruno Silva two weeks after this event here in Mexico. I know he's gonna be prepared, super excited, super motivated, trying to take the victory in my home country of Mexico. That makes some fighters super dangerous. I'm prepared for that."
Moreno admits that he thinks Kavanagh is a credible threat and won't be fooled by his opponent's knockout loss to Charles Johnson back in Aug. 2025.
"I have to be super careful with him because he's super explosive," Moreno said. "He knows how to explode to the combinations, and he has really good distance management. My advantage is going to be my experience. I have to be ready for every single scenario in the fight. If I need to make a war five rounds, I will. If I can finish the fight in the first minute, that would be amazing. What I expect from Lone'er is an exciting fighter, a motivated fighter."
Predicting Van vs Taira
Van's first title defense is set for UFC 327 on April 11. He'll be putting his flyweight gold at stake against Taira.
"Man, I think it's a different era for the division," Moreno said. "Two really young fighters fighting for the title. Man, I'm excited. Obviously, I don't have any kind of bad feeling against Tatsuro. This is just the sport, and that's it. So, I'm super excited. Joshua with his amazing boxing and Tatsuro with the jiu-jitsu. Let's see which style wins the night."
Van recently admitted that he was surprised by Taira being chosen as the No. 1 contender. Moreno doesn't think the booking was much of a shock.
"I feel like both [Taira and Manel Kape] had enough reasons to fight for the title," Moreno said. "At the end, the UFC made the decision for some reason. You never really know. The only thing you can do is respect the decision of UFC. Let's see what happens, and I feel like the next one is gonna be Manel Kape. At the same time, let's see what's gonna happen with Pantoja with the injury. We don't know how much he's gonna need to recover and come back to action."
Moreno has long been an established name in the flyweight division. He has been watching some new stars emerge in the division, and he thinks it's healthy for the sport of MMA.
"Super excited for the division," Moreno said. "If you think about the flyweight history the last four, five years, you couldn't imagine all the amazing moments that are happening right now. Good contenders, really young fighters. Fighters like [Kyoji] Horiguchi coming back and doing an amazing job. I'm just trying to be active, to be relevant in this division and keep doing great things in my fights."
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