Brandon Moreno is even more fired up to regain the flyweight championship after his UFC 270 loss to Deiveson Figueiredo.
At UFC 263, Brandon Moreno defeated Deiveson Figueiredo and became the first Mexican-born UFC champion.
On January 22, “The Assassin Baby” had his first opportunity to defend the flyweight throne, but lost by a unanimous decision. Figueiredo took back the belt, and now Moreno is more determined to win the championship.
But for Moreno, regaining the belt is about much more than owning the flyweight champion title. As Mexico’s first and only UFC champion, Moreno carries a lot of weight on his shoulders.
“Man, right now, my fire is like, wow, I feel like I’m more (hungry) right now in myself, and more right now because I lost the title. I need to fix something, I need to do something in my life. I want that title back. I’m hungry because I wanna do a lot of huge things in my life, for my family, for my country. Last fight (UFC 263), with the title, the mixed martial arts in Mexico grow a lot. I need to keep working on that. Obviously, I’m very, in some points, very selfish. I want to keep doing everything for myself and my family. But, if I can help my country to do something and help other kids to accomplish their dreams, I will,” Moreno told Teddy Atlas on The Fight.
And after such a close decision, 48-47 by all judges, we will more than likely be seeing Figueiredo vs Moreno 4.
Being the world champion comes with heavy responsibility, especially if you are the first in your country to accomplish it. Moreno shares that record with Kamaru Usman, who became Africa’s first UFC champion in 2019.
A champion has the power to promote positive change. People who grew up in a similar lifestyle or culture to Moreno now have someone to look up to because something they thought impossible has just been achieved.
And to balance training, family life, and being the world champion is no easy task, yet some fighters make it look easy.
For example, Amanda Nunes and her wife have a baby girl. Kamaru Usman also has a wife and a daughter to build a future for. And Women’s Bantamweight Champion, Julianna Pena, is also a mom.
Now that Moreno has experienced failure and being a champion, reevaluating his focus could be what puts him back on top of his game.
Moreno V. Figueiredo
Since 2020, Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo have only seen each other as opponents in the cage.
The flyweights spent 13 rounds together in the Octagon.
Their first fight at UFC 256 ended in a draw. They would fight again to settle the draw at UFC 263 in 2021. “The Assassin Baby” finished “Dues Da Guerra” by rear-naked choke in round 3 and became the new flyweight champion.
It was a major feat for himself and Mexico, which never saw a UFC champion until that moment.
Deiveson Figueiredo obviously wanted the belt back. Before UFC 270 began, the Brazilian let everyone know he wanted the trilogy to avenge his loss. And when their last bout was won by unanimous decision, the belt returned to Figureido.
Should this bout take place, it will be the first time in UFC history that two fighters compete against each other for a world title four times. But the question is, will the fight take place immediately, as their sequel and trilogy bouts did? That question remains unanswered.
How soon do you want to see Brandon Moreno fight Deiveson Figueiredo again for the flyweight belt?
