In what was an action packed first round, Brandon Moreno was able to secure a victory with one second left in his flyweight showdown with Brandon Royval. Improving to 18-5-1, “The Assassin Baby” looked very much like the #1 contender in the flyweight division. The stoppage may come with a bit of an asterisk, as Royval appeared to injure his shoulder just before referee Marc Goddard stepped in. The first round was a back and forth high paced fight that saw both fighters excel.
Brandon Moreno Potentially Earns Flyweight Title Shot
Moreno was very close to finishing the fight earlier in the round. He was able to win a scramble, where he then ensued a barrage of submission attempts. Royval displayed excellent submission defense as it appeared a neck crank was going to be locked in on three separate occasions. Moreno had the opportunity to pursue a twister, but never decided to pull the trigger. Finally, he was able to land numerous unanswered strikes that led to the victory.
Who’s Next?
The broadcast team dubbed Moreno as the #1 contender multiple times after the victory. It isn’t that simple when there’s another flyweight with an argument. Askar Askarov went to a split draw with Moreno in 2019. However, Moreno felt that he deserved the victory in their bout. Askarov touts an undefeated record, but has only three fights under the UFC banner.
Either way, Brandon Moreno should be keeping a close eye on the UFC 255 main event. Flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo will take on Alex Perez in his first defense of the title. The UFC decided to keep the flyweight division afloat and it appears that was the correct decision. After the departure of Demetrious Johnson and the retirement of Henry Cejudo, the division is starting to show some consistency.
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