On the last UFC pay-per-view card of the year, former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno attempts to stake his claim for the throne when he faces one of the best contenders Japan has ever produced.
Brandon Moreno Faces Marquee Flyweight at UFC 323
Following a brief hiatus from competition for most of 2024 after losing back-to-back bouts against Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval, Brandon Moreno has looked dominant in his recent promotional appearances. Outclassing the streaking Amir Albazi in his return contest last November at UFC Fight Night 246, the previous 125-lb gold standard put himself nearly into championship contention once more with a superb victory over Steve Erceg this past March.
With the belt looming closer than ever on the horizon, Moreno now needs possibly just one more emphatic win to earn another chance at the streaking Alexandre Pantoja. That win, however, will not come easily, as “The Assassin Baby” draws the sterling Tatsuro Taira for his last assignment of 2025 at UFC 323 next month.
Tough Test for Brandon Moreno in Form of Taira Next Saturday
Rebounding from his own unfortunate setback to the aforementioned Royval, the first of his professional career, The Blackbelt Japan flyweight product shot back into the winner’s circle by trouncing the then undefeated Park Hyun-sung. Despite the Korean’s baffling 100% finish rate, Taira found little issue with taking his opponent to the canvas before locking in an impressive face crank, now making him 2-1 in UFC main events.
Brandon Moreno Fighting for Fourth Bid vs. Flyweight King
A staple of the flyweight upper echelon for nearly a decade, Brandon Moreno has fought a who’s who of the weight category’s most revered fighters, including Askar Askarov, Kai Kara-France, and Deiveson Figueiredo. He has also held the 125-lb on two occasions, cementing his legacy as a legend of the weight class, as well as the entire sport. For all his accolades, though, there is one adversary that Moreno has still been unable to figure out, and that is the current flyweight apex, Pantoja.
Across their professional tenures, both men have clashed three times, once on the Ultimate Fighter Season 24, where the Brazilian choked out the Mexican, and twice in the Octagon, with Pantoja getting the nod twice on the score cards. Their last encounter at the time of this writing took place more than two years ago in the co-main event at UFC 290, a contest that saw “The Cannibal” snatch away Brandon Moreno’s title after a hard-fought split decision.
Could Brandon Moreno Score Last Chance at Championship?
Over the course of his reign as flyweight king, Pantoja has separated himself from the rest of the division by leaps and bounds, acquiring four championship defenses. He is currently booked to face rising contender Joshua Van at UFC 323, the same card that “The Assassin Baby” will be competing on. For Brandon Moreno, a conclusive win over Taira is of the utmost necessity to vault himself toward UFC gold. More than that, however, it will likely be his final attempt at besting the dominant Pantoja, as the company may not grant him a fourth opportunity after losing to the same man thrice.
