Brandon_Moreno

Brandon Moreno

Brandon Moreno

Mexican mixed martial artist (born 1993)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Moreno and the second or maternal family name is Carrillo.

Brandon Moreno Carrillo (born December 7, 1993) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the former two-time UFC Flyweight Champion. A professional since 2011, Moreno also competed for the Legacy Fighting Alliance, where he was the Legacy Fighting Alliance Flyweight Champion. As of February 27, 2024, he is #2 in the UFC flyweight rankings.[9]

Quick Facts Born, Other names ...

Mixed martial arts career

Background

Moreno described himself as a boxing fan growing up but was not aware of other combat sports. He later became interested in capoeira, but was unable to find a school in his home city. While searching, he found an MMA gym and began training in kickboxing and jiu-jitsu.[10]

Early career

Moreno made his professional MMA debut in his native Mexico in April 2011. Over the next two years, he amassed a record of 6 wins and 3 losses.

In 2014, Moreno would debut for the World Fighting Federation promotion. He would go 5–0 in the promotion and would eventually win the Flyweight championship, which led to him being cast in the Flyweight tournament on the 25th season of The Ultimate Fighter.

The Ultimate Fighter

In July 2016, it was revealed that Moreno was a participant on The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions.[11] Moreno was selected as a member of Team Benavidez. He faced Alexandre Pantoja in the opening stage and lost the fight via submission.[12]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In a rare move, Moreno debuted in the UFC while his season of The Ultimate Fighter was still airing. He faced Louis Smolka at UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson on October 1, 2016.[13] Moreno won the fight via submission in the first round. The win also earned Moreno his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[14]

In his second fight for the promotion, Moreno returned to face Ryan Benoit on December 3, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions Finale.[15] He won the fight via split decision.[16]

Moreno next faced Dustin Ortiz on April 22, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 108.[17] He won the fight by submission in the second round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.[18][19]

Moreno faced Sergio Pettis on August 5, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 114.[20] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[21] Moreno subsequently tested positive for clenbuterol from an in-competition urine sample collected on August 6, 2017, a day after his fight with Pettis. USADA has determined that the presence of clenbuterol in Moreno's system likely resulted from clenbuterol-contaminated meat that Moreno had consumed in Mexico, and so Moreno was not punished by USADA.[22]

Moreno was expected to face Ray Borg on April 7, 2018, at UFC 223.[23] However, the bout was canceled after Borg was injured by glass from a bus window that was smashed by Conor McGregor.[23][24] The pairing was left intact and quickly rescheduled and was expected to take place on May 19, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 129.[25] However, Borg withdrew from the bout to take care of his child from brain surgery,[26] and was replaced by Alexandre Pantoja.[27] Moreno lost the fight by unanimous decision.[28] In an interview in 2019, Moreno revealed that he had been cut from the UFC in late 2018.[29]

Legacy Fighting Alliance

Moreno signed a multi-fight contract with the Legacy Fighting Alliance and made his promotional debut against the prevailing Flyweight Champion Maikel Perez at LFA 69 on June 7, 2019.[30] Moreno won the fight via technical knockout in the fourth round.[31]

Return to UFC

Moreno returned to the UFC in a bout against promotional newcomer Askar Askarov on September 21, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 159.[32] The back-and-forth bout ended in a split draw.[33]

Moreno faced Kai Kara-France on December 14, 2019, at UFC 245.[34] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[35]

Moreno faced Jussier Formiga on March 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 170.[36] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[37]

As the first bout of his new contract, Moreno was expected to face Alex Perez on November 21, 2020, at UFC 255.[38] However, on October 2, it was announced that Cody Garbrandt, who was scheduled to fight Deiveson Figueiredo for the UFC Flyweight Championship at the event, pulled out due to a torn bicep and was replaced by Perez.[39] Moreno instead faced Brandon Royval.[40] He won the fight via technical knockout in round one.[41]

UFC Flyweight Championship

Just three weeks removed from his last fight, Moreno faced Deiveson Figueiredo for the UFC Flyweight Championship on December 12, 2020, at UFC 256.[42] After five rounds of frenetic back-and-forth fighting in which Figueiredo was deducted 1 point in the third round due to a groin strike, the bout was declared a majority draw.[43] This fight earned both athletes the Fight of the Night award.[44]

Moreno rematched Figueiredo for the UFC Flyweight Championship on June 12, 2021, co-headlining UFC 263.[45] Moreno dominated the striking and grappling exchanges and submitted Figueiredo with a rear naked choke in the third round, becoming the first Mexican UFC champion in the process.[46] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[47]

The trilogy rematch with Figueiredo for the UFC Flyweight Championship was scheduled to take place on December 11, 2021, at UFC 269 initially,[48] but was moved to UFC 270 as the co-main event.[49] He lost the fight and the title via unanimous decision.[50] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[51]

Moreno next faced Kai Kara-France in a rematch for the interim UFC Flyweight Championship on July 30, 2022, at UFC 277.[52] He won the fight via TKO in the third round.[53] The win also earned Moreno his third Fight of the Night award.[54] Moreno received Crypto.com "Fan Bonus of the Night" awards paid in bitcoin of US$20,000 for second place.[55]

A fourth bout between Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo for the undisputed UFC Flyweight Championship took place on January 21, 2023, at UFC 283, marking the first time in UFC history that two fighters fought each other for a fourth time.[56] Moreno won the bout and undisputed title via technical knockout just before the fourth round after the ringside doctor stopped the fight due to Figueiredo's eye swelling shut.[57]

Moreno faced Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch on July 8, 2023, at UFC 290.[58] Moreno came out on the losing end via split decision, losing the title.[59] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[60]

Moreno was expected to face Amir Albazi at UFC Fight Night 237 on February 24, 2024.[61] However, Albazi withdrew due to a neck injury and was replaced by former title challenger Brandon Royval.[62] In a competitive bout, Moreno lost by split decision.[63]

Submission grappling career

Moreno competed at the first Combat Jiu-Jitsu Fight Night on February 22, 2019 in the bantamweight tournament. In the opening round, Moreno submitted Ryan Carroll via D'arce choke, then defeated Beau Brooks by TKO via strikes in the semi-finals. In the finals, Moreno faced Richard Alarcon. The bout went into overtime, where Alarcon defeated Moreno via fastest escape time.[64][65][66]

Personal life

Moreno is a big fan of Funko Pop and is a dedicated Lego collector.[67] He and his wife have three daughters.[68]

Moreno hosts Entre Asaltos, a Spanish-language MMA podcast.[69]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

^ Voting period for 2021 awards ran through July 2020 to July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Submission grappling

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
31 matches 21 wins 8 losses
By knockout 5 0
By submission 11 0
By decision 5 8
Draws 2
More information Res., Record ...

[76]

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

More information Res., Record ...

*Date given is the air date of the episode. The actual dates of the fight are not released by the UFC

Pay-per-view bouts

More information No, Event ...

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "México, el país con más campeones actuales de UFC". telediario.mx. 2023-04-17. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  2. [2]
    Kaplan, Amy (August 13, 2021). "Brandon Moreno reveals the biggest perk he's gotten since becoming UFC champion is Canelo Alvarez meeting". fansided.com. FanSided.
  3. [3]
    "Brandon Moreno | UFC". UFC.com. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  4. [4]
    Eric Gomez (August 3, 2017). "Brandon Moreno makes piñatas and pummels UFC opponents". ESPN.
  5. [5]
    Danny Segura (June 6, 2022). "Brandon Moreno made 'one of the toughest changes' of his life in leaving Entram Gym for James Krause. Here's why". MMAjunkie.com.
  6. [6]
    Danny Segura (December 3, 2016). "Brandon Moreno no longer just a jiu-jitsu fighter after training with Team Elevation". mmafighting.com.
  7. [7]
    Timothy Wheaton (December 17, 2022). "Brandon Moreno leaves James Krause's gym amid investigation, recruits Fortis MMA coach ahead of UFC 283". lowkickmma.com.
  8. [8]
    @theassassinbaby (February 12, 2021). ""Cuando empezó esto ni siquiera sabía que tan lejos hiba a llegar, realmente solo lo hacía y lo sigo haciendo por amor a este bello deporte, pero una de las metas era llegar a ser cinta negra y después de 15 años conseguí mi cinturón negro en BJJ, no se los voy a negar que se siente muy bonito y muy chingon 😅gracias Ticher @raul_entram por confiar en mi desde el principio y a todo mi equipo de @entram_gym por siempre empujarme a seguir adelante (...)"" (in Spanish). Retrieved June 12, 2021 – via Instagram.
  9. [9]
    "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  10. [10]
    "The Ultimate Fighter Flashback: Brandon Moreno". www.ufc.com. 2021-05-28. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  11. [11]
    "Cast revealed for The Ultimate Fighter 24". UFC.com.
  12. [12]
    Murphy, Phil (28 November 2016). "Brandon Moreno and Tim Elliott learn from 'TUF 24' experience". espn.com. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  13. [13]
    Damon Martin (2016-09-23). "Louis Smolka draws TUF 24's Brandon Moreno as late-notice opponent". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  14. [14]
    Tristen Critchfield (2016-10-01). "UFC Fight Night Portland bonuses: Moreno, da Silva, Marquardt, Blaydes get $50K". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  15. [15]
    Danny Segura (2016-10-26). "Brandon Moreno vs. Ryan Benoit added to TUF 24 Finale in December". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
  16. [16]
    Ben Fowlkes (2016-12-03). "TUF 24 Finale results: Brandon Moreno survives knockdown, takes split call from Ryan Benoit". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  17. [17]
    Dale Jordan (2017-02-12). "UFC announces Nashville event for April 22nd. Four fights officially added to the card". mmamad.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
  18. [18]
    Ben Fowlkes (2017-04-22). "UFC Fight Night 108 results: Head kick turns tide as Brandon Moreno chokes out Dustin Ortiz". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  19. [19]
    Tristen Critchfield (2017-04-23). "UFC Fight Night 108 bonuses: Swanson, Lobov, Perry, Moreno garner $50K checks". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
  20. [20]
    Jordan Breen (2017-05-21). "Brandon Moreno-Sergio Pettis revealed as UFC Fight Night 114 headliner on Aug. 5 in Mexico City". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
  21. [21]
    "UFC Fight Night 114 results: Sergio Pettis outstrikes Brandon Moreno, earns unanimous decision". MMAjunkie. 2017-08-06. Retrieved 2017-08-06.
  22. [22]
    Sherdog.com. "Brandon Moreno Not Punished for Failed Drug Test After Ingesting Contaminated Meat". Sherdog. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  23. [23]
    Tristen Critchfield (2018-01-31). "Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno moved from UFC Fight Night 126 to UFC 223 due to injury". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  24. [24]
    Brandon Wise (2018-04-05). "UFC 223: Michael Chiesa, Ray Borg forced out of action after Conor McGregor incident". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  25. [25]
    Danny Segura (2018-04-11). "Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno rebooked for UFC Chile". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  26. [26]
    "Ray Borg withdraws from UFC Chile bout vs. Brandon Moreno due to child's surgery". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  27. [27]
    "Alexandre Pantoja substitui Ray Borg em luta contra Brandon Moreno no UFC Santiago". Sportv (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  28. [28]
    "UFC Fight Night 129 results: Alexandre Pantoja outstrikes Brandon Moreno over three-round clinic". MMAjunkie. 2018-05-20. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  29. [29]
    Danny Segura (April 29, 2019). "Brandon Moreno opens up about departure from UFC, future in MMA". mmafighting.com.
  30. [30]
    Danny Segura (May 2, 2019). "Brandon Moreno signs with LFA, set to challenge for flyweight title in June". mmafighting.com.
  31. [31]
    "LFA 69 video highlights: UFC vet Brandon Moreno claims flyweight gold with TKO". 8 June 2019.
  32. [32]
    Shelton, Cole (2019-07-11). "UFC brings back Brandon Moreno, to fight newly signed Askar Askarov". mmanews.com. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  33. [33]
    "UFC on ESPN+ 17 results: Askar Askarov, Brandon Moreno battle to hard-fought draw". MMA Junkie. 2019-09-22. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  34. [34]
    Christopher Rieve (2019-10-04). "Kai Kara-France to fight Brandon Moreno at UFC 245, Sergio Pettis now testing free agency". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  35. [35]
    Martin, Damon (2019-12-14). "UFC 245 results: Brandon Moreno puts on striking display to outduel Kai Kara-France". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
  36. [36]
    Cruz, Guilherme (2019-12-26). "Jussier Formiga vs. Brandon Moreno among new additions to UFC Brasilia". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  37. [37]
    Evanoff, Josh (2020-03-14). "UFC Brasilia Results: Brandon Moreno Makes Statement with Win Over Jussier Formiga". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  38. [38]
    Mike Heck (2020-08-10). "Brandon Moreno vs. Alex Perez set for UFC 255 in November". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  39. [39]
    Marcelo Barone and Raphael Marinho (2020-10-02). "Cody Garbrandt pulls out and Deiveson Figueiredo will face Alex Perez for the belt". globoesporte.globo.com. Retrieved 2020-10-02. (in Portuguese)
  40. [40]
    Mike Bohn (2020-10-02). "Brandon Royval replaces Alex Perez, meets Brandon Moreno at UFC 255". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  41. [41]
    Evanoff, Josh (2020-11-21). "UFC 255 Results: Brandon Moreno Finishes Injured Brandon Royval". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  42. [42]
    "Deiveson Figueiredo to defend flyweight title in 21 days against Brandon Moreno at UFC 256". dazn.com. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  43. [43]
    Doherty, Dan (2020-12-13). "UFC 256 Results: Deiveson Figueiredo Defends Title in Wild Draw with Brandon Moreno". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  44. [44]
    Stephie Haynes (2020-11-22). "UFC 256 bonuses: Kevin Holland leads $50K winners with KO off his back". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  45. [45]
    Ariel Helwani (2021-02-25). "UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo to again fight Brandon Moreno on June 12". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  46. [46]
    Doherty, Dan (2021-06-13). "UFC 263 Results: Brandon Moreno Dominates, Chokes Out Deiveson Figueiredo". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  47. [47]
    "UFC 263 bonuses: That wicked arm injury Paul Craig delivered was worth an extra $50,000". MMA Junkie. 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  48. [48]
    Shelton, Cole (2021-09-16). "Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 3 set for UFC 269". | BJPenn.com. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  49. [49]
    Damon Martin (2021-09-15). "Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo trilogy booked for UFC 269 in December". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  50. [50]
    Law, Eddie (2022-01-23). "UFC 270: Deiveson Figueiredo Regains Flyweight Belt With Decision Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
  51. [51]
    "UFC 270 bonuses: Deiveson Figueiredo, Brandon Moreno among four winners". MMA Junkie. 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
  52. [52]
    "Report | Brandon Moreno Vs. Kai Kara-France 2 Booked For Interim Title Fight At UFC 277". 2022-05-10. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  53. [53]
    Anderson, Jay (2022-07-30). "UFC 277: Brandon Moreno Stuns Kai Kara-France With Body Kick, TKO Finish to Claim Interim Gold". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  54. [54]
    Matt Erickson (2022-07-31). "UFC 277 bonuses: Brandon Moreno, Kai Kara-France among four $50,000 winners in Dallas". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  55. [55]
    Harry Kettle (2022-08-02). "UFC 277 Fan Bonus of the Night Winners: Brandon Moreno earns top payout". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  56. [56]
    Damon Martin (2022-10-03). "Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno 4 booked for UFC 283 in Brazil". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  57. [57]
    Jay Anderson (2023-01-22). "UFC 283: Cut Ends Deiveson Figueiredo's night early, Brandon Moreno unifies flyweight title". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  58. [58]
    "Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2 for flyweight title headed to UFC 290 on July 8". MMA Junkie. 2023-04-12. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  59. [59]
    Anderson, Jay (2023-07-09). "UFC 290: Alexandre Pantoja Defeats Brandon Moreno Once Again, Claims Flyweight Gold". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  60. [60]
    "UFC 290 bonuses: Only one of the sub-40-second stoppages got an extra $50,000". MMA Junkie. 2023-07-09. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  61. [61]
    Leonard, Harvey (2023-12-02). "Report: Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi Set For UFC's Return To Mexico On February 24". MMA News | UFC News, Results & Interviews. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  62. [62]
    Steve Marrocco (2024-01-11). "UFC Mexico City gets new headliner after Amir Albazi forced off card". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  63. [63]
    Anderson, Jay (2024-02-25). "UFC Mexico City: Brandon Royval Avenges Loss to Brandon Moreno". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  64. [64]
    "Combat Jiu-Jitsu Fight Night | Grappling Event". Tapology. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  65. [65]
    Andrew (2019-02-23). "Combat Jiu-Jitsu Fight Night - 22 February 2019 - Quick Results". SoCalUNCENSORED.com. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  66. [66]
    Gonzalez, Gabriel (2019-02-24). "Combat Jiu-Jitsu Fight Night 1: Richard Alarcon Reflects on Bantamweight Tournament Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  67. [67]
    "Brandon Moreno, el peleador de UFC que colecciona Legos". metroworldnews.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-03-21.
  68. [68]
    Alexander K. Lee (September 20, 2019). "Back in Mexico City, Brandon Moreno's goal 'was always to return to the UFC'". mmafighting.com.
  69. [69]
    "ENTRE ASALTOS: NUEVO PODCAST DEL UFC". ufcespanol.com (in Spanish). April 23, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-06-10.
  70. [70]
    UFC (June 26, 2023). "UFC Flyweight Division – Stats". UFC.com.
  71. [71]
    UFC (2022-01-16). "Dana White's 2021 President's Choice Awards - UFC Honors". YouTube. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  72. [72]
    "MMA Junkie's 'Fight of the Month' for December: An epic title-fight draw". MMAjunkie.com. January 2, 2021.
  73. [73]
    Mike Bohn (July 4, 2021). "MMA Junkie's 'Submission of the Month' for June: A new UFC champ emerges". MMAjunkie.com.
  74. [74]
    Mike Bohn (February 3, 2022). "MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month for January: A historic trilogy fight". MMAjunkie.com.
  75. [75]
    "2021 World MMA Awards Results". mmafighting.com. December 10, 2021.
  76. [76]
    "Brandon Moreno". Sherdog. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015.
  77. [77]
    "UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno | MMA Event". Tapology.
More information Achievements ...
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Brandon_Moreno, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.