Brandon Moreno's UFC flyweight title win honored with a glorious mural in his hometown
Newly crowned UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno's win over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263 was a significant moment for Mexican MMA and sports in general. Members of his hometown of Tijuana paid their respects to the champ by painting a street art mural of him.
Brandon Moreno burst into tears as the official decision was being read at UFC 263. The mural in Moreno's hometown captures this precise moment. A photo of the mural was posted by MMA reporter Chamatkar Sandhu on his Twitter account.
Brandon Moreno (19-5-2D MMA, 7-2-2D UFC) defeated former champion Deiveson Figuereido via submission at UFC 263 to become the fourth UFC flyweight champion.
It was an immediate rematch of their first fight at UFC 256. In what is widely regarded as the greatest fight in the flyweight division's history, Deiveson Figueiredo retained the flyweight title after a five-round slugfest.
While many expected the rematch to be a repeat of their first showdown, Brandon Moreno controlled the rematch for the most part and submitted Figueiredo via rear-naked choke in the third round. Moreno also became the first fighter to knock down Deiveson Figueiredo in the UFC.
Brandon Moreno became the UFC champion in his second tenure with the UFC
Born and raised in the Mexican city of Tijuana, Brandon Moreno made his MMA debut in 2011 and went on to become WFF flyweight champion. Moreno made his way into the UFC through season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, where he was the last pick on team Benavidez.
After winning his first three fights in the UFC against Louis Smolka, Ryan Benoit and Dustin Ortiz, Brandon Moreno suffered the biggest setbacks of his career against Sergio Pettis and Alexandre Pantoja. The losses resulted in Moreno's release from the UFC in 2018.
However, 'The Assassin Baby' went on to win the LFA flyweight title against Maikel Perez in his first flight after the UFC release and earned a second chance to compete for the promotion.
Moreno has been undefeated in the UFC since his return (4-2D) and defeated top contenders Kai Kara-France, Jussier Formiga and Brandon Royval before fighting for the title.