Mexico's first ever UFC champion cements legendary status by getting his mural painted in hometown
Mexico's Brandon Moreno recaptured the flyweight title for the second time after beating former champion Deiveson Figueiredo in their quadrilogy fight at UFC 283. 'The Assassin Baby' first won the title in his rematch with Figueiredo at UFC 263 by submitting 'Deus da Guerra' in the third round via rear-naked choke.
He lost the title in their trilogy fight, with the Brazilian ex-champ beating the Mexican fighter via a razor-thin unanimous decision. However, in their fourth fight, Moreno put up a dominant performance against Figueiredo, who lost via doctor's stoppage after one of Moreno's shots injured his eye.
Being the first-ever Mexican UFC champion, Moreno made his nation proud. As a tribute to the TUF alum, a mural was painted in Moreno's honor in his hometown of Tijuana, Mexico. MMA journalist Marcel Dorff shared a picture of the mural, below:
Beautiful mural for UFC Flyweight champion Brandon Moreno is his city of Tijuana, BC, Mexico.
(📸 mode.awc IG) https://t.co/ggkFtkeaAh
The caption of Dorff's tweet read:
"Beautiful mural for flyweight champion Brandon Moreno [in] his city of Tijuana, BC, Mexico."
Moreno was the last-picked seed in TUF 24 and had a rough start to his UFC career. Despite having a 3-2 record, Moreno was cut from the organization in 2018 only to be re-signed in 2019. Since re-signing, 'The Assassin Baby' has gone 7-1-2 in the promotion, having fought for the flyweight title four times.
Today, he's one of the most celebrated champions, being the first from Mexico to win a UFC title. He also works as part of the Spanish broadcast and analysis team for live events.
Is Alexander Pantoja next for UFC flyweight champion?
Brandon Moreno has faced Alexander Pantoja twice, once in TUF season 24, and the other at Fight Night 129. Moreno lost his first fight to 'The Cannibal' via submission and lost the second one via a hard-fought unanimous decision.
Following Moreno's second title win, Pantoja congratulated him but also took the opportunity to call him out for a fight when they met backstage. Given that Pantoja was the stand-in fighter for the flyweight championship bout, it seems like a no-brainer that he's next in line for the title.
Check out the exchange between Moreno and Pantoja below:
Alejandre Pantoja congratulates Brandon Moreno after becoming the undisputed champion. He weighed as an alternate for #UFC283 and seems to be the next in line
@ESPNDeportes https://t.co/GG5Pjr9lgC
In the post-fight press conference, Moreno said the following about his run-in with Pantoja when asked about it:
"So, yeah, he came [to] me and he was very friendly with me. To be honest, when everything [started], he came [to] me and said like, 'Hey man, today I feel so happy for you, congrats for the belt', whatever. And, [at] that point, everything was fine. [Then], he started to ask me, 'Hey, when is our fight? Like, in two months, three months, tell me right now."
Check out what Moreno had to say below:
Brandon Moreno details backstage altercation with Alexandre Pantoja after #UFC283 win:
"“Right now, he’s very excited and he’s a little bit desperate to get the fight for the title."
Watch full post-fight press conference: youtu.be/gacB7DrnVRc https://t.co/sYaxVLlhZT