Piñatas, Punches and Parenthood: UFC champion Brandon Moreno bares all in raw take on his rise to success
Brandon Moreno recently discussed his life before combat sports and how success in MMA has impacted his life and family.
In a recent interview with The Independent, the current flyweight champion revealed that he used to help his parents in the piñata business. At the age of 22, 'The Assassin Baby' shifted his focus to doing MMA full-time:
“Yeah, man! I don’t know if piñatas are very popular in the UK, but obviously in Mexico they are so popular. I was born watching my parents work so hard in the piñata business, for me and my brothers. It was a very interesting childhood I had!”
Moreno, who is a father to three girls, always desired to be a family man. In the interview, the 29-year-old spoke about his eldest daughter, Maddie, who has indulged in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing.
The flyweight champion shared that his daughter was fully supportive of his career choices. Moreno gave an example of this by sharing the time he had to miss his daughter's ninth birthday for a fight and how Maddie understood the reasoning behind her father's decision.
Brandon Moreno speaks about the 'most special' fight of his life
In the same interview, Brandon Moreno named his second fight against Deiveson Figueiredo as the most important moment in his fighting career.
Moreno added that holding a UFC belt made the victory really special:
"I think the second fight against Deiveson – the first victory – is the most special fight of my life, just because it was the first time [becoming champion]. All the hard work, all the sacrifices paid off that day; I got the title, I was the first Mexican-born-and-raised champion of the world, so I was so happy."
Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo battled for the UFC flyweight title on four separate occasions.
Their first encounter at UFC 256 ended in a majority draw. In the rematch, 'The Assassin Baby' outclassed the Brazilian and defeated him by submission in the third round. By doing so, the 29-year-old became the first Mexican-born fighter to win a UFC belt.
The rivalry did not end there. The two flyweights locked horns against at UFC 270. This time, 'Deus Da Guerra' edged out a unanimous decision victory to win the title back.
With a score of 1-1-1, Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo competed in the UFC's first quadrilogy fight at UFC 283 last month. That night, 'The Assassin Baby' proved himself to be the better fighter as he scored a TKO victory via doctor's stoppage after the third round.