Not long after his UFC 256 instant classic with flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] was overwhelmed with feelings – physically and mentally.
“To be honest, I feel too much pain in all my body, but at the same time, I feel so happy,” Moreno said on the ESPN+ post-fight show.
Hard to blame him.
On Saturday night, Moreno went to war with Figueiredo in the “Fight of the Night” and what could be the “Fight of the Year.” Unfortunately for Moreno, though, his dream of becoming the first Mexican-born UFC champion was put on hold after the fight was declared a majority draw.
“Obviously I wanted the title. I wanted to bring that happiness to my country, to my family. But it is what it is,” Moreno said. “I’m so happy to take this opportunity. I’m ready to go home with my family, with my kids. That’s all I need.”
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That’s understandable considering Moreno – and Figueiredo – fought 21 days earlier at UFC 255, setting up the fastest title fight turnaround in company history.
Both Moreno (18-5-2 MMA, 6-2-2 UFC) and Figueiredo (20-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) had big moments in the fight, particularly during a frenetic fourth round. For Moreno, he expressed some regret at not pushing the pace more during the fifth round, which two of the three judges gave to Figueiredo. He also looks forward to running it back.
“I think I expected a little bit more power from him. Obviously he has power. It’s obvious because when he threw punches to my body, I felt it. When he threw kicks to my forearms, I felt it definitely,” Moreno said. “But I started to get more confidence during the fight, and I started to feel comfortable. I think I needed to put more pressure in the fifth round, but it is what it is. Right now I have this weird draw. I’m not happy, but at the same time I am happy because I know it was a nice fight.”
He continued, “Obviously after these last eight weeks of 2020, I need to rest. He has all my respect. He fought the same time as me. He took this fight on short notice. He is a champion. Normally the champion takes a long time to rest and recover his body; he does not. He took the fight. I have too much respect for him. I need to rest and spend some time with my family. But definitely in 2021 I am ready to take the rematch.”
Good news for Moreno: UFC president Dana White wants the same thing.
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