Like many fans watching from home, [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] didn’t enjoy seeing [autotag]Jospeh Benavidez[/autotag] come up short in his most recent and likely last UFC title fight.
The Mexican fighter was heartbroken to see his friend and former coach on “The Ultimate Fighter” get choked unconscious by Deiveson Figueiredo in a fight for the vacant flyweight belt that headlined UFC on ESPN+30 this past Saturday in Abu Dhabi. It was a title rematch from February, when the first bout ended in controversy – there was an illegal head clash during the fight, and Figueiredo couldn’t claim the title after winning because he missed weight.
Benavidez, 35, was part of the UFC flyweight division inauguration back in 2012, thus considered a pioneer in the weight class. He’s also been a top contender for years but was never able to capture UFC gold, having gone 0-4 in UFC title fights at 125 pounds.
As expected, Moreno (17-5-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) was sad to see Benavidez unable to reach his title dreams.
“Joseph, I really like him a lot. I appreciate him,” Moreno told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “What I saw on Saturday broke my heart and made me mad, because that guy Deiveson tries to be nice, but he also makes ugly statements, and I don’t like him. Seeing how Joe lost and how he broke down in the post-fight press conference and started crying, personally, it broke me. I felt sad and at the same time mad. I don’t want to see it as a vengeance, but I simply want to beat Deiveson Figueiredo.”
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Part of Moreno feels relieved he won’t have to fight Benavidez. The 26-year-old has trained a good amount with Benavidez and doesn’t think fans saw the veteran at his full potential.
“Personally, I think that wasn’t Joe in there,” Moreno said. “I think maybe the pressure of the whole moment, the comments, I don’t know. I don’t think he was 100 percent. I heard his interview post-fight. He said he felt very good and physically ready for the fight. But I know him, and I’ve trained with him, and I don’t think that was the Joe that I’m used to seeing.
“Even in the back take he defended well, but normally if someone takes his back, he escapes immediately. It doesn’t last long. Obviously, I can’t take away anything from Deiveson, who performed well and looked very polished, and we saw a lot of power from his right hand. So congratulations to him. He did a good job, but I’m ready for this.”
Moreno wants the next shot at the flyweight title and believes he’s the clear challenger to the belt. He hopes to get booked against Figueiredo later this year.
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