Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC on ESPN 64 in Mexico City.
UFC on ESPN 64 took place this past Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, producing a key move in the men’s flyweight division.
In the main event, former 125-pound champ Brandon Moreno finally picked up a UFC win on home soil by defeating former title challenger Steve Erceg in a unanimous decision.
Moreno entered the week at No. 3 in the flyweight division and, with the result, climbed up one spot to claim No. 2, behind the champ Alexandre Pantoja.
Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.
“I was trying to get the Usman fight for months,” Brady said on his “The BradyBagz Show.” “DM’d him, hit him up, now he’s like, ‘Me and Brady should fight for the No. 1 contender.’ Oh, should we? I just beat the guy who beat you twice! Either I’m fighting for the belt next, I could fight the winner or loser, or really me vs. Shavkat for No. 1 contender.”
As for Covington calling him an easy matchup, Brady went off on the former interim champion, who’s currently on a two-fight losing skid.
“Same thing with him (Covington): I was asking for that fight for so long. The UFC pretty much told me, ‘This guy sucks,'” Brady said. “The best thing, I watched him, my brother sent me this clip where he said, ‘Sean Brady f*cking sucks. I never watched one of his fights. Blah blah blah. I remember watching him get beat up by Belal.’ Brother, you just said you never watched one of my fights, but then you watched me get beat up by Belal, so what are you talking about?
“He’s this high-level wrestler. I’m like, ‘Bro, Leon took you down multiple times, beat the sh*t out of you. Do you see what I just did to Leon? What would I do to you? I would f*cking kill him. He’s not even getting anyone in the top 15. Dude, he might not even have a f*cking job. When is the last time that dude won a fight? He f*cking sucks. Colby, you’re a p*ssy. How do you get punched on by (Jorge) Masvidal in public and go sue him? You’re not a pro fighter. You’re a p*ssy.”
MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth on the UFC on ESPN 64 main event flyweight fight in Mexico City.
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom goes in-depth to break down the biggest fights in the UFC. Today, he takes a closer look at the UFC on ESPN 64 main event between former flyweight champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] and ex-title challenger [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag].
Supplemental info:
+ Former 2x UFC flyweight champion
+ Regional MMA titles
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ Multiple grappling accolades
+ 5 KO victories
+ 11 submission wins
+ 8 first-round finishes
+ Consistent pace and pressure
+ Improved boxing technique
+ Accurate left hook
^ Coming forward or off the counter
+ Hard lead-side kicks
+ Improved wrestling ability
+ Good transitional grappler
^ Solid scrambles and submissions
Supplemental info:
+ Regional MMA titles
+ Jiu-jitsu black belt
+ National wrestling gold medal (Aus.)
+ Muay Thai state title
+ 2 KO victories
+ 6 submission wins
+ 5 first-round finishes
+ Consistent pace and pressure
+ Educated lead hand
^ Jabs, hooks, timing change-ups
+ Well-rounded striking arsenal
+ Strong inside the clinch
^ Sneaky elbows off frames
+ Good from front-headlock
^ Dangerous submission in transition
Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg point of interest: Flyweight fisticuffs
Nov 2, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Brandon Moreno (red gloves) fights Amir Albazi (blue gloves) in a flyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
The main event in Mexico City features a battle between top flyweights, Moreno and Erceg.
A well-rounded martial artist who is comfortable on their feet, Erceg poses threats in multiple phases. He’s a large flyweight who isn’t afraid to fight to his frame, and does a decent job of staying long with a solid jab and active kicking game.
Whether Erceg is looking to punish opponents down low with leg kicks or craftily come up high with question mark kicks, the 29-year-old challenger demonstrates excellent control of his lower extremities.
When it comes to his boxing game, Erceg shows an educated left hand that can offer change-ups in both his shot selection and timing. Inside the clinch, he offers the knees you’d expect from a fighter with his height and is also good about sneaking in elbows that he likes to fold over frames.
Although Erceg appears to do some of his best work when countering and sharpshooting from range, he’s not beyond being caught upright off the counter himself in exchanges.
Enter [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag].
Initially stepping onto the UFC scene as more of a grapple-first fighter, Moreno has since developed into a more complete and technical striking threat as he’s matured.
Still only 31 years of age, Moreno continues to display almost unshakable composure, win or lose, almost as if he’s determined to finish the fight stronger than his foe. But when you look beyond the brief, brash moments that allow his character to shine, you can see a more mature countering game at play.
Always a fan of the left hook (both coming forward and off the counter), Moreno does a much better job of variating both his timing and targets, often working them off of a jab. The theme of lead-side savvy travels fluently for the Mexican fighter in the way that Moreno attaches lead-leg kicks to his combinations when feeling in stride.
Moreno also has a knack for navigating extended exchanges, which, in this case, could lead to some grappling opportunities.
Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg point of interest: Potential grappling threats
Nov 11, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Steve Erceg (red gloves) fights Alessandro Costa (blue gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Considering the potential for chaos on the feet, no one should be shocked if these two end up tangling on the floor.
Erceg, akin to Alexander Volkanovski, is also a national wrestling gold medalist in Australia and is not beyond switching gears to go for takedowns.
From double legs along the fence to reactive shots in the open, Erceg appears to be a well-versed wrestler from multiple spots. And when opponents attempt to shoot in on Erceg, the Australian standout shows a strong front-headlock that he’s able to parlay into positive positions and potential chokes.
Luckily for Moreno, the Mexican is far from a slouch in the grappling department.
Starting off his career as more of a jiu-jitsu fighter, Moreno smartly swam toward the wrestling side of things (from an offensive standpoint) after being afforded the chance to train stateside through the UFC’s former developmental program.
Although Moreno was still not beyond being taken down or scoring submissions off his back, he offered plenty of glimpses of improvement during his first run with the promotion.
Moreno has been much more aggressive on the feet during this second stint, but doesn’t seem to be ignoring the other parts of his game. As far as grappling and wrestling scrambles go, Moreno was able to come out on top of stanzas against some of the division’s best grapplers in Jussier Formiga and Askar Askarov (who he clearly beat, in my opinion).
Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg odds
The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Mexican fighter, listing Moreno -250 and Erceg +190 via FanDuel.
Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg prediction, pick
Brandon Moreno
Considering the UFC’s current trend of booking fighters on losing skids opposite hometown heroes, then I suppose it’s not surprising to see the betting spread above. Alhough I don’t disagree with who is favored, I caution anyone feeling too confident about either side of this attraction.
Flyweight fights, given the speed and technicality of the action at play, often make for contests that are scored much more closely than some might expect.
Not only is Erceg a fighter who can compete with Moreno’s lead-handed savvy, but the Australian has proven he can carry a high output across five rounds. The elevation of Mexico City will certainly put Erceg to the test, but no one should be surprised he’s able to compete punch for punch with Moreno.
The potential problem, however, is that Moreno, who already has an experience edge, also appears to have some advantages in the wrestling and durability department.
Despite Erceg’s accolades, his wrestling still shows some room for growth when competing with the upper echelon of the weight class. Even though I wouldn’t go so far as to say Erceg is “chinny,” I can’t help but wonder when the point of diminishing returns will come as far as the amount of weight the Australian contender cuts to fight at flyweight.
I’m a big fan of Erceg and wouldn’t mind being wrong on this one, it’s just always hard to back a fighter after the UFC’s already backed them into a proverbial corner. I hope this isn’t another case of the promotion rushing (and potentially ruining) a young product by bringing it to market too quickly, but the pick is Moreno to take a competitive win on the scorecards.
Prediction: Moreno by decision
Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg start time, where to watch
As the main event, Moreno and Erceg are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 9:40 p.m. ET (7:40 p.m. in Mexico). The fight streams on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.
Michael Chiesa verifies Sean Brady’s strength is different after their UFC fight, and thinks Leon Edwards should’ve known better.
[autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] has experienced what it’s like to be in the octagon with [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag], and thinks Leon Edwards made a serious miscalculation in the UFC Fight Night 255 main event.
Chiesa (20-7 MMA, 13-7 UFC) suffered a unanimous decision loss to Brady (18-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 198 in November 2021. The welterweight veteran, who also serves as a prominent analyst for the UFC and ESPN, was intrigued to see how his former opponent would deal with ex-champion Edwards (22-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the biggest fight of his career this past Saturday at The O2 in London, and it turned out to be a one-sided affair that led to a fourth-round submission result.
In the aftermath of the fight, Brady criticized Edwards for not focusing enough on the task at hand and dwindling on his title loss to Belal Muhammad in July. Chiesa backed that stance, and thinks Edwards did not realize the caliber of opponent he was stepping into the cage with.
“Sean’s a tremendous athlete,” Chiesa told MMA Junkie. “Incredibly skilled, incredibly strong. I could’ve warned Leon about that heading into that fight. You can’t really makes jokes about the short-guy thing. … Somebody should’ve warned Leon. This isn’t some short guy. You’re not going to just lace this guy with a head kick. You are going to have to deal with the strongest fighter you’ve ever faced in your life. There’s no guy you can bring in to emulate the strength of Sean Brady, because you would have to find a guy that’s like 210 pounds. He’s that strong. I remember the first time he wrapped his hands around my waist when we fought, I was just like, ‘Holy crap. (Paul) Felder totally was right.’ He has like mutant-like strength. I wasn’t surprised.
“Sean really turned a corner after that Belal Muhammad fight and when you saw him fight Belal, you saw a lot more lateral movement, it looked like he was trying to be more technical on the feet. I think where he turned the corner after Belal is where he was just like, ‘Screw this.’ He can just walk these guys down with big punches, get them on their heels, get them on the mat and get them into his wheelhouse. He turned a corner after that Belal fight. It’s safe to say you could argue he could be the next guy to fight for the title. We’ll see how everything shakes out, but we’re seeing a big paradigm shift at 170 pounds and it’s very, very exciting.”
[lawrence-related id=2813486,2813493,2813508]
Brady’s victory added further depth to the title picture at 170 pounds. Reigning champ Muhammad will next defend against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 on May 10, then undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov is expected to get the winner. Beyond that, Brady’s name is now in the fold, then someone like lightweight champion Islam Makhachev could be a factor if he ever moves up.
Much will be decided about who the best welterweight in the world is over the coming months. Chiesa thinks Brady might be that guy, but given what he’s seen thus far, his support remains behind Muhammad.
“I do think Belal beats JDM,” Chiesa said. “I think that’s a good fight for him. I’m not trying to be disrespectful or dismissive of his skills. He’s an incredible boxer. We’ve seen him have trouble in the past with the wrestling department. Belal is a pressure monster. He’s going to be in your face, he’s going to be in your face, he’s very durable. JDM has got to be ready to defend the takedowns, but not only ready to defend the takedowns, but defend the pressure. It’s hard to come forward with boxing pressure when the guy is going to mash you with wrestling, and Belal does a good job mixing up the wrestling with the striking to keep his opponents guessing. I see Belal winning this fight, but this time next year is going to be very interesting. I think the tougher matchups for Belal are on the horizon.
“I think Sean Brady, if they fought again, I think he’s a different fighter. His style is similar to Belal’s in terms of the pressure and the wrestling. But he’s just got that edge with the submissions. I don’t know how that fight goes. I think it would be a different fight. But you’ve got Shavkat the boogeyman waiting in the wings. He did look a lot more human against Ian Garry, but once the fight unfolded we found out he went into that fight with a knee injury. Islam going up could really shake things up. If Shavkat wins the title, I don’t know how Islam fares against him. The pick of the bunch, I think I’m going to stick with Belal Muhammad because I think people doubt him so much, I would like to think that he beats JDM, I would like to think he could beat Sean Brady again, but I think that’s the toughest of the fights for Belal, would be a fight with Sean Brady. I’m just picking Belal because I’m done picking against the guy.”
To hear more from Chiesa, check out his complete appearance on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.
Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 255 in London.
UFC Fight Night 255 took place this past Saturday at O2 Arena in London, producing a few key moves in multiple weight divisions.
In the main event, rising welterweight contender [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] soundly defeated former champion Leon Edwards by submission in a statement performance.
Brady entered the week at No. 7 in the welterweight division, but after his big stoppage win, lands at No. 2 in this week’s rankings update.
Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.
Sean Brady doesn’t think Ian Machado Garry should be in the UFC title picture.
[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] should be in the UFC title picture.
Machado Garry was angry that the promotion didn’t consider him as a replacement opponent for Shavkat Rakhmonov against welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) in the UFC 315 headliner May 10 in Montreal. The promotion opted to give Jack Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) the shot instead.
When asked if he’d consider facing Machado Garry next, Brady shut that idea down.
“I went out there, I took this opportunity – I heard he was b*tching that he didn’t get the fight with Belal,” Brady said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “Bro, you lost your fight, What are you talking about? You came in second place. You don’t get to be rewarded for that.
“It made the most sense for it to be Jack. (Machado Garry is) No. 7 at this point? Lost his last fight. I’ve won my last three, just beat a former champion who was a really good champion. I’ve got bigger things going on than Ian Machado Garry.”
Instead, the now No. 1-ranked Brady has his sights set on either the welterweight title or a No. 1 contender bout.
“I would be interested in the loser of the title fight. I’d be interested in the winner of the title fight, or I’d be interested in Shavkat,” Brady said.
Both Henry Cejudo and manager Ali Abdelaziz pitched the idea of Usman vs. Brady next. Usman was impressed with Brady’s performance and is on board with the suggestion.
“That’s a good point, Henry, because when you look at styles and the way that fights work, myself and Colby Covington, what did everyone say? ‘Oh, they’re both wrestlers. They’re both economical fighters.’ And you saw what that turned out to be,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Cejudo. “All right, we cancel each other out, we ain’t even going to try to grapple, let’s bang it out.
“Hey, this has the potential to be one of those fights. I like Sean Brady. I like the way he approaches the game, and of course he’s training with Din Thomas now, so that adds an extra element to the game. I like both, but I want to keep that streak of beating all of Din Thomas’ guys. I whooped at least three of his guys, so I want to keep that streak going, but I like that matchup.”
Usman’s pecking order
Usman will look to rebound from a three-fight losing skid. The former welterweight champion gave his order of preference on whom he wants next, with Brady No. 1 on that list.
“If I had to pick the order, I would say Brady, Shavkat (Rakhmonov), (Joaquin) Buckley,” Usman said. “That’s what makes sense because the winner of Brady and I, we fight for the title next because if you look at what Sean Brady just did, he just took out a former champion. Then you fight another former champion, and if he’s able to get through me, it’s hard to deny him that he shouldn’t fight for the title. Who else in the division has a resume like that? No one if Brady is able to do that.”
Sean Brady shook up the welterweight title conversation with his UFC London finish Leon Edwards. Can he get a title shot?
[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] sent shockwaves through the welterweight division this past Saturday when he went into enemy territory and became the first to finish former champion Leon Edwards in the UFC Fight Night 255 main event.
Fresh off losing the belt to Belal Muhammad in July, Edwards (22-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) was keen to deliver a statement that championships are not only in his past, but in his future, as well. Brady (18-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) had a different plan, because he scored a fourth-round submission of “Rocky” in the headliner at The O2 in London.
[lawrence-related id=2813307,2812998,2813082]Sean Brady shook up the welterweight title conversation with his UFC Fight Night 255 finish Leon Edwards. Can he get a title shot? The “Spinning Back Clique” panel debates.
With Muhammad scheduled to put gold on the line against Jack Della Maddalena in the UFC 315 main event on May 10 in Montreal, and Shavkat Rakhmonov stated to have dibs on facing the winner, there is much debate about where Brady now fits in among the highest echelon at 170 pounds.
That was a topic of conversation on this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” where the panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia discussed how what’s now one of the UFC’s most intriguing divisions will unfold going forward.
For more, check out the entire episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below.
Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” covering the UFC London main event, Jon Jones’ latest drama in the Tom Aspinall saga, and more.
The time for overreacting is here!
Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie reporter Farah Hannoun debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:
00:45 – UFC London: [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] was overrated this whole time.
04:55 – Leon Edwards’ next fight should ABSOLUTELY be against [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag].
09:43 – UFC London: [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] reestablished himself as a legitimate welterweight title contender.
16:01 – [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] needing 6 more months to fight [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] is PREPOSTEROUS.
19:06 – If not a title shot, [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]’s first lightweight opponent should be [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag].
Sean Brady doesn’t appreciate how Leon Edwards handled his loss to him at UFC Fight Night 255.
[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] doesn’t appreciate how [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] handled losing to him at UFC Fight Night 255.
Brady (18-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) dominated and submitted former UFC welterweight champion Edwards (22-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in Saturday’s main event at The O2 in London. Brady is not one to engage in trash talk but explained how Edwards started with the disrespect.
“We did a faceoff at The O2, and it literally took five seconds, but when we did it, we walked up to each other,” Brady said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “And obviously, bro, I’m not 6 foot, I’m not 6-2. I’m 5-9, like I’ve never been tall.
“When he walked up to me, he was asking me about my height. He was like, ‘What are you, 5-8, 5-9?’ Like he was just being a d*ckhead. … From there on, I was like, I’m not touching this dude’s hand, and if he tries some stupid sh*t at the weigh-ins, I’m going to give it right back to this motherf*cker.”
The pair didn’t touch gloves in the octagon prior to their fight. Brady tried to console Edwards after beating him, but the former champion wasn’t having any of it.
“Personally, f*ck Leon,” Brady said. “F*ck him and his whole team, and that’s how I feel about the whole situation. I went up to him and was like, ‘Yo man, you’re a great champion.’ He just kind of brushed me off. Obviously, he’s upset, but even his whole team, I tried to say, what’s up. They were corny as sh*t, too, so it was just whack. My coaches didn’t even go over there. They were like, ‘F*ck that, we’re not saying sh*t to these dudes.’
“Even before they raised my hand, I tried to touch him behind Jason Herzog – he’s just salty. Then seeing all this sh*t he was saying about me throughout the week. I wish I was even f*cking meaner to this dude. That’s why I posted this sh*t about the ‘Headshot, dead,’ and them not having guns in London because now I’m going to make fun of you. I’m going to poke at you because you’re a f*cking asshole.”
