Tag: UFC 263

Video: Can Brandon Moreno stay champ long enough to become UFC’s Mexican star?

“The Assassin Baby” made history Saturday when he became the first Mexico-born champion in UFC history.

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] made history Saturday when he became the first Mexico-born champion in UFC history.

At UFC 263, Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 8-2-2 UFC) submitted Deiveson Figueiredo (20-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) with a rear-naked choke in Round 3 to win gold. The victory came on the heels of an energetic fight week for Moreno, who received one of the loudest pops at the pre-fight news conference and ceremonial weigh-ins.

Given the market in which he represents and its lack of representation in UFC title lineage, could Moreno be the promotion’s first big Mexico-born star? That’s the question “Spinning Back Clique” host George Gacia asked this week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Nolan King.

You can watch their discussion in the video above. Then don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ6F5En_t3I

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Brandon Moreno details ‘special’ moment with Henry Cejudo after title win; open to future matchup

Henry Cejudo opened doors for Brandon Moreno as an individual and part of the UFC flyweight division.

When [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] walked backstage, UFC title in hand and he saw his old teammate and ex-titleholder [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag], he thought the time was right to say, “Thank you”.

The heartfelt conversation occurred minutes after Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 8-2-2 UFC) submitted Deiveson Figueiredo to become the flyweight champion at UFC 263. It was captured on video and went viral.

“That moment was special because he was my teammate before, a long time ago,” Moreno told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “He helped me so much. He opened the door of his house. He helped me some mornings to get my training in, in Arizona, five or six ago. I never had the real opportunity to say thank you. To say, ‘Thank you so much, Henry, for helping me in the past.’ I thought that moment (was right) to say that to him. He was in his character as ‘Triple C.’ But I knew and saw that he was very happy for me and my performance and my life at that moment.”

Cejudo (16-2) retired without ever having lost a UFC title. He held two of them, one at flyweight and one at bantamweight, and both vacated upon his departure. At the time of Cejudo’s exit, Moreno was in the UFC on the come-up toward a UFC title. The two never fought, but with their Mexico ties, Moreno thinks a matchup could be on the table depending on what Cejudo wants to do.

“He’s another possibility,” Moreno said. You never know. … Definitely, yes. It’s a possibility. Obviously, he’s retired. He’s almost a father. He is in a marriage with his girlfriend. He has a nice life. He has a nice life, bro. He’s talking about a fight against Volkanovski. He’s talking about a fight against Petr Yan. He wanted to fight against Figueiredo. You never know what will happen in the future. I’m the champion and I need to fight (against) the guys the UFC says. I don’t know. You never know.”

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For now, however, Cejudo stays retired, which leaves a sea of contenders for Moreno’s next challenge. In the wake of losing the title, Figueiredo revealed he felt unwell at UFC 263 and asked for a rematch – one that Moreno isn’t particularly keen on granting, at least not immediately.

“Come on,” Moreno said. “He was respectful after the fight. I want to keep that respect of him. If he starts to talk again with excuses, I don’t have any more comments about that. Talking about the fight, definitely, he’s a former champion. It’s a possibility. I need to talk to the UFC. … I think the fight was very dominant, so maybe he needs to fight with another guy first. I don’t know, man. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”

If not Cejudo or the trilogy vs. Figueiredo, Moreno sees other options including the winner of a rumored July 31 fight between former UFC title challenger Alex Perez (24-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and undefeated Russian fighter Askar Askarov (14-0-1, 3-0-1). Also, former bantamweight champion Cody Gabrandt (12-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) been linked to 125-pound fights in the past. Then there’s Alexandre Pantoja (23-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC), who holds a past win over Moreno.

“We’ll see what happens,” Moreno said. “There’re a few names there. Obviously, the fight between Askarov and Alex Perez, I think the winner can be the next one. Cody Garbandt fought against Rob Font last time and he lost, but he’s a former champion. He’s always a possibility. Alexandre Pantoja is another possibility, too. He beat me in the past.

UFC 263 took place Saturday at Gila River Arena. The main card streamed on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

Check out Moreno’s full interview with MMA Junkie below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wjc57bXq0U

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Nate Diaz gave Leon Edwards some great advice after their fight and UFC fans loved it

Leon Edwards loved this advice from Nate Diaz.

Nate Diaz put on a show in the final minute of his loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 263 on Saturday as he nearly pulled off an incredible comeback victory with a number of strikes that left Edwards dazed.

It didn’t prove to be enough, though, as Edwards was able to stay on his feet and got a little bit saved by the bell before having his arm lifted in victory via a unanimous decision.

It was a classic Diaz performance that left him the big winner of the night even though he lost the fight.

After the fight Diaz gave Edwards some good advice about his career moving forward. Diaz has always made sure he gets paid what he’s worth by the UFC and has sat out for long stretches when he didn’t think their offers were enough.

He wanted to make sure Edwards took that seriously, too.

There is some bad language in this tweet so if that’s not your thing then run for the hills.

Good for Diaz to be looking out for Edwards after such a brutal fight.

Fans loved it.

Demian Maia: I have one UFC fight left in me, and I want it to be Nate Diaz

It didn’t take long after Demian Maia’s UFC 263 loss this past Saturday for the speculation about his future to start up.

It didn’t take long after [autotag]Demian Maia[/autotag]’s UFC 263 loss this past Saturday for the speculation about his future to start up.

Maia (28-11 MMA, 22-11 UFC) dropped a unanimous decision to Belal Muhammad (19-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in a welterweight fight on the main card at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. The setback gave the Brazilian back-to-back losses after a three-fight winning streak in 2019.

UFC president Dana White said after the event it’s likely the fight was Maia’s last one in the UFC, which would put an end to one of the longest tenures for a fighter in company history. Maia, famed for his Brazilian jiu-jitsu, is a two-time UFC title challenger at welterweight and middleweight. He debuted with the promotion at UFC 77 in 2007.

On Monday, he acknowledged in an Instagram post that his time as a fighter is coming to an end. He’ll turn 44 in November, but said he hopes the UFC will give him one final fight – and that he hopes that fight will be against another longtime face in the promotion: Nate Diaz.

Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) dropped a decision to Leon Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in a five-round fight right after Maia lost to Muhammad.

“Last night I tried hard and unfortunately wasn’t able to put my best performance,” Maia posted. “As frustrated as I am, I kept trying until the end and that’s in the past now. I’m already looking forward as I know time goes by fast, and I won’t be doing this much longer.

“@natediaz209 , I saw your quote on the press conference, and think you’re great too. You’re a great fighter who also represents Jiu Jitsu and you’re real, I respect that.

“Regardless of last night, I know I still have one fight left in me, and it’s no secret that I feel like @UFC is my home, where I want to finish my career.

“Now, I have no idea if they will give me another fight, but if they do, I would be honored to do my last MMA bout with you, someone who always come to fight, who represents BJJ and whom I respect.

“I have had a long career, fought pretty much everybody, and proudly represented Jiu Jitsu the best I could. If I have one more, I don’t want to waste it with someone who I don’t respect. So If you want it, and the UFC want to do it, it will happen, and it will be my last dance. Much respect. #keepingitreal #ufc”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQFw5afDm0s

Whether or not Maia can convince White to give him one more shot remains to be seen.

“I think that was his last fight (with the UFC),” White told MMA Junkie at the UFC 263 post-fight news conference. “It was the last fight on his deal. He’s 44 years old. He’s been so good at getting in there, securing the takedown, getting on top of people, and just strangling them or grabbing something or twisting it until you quit. He couldn’t get it done tonight. He’s 44 years old. He’s a great guy. He’s had a great career. Yes, I would say that’s probably it.”

Maia also appears to have some work to do to convince Diaz, too. The popular MMA anti-hero of sorts was asked at the UFC 263 pre-fight news conference if he’d be interested in matchup with Maia.

Diaz said since he’s from a similar jiu-jitsu background, he considers himself to be on the same team as Maia.

“I have a lot of respect for guys like that,” Diaz said. “… I’m not hunting or looking for those kinds of fights. I feel like I’m pretty much on the same side as them. I feel like I’m representing the same thing – jiu-jitsu background. I wouldn’t say I would like to fight Demian Maia. I think he’s great.”

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MMA Junkie Radio #3166: Guests Belal Muhammad, Brandan Loughnane, plus UFC, Bellator, PFL recaps

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous George” and “Goze.”

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here and will be live at noon ET.

On Episode 3,166, the gents welcome in UFC 263 winner Belal Muhammmad and 2021 PFL 4 winner Brendan Loughnane. Plus, they’ll recap this past week’s three straight days of fight cards with 2021 PFL 4, Bellator 260 and UFC 263. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Watch Brandon Moreno’s gym erupt after his UFC 263 title win

Brandon Moreno has done his home country of Mexico and those around him very proud.

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] has done his home country of Mexico and those around him proud.

Moreno became the first Mexico-born fighter to win a UFC title when he submitted Deiveson Figueiredo in the third round at UFC 263 on Saturday. The 27-year-old’s journey to gold perfectly portrays the Mexican heart. The former last pick on “The Ultimate Fighter,” who was released by the UFC in 2018, refused to quit on his dream.

In a watch party set up at Moreno’s home gym in Tijuana, Mexico, his team went absolutely bananas when the flyweight star submitted Figueiredo to capture the title in dominant fashion.

Not only that, but Moreno was honored with another mural of his own in the streets of Tijuana, this time with the belt on his shoulder.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Henry Cejudo praises new flyweight champ Brandon Moreno: It’s crazy we used to be main training partners

Henry Cejudo can’t help but be proud of his former training partner for realizing his ultimate dream.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] can’t help but be proud of his former training partner.

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] became the first fighter born in Mexico to win a UFC title when he submitted Deiveson Figueiredo in the third round at UFC 263 on Saturday.

Cejudo, a former flyweight and bantamweight champion born in America of Mexican descent, greeted Moreno backstage and congratulated him for his historic victory.

“It’s crazy to say that we use to be main training partners for each other back in the day. I’ve always known this man was special and I’m not surprise he has the belt a round his waist. Congratulations @theassassinbaby for becoming Mexico’s first UFC Champion. Ps you know what my favorite color is Brenda keep your hands up 😉🏆🏆🏆 #cejudoquesi”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQE6z8NDiWm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Moreno’s journey to gold has been an incredible one. On Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Moreno was seeded dead last and wound up on Joseph Benavidez’s team after Cejudo selected Alexandre Pantoja as his No. 1 pick. Without either coach knowing the fighters’ seedings prior, Cejudo was visibly upset at the coincidence of having to coach against his former training partner and refused to help Pantoja game plan in the lead-up to the fight out of respect for his friend.

Although Moreno was eliminated by Pantoja in the first round, he put up a valiant effort that would go on to perfectly depict his never-quit attitude. The 27-year-old went 3-2 in his first UFC stint, but was released by the promotion. When he got the call back, Moreno went unbeaten in six fights en route to dethroning Figueiredo in his second try after battling to a majority draw in their first outing at UFC 256.

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Only Nate Diaz could have done what he did at UFC 263

The legend of Nate Diaz only grew after UFC 263.

This is the online version of our morning newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. 

UFC 263 in Arizona on Saturday closed out with two very entertaining championship fights that mostly lived up to their hype. But when the night was over those two bouts weren’t what everyone was talking about from the very fun main card.

Instead, everyone in the UFC world was talking about a guy who is used to taking things over. They were talking, of course, about Nate Diaz.

Diaz may have lost his fight Saturday night to Leon Edwards but the veteran fan favorite easily won the night by what he did in the last minute of the fifth and final round.

Edwards controlled the first 24 minutes of the fight – he chopped on Diaz’s legs with relentless and accurate kicks and bloodied his face with piercing elbows.

But Diaz controlled the 25th and final minute with some strikes that dazed Edwards and almost cost him a victory. With blood pouring down his face, Diaz somehow found a way to keep pushing forward and went on the attack. While he came up just short of knocking Edwards out before the final bell and ended up losing the fight via unanimous decision, what he did over the final 60 seconds had the arena and social media going crazy.

Only Nate Diaz could lose a fight – his second loss in a row – and still steal the spotlight from two title fights. The guy is a legend and that legend only grew Saturday night in the desert.

If you watched the fight on TV then you were able to hear how Diaz’s fight sounded different then all the others on the card. Throughout the fight the “Let’s go Diaz!” chants from the crowd were deafening. You don’t hear that for other fighters. Not many fighters, if any, are so deeply beloved by so many people that want to experience and be a part of a Nate Diaz fight night.

The Diaz show was so good Saturday night that UFC boss Dana White admitted that he doesn’t know what to do with the “unbelievable” Diaz next but that he knows that a Diaz fight will always be a show that so many people want to see.

And he’s right. Diaz is the show whenever he’s on a fight card. Doesn’t matter who else is on that card – Diaz fans will be a larger and louder contingent than all the other fanbases.

Diaz might have lost his fight on Saturday but nobody is really going to remember that. They’re going to remember seeing that bloodied legend from Stockton not giving up, pushing forward, and almost snatching a win away from an opponent who was so dominant for the majority of the evening.

The fans are going to remember jumping to their feet and yelling for Diaz to finish the job in the final minute.

And they’re going to remember hearing Diaz in his post-fight interview inviting everyone to his house for a post-fight party.

Only Nate Diaz could do all of that.

Quick hits: Jokic ejected from final game of sweep… Ump hilariously gets faked out… UFC fans rip ref… And more. 

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

– Nikola Jokic got ejected from Denver’s Game 4 loss to the Suns last night and NBA fans had a lot to say about it.

– A MLB umpire had a hilarious reaction to Tampa’s Brett Phillips pretending to charge the mound after getting hit by a pitch.

– UFC fans rightly ripped a ref for not stopping a fight quickly enough at UFC 263.

– The Phillie Phanatic destroyed a Yankees helmet… and Giancarlo Stanton was not thrilled about it.

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Chase Hooper releases statement after UFC 263 loss: ‘Time is on my side’

For the first time in his career, Chase Hooper has lost two of three fights.

For the first time in his career, [autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag] has lost twice in three fights.

At UFC 263 on Saturday, Steven Peterson defeated Hooper (10-2-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) by unanimous decision and swept all rounds from all three judges.

Shortly after the fight, Hooper released a lengthy statement on Twitter in which he provided detailed insight into his mentality entering a fight and voiced confidence in his fighting future despite the rough patch.

Read Hooper’s full statement below:

“I’ve always compared fighting to jumping off a cliff. You’re slowly walking your way towards the edge not knowing fully what to expect when you make that leap. It’s one of the scariest and most vulnerable experiences you can be a part of. You and another man are literally showing everything you’re made of in front of your family, friends, and the world in the most primitive and real way possible.

“Say what you will, but I always give it my all and leave everything in the cage. Never will I make any excuses and never will I apologize. I did some things well, but not well enough. I made some improvements, but not enough. Time is on my side, but that’s no excuse. I just need to continue to grind in and out of the gym and make the changes necessary to continue to develop and improve myself as a fighter.

“At the end of the day, I get to go in there and do what so many people can only dream of and I’m able to support myself and have a life that (I) didn’t even know was possible for myself. The split side of that is that the mistakes and missteps I make are broadcast to the world and my worth is analyzed by some based only on 15-minute sections of my life.

“No apologies, no excuses. Thanks to everybody for the support, especially my beautiful fiancee that puts up with this crazy life, and the guys who are with me in the trenches everyday and who are in my corner no matter what.”

Prior to the Peterson (19-9 MMA, 3-3 UFC) loss, Hooper defeated Peter Barrett by submission in December. That win came on the heels of a unanimous decision defeat to Alex Caceres in June 2020.

UFC 263 took place Saturday at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. The main card streamed on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

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Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Brandon Moreno, Deiveson Figueiredo after UFC 263?

See who should be next for new UFC flyweight champ Brandon Moreno as well as ex-titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo after UFC 263.

There was no controversy in the second encounter between [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] and [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] in their UFC 263 flyweight title rematch.

After fighting to a draw in their initial meeting in December, Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC) cleanly submitted Figueiredo (20-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) in the third round of the rematch on Saturday’s card at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., becoming the fourth man to hold the 125-pound title.

Moreno’s win represents a pivotal moment in the sport, because he’s the first Mexico-born fighter in history to win a UFC title. He represents a pillar of hope, too, with his story of going from being cut from the UFC to carrying a belt just a few years later.

Can Moreno become a long-term champion, though? And how far away is Figueiredo from getting in position to set up a third fight after going winless in the first two?

Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Moreno and Figueiredo’s futures after UFC 263.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uUiwOt2CYQ

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