Former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno has announced he’s stepping away from MMA for the foreseeable future.
Moreno is coming off a split decision loss to Brandon Royval in the main event of UFC Mexico City which was his second straight defeat. The Mexican lost his title to Alexandre Pantoja back in July and now following his second straight defeat, Moreno says he will be taking time off from the sport.
“I feel like I’m at a point in my life where I’m putting in the work, I’m dedicated, but the results just aren’t there, and it’s very frustrating,” Brandon Moreno said in Spanish (translation by MMAJunkie). “This is something that makes me very sad, but something that makes me who I am is that I always find a way to come back. I think with all the technical aspect things aside, I think I’m just tired. I’m tired of the media, the same questions, the vibe, the constant pressure.”
“I don’t even think it’s a single moment anymore. I think it’s everything I’ve piled on my shoulders in the last few years. I’ve reached a point where my mind is stressed, and I just want to rest a bit. “
Brandon Moreno announces he's taking a break from MMA, but not retiring.
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“I’m not saying I’m 100 percent stepping away from MMA, but I do want to take a break to rest, be with my family and just be a normal person, be with my daughters, and just do new things,” Brandon Moreno continued. “There are many things I haven’t done because I’m 100 percent focused on my training. I just want to rest a bit. This is by no means a goodbye. Just wait for me, have patience, let my body and my mind recover, and we’ll come back to do things well.”
Although Brandon Moreno is taking time off, he says it isn’t a retirement. Instead, he needs to refresh his mind and body as he knows he will fight again.
Brandon Moreno vows to be UFC champion again
Despite losing back-to-back fights, Brandon Moreno has full confidence in himself that he has all the tools to become UFC champion again.
Moreno says the last time he took a break from MMA was after he was cut from the UFC. He ended up turning his career around and became the UFC champion.
“The last time that happened, I came back, and I became a world champion,” Moreno said. “I’d like to think I can do the same and when I return, I’m going to go on a tear. I still think I’m an incredible fighter, and I have all the qualities and abilities to be a champion again… At this point, all I promise is that I’ll continue fighting, moving forward, and I will find the right path to move forward. I’m going to do everything to pick myself up again. I want to do it, I know I can do it, and I’m going to do it. I’m going to be champion. I just need to rest my body and mind.”
Moreno is currently 21-8-2 as a pro and on a two-fight losing skid. He’s 9-5-2 in the UFC and before the back-to-back losses, he TKO’d Deiveson Figueiredo to reclaim the flyweight title for the second time.