It was a tough weekend for Brandon Moreno.
The former flyweight champion dropped his 125-pound title to longtime nemesis Alexandre Pantoja by way of wonky split decision in the UFC 290 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event last Sat. night (July 8, 2023) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, while also breaking his hand in the first round of their “Fight of the Night” classic.
A timeline for his recovery has yet to be determined.
“Could not be more proud of Brandon Moreno as he fought an absolute war last night,” Fortis MMA boss Sayif Saud wrote on Instagram. “These two athletes put on an incredible championship fight. Congratulations to Alexandre Pantoja and his team as well. Brandon broke his right hand in the first round and still fought at an incredible pace with unbelievable heart, skill and courage. He always shows the world what kind of character he has when he fights. Never complaining or making excuses, he just keeps on coming.”
Pantoja holds two pro nods over Moreno and one exhibition win.
“It’s like the (Deiveson) Figueiredo fights,” UFC President Dana White said during the UFC 290 post-fight press conference (watch it here). “It’s so good. I don’t know (about a fourth fight). I honestly don’t know the answer to that question right now. I don’t think there’s anybody on earth that wouldn’t want to see that fight again. It was so good.”
Depending on the health of Pantoja, he could potentially make his first flyweight title defense against one of the unbooked top contenders like Amir Albazi (No. 3) or Brandon Royval (No. 4) while Moreno recovers from his mangled mitt, assuming the promotion wants to move forward with another Pantoja-Moreno rematch somewhere down the line.
For more results and fallout from UFC 290 click here.