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The UFC returned to Mexico City on Saturday night, and the event set the stage for some big fights in the promotion’s lighter weight classes, most notably…
The UFC returned to Mexico City on Saturday night, and the event set the stage for some big fights in the promotion’s lighter weight classes, most notably…
Brandon Royval wants another crack at flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. Stepping up on short notice after Brandon Moreno’s originally…
Brandon Royval wants another crack at flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.
Stepping up on short notice after Brandon Moreno’s originally scheduled opponent — Amir Albazi — bowed out due to a neck injury, Royval delivered a solid performance throughout their five-round headliner, earning a split-decision victory over ‘The Assassin Baby’ inside Mexico City’s Arena CDMX.
Following the contest, a fired-up Royval called out Pantoja, who was sitting cageside for the festivities.
Brandon Royval is fired up!
He wants the rematch with Alexandre Pantoja after tonight's #UFCMexico win
pic.twitter.com/ynUKqG7CXP
— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2024
“I’m a f*cking gangster. I’m the realest one in this flyweight division,” Royval said while speaking with Paul Felder. Everybody wants to grapple me all day. Speaking of grappling, I hear Pantoja’s in the building. Let’s run that sh*t back motherf*cker. Ain’t no motherf*cker holding me down ever again. I’m going to people’s house and I’m taking their f*cking sh*t. All day, every day. Brandon ‘Raw Dog’ motherf*ckin’ Royval in the building. Westside!”
Brandon Royval has stepped inside the Octagon with Pantoja on two separate occasions, the first coming at a Fight Night event in August 2021. Pantoja earned a submission via RNC in the second round. Two years later, they would run it back in a flyweight title tilt at UFC 296 in December. ‘The Cannibal’ once again came out on top, this time by unanimous decision.
With Royval already coming up short against Pantoja twice, a third fight between the two would be a hard sell for fight fans. But with the UFC in desperate need of a flyweight title contender not named Brandon Moreno, ‘Raw Dog’ may be the best option at hand.
Flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja has a moment with Brandon Royval after tonight’s #UFCMexico main event
— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2024
Brandon Royval stepped into the UFC Mexico main event as a +220 underdog, but that didn’t stop him from…
Brandon Royval stepped into the UFC Mexico main event as a +220 underdog, but that didn’t stop him from delivering a show-stealing performance against former flyweight world champion Brandon Moreno.
More than three years removed from their first meeting when ‘The Assassin Baby’ scored a last-second TKO, Royval earned some redemption, outlasting Moreno in a five-round back-and-forth war inside Arena CDMX in Mexico City. ‘Raw Dog’ threw an incredible 370 significant strikes during the 25-minute affair, though he only landed a lowly 28%. Still, that was enough to outstrike Moreno in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds which ultimately sealed the victory on two of the three scorecards.
Official Result: Brandon Royval def. Brandon Moreno via split decision (48-47, 46-49, 48-47)
Following the bout, Royval called for a rematch with reigning flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja, who was sitting cageside for the festivities. Royval came up short against Pantoja at UFC 296 in December, but his impressive short-notice showing against Moreno may put him right back in line for another shot at gold.
Got the win on short notice
— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2024
Brandon Royval is fired up!
He wants the rematch with Alexandre Pantoja after tonight's #UFCMexico win
— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2024
He’s not f*ckin’ leaving! Despite dubbing his UFC 298 meeting with Merab Dvalishvili as an “all or nothing” situation,…
He’s not f*ckin’ leaving!
Despite dubbing his UFC 298 meeting with Merab Dvalishvili as an “all or nothing” situation, Henry Cejudo has reversed his decision to retire for a second time. Instead, the former two-division titleholder will look to bounce back inside the Octagon and he already has a couple of big names in mind.
“There’s still that (Sean) O’Malley fight,” Cejudo said in a video on his YouTube channel. “I still don’t think O’Malley’s going to get past ‘Chito.’ We could potentially headline something like that in Phoenix.”
O’Malley is currently scheduled to defend his bantamweight title against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera in the UFC 299 headliner on March 9. Should ‘Sugar’ retain his title against the only make to have beaten him inside the Octagon, ‘Triple C’ already has a contingency plan in place.
“There’s that fight with Brandon Moreno,” Cejudo said. “There’s that bad blood that, you know, former training partners that were somewhat best friends leading up to the breakup, to having a good, nice little Mexican showdown for all you fans” (h/t MMA Junkie).
Cejudo has called for a clash with Moreno on more than one occasion after going their separate ways, though it’s unclear if he would be willing to drop down to flyweight to meet ‘The Assassin Baby’ for a potential grudge match. The last time Cejudo competed at 125, it was for a title defense against T.J. Dillashaw in 2019.
Moreno is scheduled to headline UFC’s return to Mexico on Saturday, February 24 against familiar foe Brandon Royval in the evening’s main event while Cejudo is fresh off a unanimous decision loss to the No. 1 ranked bantamweight contender in the world.
Cejudo has now lost back-to-back bouts since returning from a three-year-long layoff. ‘Triple C’ previously stated that a loss against ‘The Machine’ would send him back into retirement, but he has since rescinded the claim.
Henry Cejudo announces he’s not retiring from MMA
“The show goes on, I am not f***ing leaving.”
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 23, 2024
2023 was quite a year for MMA. We watched Francis Ngannou leave the UFC, sign with the PFL, and score a blockbuster boxing match with Tyson Fury. We saw Jon…
2023 was quite a year for MMA. We watched Francis Ngannou leave the UFC, sign with the PFL, and score a blockbuster boxing match with Tyson Fury. We saw Jon…
Former undisputed flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno is set for his return to the Octagon, taking co-main event honors at…
Former undisputed flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno is set for his return to the Octagon, taking co-main event honors at a UFC Fight Night Mexico City event on February 24. next – taking on surging contender, Amir Albazi in a five round clash.
Moreno, a former undisputed and interim flyweight champion, has been sidelined since he dropped his undisputed title at UFC 290 back in July in the co-main event of the International Fight Week event, dropping a close split decision loss to the incumbent in the pair’s Octagon rematch.
As for Albazi, the Iraq native has captured the number three rank in the official flyweight pile, most recently turning in a split decision win over common-foe and former interim title challenger, Kai Kara-France in the main event of UFC Vegas 74 back in June, The victory came as Albazi’s fifth in the Octagon since his debut back in 2020.
ESPN Deportes reporter, Carlos Contreras Legaspi was first to report the targeted bout between Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi, before latter confirmation from Eurosport reporter, Marcel Dorff, who confirmed the bout would take place on February 24. in a Mexico City return for the UFC.
Brandon Moreno takes on Amir Albazi on February 24th in Mexico City, Mexico. Done deal and set to be the co-main event.
Three days ago @CCLegaspi mentioned in his podcast the UFC was working on this fight. It's a done deal now. #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2024 pic.twitter.com/9QkORCwYjr
— Marcel Dorff
Moreno, a former two-time undisputed flyweight champion under the banner of the UFC, first captured Octagon spoils with a stunning rear-naked choke submission win over incoming UFC Austin feature, Deiveson Figueriedo back in 2021, before dropping the title in a third fight against the Brazilian the following January.
Minting himself as the interim flyweight titleholder with a vicious body kick KO win over Kara-France in the pair’s rematch, Moreno would land a doctor’s stoppage TKO win over Figueriedo in the pair’s fourth fight in January of last year, before losing his title to Pantoja in the summer.
17-1 as a professional, former Brave CF standout, Albazi debuted in the UFC with a rear-naked choke submission win over Malcolm Gordon, before then lodging a decision win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov in his sophomore outing.
In three consecutive victories since then, Albazi, 30, has defeated Francisco Figueriedo, Alessandro Costa, and the aforenoted, Kara-France.
Who wins at UFC Mexico City: Brandon Moreno or Amir Albazi?
YT / Henry Cejudo 
(@BigMarcel24)