Alexandre Pantoja To Fight Brandon Moreno for Flyweight Belt of UFC 290
Alexandre Pantoja To Fight Brandon Moreno for Flyweight Belt of UFC 290
LAS VEGAS: UFC 290 co-main event fighter Alexandre Pantoja challenges flyweight champion Brandon Moreno at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday for the first time. Moreno enjoys a good fight, but his attitude is straightforward: just win, baby.
Moreno has been defeated twice by Pantoja, the first time via submission on “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2016, and the second time by decision in Chile in 2018.
Pantoja expresses apologetic for his past actions and lavishes admiration on Moreno.
He appears to be getting emotional while discussing his confrontation with Moreno. He mentioned that one of his goals in life was to face Moreno in the Octagon while the crowd was on its feet and yelling.
Moreno’s response would have been completely foreseeable five years ago. Sure, if you had asked Moreno in 2018, he’d have enthusiastically responded, “I’d love to do that.”
But this is 2023, not 2018, and Brandon Moreno has undergone significant changes. UFC president Dana White said as much to Yahoo Sports on Monday.
“People love this kid; I mean, they loooooooooove him,” White gushed. He’s quickly risen to the ranks of our top stars. The amount of people who show up to his signings is crazy. It’s on a whole different plane than [the other fighters]. A truly massive star, if you will.
Moreno’s success and exciting fighting style have made him a fan favorite. However, that isn’t the whole story. If you look at any image of him that wasn’t taken during a fight, you’ll notice something striking: he’s always smiling widely.
He enjoys everything about his life, including the admiration and praise of his many followers. He has learned that he doesn’t need to deviate from his usual strategy in order to win over his audience’s approval.
Before the inquiry can be finished, he cuts off the idea of asking him about what Pantoja stated about doing a Fight of the Year type battle in front of a sold-out bloodthirsty crowd howling in delight.
His word was “victory.” It’s all about that. Winning. My only goal is to triumph. I’m confident in my success. That’s the crux of the matter. Look, if you had asked me that question earlier in my life or earlier in my career, I would have answered, “Yeah, guy. I want the crowd to go wild with my fans chanting my name as I go toe-to-toe with my opponent in this chaotic bout. This, however, is not the case.
The people are behind me. There will be a lot of Mexican blood in the stadium, that much is certain. That’s wonderful, and I’m grateful for it, but it’s not something I’m actively going to seek. Just put, I’m in this to win it.
It’s awesome to have all this media attention and celebrity status. I adore all of my devoted followers! But I’m making an effort to leave a lasting impression on future generations right now. As long as the people are still fighting, I want them to remember me and what I did.
On Saturday, he’ll be going up against an opponent who has already defeated him twice. BetMGM has him as a 2-1 favorite versus Pantoja, but that’s mostly because of his recent success and his dominating win over former champion Deiveson Figueiredo in January in Brazil.
Although Pantoja is confident in his ability to reclaim the world title, he is aware that his opponent will be different from the two men he has already defeated.
He remarked, “You can’t stay the same and expect to compete; this sport is so tough and you have to work so hard.” I admire his efforts. He was laid off, but he pulled himself together, learned from his mistakes, and improved with each subsequent bout. On Saturday, I fully anticipate facing a fighter who is even more formidable than the one we faced in January versus Deiveson.
White praised Moreno for his resilient mindset and his ability to reinvent himself.
The finest of the best await you in the UFC, he continued. You won’t find any easy battles. So, not only are physical abilities essential, but so are mental ones. There is also a significant mental component.
That’s crucial information to have. The kid is a total slob. He has the tenacity of a true Mexican boxer and intends to stay in the ring for as long as possible.
Can he get past the fact that he’s been beaten twice by the same guy? Okay, that’s challenging, but let’s discuss Israel Adesanya.
After losing to Alex Pereira three bouts, twice in kickboxing and once in the UFC, middleweight champion Adesanya returned in April and knocked Pereira out.
White has stated, “Anyone can beat Anyone on any given night in this sport and especially in the UFC.” Every time you go out, you need to be prepared.
Yes, Brandon has gone and done that. We severed ties with him, yet he never complained or gave up. Without a doubt, he is one of the biggest names in this sport, and he went out there, figured out what he needed to do, and rebuilt himself to the point where he is a world champion.
Moreno always possessed the raw skills necessary to become a top-tier fighter, but he lacked polish. That he took it in stride and performed what was necessary is what ultimately secured his place in history.
He’s astute enough to see that the past isn’t always indicative of what’s to come.
I know why we’re fighting,” Moreno remarked. I had two fights with him and lost both of them. In both bouts, he performed admirably.
Even if I wanted to forget about it, I couldn’t. Every defeat, and indeed every fight, served as motivation to do better. In 2023, when we meet for the third time, he will be a hungry contender and I will be the champion. We’re both in for something completely new here.
He pauses as though trying to come up with the ideal closing statement. The realization causes him to laugh.
Moreno declared, “I’m just ready to fight, man.” “After all this effort and time, all you get is a quarrel. I must now engage in combat. I’m prepared for it now.
