Amir Albazi goes down! Mexico’s Brandon Moreno took on, and defeated, the UFC’s third ranked fighter, fending off a new contender to the throne. Now, Moreno will look ahead. Despite losing to Alexandre Pantoja twice and a third time on The Ultimate Fighter, Moreno is still going for gold. While not likely to get a title shot yet, Moreno still has a future that is full of fun fights. Let’s see what could be next.
Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira: A new contender emerges
Tatsuro Taira is coming off of a tough loss against Brandon Royval in the hopes of a number one contender fight. But what if I told you that Taira isn’t out of the shot of a title just yet. Taira could take on a former champion and elite fighter to get another shot. That former champion/elite fighter could be Brandon Moreno.
Brandon Moreno is not getting a title shot any time soon so Taira could be next for Moreno who is looking to eliminate all other competition for his coveted number two ranking. This test could help boost the confidence of Taira, answer questions on his striking defense, and give Brandon Moreno a fresh name with a unique challenge: a wrestling power house that is Tatsuro Taira.
Running it back with Brandon Royval
With the series tied at 1-1, the UFC and Brandon Moreno could opt to keep both of these two top contenders busy while the flyweight division sorts out. Battle of the Brandons has taken place twice already with the two fights going opposite ways.
Alexandre Pantoja has already beaten Moreno and Royval. Twice. A piece. Neither are fresh matchups and it’s clear the UFC feels the same way now that promotional newcomer Kai Asakura is getting the shot at Pantoja. These two could figure out who is the real number one contender and knock the other off as a potential challenger for the title one of these days.
The wild card: Asu Almabayev
If I’m arguing against both Taira and Royval for Brandon Moreno, I’ll point to Taira coming off of a loss and Royval recently beating Moreno. If these are eliminating factors, I have to eliminate names like Steve Erceg who is on a two fight losing streak. Moreno’s already beaten Kai Kara-France. He just beat Albazi and Alex Perez is hurt. Next in line is Asu Almabayev.
At 21-2, Almabayev’s record is impeccable and the Kazakhstan native is looking for a shot at a high ranking opponent. He is coming off of a convincing win over Matheus Nicolau this past October.
Moreno, having been around for so long, may look for an opponent that’s a new challenge for him. Why not give Asu Almabayev a shot? He gave Deiveson Figueiredo four chances after all.
