Brandon Moreno may not fully grasp his star power, but he is confident that he is the ideal choice to headline UFC 320 – the next Noche UFC event – when the promotion comes to Guadalajara, Mexico, on September 13.
Following his unanimous decision victory over Steve Erceg at UFC Mexico, Moreno immediately shifted his focus to securing a title shot in his next fight. Just before his main event walkout, the UFC announced the September pay-per-view in Guadalajara, which Moreno saw as a sign to win and pursue a fourth match against flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.
“Guadalajara is definitely the goal,” Moreno stated at the UFC Mexico post-fight press conference. “I believe it makes perfect sense, even for the UFC and the promotion. If they want a pay-per-view Noche UFC event in Guadalajara in September, I think I’m the right person for it.”
It’s hard to argue with Moreno’s reasoning, especially when considering the need for a major local draw for an event built around celebrating Mexican Independence Day.
The main obstacle for Moreno might be convincing the UFC to grant him another title opportunity, given his three previous losses to Pantoja. One loss was on The Ultimate Fighter reality show and isn`t on his official record, but Moreno has lost to Pantoja in two subsequent bouts, including the 2023 title fight.
Nevertheless, Moreno believes his ability to attract crowds and his continued dominance in the flyweight division should warrant consideration for a title shot.
“I feel like today I have enough reasons to raise my hand and say I deserve to be the main event for the Guadalajara pay-per-view in September,” Moreno said.
“We’ll see what happens. I saw [UFC Chief Business Officer] Hunter [Campbell], and he seemed very pleased with the crowd and the atmosphere. The question is, how much impact do I have? Maybe not much. Flyweights always face this issue, which is crazy. But I truly believe that every time I enter the octagon, the crowd goes wild. That’s a fact. Let’s see what happens.”
Saturday’s UFC Mexico event was sold-out with 19,731 attendees and became the highest-grossing UFC Fight Night in history, generating over $2.53 million.
These factors are favorable for Moreno’s request to headline the next major UFC event in Mexico.
As for Pantoja, his next title defense is yet to be scheduled, although indications suggest he will return before September, with potential challengers like Manel Kape and Kai Kara-France waiting.
It remains to be seen what’s next for Moreno, but he is willing to compete as long as his next fight takes place in Mexico again, especially after securing his first victory there following an 0-2-1 record in Mexico City earlier in his UFC career.
“Every time I lost [in Mexico City], I couldn’t understand it,” Moreno recalled. “I was doing everything right. I was putting in the work, but not getting the desired result. This time, I tried to ignore those thoughts and just focus on being clear and executing my game plan.”
“Throughout fight week, I felt different. I had the experience, the energy, and in the end, we got the win. I’m happy.”
