UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno expresses confidence ahead of his third bout against Alexandre Pantoja, stating Pantoja has not yet faced him at his best and that he has trained specifically for this match-up.
Brandon Moreno, the current UFC flyweight champion, is set to fight Alexandre Pantoja in his next title defense. The two fighters have faced each other twice previously, but Moreno is optimistic that Pantoja hasn’t seen him perform at his best level yet. His aim in the upcoming match is to clinch his first win against Pantoja.
The faceoff is scheduled to occur at UFC 290 on July 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Moreno and Pantoja’s confrontation isn’t new; they first crossed paths during The Ultimate Fighter’s 24th season in 2016, where Pantoja claimed victory via submission. In a rematch two years later at UFC Fight Night 129, Pantoja again emerged victoriously, securing a unanimous decision win. However, Moreno remains unperturbed and aims to reveal a fresh approach to Pantoja in the imminent trilogy.
Speaking about the matchup on The MMA Hour, Moreno confidently stated, “I’ve said this before and I’m going to say this right now — he never fought against the best Brandon Moreno when we fought each other.” He expressed his focus and preparedness to take on Pantoja, indicating that his training is tailored strategically to counter Pantoja’s play. Post Moreno’s championship unification victory at UFC 283 over Deiveson Figueiredo in January, Pantoja, who was backstage, congratulated Moreno before challenging him for his next match. Moreno was nonchalant about the challenge, feeling that Pantoja should have allowed him to relish his victorious moment.
Pantoja, who recently clinched three straight wins, is set to prove his merit in the upcoming event capping off the promotion’s International Fight Week. The upcoming fight, according to Moreno, will be different from the second match that happened more than five years ago. Moreno feels the key factor that will tip the scales in his favor this time around is his improved athleticism. Reiterating his confidence on The MMA Hour, Moreno stated, “I can talk about a lot of different things like the technical part, the mental part, whatever, but the real difference for this fight will be [that] I’m a better athlete. I’m a better athlete and I’ll show that in July.”