Former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will rematch Brandon Royval at UFC Mexico City, replacing Amir Albazi who was forced to withdraw due to a neck injury.
Well, here’s the scoop. Brandon Moreno, ex-UFC flyweight champ, is all set for a rematch. And guess who he’s facing? Yep, it’s Brandon Royval. They’ll be squaring off at UFC Mexico City.
This isn’t just hearsay. A UFC official gave the thumbs up to Moreno vs. Royval 2. MMA Fighting got the confirmation after ESPN.com broke the news.
But here’s the twist. Moreno was originally supposed to fight Amir Albazi. However, Albazi’s dealing with a nasty neck injury. He spilled the beans on X, saying he’s out of the event.
Albazi’s words? “I’m out of the fight against Moreno 24th of February,” he wrote. “I have been dealing with a serious neck injury the past weeks. After some scans the UFC doctors decided to pull me out of the fight immediately. I want to apologize to the fans and the UFC. I will be back inshallah.”
Moreno and Royval have a history. They first clashed in November 2020 at UFC 255. Both were eyeing the UFC flyweight title. Moreno managed to stop Royval in the first round with just a second to spare. He won via TKO, which earned him a title shot against then-champ Deiveson Figueiredo. That fight ended in a draw, sparking a series of title fights.
Moreno came out on top in the series against Figueiredo. He scored two wins, one loss, and a draw. He even reclaimed the UFC flyweight title. But in his recent outing, he lost it to current champ Alexandre Pantoja. This marked his second loss against the Brazilian.
Royval’s not wasting any time. Just a month after a decision loss to Pantoja at UFC 296, he’s back in the mix. That loss broke his three-fight winning streak and cost him his first title shot.
UFC Mexico City is happening on Feb. 24. The venue? Arena CDMX in Mexico City. And you can catch it on ESPN+.