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Brandon Moreno defeated Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263 to become the new flyweight champion. The Mexican-born fighter became the first champion of his origin in the organization's history.
Moreno has rammed through some of the toughest MMA fighters on his way to UFC gold. However, 'The Assassin Baby' will need to stay sharp in his craft if he wishes to have a prolonged stay on the throne of the UFC flyweight division. There is a line of challengers waiting to get a piece of that championship belt, but who will be first?
Here are five possible opponents for Brandon Merono's first title defense:
#5 - Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 3
A trilogy fight between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo cannot be ignored at any cost. The fight between the newly-crowned UFC flyweight champion and former titleholder will always remain in the picture. It is only a matter of time before UFC president Dana White decides that the trilogy needs to be completed.
Deiveson Figueiredo is a tough fighter and, in the words of Dana White, "a savage." The fact that he was outdone by Brandon Moreno at UFC 263 came as a shock to many MMA experts and fans. Speaking about the flyweight title bout at UFC 263 post-fight press conference, Dana White said:
"Going into this fight, I didn't see how Moreno wins this fight. Figueiredo is savage and I thought the second fight was going to be much different than the first fight. And I was right, but I was wrong. Figueiredo looked like he couldn't get off. He looked like he was slow. I mean, Moreno made it look easy, man."
Deiveson Figueiredo, who promised to finish Brandon Moreno at UFC 263, gave a shout out to the UFC president and said:
"Dana, four months more and I'm ready to fight again."
#4 - Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 2
Brandon Royval is a fairly new entrant in the UFC, having made his debut in 2020. The fighter from Colorado faced Brandon Moreno at UFC 255 and was TKO'd with just one second left in the first round. However, the result is not completely reflective of how the fight went down. Royval fought out of two submissions attempted by Moreno, which included a dangerous rear-naked choke.
The 28-year-old also landed a higher volume of significant strikes on the Mexican but succumbed to an arm injury, losing via TKO in the first round. That said, the No.6 UFC flyweight cannot be written off.
Nicknamed 'Raw Dawg,' Brandon Royval is an excellent stylistic match-up for Brandon Moreno. The muay-thai fighter, just like 'The Assassin Baby,' is a master at grappling. He also has quick hands and is light on his feet.
He has three knockout wins and eight submission wins in his MMA career. Compared to Brandon Moreno's three and 11, the numbers look almost identical. Brandon Royval makes for an excellent candidate for Moreno's first title defense.
Also read: Brandon Moreno doubles his Instagram follower numbers overnight after flyweight title win at UFC 263
#3 - Brandon Moreno vs. Alex Perez
Ranked fourth in the UFC flyweight division, Alex Perez is one of the very few top-10 fighters that Brandon Moreno has not faced. Perez is equally versed in striking and grappling, with 12 stoppage wins in his MMA career (four in the UFC).
Alex Perez made his UFC debut in 2017 and has gone 6-2 since then, which includes a submission loss against former champion Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 255.
Perez is now set to fight Askar Askarov at UFC Vegas 33 on 31 July, as per MMA News. In all likelihood, the winner of Askarov vs Perez will be pushed forward to face the new UFC flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno. An exciting stylistic match-up between two fighters of Mexican descent is what the UFC needs to make a push south of the border.
Also read: Brandon Moreno's UFC flyweight title win honored with a glorious mural in his hometown
#2 - Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2
Alexandre Pantoja is one of only two fighters in the UFC to hand out a clean loss to Brandon Moreno. In fact, a rematch against Pantoja is likely to give 'The Assassin Baby' a few nerves. Moreno was released from the UFC in 2018 following the decision loss against 'The Cannibal.'
The history between Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Moreno runs deeper, though. Both fighters clashed in the 24th season of The Ultimate Fighter, where Pantoja submitted Brandon Moreno after an intense war.
Alexandre Pantoja is somewhat of a stoppage expert; out of 23 wins in his MMA career, the Brazilian has 16 finishes (four in the UFC). It would make sense if Pantoja becomes an opponent for Brandon Moreno's first title defense.
Also read: Brandon Moreno reveals how Rose Namajunas inspired him to UFC 263 title win
#1 - Brandon Moreno vs. Askar Askarov 2
Askar Askarov is a promising new entrant in the UFC who hails from Dagestan, Russia. He is unbeaten (14-0-1) in his MMA career so far and has 11 finishes. The only fighter who could manage a draw against Askarov was Brandon Moreno.
Upon returning to the UFC in 2019, Brandon Moreno was set up against Askar Askarov for his first fight at UFC Fight Night 159. It was also the Dagestani fighter's UFC debut. Brandon Moreno landed a higher volume of total strikes and significant strikes. He also had a successful takedown.
On the other hand, Askar Askarov had a higher striking efficiency than Moreno. 'Bullet' also grappled at a crazy pace, the signature of the Dagestani fighters. He converted four of his 11 takedown attempts on Moreno. The fight was adjudged a split draw, with the scorecard reading 28-28, 29-28, 27-30.
Since then, Askarov has gone on a three-fight winning streak and has claimed he deserves a shot at the title. He faces Alex Perez in July 2021, and that seems like the only hurdle between him and Brandon Moreno.
Watch Brandon Moreno's post-fight interview after UFC 259:
Also read: UFC Rankings update: Israel Adesanya and Belal Muhammad emerge as biggest winners from UFC 263
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