Jussier Formiga: Win over Brandon Moreno should put me in striking distance of title shot

Jussier Formiga is looking pick up where he left off.

Formiga (22-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC) faces Brandon Moreno this Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 28 in Brasilia, in hopes to insert himself back in the flyweight title picture.

Moreno has looked impressive during his second UFC stint, most recently snapping Kai Kara-France’s eight-fight win streak at UFC 245.

“He fights in a Mexican style, with emphasis on boxing,” Formiga told MMA Junkie. “He also has good head kicks. He does a little bit of everything, including grappling. He’s good. He has a brown belt in jiu-jitsu. I believe this will be a great challenge. I’m excited and motivated for this fight. I’m looking to defend my spot in the rankings. I’m also looking forward to fighting in Brazil again after three years.”

“I don’t know what the future holds, but another good victory should certainly put me within striking distance of a title shot.”

He saw his four-fight winning streak come to an end at the hands of Joseph Benavidez, who went on to contend for the vacant UFC flyweight title. Formiga’s last win was over the other half of the flyweight title fight, Deiveson Figueiredo, who knocked Benavidez out at UFC on ESPN+ 27, but wasn’t crowned champion due to missing weight.

So his win over Figueiredo holds even more value now.

“Deiveson Figueiredo was a very difficult opponent,” Formiga said. “He’s very dangerous. He was undefeated up to that point, on a four-fight win streak in the UFC. I was able to show him that once you get into the top five, everything becomes more difficult. I was happy to beat him in convincing fashion.”

The loss to Benavidez set Formiga back in his championship pursuit, but he took valuable lessons out of the defeat as he looks to put the setback behind him.

“I make no excuses,” Formiga said. “I had a good training camp – that’s the truth. Nothing went wrong. During the fight, I took some kicks around the waistline on the second round. They had a detrimental effect. They wore me down. My primary lesson, going into my next bout, is not allowing that to happen again. My last fight broke my winning streak. MMA doesn’t allow for errors. For every error, there’s a price to be paid. But that was last year. That chapter is closed. Now, I’m highly motivated for my clash against Brandon Moreno.”