When Cody Garbrandt was forced out of his flyweight title fight against Deiveson Figueiredo, Brandon Moreno was sure he’d get the call.
Instead, the UFC opted to go with Alex Perez, who Moreno (17-5-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) was scheduled to face the same night at UFC 255 on Nov. 21.
Moreno was then matched up with surging contender Brandon Royval and, despite thinking Royval is a worthy opponent, Moreno can’t understand why he was passed up for the title fight.
“The Assassin Baby” explained to MMA Junkie Radio that he was actually told by the UFC that he’d be the front runner if something happened to the Figueiredo vs. Garbrandt booking, which explains why he’s so frustrated.
“Even right now, I don’t know what happened in that moment,” Moreno told MMA Junkie. “When I knew about that, I was very disappointed, sad even, mad, angry, but I can’t explain what happened. For me, I’m just trying to stay really focused on my goals.
“I know Alex Perez is more of a name than Brandon Royval. Brandon Royval is very good. He has two fights in the UFC, very impressive fights, but I’m just trying to be focused on Brandon. He’s amazing. He’s a really good jiu-jitsu guy, and he has hands, but I don’t know what happened with the UFC. It’s really weird because actually the UFC told me. They said, ‘If something happened, you’re next for the title,’ but I don’t know what happened.”
Moreno, who’s coming off back-to-back unanimous decision wins over Kai Kara-France and Jussier Formiga, thinks his resume stacks up better than Perez’s and that he’s fought stronger opposition.
“Actually, the UFC gave me an explanation, I’m trying to still be loyal with the UFC, but their explanation doesn’t have any sense for me, and I don’t know,” Moreno said. “Alex Perez is a huge fighter, but all his record is against non-ranked guys. Just his two fights against Benavidez and Formiga. He beat Formiga, but Benavidez killed Alex Perez – and me, even my losses were against top 10 fighters. Alexandre Pantoja, Sergio Pettis, but all my wins, all my career in the UFC is against top 10 fighters.”
Brandon Moreno unhappy – ‘sad even’ – with flyweight title snub at UFC 255
