Moreno Scores Championship Mural

To the victor belong the spoils.

Newly-crowned flyweight champion Brandon Moreno recently had his championship victory over Deiveson Figueiredo, which came in the UFC 263 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event last Sat. night (June 12, 2021) in Glendale, Arizona, immortalized on the streets of Tijuana, Mexico.

And by “recently” I mean “won the title on Saturday night and had a mural on Sunday morning.” Artist Mode Orozco is no stranger to wall work, based on some of the other paintings displayed on his Instagram page, so maybe for him it was just another day at the (public) office.

“The truth is why I did it was because of the excitement we felt yesterday, my family and friends who were watching the fight were jumping and screaming with emotion, we went to the Cuauhtemoc to scream and celebrate and from there without planning we started to paint on that barda we didn’t ask for permission,” Orozco wrote. “But it was worth more recognition to the champion that will surely pass on that avenue that leads to the airport and that’s all I thought, when you saw him, felt the support of his people, the recognition of his own and above all that felt what he is, the most chingon in the world, the champion!”

Moreno and Figueiredo fought to a draw in the UFC 256 headliner back in December, but “The Assassin Baby” was able to make the necessary adjustments and secure a third-round submission victory over his Brazilian nemesis at UFC 263, improving to 19-5-2 in the process.

“Me, I’m born in Tijuana, I grew up there, I went to the school there,” Moreno said during the post-fight press conference. “I suffered the bad opportunities, the fucking government there, the huge companies don’t put support in the sports, especially in the mixed martial arts because it’s a new sport for the country. So I know with this belt I put the sport on another level and that makes me feel amazing.”

Moreno is expected to make his first title defense by the end of the year, and when it comes to potential title contenders, expect the 14-0-1 Askar Askaroff — ranked No. 2 at 125 pounds — to be at the top of the list.

https://www.instagram.com/mode_awc/