Brandon Moreno focused on UFC 290 title defense but hopes for eventual Henry Cejudo fight

UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno’s sights are set on Alexandre Pantoja, but that doesn’t mean he’s unaware of his surroundings.

Moreno returns July 8 as he looks to defend his title in the co-main event of UFC 290. It’s a big fight for obvious reasons but also because of the shot at redemption.

Moreno (21-6-2 MMA, 9-3-2 UFC) has lost twice to Pantoja (25-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC): Once in an exhibition bout, part of their run in “The Ultimate Fighter 24,” and the other at UFC Fight Night 129 in 2018.

Moreno wants to make it clear that he’s fully focused on Pantoja, but at the same time remind everyone that his callout of Henry Cejudo was very real.

“I don’t want to disrespect him (Pantoja) at all, (but) I only left that comment because Henry was saying that he didn’t know what was going to happen, that he might retire, and all I wanted to do was plant the seed like, ‘Hey, don’t go just yet. Wait for me and give me a chance,’” Moreno told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “But beyond that, I don’t have much to say. I need to focus on Alexandre because he’s a serious challenge.”

Moreno, perhaps surprisingly, called out Cejudo back in May immediately after Cejudo’s split decision loss to champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288. The bout marked Cejudo’s comeback from retirement.

Moreno does believe Sterling was the rightful winner and thought Cejudo looked a bit off.

“I definitely think that Sterling won,” Moreno said. “I think that even having lost, I thought he looked good. Remember, Sterling is super difficult. I’ve trained with him, and I know how good Aljamain Sterling is, especially on the ground with his grips and takedowns.

“So on that end, I respect him a lot, but I do think he slightly looked, I don’t want to say out of shape, but maybe rusty. He didn’t have the same distance management, just rusty.”

Cejudo and Moreno have history together. Moreno was brought in to Cejudo’s training camps early in his MMA career to help Cejudo prepare. When Moreno joined TUF 24, Cejudo, who served as a coach, didn’t pick Moreno to be on his team, leaving Moreno to train under Cejudo’s rival Joseph Benavidez.

From there, their friendship and training relationship ended. Moreno would go on to keep doing some of his training with Benavidez once he joined the UFC. Years later, Cejudo would take Deiveson Figueiredo under his wing in preparation for the trilogy bout against Moreno in 2022.