Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi will get their wish for a high-stakes flyweight contender matchup in February, and it will unfold over the course of five rounds.
Former multi-time 125-pound champion Moreno (21-7-2 MMA, 9-3-2 UFC) told MMA Junkie earlier this week a fight against Albazi (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) was the “logical” next move for his career, and now it has materialized as the co-main event for UFC Fight Night on Feb. 24, which is expected to take place in Mexico City.
The event in Mexico has not been formally announced, but two people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Junkie that the matchup is signed following an initial report from ESPN Deportes. The people requested anonymity.
Moreno, No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie flyweight rankings, last competed at UFC 290 in July where he lost the title to Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision in a Fight of the Year contender. Moreno, 29, suffered a broken hand in the fight, but has fully recovered and is looking to use Albazi as his platform to get another crack at gold.
It will be no easy task against the No. 7-ranked Albazi, however, who has been on nothing short of a roll since making his octagon debut in July 2020. The 30-year-old is coming off his biggest win to date, a narrow split decision over Kai Kara-France at UFC on ESPN 46 in June.
UFC Fight Night on Feb. 24 will mark the promotion’s sixth event in Mexico City and first since September 2019. The card will likely take place at Arena Ciudad de México. Broadcast plans are unknown at this time.
Brandon Moreno meets Amir Albazi in five-round co-main event in UFC’s expected Mexico City return
