It’s hard to imagine that Brandon Moreno was actually contemplating the end of his career less than two years ago, but losing his UFC flyweight title and then losing another fight to Brandon Royval had him on the brink of retirement.
While the loss is certainly hurtful, the now 31-year-old former UFC champion admits there was more to his decision to take a break from the sport than just falling in back-to-back bouts. Instead, Moreno points to the enormous burden of expectation that was lifted off his shoulders after becoming champion, not to mention reaching the point where he effectively became a national hero in his home country of Mexico.
“Sometimes it’s just weird how life works,” Moreno told MMA Fighting ahead of UFC 323.
“I was extremely stressed and tired and I just needed a little bit of time. Just a little bit, just a few months to spend time with my family, to be with my daughters outside of the gym, to be with my wife, to spend time together and relive those moments in the gym.”
Moreno effectively took a break from the game, although his sabbatical didn’t actually last very long.
He had to sit out for almost eight months before returning to action, where he won by a major decision over Amir Albazi. But even after that temporary hiatus from the sport, Moreno realized how much he loved it and wanted to come back to fight again.
“Those moments where I was under tension with my training partners and I felt it,” Moreno said. “Then in that moment, I realized this is what I really like and I came back and the fight against Amir Albazi – masterpiece. The fight against Steve Erceg, I tried to be more strategic because Erceg is really good at countering. So I tried to be more careful but it was a really good win.”
Already a two-time flyweight champion, Moreno hopes to add a third fight to his resume when he faces Tatsuro Taira on the main card at UFC 323 on Saturday. A win could put him back at the top of the division, especially considering that his fight came just before Alexandre Pantoja puts his 125-pound title on the line against Joshua Vann in the co-main event.
Considering that Pantoja is the man who defeated him for the title, Moreno won’t deny that it would make more sense to get the belt back from him but the truth is that he doesn’t care who emerges victorious in that fight.
“I would definitely love to get revenge against Pantoja but the main goal is to get the title,” Moreno said. “That’s my only goal right now. Trying to see a fight between them, between Pantoja and Van, it’s hard to be against Pantoja. For all the amazing wins he’s had in recent times. But Van has a super power right now and his super power is that he’s young. He doesn’t care. He’s just fighting. He’s motivated and happy to fight. It’s very dangerous for Pantoja, so let’s see what happens in the end.
“When Van fought against Brandon Royval, I thought Brandon Royval would win but Van looked dominant. I think this fight, I’m going with Pantoja but be careful with it.”
The outside noise and added pressure that comes with becoming champion clearly got to Moreno during his previous reigns, but that’s why he’s adopted a new approach to his career.
Moreno says as much as the title means to him, he can’t afford to lose in a potential future fight if there is an opponent who wants to take the title away from him on Saturday. That’s why Moreno accepts the risks in his fight against Taira, but also why he’s not only crowning himself the new No. 1 contender prematurely.
“After my loss to Royval the situation with the belt started to get more complicated,” Moreno explained. “So I try to create a mentality where I just need to win. I just need to keep fighting, win those fights and always be in line for the title.
“One of the things I’m trying to change right now is more consistency in my performances. Because I think that’s why I lost my title. My main focus is to get my title back and keep continuity in my career. Getting the opportunity to take advantage of all my experience, supporting more responsibility. Accepting the responsibility but all the pressure, all the things, how everything changed after the title, it was impressive.”
Considering everything he has been through, including nearing his retirement, Moreno promised that he is in a much better place now. This has already been visible in their last two consecutive wins and a third win is expected on Saturday.
If a title fight is next, Moreno would be very excited for that opportunity, but is he more suited to serve as champion now than he was during his previous two stints holding the belt?
“Hopefully,” Moreno said, laughing. “Let’s figure it out later. Because it’s always different. Even when you have experience, even when you have an idea of what’s going to happen in the future, something still changes.
“I’m just trying to stay positive. I’ll be ready for whatever happens and get the win first and foremost. Get that win, beat Tatsuro Taira and then be on the front lines for the title fight.”