Report: Brandon Moreno wants to fight Alexandre Pantoja in June

ByMarc Ray
Brandon Moreno, Alexandre Pantoja

Brandon Moreno has his eyes set for a title defense against Alexandre Pantoja in June. The two-time UFC champion did reveal that he is interested in the matchup pending a knee MRI, according to Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports. 

The Tijuana native recaptured the UFC flyweight title from long-time rival Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Moreno was able to end their four-fight series by third-round TKO.

Brandon Moreno is Familiar With Alexandre Pantoja

‘The Assassin Baby’ is now interested in fighting another former opponent in Pantoja. The two 125-pounders have met twice. Their first meeting was an exhibition bout during the 24th season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) in 2016 and then two years later at UFC Fight Night 129. 

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After his win at UFC 283, Moreno had a backstage interaction with Pantoja. During the post-fight press conference, Moreno said his past opponent “was very friendly” at first but quickly became “a little bit aggressive”. Moreno expressed interest in fighting his former opponent but still has to have an MRI on his knee that he injured during fight camp. 

Pantoja is officially 1-0 over the current flyweight champion. He has a unanimous decision win over Moreno in 2018. He also submitted Moreno with a rear-naked choke on TUF but exhibition wins don’t count towards official records. 

Marc Ray has lived his entire life in Houston, Texas, where he was born, raised and attended the University of Houston, studying broadcast journalism. As you may imagine, he spends much of his time watching mixed martial arts as part of his daily routine — not only to pump himself up, but also because he deeply enjoys the sport. Ray has worked for Houston Public Media, where he interned in the newsroom and produced community stories. Ray also created sports features in Houston for El Gato Media Network and occasionally produced content for an internship at AARP.

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