EXCLUSIVE | Demetrious Johnson Praises ‘Phenomenal’ Brandon Moreno
Demetrious Johnson was impressed with Brandon Moreno who picked up the flyweight title by submitting Deiveson Figueiredo inside three rounds at UFC 263.
Moreno and Figueiredo put on an exciting, Fight of the Year candidate when they squared off at UFC 256 in December. The pair threw down for five rounds at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas before the judges scored the fight a majority draw and Figueiredo retained his 125lb strap.
Naturally, a rematch was quickly booked and Moreno got his second shot at UFC gold on June 12. ‘The Assassin Baby’ left no doubt the second time around as he dominated Figueiredo from the first bell before tapping him out in round three to become the first Mexican-born fighter to ever win a UFC belt.
In an interview with Curtis Calhoun of LowKickMMA, the flyweight GOAT gave his thoughts on the UFC 125lb title changing hands at UFC 263.
“I thought Brandon looked phenomenal,” Johnson said. “He looked great, fast and speedy on his toes. Combinations were great and his transitions were phenomenal against Deiveson Figueiredo too.”
This is high praise coming from a man who is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time, having been the longtime flyweight champion in the UFC and only losing once — a close split decision to Henry Cejudo in 2018 — during his last 17 outings with the promotion.
Since finding a new MMA home with ONE Championship, Johnson has yet to become a champion once again. ‘Mighty Mouse’ looked impressive through his first three fights with the Asian-based MMA promotion, winning the flyweight Grand Prix. However, Johnson fell short when he faced off against the champion, Adriano Moraes, who caught the MMA legend with a flush knee to become the first man to ever knock out Johnson.
The 34-year-old tells us he’s content to work his way back up into title contention after his shock defeat to Moraes.
“I’m planning on making my way back up to the belt right now, not an immediate rematch,” Johnson said. “I’m focusing on the path in front of me right now. That’s what I’m looking forward to and I’m planning on fighting sometime in the Fall or Wintertime I believe.”
Do you agree with Demetrious Johnson? Did Brandon Moreno look “phenomenal” at UFC 263?
