Brandon Moreno believes he’s just one step away from securing the next UFC title shot at 125 pounds.
Moreno (23-8-2 MMA, 11-4-2 UFC), a former flyweight champion, takes on top contender Tatsuro Taira (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) this Saturday at UFC 323 (pay-per-view, ESPN2/FX/Disney+, ESPN+), which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Should the Mexican star get his hand raised, he’d be on a three-fight winning streak and 3-1 since losing his belt to Alexandre Pantoja, who defends his strap in the main event of UFC 323 against Joshua Van.
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While there haven’t been any guarantees made by the UFC, Moreno revealed he was in some early title conversations with the promotion a few months ago. That, plus his status as former champion, his stardom in Mexico, and most importantly a potential win over Taira this Saturday make Moreno confident he’d be up next.
“I haven’t had a real conversation with the UFC about it, but it’s no secret that after I beat (Steve) Erceg, the UFC spoke with me and told me that if Pantoja lost to Kai Kara-France, I’d get the title shot,” Moreno told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. “They told me that. I obviously stayed very measured because I thought it’d be tough for Kai to beat Pantoja, but at the end of the day you never know in MMA. So yeah, Pantoja won, that left me a little in limbo. Tatsuro fought, but I think he didn’t want to fight until these months, so they had told me July, September, so it’s been a long process on that end. I do think if I do beat Tatsuro, the opportunity to fight for the belt would be undeniable. There’s Manel, who’s fighting Royval. If Manel wins maybe he can raise his hand, too, but I’m optimistic. I’ll say it again, I don’t know what’s happening, but I feel optimistic, and I feel good, and I have all the energy in the world to reclaim what’s mine.”
Apart from getting the chance to further his streak and take out a top contender, Moreno really likes the matchup against Taira. He sees it as a good opportunity to prepare for Pantoja given their similar styles.
“There are some differences in the striking, and in the back takes, but it’s basically the same game – let me take you down, look for your back, control, and look for the rear-naked choke,” Moreno said. “It’s a fight and is simple, quote unquote, because I know what Tatsuro is going to do. He’s not afraid to strike with me. I know that, but at the end, I understand his game, which is to take me down. Like you said, I think it’s a good preparation for Pantoja. Let’s see what happens between Pantoja and Van, but if it’s against Pantoja, then Tatsuro Taira is a fight I like a lot because it gets me ready for the champion.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 323: Brandon Moreno says title shot would be ‘undeniable’ with win
