Brandon Moreno: It’s never over until it’s over
The birth of the ultimate fighting championship took place 27 years ago(1993). And for almost three decades, no Mexican-born fighter was able to reach the sport’s summit and claim championship supremacy. However, this past Saturday, not only did Brandon Moreno make history by becoming the first-ever Mexican-born champion, but most importantly, his win embodied the quote, “it’s never over until it’s over.”
Let’s be honest: everyone loves a comeback story, especially when the universe rewards the ones with pure hearts and intentions. And just like his nickname “The Assassin Baby,” whenever Moreno steps into the octagon, the cerebral instincts of an assassin shows on full display, but outside the cage, joyful like a newborn baby, is what made the combat world root for him.
Reaching the sport’s pinnacle is every fighter’s dream, but depending on the road towards it, the taste of greatness differs. And in Moreno’s case, it doesn’t get any sweeter to capture gold less than 3 years after getting released by the UFC. And although the release was devastating, it was nothing compared to what the 27-year-old was facing when it happened…
“It was a very dark time for me. My daughter needed surgery, and I had no money. I was on a two-fight losing streak, and I got cut from the promotion, but I never lost the vision of becoming a champion.” Moreno said when asked about his rocky ride towards making history.
It’s almost poetic: Everything had to go wrong in order for everything to go right. Actually, right is an understatement when it comes to Moreno’s incredible performance over the hardest-hitting flyweight in the division’s history.
The Mexican’s first attempt at claiming gold turned out into the greatest fight in the division’s history back in December. And although the five-round war ended in a draw, people couldn’t help but tip their hat off to Moreno’s approach of fighting fire with fire.
So based on their first clash, a shootout was expected to break out in the rematch. However, a shutout was what happened. Not only did Moreno dominate the fight, but dropping “Deus Da Guerra” for the first time in his career with a jab and eventually submitting arguably the most dangerous submission artist in flyweight history with ease. Simply, as many style points as he could’ve produced.
As usual, everyone is asking, what’s next for the newly crowned flyweight champion? Well, the rankings suggest that undefeated Dagestani sensation Askar Askarov deserves a shot at gold. However, not many remember that Moreno’s first fight back into the UFC was against Askarov.
And although the fight ended in a controversial draw, many, including myself, clearly had it for the Tijuana-born.
The options are endless. And whoever the public might think is the next best, Moreno is up for the test. But for now, Ship a rocket to the moon with a Mexican flag on it because Brandon Moreno has done it.
Written by: Tarek Alsabbagh, Lightkeeper Promotions
Photos credits: UFC/Zuffa,LLC/Gettyimages
