Former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno has his next fight booked. The Mexican fighter is scheduled for September 12 at Noche UFC. He takes on The Ultimate Fighter 33 winner Joseph Morales.
Multiple sources have confirmed the booking to Heavy.com. Moreno is ranked ninth in both the UFC media and Meta rankings, while Morales is only ranked fifteenth in the Meta rankings. The event takes place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
First Time On Noche UFC
It is the first time Brandon Moreno will fight on a Noche UFC card. The former flyweight champion started his UFC career in 2016 after participating in The Ultimate Fighter 24. Moreno won his first three fights in the UFC but was let go after two consecutive losses. After winning the LFA title, Moreno subsequently returned to the UFC with a draw against highly touted Askar Askarov. The Mexican fighter then won three fights in a row. He finished Brandon Royval to secure a title shot against champion Deiveson Figueiredo. The rivalry between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno stands as one of the greatest sagas in the history of the UFC flyweight division. Their historic four-fight series began with a majority draw. In the rematch, Moreno made history by finishing Figueiredo to capture the undisputed title.
The rivalry intensified in their trilogy bout, where Figueiredo reclaimed the belt via a close decision. When an injury sidelined the champion, Moreno faced Kai Kara-France for the interim title, winning by TKO to set up a final showdown with Figueiredo. Moreno then unified the belts in their fourth and final fight, defeating Figueiredo to definitively close the chapter on this legendary rivalry. Unfortunate for Moreno, in July 2023, he was on the wrong side of a close split decision loss to Alexandre Pantoja. Moreno lost the title and hasn’t been able to get back into title contention. From his last five fights, he has only won two. In his most recent fight, Moreno suffered a painful loss at home in Mexico against Lone’er Kavanagh. The fan favorite has to win against Joseph Morales to keep his dream of winning the title again alive.
A Massive Opportunity Against The Former Champion
For Morales, it is a massive opportunity to fight the former champion. The Team Alpha Male fighter signed in 2017 with the UFC as an undefeated talent. Morales immediately made an impact and beat Roberto Sanchez by submission, winning the ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. Unfortunately for Morales, he then lost to Deiveson Figueiredo and a close fight to Eric Shelton. The UFC didn’t give Morales a fourth fight. Morales fought and won two fights for the Cage Warriors promotion and then won the inaugural A1 Combat title in 2023.
The flyweight fighter did audition for the 33rd season of The Ultimate Fighter. Last year, he participated in the tournament, and after victories over Eduardo Henrique and Imanol Rodriguez, he made it to the final against Alibi Idiris. Idiris came in as a favorite, but Morales fought strongly and showed his experience in the Octagon. Via triangle choke submission in the second round, he secured the win and a brand new contract with the UFC. At the end of last year, he made quick work of Matt Schnell. Now, Morales gets a massive opportunity to take on Brandon Moreno.
Noche UFC – September 12 (Desert Diamond Arena)
- Manon Fiorot vs. Alexa Grasso
- Brandon Moreno vs. Joseph Morales
Former Champion Brandon Moreno Added to Noche UFC Event