“I worked so hard for that f*cking belt,” Brandon Moreno reflects on becoming first-ever Mexico born UFC champion


“I worked so hard for that f*cking belt,” Brandon Moreno reflects on becoming first-ever Mexico born UFC champion

Brandon Moreno

The UFC Flyweight fighter, Brandon Moreno accomplished the unbelievable at the co-main event of UFC 263 by defeating Deiveson Figueiredo and becoming the first-ever Mexico-born champion in UFC history.

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The first time when they both faced each other, at UFC 256, they tore each other apart for five rounds and the fight ended as a draw. Since then Moreno is pouring his heart into the training to beat Deiveson Figueiredo and after six months he finally accomplished the dream of his life.

After dominating Figueiredo from the start of the fight, Moreno finally submitted him with a rear-naked choke and got the UFC Flyweight title wrapped around his waist.

He left the Octagon emotionally after this win and in the UFC 263 post-fight press conference, Brandon Moreno reflects on his title win. He says, “I can’t believe it, this moment is so special.”

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“I’m always trying to make jokes and play with everybody but today was an emotional day for me, you know? I started to cry because I feel it in the bottom of my heart.” {H/T MMA Junkie}

Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno
Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno

Moreno added, “I worked so hard for that f*cking belt, I have 10 years as a professional, 15 years doing this sport, and this moment is so special – and not just for me, all the people around me who support me on this journey.”

Brandon Moreno is extremely proud of his achievement

Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo
Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo

The road to the championship hasn’t been easy for Brandon Moreno. In TUF season 24, he was the bottom-ranked fighter and he has been even cut from UFC in 2018. But he made a spectacular comeback and was crowned as the Flyweight champion in 2021.

Moreno continued, “This training camp took three years off my life, but I don’t care, I have the belt right now and that is the most important thing. I don’t have enough words to explain how I feel today.”

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‘The Assassin Baby’ becomes the first-ever Mexican-born UFC champion and he is extremely proud of it. He added, “That was one of my principal goals, Obviously, I have so much respect for Cain Velasquez and Henry Cejudo. They put so much work in for my country, too.”

“Cain Velasquez brought the UFC to Mexico in 2014. That was amazing. That put the mixed martial arts in Mexico on another level, but I (was) born in Tijuana. I grew up there, I went to school there. I suffered the bad opportunities, the f*cking government there, you know?” {H/T MMA Junkie}

Also Read: Brandon Moreno becomes the first Mexican champion in UFC: Jon Jones, Tony Ferguson, Francis Ngannou, Max Holloway, and other UFC aces Twitter reactions to UFC 263.