WATCH: Former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno gets SLAMMED onto the mat only to pull off wild submission on MMA debut

Brandon Moreno's rise to the top of the flyweight divison has had its ups and downs. But the former champion is resolute to stay at the top.

WATCH: Former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno gets SLAMMED onto the mat only to pull off wild submission on MMA debut

Brandon Moreno's debut shows wild submission win (via Imago/X)

Brandon Moreno is a name that every MMA enthusiast knows and adores. The UFC flyweight is one of the most prominent forces in his division. He made his professional MMA debut in Mexico back in 2011.

A video recently uploaded on X showed Brandon Moreno’s MMA debut. The video is 01:13 minutes long. The fight started explosively, with Moreno immediately going for a takedown. His opponent sprawled and defended the takedown attempt. Moreno gets himself trapped in a guillotine choke and then gets slammed onto the mat. The fight gets to the ground, and from his back, the 18-year-old Moreno locks in the triangle choke. His opponent had no choice but to tap out, giving Moreno a huge win via submission into the first round.

YouTube video

The submission win was an impressive start to Moreno’s career. He would go on to have an up-and-down run in Mexico’s regional scene before signing with the UFC in 2016. Moreno would lose to Alexandre Pantoja in the opening stage of the Ultimate Fighter. Moreno won his debut fight against Louis Smolka while the Ultimate Fighter was still airing.

FS Video

The MMA debut was an impressive start to Moreno’s career. He showed creativity, grappling skills, determination, and finishing instincts en route to the first-round submission. Moreno is set to fight a rematch against Brandon Royval this weekend. Royval also lost to Pantoja in his last fight.

Highlighting Brandon Moreno’s elite submission skills

Brandon Moreno has proven to be an elite grappler with a dangerous submission arsenal. 11 of Moreno’s 21 professional wins have come via submission. This showcases his slick skills on the ground.

Brandon Moreno's submission skills are just otherworldly
Brandon Moreno’s submission skills are just otherworldly (via MMA Fighting)

Moreno first burst onto the scene in 2016 with a first-round guillotine choke win over Louis Smolka in his UFC debut. He earned a Performance of the Night bonus for the swift submission victory. Moreno used his grappling to defeat Dustin Ortiz via rear naked choke. He locked in the submission in the second round after threatening with triangle choke attempts earlier in the fight. Moreno again earned a Performance of the Night bonus.

His most iconic submission came in June 2021 when he captured the UFC flyweight title. Moreno choked out champion Deiveson Figueiredo with a rear naked choke at UFC 263. The third-round finish made Moreno the first Mexican-born champion in UFC history. He lost the title to Alexandre Pantoja in their rematch. Moreno trains under the jiu-jitsu black belt coach Raul Arvizu. This strong base in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has allowed Moreno to tap out opponents with armbars, rear naked chokes, guillotines, and more.

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