Alexandre Pantoja beats Brandon Moreno, becomes champ
Alexandre Pantoja seems to have Brandon Moreno’s number – and now he has the UFC flyweight title.
In the UFC 290 co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Pantoja (25-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) defeated Moreno (21-6-2 MMA, 9-3-2 UFC) for the third time. Only this time, the flyweight championship belt came with it. After 25 minutes of action, Pantoja was awarded a split decision (46-49, 48-47, 48-47).
Pantoja found success early and late in the fight, with Moreno’s best moments coming in the middle. Pantoja dropped Moreno with a punch in the opening minutes. In Round 2, Moreno turned the tables with crisp boxing and slick counters. Pantoja’s face was busted and bloodied, so much so that he awkwardly held it at one point mid-fight.
Moreno found success on the ground, as he worked for a submission he could not find. With it potentially anyone’s fight entering the final round, Pantoja appeared to gain an edge with his striking and a late takedown.
When the scorecards were read, “And new,” rolled from Bruce Buffer’s tongue, as Pantoja defeated Moreno in what many fans online called one of the best flyweight fights ever.
ALEXANDRE PANTOJA BY SPLIT DECISION!! We have a new flyweight world champion in @PantojaMMA! #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/ocbKi9JFAm — UFC (@ufc) July 9, 2023
Moreno and Pantoja competed against one another twice prior. Pantoja won both matchups. The first meeting was an exhibition bout during “TUF 24” in 2016 when Pantoja submitted Moreno by rear-naked choke. The second fight was a professional bout at UFC Fight Night 129 in 2018, which Pantoja won by unanimous decision.
Pantoja has now won four fights in a row. Three straight wins against Manel Kape, Brandon Royval, and Alex Perez lead to his UFC title fight. Moreno has a two-fight winning streak snapped as his second UFC title reign comes to an end.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 290 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
Source: MMA Junkie
