Brandon Moreno is one of the most acclaimed flyweights in MMA history and almost hung up the gloves for good before a surge of partisan support convinced him otherwise. Moreno will take on Tatsuro Taira in a high stakes battle with major divisional consequences set for UFC 323.
This subject of almost retiring was touched upon during an interview with MMA Junkie when the former UFC flyweight champion got into the specifics of that key time in his career, as Moreno said,
“I was this close to retire, brother. I was this close to retire when I lost against Brandon Royval, just because my mind was out of the right spot. I felt so stressed. After I spent time with my family, with my teammates, with my coaches, I realized I really love this sport. This moment in my life, especially in my professional career, is like a second opportunity.”
“I feel like I’m enjoying it more than before, because when the title came the first time, you don’t realize all the responsibilities, and you are the face of a country like Mexico with millions of people. It’s a huge responsibility. I felt that responsibility in my mind and in my body.”
“Right now I’m super happy. I’m super skinny. I’m in that point of my diet where I’m starving every day, every hour of my day, but even with that I feel super optimistic. I feel super happy. I know Tatsuro [Taira] is super tough and I know it’s going to be a super hard fight, but man, I’m just happy to keep doing what I love.”
Brandon Moreno gives his flyweight mount rushmore
Brandon Moreno humbly put himself on the proverbial mount rushmore of UFC flyweights and in the same interview with MMA Junkie Radio mentioned the other three combatants he would shout out in that context. An easy addition to a conversation like this is Demetrious Johnson with the inaugural UFC flyweight champion getting a pick from Moreno here.
The two other slots were filled out by the present day UFC 125 pound titleholder Alexandre Pantoja as well as Moreno’s long time foe Deiveson Figueiredo with the Mexican supertar putting together a 2-1-1 ledger versus the Brazilian fighter.