Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi are ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the official UFC flyweight rankings, but the gap between their abilities is much larger than the numbers suggest. Moreno outclassed Albazi for 25 minutes in the main event of UFC Fight Night en route to victory.
Moreno and Albazi had a lot to prove on Saturday in Edmonton. This was Moreno's first fight after a self-imposed eight-month hiatus to recover from burnout and ongoing injuries. Albazi returned after a 17-month absence in which he required heart and neck surgery.
Moreno lit up Albazi with superior kickboxing and fended off nearly all takedown attempts. The UFC's number crunchers credited Albazi with a takedown in Round 2, but Moreno got back to his feet so quickly that it didn't matter. Moreno's dominance waned slightly in round 4, the only round that could be given to Albazi, but he got right back on the bike. Moreno's biggest moment came in round 5 when he rocked Albazi with a left hook, leaving him bloody. Albazi aimed for the center of the octagon in the final 30 seconds but quickly retreated under Moreno's fire, which included a rolling ax kick.
“I feel great, I feel fantastic. I feel like a new person,” said former UFC flyweight champion Moreno during his post-fight interview. “I want to be at the top again. I want my title back. This is a reminder of the division. I never say anything. I am always very respectful towards everyone. But, man, give me someone in the cage and “I’m going to be so badass.
Moren broke the UFC flyweight record for most significant strikes, surpassing 1,100, putting him ahead of recently retired former champion Demetrious Johnson (1,059 total significant strikes).
Moreno (21-8-2) looked rejuvenated after consecutive losses to flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval. Albazi (17-2) suffered his first UFC loss after picking up five wins over Kai Kara-France and Francisco Figueiredo, among others.
