Brandon Moreno (21-6-2) came out as the winner of the Championship quadrilogy with Deiveson Figueiredo after beating him by TKO in January, thus making it 2-1-1 against his archrival. He won the Figueiredo war, and now it’s time for a new battle – on Saturday, June 8, he’s defending his UFC Flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja (25-5).
This is going to be Moreno’s eighth 5-round bout in his career, while Pantoja is taking part in such a fight for the first time since joining the UFC in 2017. What’s interesting is that neither fighter has ever been finished. Will that change for one of them on July 8? Or will the UFC 290 co-main event go the distance as well?
We’ll try to answer all of those questions (and more) in this Moreno vs. Pantoja prediction, so keep on reading!
Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Brandon Moreno | -186 |
| Yair Rodriguez | +144 |
*Odds taken from FanDuel on Friday, June 30, 2023.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Date: Saturday, July 8, 2023
- Time: 10:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
- How to Watch: UFC Fight Pass
Brandon Moreno Going for the Flyweight GOAT Status
He might be trailing behind Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson on the all-time flyweight greats list, but Moreno is still very young. The 29-year-old could establish himself as the GOAT of this weight division if he keeps on impressing.
He’s got a 14-3-2 record since moving to the flyweight division from bantamweight in 2014. All three of those losses happened by decision, including the one against Alexandre Pantoja in 2018. He did suffer one stoppage loss, but it happened in an exhibition fight in The Ultimate Fighter 24. Guess who beat him? Pantoja!
This guy also has two draws in his portfolio, which happened against Askar Askarov and Deiveson Figueredo, two fighters who are almost as equally good as him on the floor.
Fighting on the ground is his forte, as evident from the fact that he’s got 11 wins by submission since the start of his professional MMA career in 2011. However, both of his last two wins happened by TKO, which is evidence that “The Assassin Baby” has become a very well-rounded fighter.
He’s got an amazing set of martial arts skills, looking equally great when it comes to wrestling, grappling, and striking. On top of everything, he also has incredible stamina, the proof being that he’s fought for 25 minutes straight in three fights so far. Pantoja has never done such a thing.
Can Alexandre Pantoja Beat Moreno Again?
Alexandre “The Cannibal” Pantoja defeated Moreno two times already, but can he do it again? In their second fight (in 2018), he landed more strikes than his opponent, causing just damage to win over the judges. He did great striking-wise in that fight, but since then, Pantoja’s been focusing more on the ground game.
The 33-year-old Brazilian got to challenge the title after winning three straight fights. He beat Manal Kape first, by unanimous decision. Then he went on to finish (submission) Brandon Royval and Alex Perez in the following two bouts, winning the Performance of the Night bonus each time.
Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja Prediction
Brandon Moreno is the better fighter, being superior to Alexander Pantoja in practically every aspect of MMA. He’s also very motivated to win, not only in order to keep his championship belt, but also to exact his revenge for the 2018 defeat.
Pick: Brandon Moreno to win