Brandon Moreno gunning for 4th Alexandre Pantoja fight to headline UFC 320 in Mexico: ‘I think it’s perfect’
Brandon Moreno doesn’t know the magnitude of his star power, but he believes there’s nobody better suited to headline UFC 320—the latest installment of Noche UFC—when the promotion lands in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sept. 13.
Following a unanimous decision win over Steve Erceg to cap off the latest UFC Mexico card on Saturday, Moreno wasted no time turning his attention to the future with hopes that he can get another crack at gold for his next fight. Just before he walked out for the main event, the UFC announced the news about the September pay-per-view and it felt like fate for Moreno to win and then seek out a fourth fight against reigning flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.
“That’s the goal for sure in Guadalajara,” Moreno said during the UFC Mexico post-fight press conference. “I think it’s perfect. Even for the UFC, for the promotion. If they want to get a pay-per-view event in Noche UFC in September in Guadalajara, I think I’m the right choice.”
It’s tough to argue against Moreno’s logic at least when it comes to booking a major local attraction for the card that’s built around celebrating Mexican Independence Day.
The only problem Moreno might face is convincing the UFC to give him another crack at Pantoja considering he’s already fought and lost that fight on three different occasions in the past. One of those losses came on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, so it doesn’t actually appear on his record, but Moreno still fell to Pantoja in two subsequent bouts, which includes the fight where the Brazilian captured the 125-pound title in 2023.
Still, Moreno knows his ability to draw a crowd and his continued dominance in the flyweight division should at least earn him consideration for that opportunity.
“I feel today I have enough argument to raise my hand and say I can be the main event in the pay-per-view in Guadalajara in September,” Moreno said.
“Let’s see what happens. I saw [UFC Chief Business Officer] Hunter [Campbell] and he looked very happy with the people, with the crowd. That’s the thing, who knows how much I move the needle? Maybe not too much. Flyweights, always with the same problem, that’s crazy. But I really believe every single time I step in the octagon, the people goes crazy. That’s a fact. Let’s see what happens.”
Saturday’s UFC Mexico card featured a sold-out crowd with 19,731 fans in attendance and the highest grossing gate for a UFC Fight Night event in history with over $2.53 million earned.
Those kinds of factors bode well for Moreno’s request to headline the next major UFC card in Mexico.
As for Pantoja, he still hasn’t been booked for his next title defense, although all signs point towards him returning earlier than September with potential opponents Manel Kape and/or Kai Kara-France waiting in the wings.
It remains to be seen what happens for Moreno, but he’s happy to serve so long as his next fight puts him back in Mexico again, especially after he finally got his first win there after starting his UFC career with an 0-2-1 record competing in Mexico City.
“Every single time when I got a loss [in Mexico City], I was like I don’t know what happened here,” Moreno said. “I’m doing all the job. I’m doing the job and I’m not getting the result I want but I don’t know. This time I just tried to keep all those thoughts out of the conversation and just come here, be very clear and put all the job together.
“I felt all this fight week like everything feels different. I had the experience. I have the energy and at the end, we secured [the win]. I’m happy.”