Brandon Moreno Happy to Be Back in UFC Win Column After Humbling Release

Brandon Moreno was one of the casualties when it appeared the UFC was doing away with the flyweight division.

However, after a tenuous period, the weight class appears to have a home within the Las Vegas-based promotion and so too does “The Ultimate Fighter 24” alum. On Saturday, Moreno earned his first Octagon triumph since April 2017, as he outpointed Kai Kara-France in a matchup of young 125-pound contenders at UFC 245.

“I feel amazing. I feel a lot of peace in my heart, last year the UFC released me and that was a really dark part of my life,” Moreno said. “I went to fight in LFA and became their flyweight champion and started to feel better, but I always wanted to come back to UFC. I came back in September and got the draw, so it wasn’t as sweet, but now I’m back with my first official win again and I’m happy.”

After winning a title in Legacy Fighting Alliance, Moreno battled Askar Askarov to a split draw in his promotional return at UFC Fight Night 159 on Sept. 21. The 26-year-old Mexican fighter began his career with triumphs over Louis Smolka, Dustin Ortiz and Ryan Benoit to establish himself as one of the division’s most interesting prospects. Back-to-back losses to Sergio Pettis and Alexandre Pantoja followed, and then came his release.

As a result, Moreno doesn’t plan on looking too far ahead as his career progresses. He’s already seen his share of peaks and valleys.

“I’m going to try and take everything with baby steps from now on and focus on every little thing,” he said. “One or two years ago, I was the top prospect in the division, but then they released me and it humbled me. Now, I’m trying to be smarter and just focus on what is next. I’m No. 5 in the rankings, so I know the next fight will be really, really hard, but I’m ready for this.”