Brandon Moreno, Vanessa Demopoulos Among Winners at LFA Fans' Choice Awards

Last month, Brandon Moreno came agonizingly close to winning a UFC title, and fans of his former promotion took notice of his work.

“The Assassin Baby,” who fought to a five-round draw with Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 256, was named the “Alum of the Year” in the 2020 Legacy Fighting Alliance Fans’ Choice Awards. Moreno, who initially joined the UFC through Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” was released by the promotion in 2018 after back-to-back losses. He bounced back by knocking out Maikel Perez at LFA 69 to win the promotion’s flyweight title, prompting the UFC to re-sign him and leading to a stellar 2020 for the 27-year-old Mexican.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for one of the sport’s premier developmental organizations, Moreno was not the only honoree to end 2020 as a member of the UFC. Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos, who appeared in both Dana White's Contender Series and the UFC last year, won the award for “Submission of the Year” for her sensational inverted triangle choke at LFA 85, with which she put Sam Hughes—now a UFC fighter as well—all the way to sleep.

LFA Fans’ Choice Awards Complete List

Event of the Year: LFA 80 (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Photo of the Year: Amy Kaplan (Vince Cachero honoring Kobe Bryant at LFA 81)
Knockout of the Year: Alex Pereira (Left Hook at LFA 95)
Submission of the Year: Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos (Inverted Triangle Choke at LFA 85)
Fight of the Year: Maycon Mendonca vs. Batsumberel Dagvadorj at LFA 96
Alum of the Year: Brandon Moreno
Female Fighter of the Year: Lupita Godinez
Male Fighter of the Year: Josh Fremd