Back in the winner’s circle! Monster Energy congratulates MMA athlete Brandon Moreno on defeating Amir Albazi at the UFC Fight Night in Edmonton, Canada. In the night’s headline fight contested in the Flyweight division, the 30-year-old from Tijuana, Mexico, went the distance to dominate his opponent across five rounds for a unanimous decision victory.
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi was contested in front of a live crowd of 16,439 spectators inside Rogers Place. The event marked the first UFC competition in the ‘City of Champions’ since 2019. With five fights on the Main Card and 13 fights overall, the showcase streamed on ESPN+.
Monster Energy’s Moreno (22-8) stepped into the Octagon in Edmonton looking for a victory after most recently suffering a split decision loss to Brandon Royval in Mexico City in February. It was his second consecutive split decision defeat after losing his title defense against Alexandre Pantoja in July 2023. Time to get back on top!
Moreno’s opponent, Iraq-born fighter Albazi (17-2), previously won a split decision over Kai Kara-France in June 2023. He came to Edmonton on a perfect five-win record since joining the UFC in 2020. But Moreno was determined to end Albazi’s winning streak.
From the start, Moreno capitalized on his superior reach and powerful striking to shut down Albazi’s grappling. Whenever Albazi looked to close the distance and engage in wrestling, Moreno landed shots.
In the second round, Moreno stung his opponent with a clean head kick, followed by piercing jabs. Although Albazi absorbed heavy damage early in the fight – impacting his vision in his right eye – he scored a rare takedown in Round 2, but Moreno quickly returned to his feet.
Unable to execute his ground game strategy, Albazi was bloodied and bruised by Moreno’s fast combinations.
In the fifth and final round, Moreno sustained an eye poke but insisted on continuing the fight. Unfazed by the incident, he rocked his bloodied opponent with a shot to the head and closed out the five-round battle on a dominant note. Throughout the fight, Moreno outlanded Albazi 124-56 in significant strikes.
When the judges went to their scorecards, Moreno emerged as the winner by unanimous decision (49–46, 50–45, 50–45) in front of the cheering Canadian crowd.
Moreno is a former two-time UFC Flyweight Champion. Nicknamed ‘The Assassin Baby,’ he made history as the first Mexican-born champion in UFC history upon claiming the title in 2021.
“I want to be on top again. I want my title back!” said Monster Energy’s Moreno. “This [victory] is a reminder for the rest of the division.”
This win positions Moreno as a top contender for the UFC Flyweight title, with a chance to become the division’s first three-time champion. Stay tuned!
Brandon Moreno counts amongst Monster Energy’s elite UFC athletes along with Kamaru Usman, Jon Jones, Marlon Vera, Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, Yair Rodriguez, Jessica-Rose Clark, Valentina Shevchenko, Gilbert Burns, Giga Chikadze, Johnny Walker, Beneil Dariush, Brendan Allen, Jalin Turner, Sean Strickland, Zhang Weili, Dan Ige, Alex Pereira, Diego Lopes, Daniel Zellhuber, Derrick Lewis, Belal Muhammad, Alexa Grasso, Dricus Du Plessis, Raul Rosas Jr., Tatsuro Taira, and Merab Dvalishvili.
For more on Monster Energy’s MMA athletes, visit www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
