Former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno returned to the win column with a stellar performance against Amir Albazi.
The flyweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 246 main event at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Moreno (22-8-2 MMA, 10-5-2 UFC) styled on Albazi (17-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) over the 25-minute fight, earning unanimous scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 50-45.
The fight started with a measured pace, with both fighters working behind jabs. Moreno's primary weapon was the left hand, which set up the occasional combination. Albazi looked for a few leg kicks in his offense but was outstruck by the former champion in the opening round.
Moreno found success early in Round 2 with a solid left head kick that wobbled Albazi. After quickly getting up from a takedown, Moreno continued to lead the dance with effective striking on the feet, stumbling Albazi with a punch in the last minute.
With Albazi bruised and bloodied, Moreno poured on the pressure early in Round 3, getting a bit sloppy at times as he tried to create a big moment. Albazi found a home for a few solid punches, but Moreno quickly settled back in and continued to lead the fight.
Albazi's corner implored their fighter to ramp up the aggressiveness heading into the championship rounds. That's easier said than done against Moreno, who was loose and flowing with his offense.
In Round 4, Albazi did let his hands go more, but Moreno was more than willing to quickly return fire as he maintained control of the center of the octagon.
Albazi entered the final round needing a finish, but he was met with an aggressive Moreno, who came out fighting like he was the one down on the scorecards.
Shortly after an eye poke to Moreno caused a brief pause in the action, the former champ cracked Albazi with a big punch. The Canadian crowd responded with chants for Moreno.
The Mexico-born fighter wasn't done yet, though.
He stayed on the hunt, cracking Albazi with more punches, and even attempted a rolling thunder kick in the closing seconds to end the fight with flair.
The result ended a two-fight skid for Moreno, as he ended up on the wrong end of a pair of split decisions against Alexandre Pantoja in a title fight at UFC 290 and Brandon Royval in a February main event.
During his post-fight interview, Moreno expressed his desire to dive into a full plate of food, but more importantly, regain his flyweight title and once again rule the 125-pound division.
For Albazi, his return to action for the first time since last June did not go his way, as he struggled to find momentum. As a result, his six-fight winning streak comes to an end with just his second loss as a pro.
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