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Brandon Moreno calls for Noche UFC fight after striking showcase at UFC Mexico

"The Assassin Baby" scored a huge victory in front of the fans in his home country.
Drew Beaupre|
(Zuffa LLC)

Top flyweight contenders Brandon Moreno and Stever Erceg each tried to make their respective cases for another crack at Alexandre Pantoja when they headlined UFC Mexico.

Following a 3-0 start to his UFC career that put him on an 11-fight win streak dating back to 2018, challenged Pantoja at UFC 301 and gave a good account of himself but ultimately came up short on the scorecards.

Two-time flyweight titleholder Moreno had his second reign with the belt cut short by Pantoja at UFC 290, which marked the third time "The Assassin Baby" had had fallen to the Brazilian between the UFC and The Ultimate Fighter.

READ MORE: UFC Fight Night Mexico: Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg free live results & highlights

Brandon Moreno and Steve Erceg headlined UFC Mexico.
Brandon Moreno and Steve Erceg headlined UFC Mexico. | (Zuffa LLC)

Moreno Outclasses Erceg In Flyweight Scrap

Entering the night on the first two-fight skid of his career after being knocked out by Kai Kara-France at UFC 305, Erceg found himself lined as around a 2-1 underdog against the former two-time champion.

The two flyweights met in the center of the cage to kick things off, and it was Moreno who found some early success in the striking exchanges while Erceg attempted to keep the Mexican at range with his jab.

"Astroboy" started to find a bit more success with his punches and low kicks as the round went on, and the Australian looked significantly more confident during a second frame where both men landed some impactful shots as the pace of the fight started to increase.

The two men were happy to keep things entirely on the feet again in a competitive third round. After more of the same during the majority of the fourth round, Moreno decided to try and mix things up with a late takedown attempt during the final 30 seconds.

READ MORE: "El Loco" thrills fans with violent first-round finish in UFC Mexico co-main event

Erceg's corner advised him that he needed to "hurt" the former champion heading into the final round. "Astroboy" continued to land some shots on the feet, but a caught kick put him on his back during the final minute of the fight to seal a unanimous decision win for Moreno.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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