Ex-UFC Champion Definitively Shuts Down Idea of Fighting on UFC White House Card

Don’t count two-time UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno among the fighters desperately angling for a fight on the UFC’s planned event at The White House.

Although fans are still waiting for more concrete details for the card to finally emerge, UFC CEO Dana White recently reiterated that the promotion plans to hold a one-off event at The White House in Washington, D.C. on June 14.

Plenty of UFC fighters have been making public calls to fight on the event in recent months, and Moreno was the latest UFC star to be asked about the card ahead of his UFC Mexico main event against Lone’er Kavanagh.

Brandon Moreno Torches Idea Of UFC White House Fight

Speaking during media day for UFC Mexico, Moreno definitively shut down the notion that he might want to fight at The White House and went so far as to openly question the idea of the entire event (h/t Happy Punch).

Brandon Moreno (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Alexandre Pantoja (blue gloves) during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

“Brother, I want you to tell me, why would I fight there?” Moreno asked after a media member suggested he might have enough time after fighting Kavanagh to prepare for the White House card.

When he received the answer that the event was “very special”, the former UFC champion issued a blunt response.

Brandon Moreno (blue gloves) reacts after the fight against Deiveson Figueiredo (red gloves) during UFC 283 at Jeunesse Arena. | Jason da Silva-Imagn Images

“For who? For you? No, I’m not interested, thank you.”

"The Assassin Baby" Set For Risky Fight At UFC Mexico

A competitor on Season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter, Moreno is now coming up on the ten-year anniversary of the first time he stepped into the UFC Octagon.

“The Assassin Baby” initially went 3-2 in the UFC before the promotion famously tried to shut down the men’s flyweight division. After winning the LFA flyweight belt in the summer of 2019 he returned to the UFC just a few months later, and he went on to win the UFC flyweight belt in the second of an eventual four meetings with Deiveson Figureiredo in 2021.

Brandon Moreno (red gloves) fights Tatsuro Taira (blue gloves) during UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The 32-year-old lost the belt in the trilogy fight with Figureiredo before he reclaimed it in their fourth fight, but at UFC 290 the Mexican star was unseated by his old rival Alexandre Pantoja. Moreno has gone 2-2 since then and most recently lost via somewhat-controversial stoppage at UFC 323 when he met Tatsuro Taira, who is set to challenge Joshua Van for the flyweight title at UFC 327.

Moreno was originally set to take on #8-ranked Asu Almabayev at UFC Mexico before the latter fighter withdrew with an injury, and now “The Assassin Baby” will try to get back on track when he meets the unranked Kavanagh in Saturday’s main event at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City.

Lone’er Kavanagh (red gloves) fights against Felipe dos Santos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images