Brandon Moreno Keeping a Challenger’s Mindset Heading into UFC 270

Anaheim, CA — For the third time in three consecutive fights, Brandon Moreno will face off against Deiveson Figueiredo this Saturday.

In their first fight, Moreno was the challenger; that ended in a draw. In the rematch, Moreno was able to finish the “God of War” to claim the UFC’s flyweight championship. Now, Moreno holds the belt, and it’s Figueiredo coming to challenge him in the UFC 270 co-main event.

So which Figueiredo does Moreno expect, the one from their first meeting, or the one who fought a more measured fight in the second?

“I’m expecting maybe combination of both,” Moreno told media outlets including Cageside Press during the UFC 270 media day on Wednesday.

“I feel like the biggest ability of Figueiredo is he’s big, he punches hard, and he’s very intimidating. He tries to intimidate all his opponents in the octagon,” explained Moreno.

With that in mind, “I’m expecting the same wild fighter, but a little bit more smart at the same time.” In the pair’s first fight, said Moreno, he was trying to be careful, giving ample respect to the Brazilian’s power and skill set. “He’s a monster, he can knock you out with just one punch, it was dangerous. I was very careful about him and his abilities.” In their rematch, “second fight, knowing about his power, knowing about all his skills, I was more confident in myself, and I did my job.”

Moreno wound up submitting Figueiredo in the third round in that rematch. Becoming the first Mexican-born UFC champion in history in the process. But heading into their third fight, he’s keeping the mindset of a challenger.

“The people can see in me something special, I understand. The belt and all that stuff, all the fame around the world, specifically talking about Mexico too,” he explained. “In my mind — and I think that helped me so much with my mental health — I just try to be like me. The same person, the same guy who was trying to get an opportunity for the title. For me, right now, in my mind, it’s ‘And Still, And Still, And Still,’ but my mindset is like f*cking ‘And New,’ man. It’s the same, man. I want to be the champion always, and I’m working so hard every single day for that.”

UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno faces Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 270 on Saturday, January 22, 2022 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. More coverage of Wednesday’s media day can be found below.