The two most influential people in MMA recently heaped praise on UFC interim flyweight champion Brandon Moreno.
Moreno (20-6-2 MMA, 8-3-2 UFC) received some kind words from many people following his most recent win last month at UFC 277 where he won the interim title by putting away Kai Kara-France in brutal fashion.
Former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor reacted to Moreno’s win the following day and even had him speaking Spanish. Moreno heard McGregor’s words and appreciates that the Irishman recognized his work.
“I saw the comments, and what can I say?,” Moreno told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “Conor is super famous and super important in the space, and I appreciate his kind words, regardless of whether I agree or not with the way he’s having his lifestyle in recent years.
“It’s undeniable everything that he has done in the sport and for the sport. So for someone to say that about you, it’s well appreciated and special for me. So yeah, we’ve been working hard, and things have been working out for us, despite the path not being straight to the top. We’ve had our bumps in the road, but little by little we’ve achieved the goals we’ve set out to get, and that’s very nice.”
McGregor wasn’t the only one with good things to say about Moreno. The week after his win, UFC president Dana White applauded Moreno’s feat and labeled him one of the biggest stars in the company.
Moreno is once again thankful that his work is being recognized, but he’s also trying to downplay people’s praise so he can stay grounded and with a good head on his shoulders.
“Yeah, my manager Jason (House) tagged me and wow, that was really cool, and that’s really nice,” Moreno said. “I try my hardest to not pay too much attention to that or put much stock into it.
“I truly want to stay where I’m at. I want to stay grounded with my thoughts, and I want to be as humble as possible. Obviously, if you do things well, fame will come and all that. And don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy that the public didn’t force me to have to use a persona or that any of my interviews or posts have to be trash talk or whatever because I don’t like that. I just don’t like that. It’s not me, and that’s not how I want to sell myself. Thank God people like me for who I am. It’s taken weight off my shoulders. …
“So I appreciate Dana’s words. They’re really nice, but I try to not let them get to my head.”
