LAS VEGAS – Brandon Moreno fought neatly the entirety of his UFC 290 championship bout against Alexandre Pantoja with a broken hand.
Moreno (21-7-2 MMA, 9-3-2 UFC) saw his second flyweight title reign come to an end on Saturday when he suffered a split decision loss to Pantoja (26-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in the likely Fight of the Year so far at T-Mobile Arena. It was a thrilling, bloody affair where both men had big moments, and the scorecards were all over the map.
One judge gave Moreno four rounds, another gave Pantoja four rounds, and the deciding judge had it 3-2 for the new champion Pantoja, who moved to 3-0 in career matchups (professional and exhibition) against the Mexican.
UFC president Dana White revealed post-fight that Moreno “broke his hand in the first round,” and Moreno’s coach, Sayif Saud of Fortis MMA, provided additional insight in the aftermath of the event (via Instagram):
Could not be more proud of @theassassinbaby as he fought an absolute war last night. These two athletes put on a incredible championship fight. Congratulations to @pantoja_oficial and his team as well. Brandon broke his right hand in the 1st round and still fought at an incredible pace with unbelievable heart, skill and courage. He always shows the world what kind of character he has when he fights. Never complaining or making excuses, he just keeps on coming. Proud of you👊🙏 #fotn #ufc #youwillbeback #champ
After the classic fight at UFC 290, Moreno and Pantoja were transported to an area hospital without doing any media. The new champion hasn’t posted about his plans going forward, and it remains to be seen how the UFC brass chooses to book the 125-pound division.
White couldn’t offer any firm ides as to the next plans, but contenders such as Brandon Royval and Amir Albazi exist. A fourth fight between Moreno and Pantoja isn’t completely out of the question down the line, however, according to White.
“It’s like the (Deiveson) Figueiredo fights,” White said. “It’s so good. I don’t know. I honestly don’t know the answer to that question right now. I don’t think there’s anybody on earth that wouldn’t want to see that fight again. It was so good.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
