Brandon Moreno outstrikes Steve Erceg, calls for Noche UFC spot after winning UFC Mexico main event
Brandon Moreno finally got the job done in front of his home crowd as the former flyweight champion showcased superior striking across five rounds to beat Steve Erceg in Saturday’s UFC Mexico main event.
While it wasn’t a totally lopsided performance, Moreno’s ability to outwork and outstrike Erceg gave him the advantage on the scorecards as he continuously frustrated the Australian. With the pressure on after going 0-2-1 in his first three appearances in Mexico City since joining the UFC roster, Moreno left no doubt he deserved to leave with his hand raised this time.
The final scorecards all read 49-46 with Moreno getting the unanimous decision win as he picks up his second straight victory following an extended break following back-to-back losses. With this latest win, Moreno is already thinking about what comes next and the opponent doesn’t seem to matter as much as earning a spot on the UFC 320 card, which lands back in Mexico for the next Noche UFC card on Sept. 13.
“I’ve gone through so much to be here. I know how hard it is for so many of you to get a ticket to be here. This is all for you,” Moreno shouted to the audience.
“Hunter [Campbell], who really knows what I deserve? I don’t know what I deserve. But I really believe I can move the needle and let’s go for the pay-per-view in Guadalajara. Let’s f*cking go. Let’s f*cking do it!”
The fight wasn’t necessarily Moreno’s cleanest performance, but he still did everything necessary to win while Erceg might look back at this one with some regrets when he realizes a few mistakes prevented him from getting the job done.
“I thought I landed pretty well but obviously it wasn’t enough,” Erceg said. “I went five rounds, I’ll keep getting better. I’ll get back.”
In what was almost exclusively a striking contest for 25 minutes, Moreno was clearly gunning for the knockout, although he scored with a variety of punches and different combinations. Moreno tagged Erceg hard in the opening round, but the one-time title challenger recovered well so he could continue.
While he was taking more punches than he was dishing out, Erceg was still hanging tough with some slick straight punches and well-timed uppercuts whenever Moreno was diving forward on him. Erceg was also looking for a straight kick right up the middle to keep Moreno at distance.
Moreno stayed in pursuit and constantly looked to connect with power punches, but he wasn’t putting many combinations together. Still, Moreno threw with so much speed that Erceg was struggling to stay out of the way of his biggest punches.
Erceg seemed to have a bead on a lot of Moreno’s offense, but he couldn’t set up any counters to turn the tables. Eventually, Moreno closed the distance and looked for the takedown as he continued to do just enough to stay ahead on the scorecards.
With time ticking away until the final horn, Moreno kept flicking out a left jab and then following with the same overhand right that paid dividends for him all night. Even when he didn’t land with it, Moreno’s power clearly kept Erceg on a backfoot and unwilling to take too many chances.
Moreno also clipped Erceg with a late head kick that brought the crowd to its feet, but ultimately the fight stalled out once the fighters crashed down to the floor together. Still, Moreno’s workrate was relentless and Erceg struggled to keep up with him and that made the difference in the decision.
As a former champion with a huge fan base in Mexico, it’s easy to believe Moreno’s wish is going to be granted and he’ll get a spot at UFC 320 in September. The only question now is who Moreno faces, although there’s no shortage of top flyweights available for what should be a marquee spot on a pay-per-view card.