Former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno was the face of standout Mexican team Entram Gym, but that chapter is now in the past.
Moreno recently left the Tijuana-based team and switched to Glory MMA & Fitness in Kansas City under the tutelage of coach James Krause. The change came not long after Moreno (19-5-2 MMA, 7-2-2 UFC) lost his UFC title in a closely contested trilogy bout against rival Deiveson Figueiredo this past January at UFC 270.
The decision to leave Entram Gym wasn’t an easy call, but it was necessary for Moreno.
“Of course it was very hard. It was very hard,” Moreno told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “Raul (Arvizu) has been my coach since I started at 16, 17 years old – of course it was hard. But people need to understand and not confuse loyalty.
“I still care about Raul, I still care about my team, and that has nothing to do with loyalty and everything to do with my career, the things I want to keep achieving, and the hunger I have to accomplish my dreams.”
For many years, Moreno was the leading figure at Entram Gym. He fought 26 times professionally while it was his home base, picking up regional titles in LFA and WFF before winning UFC gold.
Moreno’s biggest achievement, as well as the team’s, came in the summer of 2021 when he made history as the first Mexico-born fighter to capture a UFC title. But despite thriving in the UFC and reaching the pinnacle of the sport, Moreno felt a change was needed. And that’s why today, Moreno, who lives in Las Vegas, finds himself fully training stateside.
“I personally felt that I needed a change, something new,” Moreno said. “We often talk about the comfort zone, but what I have learned throughout the years is that the comfort zone can come in through where you least expect it. When you’re least expecting it, you already have the comfort zone on your neck, and you don’t know how to escape it.
“And I’m not talking just about training in a nice place. It doesn’t matter if the place is nice or ugly. It doesn’t matter if you have all the commodities, the comfort zone will find a way, and you need to realize that and learn how to identify it. Something that’s brought me success personally is that I’ve never been afraid to make decisions just as long as they take my career further.
“So I decided to make one of the toughest changes of my life – because all my life I trained at Entram Gym. I still love all my training partners, but it was time for a change.”
Moreno aims to capture the UFC interim flyweight title in a rematch against Kai Kara-France on July 30 at UFC 277 and then look to unify the belt in a fourth bout against Figueiredo. The fight against Kara-France will serve as Coach Krause’s first fight at a championship level in the UFC. Moreno feels he’s made the right choice despite Krause not having the level of notoriety as other bigger teams in the space.
“I decided to train with James Krause, and a lot of people were saying, ‘No, he should go to AKA, he should go to American Top Team,’ and these other big gyms when the news came out, but I don’t know,” Moreno said. “I’ve always been used to having a very personal treatment with my trainers, and I feel like these big gyms have it up to certain degree but not how I prefer it.
“I’ve been watching James Krause a lot, especially in 2020 when he made the most of the pandemic to get in fighters into the UFC and he did very well. I saw the relationship that he had with his fighters. While I was analyzing and calling the fights for UFC Español, I saw how he worked the corners and he worked with his athletes. What won me over is the passion that he puts into it. He’s truly 100 percent with his fighters, and he’s committed. That’s something that I loved. So yeah, I’m already working with him. He’s been great to me.”
Switching teams is a big change for any fighter. Entram Gym proved to be able to take Moreno to UFC championship heights, which makes the decision even tougher for “The Assassin Baby.” Yet, Moreno feels there are better days ahead and a change was due – even if it comes with a degree of risk.
“At the end of the day, nothing secures me the victory – not even hard work,” Moreno said. “Last time I worked like crazy in the camp, it was hell, and even then I didn’t win. Nothing is guaranteed. But the only thing I know is that I’m not scared to move forward and make the decisions needed to look for success in my career.”
