Flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will get a chance to avenge his loss to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290.
Moreno defends his flyweight title against Pantoja (25-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC) on July 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell confirmed the news with UFC broadcast partner ESPN after an initial report from Freak MMA.
Moreno has lost to Pantoja twice, but one came during their time on Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2016. Pantoja, who was the No. 1 seed during “TUF 24,” submitted No. 16 seed Moreno in Round 2. The pair fought again in the UFC in 2018, when Pantoja beat Moreno by unanimous decision.
The loss to Pantoja led to Moreno’s UFC release, but he worked his way back to the organization after he won the LFA flyweight title. Moreno has had plenty of success in his second UFC stint. He dethroned Deiveson Figueiredo in their rematch to become flyweight champion at UFC 263. Figueiredo regained the belt in their trilogy bout at UFC 270, which extended their rivalry.
Moreno had to go through Kai Kara-France at UFC 277 to capture the interim flyweight title, then put a nail in the coffin of his series with Figueiredo when he scored a doctor’s stoppage TKO win at UFC 283 to reclaim the belt.
Looking to put an end to his own rivalry is Pantoja, who has won four of his past five. The 32-year-old Brazilian is coming off three straight wins, most recently a first-round submission of former title challenger Alex Perez at UFC 277 in July 2022.
With the addition, the UFC 290 lineup includes:
- Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez – for featherweight title
- Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja – for flyweight title
- Tresean Gore vs. Bo Nickal
