Brandon Moreno will remain on UFC 255 and be in a number one contender fight.
Originally, Moreno was supposed to fight Alex Perez while Deiveson Figueiredo was going to defend his belt against Cody Garbrandt. Yet, on Friday it was revealed Garbrandt is out of the fight and Perez will now be fighting for the belt.
Now, multiple sources tell BJPENN.com that the UFC is targeting Brandon Royal vs. Brandon Moreno in a number contender fight at flyweight.
Brandon Moreno is coming off back-to-back decision wins over Jussier Formiga and Kai Kara-France. The Mexican returned to the UFC last year and fought Askar Askarov to a draw. In his first stint in the promotion he went 3-2 but suffered back-to-back losses and was released when there were talks of the UFC shutting down the division.
Brandon Royval, meanwhile, is 2-0 in the UFC since making his debut in June. In his two UFC fights, he has two Fight of the Night bonuses and two submission wins over Tim Elliott and Kai Kara-France.
For Royval, he called for a number one contender fight following his win over Kara-France.
“Off a performance like that, I don’t know if I impressed people but I turned some heads. I’m an exciting fighter and made a name for myself,” Royval said to BJPENN.com after his UFC 253 win. “I’m right there for title contention… I want to fight in December, one of these top dogs in December. I might as well stay active.”
There is no question the winner of Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval will be next in line for the belt. It is also likely that Moreno will serve as the backup fighter in case either Figueiredo or Perez can’t make it to the Octagon.
UFC 255 goes down on November 21, and is expected to emanate from the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas.
Who do you think will win, Brandon Moreno or Brandon Royval?