The wait is over for Brandon Moreno

“The wait was very long, it’s very frustrating when you’re healthy and I’ve been asking for a fight since November, they give it to me in December and then they change it to January,” admitted the 125-pound king in an interview with ESPN Deportes.

Moreno has decided to break the UFC tradition, where the champions wear black and gold uniforms to ask for white shorts with gold lettering. He will be the first to defend with that outfit since July 2015, when the promotion implemented the fight kits.

“I feel that white goes more with me. About what white represents for me, color psychology, I feel it reflects more transparency, which is what I have shown during my career,” expressed e Tijuanense, who has tried to stay away from the negative comments generated in the other camp, as Figueiredo moved to Arizona to train with Henry Cejudo, the one who was his partner and friend until before his arrival to UFC.

“If he didn’t do it we were going to see the same thing that happened in June, he did the right thing, the problem is how much you can help yourself in three months of training, it is difficult to acquire new knowledge, we will see what version he brings if he seeks to knock me down, his Brazilian jiujitsu, I know that camp, they are not jiujitsu specialists, but we will see,” he commented on the Brazilian’s adjustments.

For his part, the main work came in the physical part, in getting stronger. “It was one of the big focuses of this training. The last fight was dominant, we tried to improve something, I focused a lot on the physical part and we have been able to see it in the last few months. He is a much bigger fighter, he hits hard. Now I’m very light, but I hope that once I’m rehydrated and with food in my system, it will show,” he explained.

Moreno’s dream is to return to Mexico and fight there with the belt, but for now being close to the border and defending in front of the huge Mexican community in Southern California is working out perfectly: “I’m excited about the events open to the public, which will be the conference and obviously the fight. I feel like I’m in Tijuana, we are an hour and a half away, I’m excited to feel local”.

His team, Entram Gym of Tijuana will have three other representatives in Argentina, Silvana Gómez Juárez, the Ecuadorian Michael Morales and the also Mexican Genaro Valdez. The three signed their contract in the last three months and although he had already fought alongside three other teammates in 2017 and 2019, he always did it in Mexico City, now it seems to him a greater achievement.

“We had already done it in Mexico, but in a pay-per-view, international in Anaheim, it makes me happy to be able to inspire other people. This is already bigger than me, many people have benefited from my results,” Moreno acknowledged.

UFC 270 marks the return to California from August 2019 and will also feature the heavyweight championship unification fight between Cameroon’s Francis Ngannou and France’s Ciryl Gane.