Outside Source
Moreno took on Taira in a flyweight tilt at UFC 323 on Saturday in Las Vegas. While Moreno was taken down early in the first round, he threatened submissions and remained defensively sound for most of the round. The former flyweight champ was taken down again in the second round, giving up his back this time. As Taira rained some unanswered ground-and-pound on Moreno, referee Mark Smith stepped in at 2:24 of the second round. Moreno immediately protested the stoppage, and many fans and pundits agreed that it was a tad too early.
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However, Moreno has taken the loss in his stride. While “The Assassin Baby” believes it was an early stoppage, he also acknowledges that the referee might have saved him from taking further damage. Moving on from the “strange” fight, Moreno is looking forward to enjoying his holidays and returning next year.
Keep Moving Forward
“Hey guys, I’m just here to tell you I’m fine and everything is great,” Moreno said on Instagram (translation via MMA Mania). “I hadn’t posted anything because yesterday was my birthday. I just wanted to let you know that I’m doing really, really well. So, yeah, just reflecting a little bit on the fight — honestly, who knows, right? Personally, I think the referee stopped it too soon, but look, I could have just stayed there and taken extra punishment, or maybe, if I did have the chance to get away, I could have made a comeback — you never know. It was a very strange fight, but what remains is I have to keep my head up, and I have to keep moving forward and enjoy the end of the year, enjoy the holidays, enjoy time with family, and look forward to 2026. Whatever comes, whatever comes strong. Blessings to everyone. Let’s go.”
Moreno (23-9) lost his title to Alexandre Pantoja in 2023 and followed it up with another split-decision loss against Brandon Royval. The Brazilian bounced back with consecutive wins over Amir Albazi and Steve Erceg and was eyeing another title shot with a potential win over Taira.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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