Outside Source
Moreno will take on surging contender Tatsuro Taira in a flyweight tilt at UFC 323 this weekend in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Alexandre Pantoja will put his flyweight title on the line against Joshua Van (15-2) in the co-main event of the night.
Moreno believes that a win over Taira puts him next in line for a title shot against the winner of Pantoja vs. Van. While he hasn’t had a confirmation from the UFC yet, he was briefly in talks with the promotion after his last win. After Moreno’s win over Steve Erceg this past March, the UFC allegedly promised him a title shot if Kai Kara-France dethroned Pantoja (30-5) in June. However, Moreno didn’t have high hopes for Kara-France to beat the champion. Kara-France lost via submission, and Moreno was left out of the mix as he has already fought Pantoja twice. Regardless of who wins the belt at UFC 323, Moreno believes a title shot will be undeniable if he beats Taira. However, Moreno also notes that Manel Kape might rally for a gold bid if he beats Brandon Royval in their UFC on ESPN 73 headliner on Dec. 13.
Feeling Optimistic
“I haven’t had a real conversation with the UFC about it, but it’s no secret that after I beat (Steve) Erceg, the UFC spoke with me and told me that if Pantoja lost to Kai Kara-France, I’d get the title shot,” Moreno told MMAjunkie.com. “They told me that. I obviously stayed very measured because I thought it’d be tough for Kai to beat Pantoja, but at the end of the day you never know in MMA. So yeah, Pantoja won, that left me a little in limbo… I do think if I do beat Tatsuro, the opportunity to fight for the belt would be undeniable. There’s Manel, who’s fighting Royval. If Manel wins maybe he can raise his hand, too, but I’m optimistic. I’ll say it again, I don’t know what’s happening, but I feel optimistic, and I feel good, and I have all the energy in the world to reclaim what’s mine.”
Moreno (23-8) lost his title to Pantoja in 2023, marking his second loss against “The Cannibal.” After dropping a split decision against Royval in his next outing, Moreno has rebounded with consecutive wins over Amir Albazi and Erceg. Meanwhile, Taira (17-1) has finished five of his seven UFC wins, while only suffering a split-decision loss against Royval. Taira has since rebounded from his lone career loss with a stoppage win over Hyun Sung Park.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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