Brandon
Moreno doesn’t sound as though he believes a trilogy with
Deiveson
Figueiredo will be his next move.
After battling Figueiredo to a majority draw in the UFC 256
headliner, Moreno became the first Mexican-born champion in
promotion history when he submitted the Brazilian in the third
round at UFC 263 on June 12. Moreno left no doubt the second time
around, which is why he thinks Figueiredo has more work to do the
second time around.
Speaking at a media luncheon on Tuesday, Moreno discussed what
might be next for his first flyweight title defense.
“The next name? I don’t know,” Moreno said (via
ESPN). “There are a lot of possibilities. I think it’s obvious
Figueiredo wants the next one, because he lost the last one. But
man, last fight I dominated him since the first minutes of the
first round. I dominated him — in the striking, in grappling, in
wrestling. Obviously, I’m open to fight again with him. But I think
he needs to fight again with somebody [else].”
Figueiredo and his management have been vocal about
pushing for an immediate trilogy with Moreno. Whether that’s in
the promotion’s plans remains to be seen. “The Assassin Baby” did
express interest in a potential showdown with former bantamweight
champion Cody
Garbrandt, who has lost four of his last five Octagon
appearances.
“Cody
Garbrandt wants to come to the division,” Moreno said. “It’s a
huge fight, because I know he’s not in the best part of his career,
but he’s a good name. He’s a former champ. He has a really good
brand behind him. He’s an option.”