Moreno, Albazi take different roads to UFC Fight Night in Edmonton

Brandon (The Assassin Baby) Moreno has beauteous overmuch done it each successful the UFC.

The 30-year-old Mexican has been chopped by the promotion, won and mislaid the flyweight rubric and past won and mislaid the 125-pound title again.

He has fought for the rubric six times — winning 3 times with 2 losses and a bulk gully — including a trilogy with Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo that saw Moreno draw, triumph and lose.

Moreno, presently ranked 2nd among UFC 125-pound contenders, looks to determination person to different rubric changeable Saturday erstwhile helium instrumentality connected No. 3 Amir Albazi successful the main lawsuit of a UFC Fight Night paper astatine Edmonton’s Rogers Place.

Moreno (21-8-2) is coming disconnected split-decision losses to American No. 1 contender Brandon (Raw Dawg) Royval, successful February, and Alexandre (The Cannibal) Pantoja of Brazil, who took distant his title loop astatine UFC 290 successful July 2023.

After the Royval loss, Moreno talked of taking the remainder of the twelvemonth off. But helium said helium soon started having 2nd thoughts.

“I’m a rival … Three weeks aft (taking a break) I’m starting to deliberation similar ‘Damn, I privation to fight,'” helium recalled.

But his coaches and woman convinced him to instrumentality a break. Until now. And Moreno is grateful for the clip away.

“My vigor close now, feels amazing. I consciousness truthful hyped,” helium said successful English. “It’s brainsick however my past 2 grooming camps. I didn’t consciousness similar this. I felt each the stress, each the responsibilities. At immoderate constituent that exploded successful my caput and I wasn’t truly enjoying these benignant of moments.”

“Now I consciousness perfect,” helium added

Moreno hopes a triumph implicit Albazi (17-1-0) volition acceptable up a rubric showdown against either Pantoja oregon UFC newcomer Kai Asakura of Japan, who are scheduled to conscionable Dec. 7 astatine UFC 310 for the flyweight title.

Moreno, the UFC’s archetypal Mexican champion, has a 9-5-2 grounds successful the UFC.

The co-main lawsuit Saturday is simply a women’s flyweight matchup of No. 3 Erin (Cold Blooded) Blanchfield and No. 5 Rose (Thug) Namajunas, a erstwhile two-time strawweight titleholder. Previously announced arsenic the main event, the all-American clash remains a five-round bout.

Canadians connected the paper are middleweight Marc-Andre (Power Bar) Barriault, welterweight (Proper) Mike Malott, bantamweights Aiemann Zahabi, Charles (Air) Jourdain and Chad (The Monster) Anheliger, and flyweights Jasmine Jasudavicius and Jamey-Lyn Horth.

The paper besides features Ukraine-born bantamweight Serhiy Sidey, who fights retired of Burlington, Ont.

The 31-year-old Albazi, who has not fought since June 2023, has had his ain challenges getting here.

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He was struggling with chartless wellness issues earlier that past fight, a triumph implicit New Zealand’s Kai (Don’t Blink) Kara-France. Tests subsequently showed supraventricular tachycardia, an irregular bosom beat, with his bosom complaint going arsenic precocious arsenic 239.

He recovered aft bosom country and was preparing to combat Moreno successful Mexico City successful February erstwhile his assemblage failed again.

“My near limb virtually stopped. I couldn’t assistance my limb up. I couldn’t jab. I couldn’t bash anything.”

Against the proposal of his coaches, Albazi kept training. But aft an MRI, a doc told him to halt warring and “find a 9 to 5 (job).”

The UFC doctors yet ordered cervix surgery.

“They told maine I was 1 punch distant from really getting paralyzed,” Albazi said.

The surgeon enactment successful 2 artificial discs. “I person a titanium cervix now, I guess,” helium said with a large smile.

“It was a batch of hard moments” helium added “But I tried to spot the airy astatine the extremity of the tunnel. I’m a large believer successful God truthful I judge that my way is written. I knew I was going to travel back. I had a feeling this would beryllium conscionable different hurdle I request to overcome. And I was right. Here I am.”

Albazi has won his past six fights, including each 5 successful the UFC starting with a submission triumph implicit Canadian Malcolm (X) Gordon successful July 2020.

Fourteen of his vocation wins person travel by stoppage, with six knockouts and 9 submissions.

Born successful Iraq, Albazi moved to Syria with his household arsenic a kid earlier settling successful Sweden. He subsequently moved to England.