Brandon Moreno became the new holder of the interim flyweight title belt after defeating Kai Kara France in UFC 277 but due to injuries received after the battle, he looks unrecognizable.
Moreno, 28, was on the wrong end of several vicious punches before ending the fight with a heavy body kick and follow-up kicks while on the ground.
in UFC shared a photo of Moreno with the caption “The face of a champion.”
The victory over Cara France allowed Moreno to have a fourth fight against Davison Figueiredowho stepped into the ring to congratulate the Mexican fighter.
Their first meeting ended in a draw in 2020 and Moreno won the rematch before Figueiredo equalized in a trilogy match.
Moreno vs. Figueiredo IV
Figueiredo is the reigning division champion, but Moreno won the interim belt in Dallas.
Moreno said he didn’t want to fight Figueiredo again, but he wanted to be champion.
“It’s not like, ‘Oh, I want to fight Deiveson Figueiredo again,'” Moreno said. “I’m not excited. i’m done with it. But what is, is. He is a champion, so I want to fight him.
“So I promise I just want to finish my business with him and then the next challenger, I’ll be ready for him.”
In his post-fight press conference, Moreno said he showed respect to Figueiredo because he didn’t want his 8-year-old daughter to see her father doing stupid things on TV.