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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff Writer
Brandon Moreno will fight Amir Albazi in a flyweight contender bout Feb. 24 in Mexico City, the former UFC flyweight champion confirmed in an interview published Wednesday by ESPN.
The bout being discussed, a five-round co-main event on the UFC Fight Night card, was first reported by C. Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes. It will be the UFC’s first trip to Mexico since 2019.
ESPN has Moreno ranked No. 2 in the world at flyweight and Albazi at No. 4.
Moreno (21-7-2) is a former two-time UFC flyweight champion and the first-ever Mexican-born UFC champ. The Tijuana native dropped the title in a close split decision to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 in July. Moreno, 29, was on a two-fight winning streak before the loss to Pantoja.
Albazi (17-1) has won six in a row, most recently a split decision win over Kai Kara-France in June. The Iraq native is a perfect 5-0 in the UFC. Albazi, 30, previously won titles in Ultimate Challenge MMA and FightStar Championship.
Moreno has not fought in his home country since becoming the first Mexican-born UFC champion in 2021.
“I want to go there and win and celebrate with my people and [wave] the Mexican flag,” Moreno told ESPN. “It’s something special for me. I’m Mexican. At the end of the day, I’m working for that. I want to give more opportunities to the Mexican fighters.”