This was the kind of fight that Brandon Moreno normally finds a way to pull out. It's close through the early stages, and the former flyweight champion begins to figure out his opponent and rolls on to a victory.
And the script was set that way Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City in a bout with Brandon Royval, a critical match in the suddenly booming UFC flyweight division.
Royval fought with a passion and he never allowed Moreno to take over the momentum in a close, competitive bout that proved difficult to scored. The judges only agreed unanimously in two rounds, but had Royval winning a split decision. Chris Lee and Mike Bell each had it 48-47 for Royval, while Junichiro Kamijo favored Moreno, 49-46. KevinIole.com had it 48-47 for Royval.
Royval's activity was rewarded, even though Moreno landed most of the hardest shots. But Royval punched in combination and was on the attack most of the night and the judges seemed to favor that. Royval landed 128 of 468 significant strikes, while Moreno was 99 of 205. Moreno had a 3-1 edge in takedowns, though none of the takedowns were significant.
"Royval brought it," UFC CEO Dana White said. "He fought hard. I think he won the fight. It looked like [Moreno didn't think he lost when it was announced. Pretty much everyone I talked to, the people who were around me, though Royval won the fight."
It wouldn't have been a travesty is Moreno had won. It was that kind of a fight. Moreno, though, never picked up his pace even though his coach, Sayif Saud, was pleading with him to throw more combinations. Far too often, though, Moreno would fire a looping right hand and then allow Royval to counter.
Royval is American of Mexican descent and he played to the crown during his post-fight interview.
"I'm a third-generation Mexican, and I know that doesn't count, but the only reason I got through this shit is because I got that Mexican blood in my heart like all you guys," he said. "The Mexican blood that bleeds through my veins is the only reason I'm here now."
Both Saud and Royval coach Marc Montoya pleaded with their fighters to close strong, but it turns out that barring something crazy, Royval had it cinched on the cards after four. Moreno won the fifth on all cards, but it had no impact on the outcome.
He said the altitude wouldn't hurt him, but given his pace wasn't as quick as it often is, it's a legitimate question. The problem is he would have been in position to fight a rubber match with champion Alexandre Pantoja, who was at ringside, but he didn't push hard enough to pull it out.
White, as is his policy, wouldn't talk about Royval's future, but given that Moreno was No. 1 and he was No. 3, it seems likely he'll jump ahead of Amir Albazi to No. 1. If he does that, will the title shot come? Well, who knows? He just lost to Pantoja in December, but he said he's changed his approach and called out Pantoja again.
"I'm a f*cking gangster," he said. "I'm the realest on in this f*cking flyweight division. Everyone wants to grab me all day. Speaking of grabbing, Pantoja is in the building. Let's run that back mother f*cker."
Scorecards from the Brandon Moreno-Brandon Royval fight Saturday in Mexico City.