Moreno embraces first Noche UFC appearance with renewed focus ahead of Morales bout

Brandon Moreno will step into a Noche UFC event for the first time when he faces Joseph Morales at Saturday’s card in Glendale, Arizona, returning to the arena where he submitted Deiveson Figueiredo to win his first UFC flyweight title at UFC 263 in June 2021.

“I got the first title there in Glendale, Ariz.,” Moreno told MMA Fighting. “They changed the name of the arena, but in the same location — and actually before the UFC, I fought like four or five times in Arizona, in a local promotion, WFF. So I have really good memories from Arizona, and man, the No. 1 memory, like getting the title with all the crowd screaming my name and all the Mexican flags around — yeah, it’s a special place to me for sure.”

The former two-time flyweight champion recalled vivid details from that championship night, including an unlikely post-fight scene involving two fellow former UFC world champions. “Once I finished the fight, I went to my locker room, put on my suit, and was walking to the press conference with my wife, my teammates, my daughter,” Moreno said. “I don’t remember why, but Francis Ngannou was there and he was carrying my youngest daughter. That was super cool. Then eating pizza with Israel Adesanya at the post-fight conference. All those moments make this fight super special.”

Moreno had been eager to compete at Noche UFC for some time, having missed the event’s previous three editions through injury and scheduling conflicts. “Man, finally, I’m going to fight at a Noche UFC,” he said. “This is gonna be the fourth edition. I wasn’t able to fight on the other ones for different reasons, but finally I made it and I’m super excited.”

The bout comes at a complicated moment in Moreno’s career. He enters against an unranked opponent in Morales while carrying back-to-back losses — a stoppage defeat to Tatsuro Taira at UFC 323 in December 2024, followed by a decision loss. Despite that run, Moreno is framing the occasion in deliberately positive terms, emphasising personal motivation over external pressure.

“No one is here putting a gun to my head to do this,” Moreno said, underlining a mindset he describes as a fresh career focus rather than a response to adversity. He noted that Morales’ own motivation heading into the fight only adds to his excitement for the card.

Glendale’s Desert Diamond Arena — the renamed venue where Moreno first became champion — provides a backdrop loaded with meaning for the Mexican fighter, who also built early professional experience competing in Arizona before reaching the UFC.