Alexandre Pantoja proved he nonetheless has Brandon Moreno‘s quantity, defeating his worn rival via crack choice to seize the UFC flyweight championship Saturday evening in an epic mystery at UFC 290 at T-Cell Enviornment in Las Vegas.
Two judges scored it 48-47 for Pantoja, generation a 3rd pass judgement on had it 49-46 for Moreno.
Pantoja (26-5) formally has two wins now over Moreno, whom he defeated via unanimous choice in 2018, however he additionally owns a submission victory over him in an exhibition on “The Ultimate Fighter” fact display in 2016. Pantoja has received 4 immediately fights.
Moreno (21-7-2) used to be coming off a TKO victory over Deiveson Figueiredo in January, when he regained the flyweight belt.
It used to be an action-packed combat from the hole bell. Moreno had early good fortune touchdown mixtures from the outdoor, however Pantoja drew first blood, catching him with a sun-baked left hook to the chin that dropped him with simply over two mins difference in Spherical 1. Pantoja adopted with a weighty elbow at the field, opening a shorten over the champion’s proper visual.
Moreno wasted deny hour bouncing again in Spherical 2, touchdown blank moves once more from the outdoor, in brief splendid the challenger. Moreno attached with a left hook, after briefly took Pantoja’s again. Pantoja were given again to his toes, however Moreno didn’t relent, cracking him at the chin with any other weighty left hook.
Each warring parties got here out swinging to perceivable a wild 3rd spherical. Pantoja controlled to again Moreno towards the cage and after briefly took the champion’s again generation at the mat. Moreno reversed place and were given again to his toes, touchdown in all probability the most efficient hit of the spherical when he rocked Pantoja with a head kick. Pantoja scored any other takedown, then again, and regulated the champion at the field for far of the spherical.
Pantoja ate a weighty elbow as he charged in halfway thru Spherical 4, however nonetheless controlled to paintings a takedown. Although he didn’t do a lot harm, Pantoja once more managed Moreno for far of the spherical.
With the combat doubtlessly even coming into the overall spherical, each warring parties persisted the frenetic moment, each and every swinging and connecting with sun-baked photographs. Pantoja once more controlled to detached himself via scoring a takedown with about two mins to walk within the combat. He discovered his technique to Moreno’s again towards the cage and used to be content material to trip the champion’s again the residue of the best way till the overall bell sounded.
