Pantoja continued to grapple in the fourth round, earning valuable control time, before ending the fight in a dominant position, on Moreno's back searching for a rear-naked choke.Īs the fight ended, both athletes raised their arms in the air, believing they had won, before Pantoja was confirmed as the victor. Pantoja delivered the first telling moment of the fight as he dropped Moreno with a big left hand, before opening a large cut above the Mexican's right eye on the ground with an elbow.ĭespite taking big damage, Moreno's corner maintained confidence at the end of the round, telling their fighter Pantoja was already tiring.Īnd their observation looked to be correct as Moreno gained the upper hand in the second round, connecting at will with his jab and winning the grappling exchanges.īut momentum continued to swing midway through the bout as Pantoja landed two takedowns in between Moreno doing more damage in the stand-up, including a clean up-elbow strike. Moreno, backed by swathes of vocal Mexican fans in the arena, looked relaxed as he sung along to his theme during his walkout - in contrast to the angry expression he sported during previous bouts with Figueiredo. In Pantoja he was facing another former foe, however, with the Brazilian beating Moreno twice previously, in 20. Moreno said he had contrasting emotions moving on from Figueiredo in that he was 'grateful' for the time they spent together in the octagon but was 'happy' to be moving on to a new challenge. Moreno, 29, came into the co-main event after finally closing his epic four-fight rivalry with Deiveson Figueiredo - a UFC record for the amount of times two athletes had faced one another. 'But I'm the champ, the king of this division and nobody is stopping me.' Pantoja beats Moreno for first UFC title Pantoja becomes the second Brazilian to win the UFC flyweight title, after Deiveson Figueiredo I'm being honest with you, through camp there was fear there with his striking,' said Volkanovski. Volkanovski paid tribute to the unorthodox Rodriguez after the bout. The champion landed a flush counter right hook before taking Rodriguez down and landing repeated punches, causing the referee to stop the fight. Rodriguez started to find success midway through the fight, finding a home for his kicks which were acknowledged by Volkanovski with a nod of approval, before the fight-ending moment came. Rodriguez started to open up in the second, throwing a number of his signature flamboyant kicks without landing, before Volkanovski gained control again with a takedown.īlood started to pour down Rodriguez's face as Volkanovski used his advantage on the ground to deliver a number of punches and elbows. Volkanovski struck first in the opening minutes, landing a takedown and controlling the rest of the round on the ground. In Volkanovski, however, he was facing a fighter many believe to be the greatest featherweight of all time.īoth fighters appeared relaxed, soaking in the atmosphere as they made their way towards the octagon, with Volkanovski revealing a scratch under his right eye which had been covered by a plaster during the lead-up to the fight. Rodriguez, alongside Moreno and women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, was one of three Mexican champions in the UFC heading into the event and said in the build-up 'Mexicans were showing the world what they're capable of'. With Volkanovski's attention elsewhere, an interim featherweight title bout took place on the same evening, with Rodriguez, 30, superbly submitted Josh Emmett. The main event was set up at UFC 284 in February, when Volkanovski narrowly missed out on becoming a double champion as he suffered a points defeat by lightweight title-holder Islam Makhachev. Volkanovski cements spot as featherweight king Pantoja, 33, was narrowly out-struck by Moreno over five rounds, but got the better of the grappling exchanges in a bout described by UFC commentator Daniel Cormier as 'the fight of the year to this point'.

In the co-main event in Nevada, Brazil's Alexandre Pantoja beat Mexico's Brandon Moreno by split decision to win the UFC flyweight title in a gripping back-and-forth contest. 'But I want that lightweight belt, I'm still coming for that. 'I'll be completely honest with you, I need a bit of surgery on my arm,' he said. It is the 34-year-old's fifth title defence since winning the belt from Max Holloway in 2019.Īfter the bout, Volkanovski revealed he requires surgery on an injury.

Yair rodriguez vs max holloway