EDMONTON — Former flyweight champion Brandon (The Assassin Baby) Moreno snapped a two-fight losing streak with a dominant decision over Amir (The Prince) Albazi in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card Saturday.
The judges scored it 49-46, 50-45, 50-45 for the 30-year-old from Mexico, who was busier and dominated the striking battle from the get-go. And he got right back up when Albazi managed to take him down in the second round.
Albazi, his face battered and bloody, absorbed more punishment as the fight wore on and had trouble launching his own attack.
Moreno suffered an eye poke in the fifth round, but continued on. And he staggered Albazi with a shot to the head.
Moreno, currently ranked second among flyweight contenders, improved to 22-8-2, while No. 3 Amir Albazi fell to 17-2-0.
There were nine Canadians on the 13-fight card at Rogers Place, with the local talent going 6-3 on the night.
The crowd was announced at 16,439 with a gate of US$2.6 million, a North American record for a Fight Night card.
Erin (Cold Blooded) Blanchfield (13-2-0), ranked third among flyweight contenders, used a strong fifth round to win a unanimous (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) decision over No. 5 (Thug) Rose Namajunas (14-7-0) in the all-American co-main-event.
Moreno has already fought for the 125-pound title six times — winning three times with two losses and a majority draw — including a trilogy with Brazil's Deiveson Figueiredo that saw Moreno draw, win and lose.
He is in his second stint with the promotion after being cut in 2018 following two straight losses.
Moreno lost the title most recently to current champion Alexandre (The Cannibal) Pantoja of Brazil at UFC 290 in July 2023. He lost a split decision to Brandon (Raw Dawg) Royval in his last time out in February.
The 31-year-old Albazi had won his previous six bouts but had not fought since June 2023, sidelined by neck surgery.
Born in Iraq, Albazi moved to Syria with his family as a child before settling in Sweden. He subsequently moved to England but now trains in the U.S.
The 32-year-old Namajunas, a two-time strawweight (115-pound) champion, had gone 2-1-0 in her previous three fights at 125 pounds. The 25-year-old Blanchfield had lost to France's Manon (The Beast) Fiorot last time out, snapping a run of nine-wins.
All thee judges gave Namajunas the first two rounds and Blanchfield the last three. The matchup was originally announced as the main event but remained a five-round bout after being dropped to the co-main.
Canadian welterweight (Proper) Mike Malott (11-2-1) opened the main card with a unanimous (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) decision win over American Trevin Giles (16-7-0).
The 32-year-old from Burlington, Ont., scored with leg kicks early. Giles, who away from the cage is looked to return to work as a Houston police officer, had success with his jab in the second round, bloodying the Canadian, before taking a Malott kick to the face late in the round.
Malott last fought at UFC 297 in Toronto in January when, after leading the dance for two rounds, he was stopped by veteran Neil (The Haitian Sensation) Magny with 15 seconds remaining. That marked his first UFC loss after three wins in the promotion.
This time, he was more patient.
Germany-based American middleweight Dustin Stoltzfus (16-6-0) knocked out Quebec's Marc-Andre (Power Bar) Barriault in spectacular fashion at 4:28 of the first round.
Stoltzfus chopped Barriault (16-9-0 with one no-contest) to the canvas with a leg kick seconds into the fight, eventually looking for a choke. Barriault got to his feet and the two brawled at close range before Stoltzfus ended it with a savage right to the chin.
"This is his kind of fight and I beat him in his fight," said Stoltzfus.
The 34-year-old Barriault, a native of Gatineau, Que, who fights out of Boca Raton, Fla., has now lost three straight.
Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius (12-3-0), ranked 14th among flyweight contenders, should be moving up the rankings after choking out No. 13 Ariane da Silva of Brazil. The 35-year-old from St. Catharines, Ont., used her ground game to great effect after the first round, punishing da Silva (17-10-0) before locking in a D'Arce choke at 2:28 of the third round.
"I love fighting on home soil," a happy Jasudavicius said after her third straight win.
Brazil's Brendson (The Guerilla) Ribeiro (16-7-0 with one no-contest) won a split (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) decision over Brazilian-born light-heavyweight Caio (Bigfoot) Machado, who now calls Vancouver home and became a Canadian citizen in June.
Machado (8-4-1) was making his debut at 205 pounds after dropping down from heavyweight. He weighed in at 251.5 pounds when he last fought in April.
Both men had lost their previous two UFC fights.
Canadians went 4-1 on the undercard with wins for bantamweights Charles (Air) Jourdain, Aiemann Zahabi and Serhiy Sidey and flyweight Jamey-Lynn Horth. Canadian bantamweight Calgary's Chad (The Monster) Anheliger lost by decision.
Jourdain and Jasudavicius each received US$50,000 performance bonuses.
American Derrick (The Black Beast) Lewis, ranked 11th among heavyweight contenders, dropped off the card on the eve of his bout against Brazilian Jhonata Diniz due to what the UFC called a medical issue unrelated to his weight cut.
Revisions to the unified rules of MMA were in effect for the first time Saturday, allowing downward elbow strikes and modifying the definition of a grounded opponent.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2024.
The Canadian Press