I’d forgotten how good former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno can be in the Octagon.
He reminded me on Saturday night with a masterful performance in Edmonton. Moreno won the main event in a route via unanimous decision over the returning Amir Albazi. Moreno’s striking was vicious, sudden, and unpredictable.
He caused swelling and a cut under Albazi’s left eye, which made it easy for the judges to pick the winner in each round. Moreno came into the fight ranked No. 2, and Albazi was No. 3. The rankings likely stay the same next week, but Moreno proved he is still one of the elite flyweights in the world.
Moreno hadn’t fought since February when he lost a split decision to Brandon Royval. After a nine-month absence, Moreno looks refreshed and ready to make another run at the title. He told reporters he wants Alexandre Pantoja, but he should be rooting for Kai Asakura to knock off the reigning champion in the co-main event of UFC 310 in December.
Moreno has already lost to Pantoja three times. He’s unlikely to get another shot at the Brazilian. However, if Asakura dethrones him, Moreno will have a better shot at getting another opportunity to regain the title. It was a tough loss for Albazi. He’d overcome heart surgery and a severe neck injury to get back into the Octagon.
He wanted to have a triumphant return, but Moreno wasn’t going to be denied. Coming into the fight, I had Moreno listed as one of the fighters with the most to lose in Edmonton. He came through with a huge and impressive win.
Erin Blanchfield Powers Through Rose Namajunas
In the main event, we saw a tale of two fights. Rose Namajunas dominated Erin Blanchfield in the first two rounds with her slick boxing. However, Blanchfield secured a takedown in the third, which seemed to break Namajunas’ will.
Blanchfield swept the final three rounds on all three judges’ scorecards to get the big win. Blanchfield was another fighting with a lot on the line. She called out No. 1 contender Alexa Grasso, which was a very smart callout. It seems there is a good chance that fight will be made.
UFC Edmonton Performance Bonuses
There weren’t a lot of finishes on Saturday, so the fighters who were able to get it done were rewarded. Charles Jourdain had an uber-successful debut in the men’s bantamweight division. He locked in a tight arm triangle choke against Victor Henry to get the second-round finish.
Jourdain needed the win badly and got the $50,000 bonus. Dustin Stoltzfus scored the only KO win as he decimated Marc-Andre Barriault.
Stoltzfus earned the bonus, too. With no Fight of the Night, Youseff Zalal and Jasmine Jasudavicius also earned bonuses for finishing their fights.
Here is a look at all of the results from Edmonton.
- Brandon Moreno def. Amir Albazi via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 50-45×2)
- Erin Blanchfield def. Rose Namajunas via Unanimous Decision (48-47×3)
- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Ariane Da Silva via Submission (D’Arce Choke): R3, 2:28
- Brendson Ribeiro def. Caio Machado via Split Decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
- Dustin Stoltzfus def. Marc-Andre Barriault via KO: R1, 4:28
- Mike Malott def. Trevin Giles via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28×2)
- Aiemann Zahabi def. Pedro Munhoz via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28×2)
- Charles Jourdain def. Victor Henry via Submission (Guillotine Choke): R2, 3:43
- Youssef Zalal def. Jack Shore via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke): R2, 0:59
- Alexandr Romanov def. Rodrigo Nascimento via Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)
- Serhiy Sidey def. Garrett Armfield via Split Decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
- Cody Gibson def. Chad Anheliger via Unanimous Decision (30-27×2, 30-26)
- Jamey-Lyn Horth def. Ivana Petrovic via Split Decision (30-27, 29-29, 28-29)