“The Assassin Baby” has spent the past several months fighting himself.
Former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight champion Brandon Moreno will attempt to protect his place in the rankings against Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 33 winner Joseph Morales in the co-main event of Noche UFC 4 this weekend (Sat., Sept. 12, 2026) inside Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
For the third time in his UFC career, Moreno enters a fight riding a two-fight losing streak. This skid feels
different, though.
Moreno was stopped for the first time in his professional career by Tatsuro Taira (watch highlights) before being thoroughly outclassed by Lone’er Kavanagh, who accepted their fight on short notice.
Sure, both losses came against elite Flyweight prospects. However, Moreno has historically remained competitive even in defeat, and that simply wasn’t the case in his last two appearances.
That forced “The Assassin Baby” to do some serious soul-searching.
“I think it’s more about the perspective of my mentality,” Moreno told UFC.com. “It’s a really common problem in this sport. Sometimes, you are your own worst enemy. I don’t want to put any excuses out there about my past losses, but I’ve been working hard. I’ve been working on myself, working on my mindset and mentality. Obviously, you have to show that in the middle of the fight, and that’s my goal: show all of my improvements this Saturday and how much I’ve advanced over the past few months.”
That work also prompted Moreno to make some meaningful changes to his training camp.
The 32-year-old joined forces with Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, adding longtime head coach John Wood to his team. Moreno is keeping his longtime coaches very involved, but he hopes the fresh environment and another experienced voice in his corner will help him rediscover his best form.
Moreno will also draw motivation from returning to a building that holds a special place in his career.
Desert Diamond Arena — then known as Gila River Arena — hosted UFC 263 in June 2021, when Moreno submitted Deiveson Figueiredo to capture his first Flyweight title and become UFC’s first Mexican-born champion.
Five years later, Moreno returns to the same venue fighting to prove he still belongs among the division’s elite.
Morales may not carry the same name recognition as Moreno’s recent opponents, but the former champion understands exactly how dangerous a hungry fighter can be. In fact, Moreno sees part of himself in Morales because both men were released by UFC and forced to fight their way back to the promotion.
“Once you come to UFC, you know every single opponent is going to be super tough,” Moreno said. “I understand my position, right? I’m trying to defend my spot in the rankings and in the company, while Joseph Morales is going to be super motivated to take my position.”
“But hey, man, I prepared myself really well for this fight, made some changes to my game and am putting all of my effort into showing it.”
Moreno’s first Noche UFC appearance gives him an opportunity to snap his losing streak in front of a passionate Mexican fan base while returning to the arena where he reached the top of the sport.
Morales will be standing across from him on Saturday night, but according to Moreno, the most important battle has been against himself.
Now, he has to prove he won it.
To checkout the latest Noche UFC 4 fight card and rumors click here.
