Somehow the first three iterations of Noche UFC have taken place without the man many consider to be the greatest Mexican UFC fighter of all time, but that will soon change.
"For one or another reason, I wasn't able to fight in the last Noches," former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno told MMA Junkie. "But finally we made it, so I'm super excited for that."
Moreno, Mexico's first homegrown UFC champ who was born in Tijuana, is set to make his first Noche UFC appearance next Saturday, Sept. 12, when he takes on Joseph Morales in the event's co-headliner. With a combination of bad timing and minor injuries having prevented Moreno (23-10-2 MMA, 11-7-2 UFC) from competing in previous Noche UFC's, he came into 2026 prioritizing his schedule to best
ensure he'd be available for the promotion's annual event meant to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.
It didn't really matter to Moreno whom he was up against, but he's excited for Morales (14-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) who, like him, was released from the UFC and came back for a second stint.
"To be honest, I was just ready to fight at Noche, you know?" Moreno said. "And I talked with my manager, and I talked with the UFC like, 'Hey, just offer me a fight. I don't care who, and I'll be ready.'
"Joseph Morales has an interesting history, because he has a similar history to me. He was in the UFC then he got released, and he had to get some victories. He won 'The Ultimate Fighter,' he came back, right now he's 2-0, so he's super dangerous because he's motivated. He wants to prove to the world that he's ready to be on the big stage. I know that's going to be super interesting, and he's going to be super dangerous that night. I've prepared myself and am very conscious about it."
Moreno, 32, will enter Noche UFC coming off back-to-back losses to Tatsuro Taira last December and, most recently, Lone'er Kavanagh this past February. While recent results haven't gone his way, he doesn't seem too worried about the prospect of what would be the first three-fight skid of his career should he lose to Moreno.
"I just want to win, brother. I'm fighting because I still feel super good at the gym, feel super good in my practices, my sparring looks super sharp," Moreno said. "Every weekend the UFC makes a card, in a fight one guy (is coming off a win) and the other guy (is coming off a loss). Unfortunately I've been in the bad side in my last performances, but I'm still enjoying this. I'm still enjoying the game, enjoying waking up every morning to prepare myself to go to the gym, and that's it. I'm super focused on the present.
"I'm just wanting to win this fight that's going to be dangerous. Joseph is going to be super motivated, and I'm just ready for that."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Brandon Moreno enters first Noche UFC 'super focused on the present' after tough losses
