Brandon Moreno vs Alexandre Pantoja 7/5/2023 Previews, Predictions and Picks
Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez isn’t the only title fight on the UFC 290 card. The co-main event, Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja, is the fight for the UFC Flyweight Championship belt, currently occupied by “The Assassin Baby.”
Brandon Moreno will enter the Octagon with Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 on Saturday, July 8, 2023. The opener has Moreno at -205, while Pantoja is at +163. He might be trailing behind Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson on the all-time flyweight greats list, but Moreno is still very young. The 29-year-old could establish himself as the GOAT of this weight division.
Brandon “The Assassin Baby” Moreno walks into the cage holding a score of 21-6-2. The 29-year-old weighs 125 lbs. and measures 5’7″. The orthodox fighter has a wingspan of 70 inches. Alexandre “The Cannibal” Pantoja measures 5’5″ and is fighting at 125 lbs. The orthodox fighter looks to add a victory to his record of 25-5-0. The 33-year-old has an arm span of 67 inches. Regarding significant strikes, Brandon Moreno connects on 3.55 per minute, and Alexandre Pantoja connects on 4.25 significant strikes per minute. Moreno is landing 40% of the significant strikes he tries, while Pantoja is landing 48%. Regarding the fighter’s defense, “The Assassin Baby” allows 3.19 significant strikes per minute, and “The Cannibal” allows 3.38. Moreno also prevents 56% of the significant strikes aimed at him, and Pantoja thwarts 54%.
Concerning wrestling, Brandon Moreno is averaging more takedowns in the cage, as he can score a takedown 1.80 times per 15 minutes. Moreno is finishing his takedown attempts 45% of the time and stopping 67% of all takedown attempts. Pantoja is finishing his takedown attempts on 40% of the takedowns he tries and stuffing 67% of all takedowns attempted by his opposition. Regarding going for the sub, Moreno is less apt at going for the finish, attempting 0.6 finishes per 3 rds, while Pantoja goes for 1.2 finishes per 15 min.
In his last fight, Brandon Moreno squared up with Deiveson Figueiredo and wound up getting the win by TKO because of an eye injury in round 3. Figueiredo landed 24 of the 48 total strikes that he let go in that contest. Moreno ended the night, having landed 85 of his 111 total strikes. In the category of significant strikes, Figueiredo landed 19 of 43, giving him a percentage of 44%. He finished the fight, landing eight of the 30 significant strikes directed at the head. On the other side of the Octagon, Moreno landed 64% of his significant strikes by sticking 48 out of 74. Looking at his significant strike accuracy, he landed 37 of 61 aimed at the head. 78% of the significant strikes connected by Figueiredo and 70% connected by Moreno were thrown at a distance.
Brandon Moreno vs Alexandre Pantoja 7/5/2023 Previews, Predictions and Picks
Alexandre “The Cannibal” Pantoja has defeated Moreno two times already, but can he do it again? In their second fight (in 2018), he landed more strikes than his opponent, causing just enough damage to win over the judges. He did great striking-wise in that fight, but Pantoja’s been focusing more on the ground game since then.
The 33-year-old Brazilian got to challenge for the title after winning three straight fights. He beat Manal Kape first by unanimous decision. Then he finished Brandon Royal and Alex Perez in the following two bouts, winning the Performance of the Night bonus each time.
In the last fight for Alexandre Pantoja, he went up against Alex Perez and took home the win by a neck crank in round 1. Perez landed 100% of the significant strikes he tried at a distance, while
Pantoja connected on 87% of the significant strikes he attempted at a distance. Pantoja landed 66% of the significant strikes he attempted, landing 8 of 12. He landed seven of 11 significant strikes aimed at the head. Perez ended up connecting on 10 of 14 significant strikes in that fight. Concerning the placement of these significant strikes, he connected on 9 of 13 to the head. Regarding the strikes he fired in this contest, Perez connected on 10 of 14, and Pantoja landed 8 of 12 of all the strikes he attempted.
Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja Brandon Moreno is the better fighter, superior to Alexander Pantoja in every MMA aspect. He’s also motivated to win to keep his championship belt and exact revenge for the 2018 defeat.
Prediction: Brandon Moreno to win
Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: Saturday, July 08, 2023
Main Card: 10:00 PM ET
Prelims: 8:00 PM ET
Watch on: ESPN and ESPN+
