First stoppage loss of career Moreno lost to Tatsuro Taira via TKO (punches) at 2:24 of Round 2 at UFC 323 on Saturday in Las Vegas. Impact It's the first stoppage loss of Moreno's storied career and it may have been been a slightly early one from referee Mark Smith. Regardless, Brandon didn't look very good. He won Round 1 because he had Taira trapped in a modified triangle choke nearly the entire round, but he never appeared close to actually earning the submission. He was muscled to the mat early in Round 2 and never able to recover. Taira eventually ended up in a dominant position and Smith had seen enough following several unanswered blows to the side of the head. Set to turn 33 years of age tomorrow, Moreno falls to 2-3 in his past five fights dating back to July 2023, although both those losses (Brandon Royval, Alexandre Pantoja) came via split decision. He has work to do to get back into the title discussion at 125 pounds.
DECEMBER 7 • ROTOWIRE
