Big news! Brandon Moreno has confirmed that Amir Albazi won’t be fighting on the Feb 24th card in Mexico City. Instead, Moreno’s new opponent in the main event will be Brandon Royval.
Stay tuned for more updates on @espnmma.
Please note, this article was updated at 8:40 p.m. ET on Jan. 11 to include a statement from Albazi.
In the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division, there’s rarely a dull moment. Especially when it comes to the top 10 fights.
According to ESPN, Amir Albazi (17-1) will no longer be competing in the headliner of UFC Mexico City on Feb. 24. Albazi has since posted on social media that he was forced out of the fight due to a neck injury.
Stepping into the ring in his place will be Brandon Royval (15-7). He’ll be going head-to-head with Brandon Moreno (21-7-2) in the Mexico City Arena.
Moreno and Royval have history. They faced off in 2020, and Moreno came out on top in a match that was not without controversy.
Moreno, speaking to ESPN, shared his thoughts on the change. “It’s a different opponent, I don’t know what happened with Amir Albazi,” he said. “But he’s out of the fight. So now I’m going to fight against Brandon Royval.”
This will be Moreno’s first non-championship bout since he faced Royval for the first time at UFC 255 in 2020. The Mexican-born combatant became the first fighter from his country to win a belt with the UFC when he tapped Deiveson Figueiredo in 2021.
“Yeah, that fight was 2020,” Moreno said when reminded that the fight with Royval is a rematch. “It was really a fast, quick fight. Royval had this problem in the shoulder, but I really believe I was winning the fight.”
Royval is also coming off of a decision loss to Pantoja for the 125-pound crown. That loss snapped a three-fight win streak for the energetic Colorado native.
Albazi posted on social media the reason for his withdrawal, apologizing for suffering an injury. “I’m out of the fight against Moreno [on the] 24th of February,” Albazi wrote. “I have been dealing with a serious neck injury the past weeks.”
UFC Mexico City, also known as UFC Fight Night 237, will be held at the Mexico City Arena in Mexico City on Feb. 24. The co-headlining attraction will be a five-round affair between Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega.
The remainder of the bout order has not yet been set, but fights expected to serve on the main card include a bantamweight tilt between Raul Rosas Jr. and Ricky Turcios, and a lightweight scrap between Claudio Puelles and Fares Ziam.