Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi: Why was the flyweight bout canceled?

Former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno was scheduled to take on Iraqi fighter Amir Albazi in the main event of UFC Fight Night 237 on Feb. 24, 2024, at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City.

However, Albazi was replaced by a familiar foe for Moreno: Brandon Royval. Albazi ruled himself out of the fight due to an injury to his neck. The No.2 ranked contender took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce his withdrawal based on scans and diagnosis by UFC doctors.

'The Prince' apologized to fans while promising to return to action soon. He wrote:

"Im out of the fight against moreno 24th of february. I have been dealing with a serious neck injury the past weeks. After some scans the UFC doctors decided to pull me out of the fight immediately. I want to apologize to the fans and the @ufc. I will be back inshallah"

Check out Amir Albazi's post explaining his withdrawal from the fight on X below:

Later that same day, Royval confirmed himself as Albazi's replacement at UFC Fight Night 237. The rematch will serve as the headliner for the UFC's sixth visit to Mexico City and first since 2019.

Check out Brandon Royval's post about his fight against Brandon Moreno on X below:

---

Brandon Royval wants to take on Alexandre Pantoja after beating Brandon Moreno

Brandon Royval not only wants to avenge his earlier loss to Brandon Moreno but also go on to secure a title shot against Alexandre Pantoja. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Royval discussed the upcoming main event and Pantoja's presence at the event.

He said:

“I thought for sure that if Brandon Moreno wins, even though me and him are coming off the same loss, that they’ll give it to him. I didn’t think they were going to necessarily give it to me, but I just found out that Pantoja’s here. He’s going to be in the audience and all that stuff, so maybe there’s going to be something a little extra to fight for besides just a No. 1 contender’s spot and all that.”

Royval also weighed in on his two prior losses to Pantoja in 2021 and 2023, arguing that a trilogy fight would certainly go his way.

“Respect to Pantoja for sure, I know I can beat him. I know that that’s a winnable fight for me. I feel like he did a lot of great things during that fight and a lot of cool adjustments and stuff, but nobody beats me three times in a row. That’s crazy.”

Check out Brandon Royval's full comments below (15:02):