BREAKING: Brandon Moreno to rematch former rival after Amir Albazi is forced out of UFC Mexico City

Brandon Moreno recently revealed that his fight against Amir Albazi at UFC Mexico City on Feb. 24 will no longer take place after the Iraqi fighter was forced to pull out due to an injury. The former two-time flyweight champion will now rematch Brandon Royval in the main event of the card.

During an interview with Carlos Contreras Legaspi, Moreno confirmed the news and revealed he's ready to face Royval next, just over two months after he challenged Alexandre Pantoja for the title at UFC 296. Moreno said:

"It's a different opponent. I don't know what happened with Amir Albazi, but he's out of the fight. So now I'm going to fight against Brandon Royval... I just want the opportunity to fight for the title again."

Moreno and Royval previously faced each other at UFC 255 in November 2020. 'The Assassin Baby' defeated Royval via first-round knockout. Both fighters last fought Pantoja for the title, with Moreno losing the contest via split decision while Royval lost via unanimous decision.

Shortly after reports of Albazi pulling out hit social media, the Iraqi fighter released a statement on X explaining the reason behind his exit. It appears 'The Prince' is suffering from a serious neck injury that requires surgery, leading to UFC doctors advising him against competing next month. He wrote:

"I'm out of the fight against Moreno 24th of February. I have been dealing with a serious neck injury for 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."