How did Alexandre Pantoja beat Brandon Moreno the first time? Moreno left UFC after first fight against the Brazilian

Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja are set to face each other in a title fight for the third time in their careers at UFC 290 in July. The two exceptional flyweights have previously clashed on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 24 in 2016 and then at UFC Chile in 2018. 'The Cannibal' came out on top on both occasions.

In their first fight, Pantoja and Moreno matched against each other in TUF 24, a special season featuring flyweight champions from different promotions.

Alexandre Pantoja submitted Brandon Moreno with a rear-naked choke midway through the second round. However, this bout isn’t listed on their official MMA records since TUF bouts are considered exhibitions.

The two men shared the octagon again two years later at UFC Chile, where Pantoja dominated 'The Assassin Baby' over three rounds and punished Moreno with strikes and ground-and-pound blows that drew blood from the Mexican's nose early on.

Moreno could not mount any serious threat to Pantoja, and the judges scored the fight 30-26, 30-26, and 29-27 in favor of Alexandre Pantoja. Interestingly, Brandon Moreno was cut from the UFC following this loss but worked his way back to the organization after winning the LFA flyweight title.

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Mercurial UFC flyweight set to be the backup fighter for Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290

Brandon Royval recently revealed that he has been given the opportunity to serve as the backup fighter for the flyweight title fight between Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 in July.

Royval won his third straight fight with an incredible knockout against Matheus Nicolau at UFC Kansas City to cement his spot as a potential flyweight title challenger. Interestingly, Royval's last two losses came against 'The Cannibal' and 'The Assassin Baby' at UFC Vegas 34 and UFC 255, respectively.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Royval opened up about being guaranteed a shot to be the backup fighter for the upcoming flyweight title match, stating:

"I’m the No. 1 contender... As far as I’ve been told, I’m weighing in as the alternate for the title fight. I got the backup spot, and I think that’s guaranteed. So I don’t know if that means I’m going to be next for the title fight, but I’m staying ready."

Brandon Royval is on a three-fight win streak with two of the three wins being awarded Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses.