Brandon Moreno’s dominant performance against Amir Albazi at UFC Edmonton marked a successful return to form for the popular flyweight. Leading the exchanges from the outset, Moreno’s sharp strikes and commanding pace kept Albazi at bay, building him a secure lead across three rounds.
By the championship rounds, it was clear Moreno had done enough to secure the victory, ending his brief hiatus and placing him back in the flyweight title conversation.
However, it was a lighthearted mid-fight exchange between Moreno and referee Marc Goddard that stole fans’ attention online. After a particularly intense moment, Goddard checked on Moreno to ensure he could continue, asking:
“Can you see me alright?”
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Moreno responded humorously with:
“Yes, sir. Two eyes, one nose!”
The witty reply went viral, with media pages sharing the clip widely. Goddard himself reacted to the exchange on social media, praising Moreno’s spirit and humor. He wrote:
"One of a kind ! 🤣 What a guy Brandon is."
Check out Marc Goddard's post below:
Referee Marc Goddard details new rules regarding 12-6 elbows and grounded opponents
Referee Marc Goddard recently explained the new rule changes in a video ahead of UFC Edmonton. He emphasized that fighters can now use any elbow motion, including a direct 12-6 downward strike, provided it doesn’t target restricted areas like the back of the head or neck.
The revised grounded opponent rule allows fighters standing with hands on the mat to be kicked or kneed in the head, a change from the previous restriction.
In the recent video, he explained:
"Any motion of the elbow in any position is now allowed...What I want people to remember is the motion, i.e. the movement, the straight up, straight down, is now legal, but the illegal target areas shall remain the same....what we’re looking for is now we don’t have to concentrate on the motion of straight up or straight down, but we’re still being mindful of the fact that the point of the elbow will not land anywhere near the back of the head or the nape of the neck area. So that’s one thing to remember.”
He further added:
“When a fighter would put a single hand or fist on the mat, you could not knee them in the head. If a fighter elects to put a hand down, even two hands, flat on the mat, while still standing, they can be legally kicked or kneed in the head. To make themselves grounded and not be able to be kneed in the head, they would have to put any other body part in contact with the mat, excluding the hands."
Check out Marc Goddard's post below: