Paul Felder breaks down Brandon Moreno seemingly struggling to perform on home turf ahead of UFC Mexico City

Brandon Moreno has been a key figure in Mexican MMA, becoming a two-time UFC flyweight champion and a fan favorite. However, competing on home soil has been a challenge for him.

In three fights in Mexico, Moreno has yet to secure a victory, going 0-2-1, with main event losses to Sergio Pettis and Brandon Royval. On Saturday, he gets another chance to change that narrative when he headlines UFC Mexico City against Steve Erceg at Arena CDMX in Mexico City.

UFC analyst Paul Felder weighed in on Moreno’s struggles, highlighting the pressure that comes with fighting at home. According to Felder, the expectations from Mexican fans, combined with the challenges of training at altitude and managing a full fight camp away from his usual environment, make these fights uniquely difficult for Moreno.

Speaking to MMA Junkie, 'The Irish Dragon' said:

"He’s being put on the face of Mexican MMA and they want him there so much to draw attention, and that brings a lot of pressure to it...[Moreno] likes to have his own team and camp around him. Then it’s the financial burden. Bringing the whole team to altitude, prepping in altitude – it’s just so much that goes into that... A main event somewhere else, it’s not as big a deal for him. He can kind of slip under the radar and just do the media."

"But when you’re the guy, you’re the Mexican fighter on the marquee there in your home country, it’s a lot. That’s what really gets to a guy like that. Some people handle that home advantage well and make it work, and I think sometimes it breaks guys mentally.”

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Paul Felder analyzed Steve Erceg ahead of UFC Mexico City main event against Brandon Moreno

As Steve Erceg prepares to face Brandon Moreno in the main event of UFC Mexico City, UFC analyst Paul Felder has weighed in on the rising flyweight contender’s potential.

Speaking to Mike Bohn for The Bohnfire, Felder believes a strong performance against Moreno could push Erceg back into the title picture:

"Erceg when he’s on his game, we’ve seen him at his best like in that championship fight he lost, a razor close fight to Alexandre Pantoja. Then he had another setback after that (to Kai Kara-France), but I think this kid, if he can really dig in and have a fun scrap with Moreno and get a win, he puts himself right back in the mix at flyweight."

Erceg made his UFC debut in June 2023, securing a unanimous decision win over David Dvořák at UFC 289. His momentum continued with victories over Alessandro Costa and Matt Schnell, earning Performance of the Night bonuses for both fights.

Despite falling short in his title shot against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 and suffering a first-round TKO loss to Kara-France, Erceg remains a dangerous contender in the division.

Check out Paul Felder's comments below (16:35):