UFC Fight Night: Brandon Moreno vs Joseph Morales Preview & Prediction

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Former flyweight kingpin, Brandon Moreno, looks to defend his spot in the rankings against the surging TUF winner, Joseph Morales.

Brandon Moreno vs Joseph Morales facts

What time are Brandon Moreno and Joseph Morales expected to walk out? 13 September 2026 at 12:15 am

Where is UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Delgado? Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, USA

Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Delgado? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 288

What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Delgado on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount

Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Delgado? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass

UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Delgado main card

Jean Silva vs Jose Delgado (Featherweight)

Brandon Moreno vs Joseph Morales (Flyweight)

Tommy McMillen vs Marwan Rahiki (Featherweight)

Manon Fiorot vs Alexa Grasso (Women's Flyweight)

Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs Curtis Blaydes (Heavyweight)

David Martinez vs Dan Ige (Bantamweight)

UFC Fight Night: Silva vs Delgado prelims

Tim Elliott vs Edgar Chairez (Flyweight)

Ignacio Bahamondes vs Muslim Salikhov (Welterweight)

Yousri Belgaroui vs Djorden Santos (Middleweight)

Drakkar Klose vs Thomas Gantt (Lightweight)

Rafa Garcia vs Rong Zhu (Lightweight)

Sean King vs Jessie Rosas (Featherweight)

JJ Aldrich vs Regina Tarin (Women's Flyweight)

Brandon Moreno: How much does "The Assassin Baby" have left in the tank?

Former two time flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno (23-10-2) enters this matchup at a crossroads in his career. Having spent his career fighting the best of the best at 125 pounds, “The Assassin Baby” has dropped his last two fights to Tatsuro Taira and Lone’er Kavanagh, two of the most prominent up and coming stars in the flyweight division, prompting speculation that his time as an elite flyweight may be nearing its end. At his best, Moreno is a slick boxer with superb scrambles and submissions, but his recent performances indicate that he has lost a step at this point in proceedings.

Joseph Morales: Will "Bopo" make it three submissions in three wins since making his comeback?

TUF 33 flyweight winner, Joseph Morales (14-2) looks to have found a second wind in his second stint with the promotion. “Bopo” closed as a colossal underdog in the finale, only to beat the brakes off heavy favorite Alibi Idiris, scoring a second round submission victory. He followed that up with another submission over Matt Schnell, underlining his status as one of the division’s most dangerous grapplers. He hasn’t lost a fight since the end of his first UFC stint back in 2018 and rides a five fight win streak into his first co-main event spot (seven if you include his exhibition victories on TUF).

Brandon Moreno vs Joseph Morales prediction

Unlike the oddsmakers, I’m not ready to write off Moreno just yet. He’s lost two in a row, but those defeats came against two of the finest prospects in the 125 pound shark tank.

Morales has looked superb since making his return to the promotion, but submissions over the one-dimensional Alibi Idiris and the remains of Matt Schnell aren’t enough to convince me that he has what it takes to blitz through the former champion. I don’t think he has the physicality of a Tatsuro Taira to bully Moreno on the ground, or the striking finesse of a Lone’er Kavanagh to win a battle on the feet.

“Bopo’s” best chance to finish this fight looks to be on the ground, and Moreno is still one the finest grapplers in the 125 pound division. Outside of Tatsuro Taira and Alexandre Pantoja, no one has had consistent success in the grappling department against him.

It’s not a certainty be any means; “The Assassin Baby” has clearly regressed in recent years and this one could well prove to be the matchup where the wheels fall off completely to mark a changing of the guard moment at flyweight. However, I think that he’s going to stick and move to win a kickboxing battle and earn the decision victory here.

Prediction: Brandon Moreno to win by decision