The MMA world is no stranger to dream matchups that never materialize or rivalries that end unresolved. The Brandon Moreno vs Deiveson Figueiredo fight had the potential to go both these wrong directions but in the end, managed to pick up a clear winner even if it took 4 encounters.
Now Moreno’s Coach Sayif Saud reveals shocking details about the Mexican’s injury leading up to the fight.
Speaking to the MMA Hour hosted by Ariel Helwani, Coach Saud said, “Brandon had a lot of adversity in this camp. Brandon hurt his knee really badly and we kept that a secret. Nobody knew about it, and not only did he have all of those other things to deal with, but physically [as well].”
“He got really sick last month. He got that flu [that was going around] and for two weeks, he was so sick. He would do rounds, hack s*** up, blow his nose, and, ‘Yes sir, yes sir,’ but he was struggling,” he continued, “It was serious. It popped, but this guy would fight with one leg. There was never a time in Brandon’s mind that he wasn’t fighting. That’s the spirit of a champion.”
How Brandon Moreno vs Deiveson Figueiredo 4 could’ve gone terribly wrong!
Even if we leave Moreno’s injuries leading up to the fight aside, ‘The Assassin Baby’ suffered through a lot. First, his head coach James Krause got suspended by the UFC for suspicious betting activity. Later it was revealed around one month before Moreno’s championship fight that, no fighter trained by Krause would be allowed to compete unless they found a new coach.
On the other hand, fighting with the flu or hiding a physical injury wouldn’t probably be a good idea either. T.J. Dillashaw fought his last fight against Aljamain Sterling with a shoulder injury and promptly lost. Bryce Mitchell on the other hand did poorly against Ilia Topuria and blamed the flu for his performance.
Who do you want to see Moreno fight next?
