Change-up! Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval rematch to headline UFC Mexico with Amir Albazi injured

The “Battle of the Brandons,” part two, is officially on.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced today (Thurs., Jan. 11, 2024) after an ESPN Deportes interview with Brandon Moreno (21-7-2) that a new Flyweight main event is headed to UFC Mexico in Mexico City next month (Sat., Feb. 24, 2024).

What was originally set to be Moreno versus fellow top-ranked contender, Amir Albazi, will now be a rematch between Moreno and the division’s most recent title challenger, Brandon Royval (15-7).

Update: Albazi revealed on Twitter that a lingering neck injury led to his withdrawal.

“I don’t know what happened with Amir Albazi, but he’s out of the fight,” Moreno told Legaspi. “So, now I’m gonna fight against Brandon Royval. He fought for the belt in December. I’m just ready. It’s just about the next opponent.

“I just want the opportunity to fight for the title again and if UFC says I have to fight one more time before that, I will,” he concluded.

The first fight between the pair of Flyweights took place at UFC 255 in Nov. 2020, resulting in a Moreno first round technical knockout (injury) that ultimately ascended him to championship status the year after. Since then, each has won three fights with two losses and will both look to rebound off title fight shortcomings to the current champion, Alexandre Pantoja.

“It was a fast, quick fight,” Moreno said of the first Royval fight. “Royval had this problem in the shoulder, but I really believe I was winning the fight so ... He was saying a lot of different things on social media about our fight in 2020, but at the end, we are going to fight again. In front of my people, and I’m excited for that.”

Checkout UFC Mexico’s current lineup below:

• 125 lbs.: Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval
• 145 lbs.: Yair Rodríguez vs. Brian Ortega
• 155 lbs.: Manuel Torres vs. Chris Duncan
• 125 lbs.: Jesús Santos Aguilar vs. Mateus Mendonça
• 115 lbs.: Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes
• 125 lbs.: Edgar Chairez vs. Daniel Lacerda
• 125 lbs.: Victor Altamirano vs. Felipe dos Santos
• 135 lbs.: Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Ricky Turcios
• 125 lbs.: Luis Rodriguez vs. Denys Bondar
• 155 lbs.: Daniel Zellhuber vs. Francisco Prado
• 135lbs.: Raoni Barcelos vs. Cristian Quinonez
• 145 lbs.: Muhammad Naimov vs. Erik Silva
• 155 lbs.: Fares Ziam vs. Claudio Puelles

For the latest UFC Mexico City fight card and rumors click here.