Brandon Moreno set as official backup for Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval at UFC 296

07/12/2023 00:00

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Former UFC flyweight champ Brandon Moreno will be on standby in case anything goes wrong with Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval at UFC 296.

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion's plans confirmed Moreno's status as backup after an initial report from Eurosport Nederland.

UFC 296 takes place Dec. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight title fight between champ Leon Edwards and ex-interim champ Colby Covington.

If Moreno gets the call, he will get a chance to win back the belt he lost to Pantoja after an action-packed fight at UFC 290. The setback denied Moreno the chance to defend the belt after unifying it in a fourth fight with Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 283, which he won via TKO to up his record against the Brazilian ex-champ to 2-1-1.

Moreno has been on the sidelines since his loss to Pantoja, who attempts his first title defense after capping a four-fight winning streak by taking the flyweight title.