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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff Writer
Brandon Moreno has a new opponent in his return to his home country.
The former two-time UFC flyweight champion will fight Brandon Royval in the main event of UFC Mexico City on Feb. 24, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday. Amir Albazi, Moreno original opponent, had to withdraw because of an undisclosed injury that needs surgery, according to his manager Ali Abdelaziz.
Moreno vs. Royval is a rematch. Moreno defeated Royval in November 2020 at UFC 255 via first-round TKO.
Moreno first mentioned the change in an interview with C. Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes.
ESPN has Moreno ranked No. 2 and Royval ranked No. 7 in the world at flyweight.
Moreno (21-7-2) dropped the flyweight title to Alexandre Pantoja last July at UFC 290. The Tijuana native was unbeaten in eight of his nine fights prior to that. Moreno, 30, became the first Mexican-born champion in UFC history when he beat Deiveson Figueiredo in June 2021 at UFC 263.
Royval (15-7) is coming off a loss in a title fight to Pantoja at UFC 296 on Dec. 16. The Colorado native was on a three-fight winning streak before the defeat. Royval, 31, is the former LFA flyweight champion.