This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Edmonton, we saw a pivotal matchup in the flyweight division. Former champion Brandon Moreno (22-8-2) was taking on top contender Amir Albazi (17-2) who was making his return to the octagon.
Amir Albazi made his octagon debut back in 2020 on Fight Island. He started his career inside the octagon winning his first five fights. In June 2023, he edged out Kai Kara-France by split decision and many thought a title shot could be next for him. However, multiple heath issues kept him out of the octagon for over a year.
In fact, he thought he might not fight again. However, after getting healthy, Albazi signed the contract to return at UFC Edmonton against the former champion Brandon Moreno. One thing I was concerned about for Albazi was whether he’d look a little rusty. Unfortunately for him, that’s what played out on Saturday night.
From the opening bell, Albazi just seemed really tentative. He let Moreno lead the dance and he was really having a hard time pulling the trigger. Now, credit needs to be given to Moreno with how good he was on Saturday night. That said, combine Moreno’s excellent performance along with Albazi’s tentativeness and you have the perfect mixture for lopsided fight. That’s what happened and after five rounds, it was a clear decision for Brandon Moreno.
What’s next after UFC Edmonton?
This was a tough fight for Albazi to come back to. Having a lot of time away just to come back and face one of the very best flyweights in the world. He needed to be on his A-Game to get the win on Saturday night and he wasn’t even close to that form. That said, now he’s got his UFC return under his belt and hopefully he can get back to form.
So, what should be next? Albazi didn’t drop in this week’s rankings update. Currently, he’s ranked third in the flyweight division. If you ask me, there’s a perfect fight for him just two spots back. I think the UFC will look at booking Albazi against Tatsuro Taira.
Taira is coming off his first loss in a close decision loss to top contender Brandon Royval. Both men just lost for the first time in the octagon and both are still ranked in the top five. To me, it’s the perfect fight to re-establish one of them in that title picture.