Among the roster of champions that graced the eight walls of the UFC’s Octagon, none have had a more storied rise than ‘The Assassin Baby”, Brandon Moreno. From being picked as the last seed on The Ultimate Fighter 24 and being eliminated in the first round that season, to becoming a two-time flyweight champion in the UFC, Moreno has weathered storm after storm.
So where is this scrappy flyweight from? Is fighting in his culture? Well, ahead of his highly anticipated return to the Octagon against Steve Erceg this weekend at UFC on ESPN 64 in Mexico City, Mexico, let’s take a look at the culture, ethnicity, and background of the one they call ‘The Assassin Baby’.
Where was Brandon Moreno raised? Ethnicity and nationality
The former flyweight champion was born in December 1993 in Tijuana, Mexico. He was born to a middle-class family and experienced a humble childhood marked by hard-working parents. With his natural talent and passion for the sport, he started training in BJJ at a young age and his aptitude propelled him only further.
He started his MMA career as a professional in Mexico and pays homage to the country for every fight by walking out of the tunnel with a Mexican flag. After all, he started to learn martial arts owing to a Mexican norm. While recalling his MMA journey he stated, “Initially, I started with mixed martial arts. In Mexico, it’s normal to start a career in boxing first.”
Meanwhile, even the Mexicans love him as they come out in big numbers to watch their compatriots fight in person. This only further fueled his plan to fight in Mexico, and seemingly it’s finally happening. According to MMA Junkie, last year, Moreno said, “I’m asking them to please go to Mexico. All that’s left to do is to wait for the UFC to get on board with the idea. I do believe they have all the tools, they have it all to go to Mexico.”
However, it bears mentioning that being a Mexican has also brought him a certain level of pressure. And how does he deal with immense pressure? Does he follow a religion? Let’s find out.
Which religion does Brandon Moreno follow?
‘The Assassin Baby’ hasn’t really revealed anything regarding his religious beliefs. However, prior to his battle against Amir Albazi at UFC Edmonton, he displayed his affinity towards the Aztec Gods. His trunks for the event were colored red with an image of Quetzalcoatl intertwined in the design. Happy with the first looks of the trunks in a video, Moreno said, “Let’s go! Gentlemen, for those who don’t know, Quetzalcoatl is the Aztec god of light, of wisdom, fertility too. [Laughs]. I have three daughters. We know what that means…”
Now, let’s shift our focus to ‘The Assassin Baby’s family. After all, it’s often the parents who help mold the fighters into the legends that they later become.
All about Brandon Moreno’s parents
The former two-time UFC champion was born to Alfredo Moreno and Cecilia Carrillo. As we’ve mentioned earlier, life was mellow for Brandon because his family had enough to afford his martial arts training, which he started when he was 12 years old. However, ‘The Assassin Baby’s mother was initially apprehensive about fighting, believing that it was just a waste of time, a way to deviate Moreno’s mind from what his mother thought was important – Education.
“At first, I thought [MMA] was a distraction for him, a hobby. I always wanted him to study, to go to college. It was very important for me that he do it so he could have a good life,” Brandon Moreno’s mother told ESPN. Well, she was just looking out for her son, but when she witnessed the hours he put in for training and the blood and sweat he poured in, her mentality eventually changed. Also, Moreno promised his mother that whatever he does in life, he seeks to be the best, and looking at how his UFC career has panned out, it’s certain that he achieved that goal in more ways than one.
With his fight against Steve Erceg right around the corner, who do you think will be taking the victory home this weekend? Both of them have a loss against Alexandre Pantoja, and we can certainly expect the event to be completely packed with action. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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