Brandon Moreno is a scrappy Mexican fighter with incredible jiu jitsu skills, and a seamless ability to blend striking and grappling to be a complete fighter. His path to success in the UFC was not straightforward; after participating in the reality show ‘The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions’ and facing some ups and downs in his career, Moreno demonstrated his resilience and ability to become a two-time flyweight champion. But a major part of his success has also been played by his teammates and coaching staff.
So where does Moreno train, and who are his coaches? Yes, coaches… Because Moreno’s team has seen multiple entities training the former champion. But let’s begin our journey by getting to know Sayif Saud.
Meet Sayif Saud, Brandon Moreno’s coach
After becoming the first Mexican flyweight champion, Moreno made a switch from Entram Gym in Tijuana to James Krause’s team. But just a year after training under Krause, Moreno decided to split and cut all communication with his coach with his fourth title fight against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 283 being just a month away. But why did he make the sudden switch? Well, the reason was the UFC and the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) putting a ban on fighters who were being trained by the Glory MMA & Fitness coach. A truly stunning move that came after investigations began on James Krause for possible insider betting.
The sudden split truly left a sour taste in the mouth for Brandon Moreno. His manager Jason House even considered pulling ‘The Assassin Baby’ out of the fight against Deiveson Figueiredo. However, things improved when Fortis MMA’s Sayif Saud joined in as the replacement head coach. And while many believed that because of the late switch, Moreno would face trouble inside the Octagon, that proved to be far from the truth. Instead, Moreno won his bout against Figueiredo via TKO in round 5 of the match.
Weighing in on the incident, Saud said, “I never wanted to hop on someone else’s work, that’s not my style. But this wasn’t Brandon’s fault. I saw him trying to find his way as a young man in all of this. He’s someone that needed help, and I was in a position to help him.” It seemed like Saud understood Moreno like no other coach. Talking to Ariel Helwani, Saud said, “Moreno is always fighting against the best, but he was tired after so many fights. It was so good for him to take a break, he’s so much happier now.”
Sayif Saud was a 2-time state champion in Judo and 4-time national champion in karate, during the 1990s. Had MMA taken a boost by then, we definitely would have witnessed his skills in the cage. However, an ACL tear forced him out of the race when he was 28. Now, he manages Fortis MMA in Dallas, with 23 well-known fighters training under him. Let’s take a look at who Moreno’s teammates are.
Where does Brandon Moreno train? Gym and teammates
Just like his long-time training partners Marcelo Rojo and Masio Fullen, Moreno decided to join a different MMA gym than Saud’s. So Moreno is now a part of Cobrinha BJJ Academy in Las Vegas where the head coach is Professor Hector Vasquez, who won 5 World Championship titles, 4 Pan American titles, and the 5X & 2017 American Nationals Champion. Apart from coach Vasquez, Brandon Moreno also trains under Jorge Capetillo, who serves as his professional boxing trainer at the Capetillo boxing gym. At Capetillo, he is often joined by Jose ‘Shorty’ Torres as his boxing partner.
So from the looks of it, it looks like he is getting the best experience for his upcoming UFC Fight Night bout against Steve Erceg. ‘The Assassin Baby’ desperately needs a win over Erceg to bounce back into the title picture. And who knows, maybe we’ll get to see another war between Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja soon enough, which might lead to Moreno’s reign once again.
But what do you think? Will Brandon Moreno be able to win the fight on 29 March 2025? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
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