Brandon Moreno opens up on struggles that led to layoff: “Maybe I’m a p***y”

Brandon Moreno has opened up on his mental struggles that led to his eight-month layoff.

After Moreno lost to Brandon Royval at UFC Mexico City in February he revealed he would be taking some time off. The Mexican ended up taking eight months off as he will return at UFC Edmonton against Amir Albazi in an intriguing flyweight bout.

But, before he steps into the Octagon, Brandon Moreno spoke at media day and opened up about his decision to take time off and his mental state.

“I am the first Mexican world champion. The guy from a huge country with a lot of support on a person,” Moreno said at media day. “That person is me. It’s not just the training camp. It’s not just the fight. Now it’s about the media, about the responsibilities, the travels, the media tours. I don’t know. Maybe I’m a p***y, maybe I’m a weak person.

“Maybe other fighters can say, ‘Hey, that’s nothing. Shut the f**k up and keep going.’ Maybe that’s true, but talking about myself. That’s something huge. I’ve been on the grind like two, three years in a row,” Moreno added. “Fighting in an amazing spot, being around the world, doing a lot of work, a lot of media days. I’m a human being, man. And at some point, it exploded my mind. And that’s why I decided to take a break.”

After taking some much-needed time off, Brandon Moreno feels refreshed heading into his main event fight against Amir Albazi.

Brandon Moreno looking to prove hard work paid off at UFC Edmonton

Brandon Moreno has lost back-to-back fights by split decision, including to Alexandre Pantoja to lose his flyweight belt.

Given that Moreno is on a losing streak, the Mexican says he plans on proving all the hard work has paid off and beating Albazi to cement him as a title contender.

“I feel very frustrated because even when I lost my last two fights, I feel in my prime,” Moreno said. “I feel very strong, I feel stronger, I feel with better technique, I feel with more knowledge about the fight game. Just the result isn’t what I’ve been having in my last couple of fights. Now my goal is to show that to the world. To show all my hard work at the gym, and that’s it.”

Moreno is currently ranked second at flyweight.