After battling Figueiredo to a majority draw in the UFC 256 headliner, Moreno became the first Mexican-born champion in promotion history when he submitted the Brazilian in the third round at UFC 263 on June 12. Moreno left no doubt the second time around, which is why he thinks Figueiredo has more work to do the second time around.
Speaking at a media luncheon on Tuesday, Moreno discussed what might be next for his first flyweight title defense.
"The next name? I don't know," Moreno said (via ESPN). "There are a lot of possibilities. I think it's obvious Figueiredo wants the next one, because he lost the last one. But man, last fight I dominated him since the first minutes of the first round. I dominated him -- in the striking, in grappling, in wrestling. Obviously, I'm open to fight again with him. But I think he needs to fight again with somebody [else].”
Figueiredo and his management have been vocal about pushing for an immediate trilogy with Moreno. Whether that’s in the promotion’s plans remains to be seen. “The Assassin Baby” did express interest in a potential showdown with former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, who has lost four of his last five Octagon appearances.
"Cody Garbrandt wants to come to the division," Moreno said. "It's a huge fight, because I know he's not in the best part of his career, but he's a good name. He's a former champ. He has a really good brand behind him. He's an option.”