On Saturday, the No. 5-ranked Moreno has his next chance to live up to that claim when he meets No. 6-ranked Kai Kara-France in a UFC 245 bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The two know each other, having competed on season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter, but the real storyline is the fight, which does promise fireworks.
“He’s a fighter who was with me in the house of TUF 24,” said Moreno of Kara-France. “He’s an excellent person, personally speaking, and professionally I can say that he has a lot of power in his hands and very good takedown defense. It will be very interesting as the fight develops.”
It’s also an interesting atmosphere for the 26-year-old, whose seventh UFC fight will be his first on a UFC numbered event. That’s always cause for more people, more media and more hype, and Moreno is looking forward to more “more.”
“I love it,” he said. “It’s the perfect opportunity to shine. I’m in a position where I’m not the center of attention on such a large platform, but the eyes will also be on me, so all that remains is to do the work that night.”
Win, lose or draw this weekend, Moreno has already showed that he’s back, and he’s looking forward to everything ahead of him as 2019 comes to a close.
“I really believe that the public is what helped me to pass that bitter drink faster,” he said of his first fight back against Askarov. “A lot of fans reached out and said very nice things, so I’m very grateful for the public. I wish I could’ve reintroduced myself with a victory, which would’ve been perfect, but it was still a very positive experience. (As for 2019) Compared to my 2018, this has been an excellent year, of course, but I’m very confident about what is coming. 2020 will have no comparison.”