Brandon Moreno says he'll be UFC champ (though he's not yet sure how to beat the current one)

NASHVILLE – Brandon Moreno continued to make his mark in the UFC flyweight division when he earned arguably the most impressive victory over his career.

It came against Dustin Ortiz at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 108 event and aired as part of the FS2-televised preliminary card prior to the FS1 main card.

Less than seven months after making his promotional debut, Moreno (14-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) picked up his third consecutive UFC victory (and 11th straight win overall) with a second-round submission victory Ortiz (16-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

At just 23, Moreno looks to be the future of the 125-pound division. He said he’ll eventually hold the title currently held by long-reigning champion and pound-for-pound king Demetrious Johnson (26-2-1 MMA, 14-1-1 UFC).

“I am 23 years old; I have so much time to be better,” Moreno told MMAjunkie after his win. “But my last goal is to be a champion. Demetrious Johnson is a (expletive) monster. I need to be the champion in the future. It’s true. Maybe not today, maybe not even in the next year, but I will be champion.”

Moreno made a splash at UFC Fight Night 96 when, after a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 24,” he made his promotional debut on short notice with a stunning submission upset of Louis Smolka. He made a quick turnaround with a split-decision win over Ryan Benoit at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale in December, setting put the showdown with Ortiz.

The performance was almost flawless. After a competitive first round, Moreno dropped Ortiz with a huge head kick in the second frame to set up a grappling sequence that led to the fight-ending rear-naked choke. Despite the slick nature of the finish, Moreno said he knows his skill set is far from complete.

“I need to work more of my cage distance because other guys are really strong with more striking, more jiu-jitsu,” Moreno said. “I need to be ready for them in my next challenge.”

Moreno said his talent will eventually reach the point he’s ready to fight Johnson. However, when he looks at the dominance of the only flyweight champ in UFC history, he realizes that time isn’t now.

“Right now? I don’t know (how to beat him),” Moreno said. “I need to talk with my coaches. But I promise one day.”

Although his next opponent likely won’t be Johnson, “The Assassin Baby” did have one name in mind – fellow contender Ray Borg (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) – but Moreno said he has one issue with that potential matchup.

“It’s really important to say names here in the company; it’s important,” Moreno said. “The big guys, the bosses, love that. But I don’t know. I wanted to fight with Ray Borg, but sometimes he doesn’t make the weight, and I don’t like that.”

As far as his immediate plans, though, Moreno said relaxation and family time are in his future.

“Next for me is, next Saturday I’ll go to Disneyland with my daughter and my wife,” Moreno said. “(And I’ll) rest, because it’s really important. Rest is really important. But after my rest, continue with my training. … The UFC (said) they’ll go to Mexico in August maybe.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 108, check out the UFC Events section of the site.