UFC 223's Brandon Moreno focused on Ray Borg but hopes for Sergio Pettis rematch

Whether Brandon Moreno will be able to get back on the winning track when he returns to the octagon next month, we’ll have to wait and see. But “The Assassin Baby” has certainly been able to count on some high-level support leading up to it.

Moreno(14-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) meets Ray Borg(11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) in an FS1-televised preliminary-card bout at UFC 223 on April 7 looking to bounce back from a unanimous-decision loss to Sergio Pettis (16-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in August. The setback snapped not only a three-fight winning streak, but one built on wins over some respectable names in Louis Smolka, Ryan Benoit and Dustin Ortiz.

As he talked to MMAjunkie Radio about his upcoming match, Moreno sat in a hot tub at the “amazing” UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Awaiting the arrival of his coaches from Tijuana, he’d been training at Xtreme Couture and getting insight from ex-title-challenger and perennial flyweight contender Joseph Benavidez, who’s remained a mentor for Moreno even after he was done with “The Ultimate Fighter 24” coaching duties.

“(Benavidez) has helped me a lot with my gameplan,” Moreno said. “For example, just today I just sparred with him, and he tried to mimic the moves from Ray Borg.”

Before heading to Vegas, Moreno was able to count on yet another UFC veteran in a few training sessions: none other than 135-pound champ T.J. Dillashaw. And while sharing the mat with big names is not new for Moreno, he admitted the champ meant some extra work.

“It’s hard,” Moreno said with a laugh. “I’ve trained before with a lot of UFC guys – with really, really high-level athletes. But T.J. is another thing. His grappling is very good, his striking. His scrambles – I can’t win any scrambles with him. The experience is really hard, but it’s very good, too.”

Here’s a look (via Instagram):

Back to the Office í feel better and better every day ?? thanks @tjdillashaw @jarchmma and coach @darrylch awesome work today ?????? #TeamAssassinBaby ???? !!

A post shared by Brandon Moreno (@theassassinbaby) on Feb 20, 2018 at 6:36pm PST

It certainly doesn’t hurt to have such experienced veterans helping him out. But there’s another thing that might come in handy this time around: rest. Right after completing his “TUF 24” stint, Moreno remained quite active in the octagon, racking up his three big octagon wins in less than seven months.

That intense octagon activity, Moreno said, ended up playing a key part when he walked into the bout with Pettis, not even four months after a second-round submission win over Ortiz.

“My technique and the gameplan were good,” Moreno said. “But my body had a lot of injuries. My mind was tired. My body needed to take a little break.”

And now, seven months removed from the Pettis loss?

“Right now I feel really good,” Moreno said. “I feel like a new guy.”

Moreno and Borg were supposed to fight in February, but an injury suffered by Moreno prompted it to be pushed. It makes sense that the Mexican fighter, who’s currently No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA flyweight rankings, would want to be at his peak shape to go up against a former title challenger in No. 5 Borg.

“I know Sergio Pettis is really good, but I think Sergio is a (harder) fight,” Moreno said. “He’s very very explosive (with) really good wrestling, good scrambles, good positions, good transitions. I’m excited for the fight, because he loves the ground, I love the ground, but (we’re not scared) to exchange punches.”

Understandably, Moreno is now focusing on the task at hand. But he still hopes to cross paths in an old foe at some point.

“Every single fighter who loses to some guy, I think he wants to take the rematch,” Moreno said. “Just for personal experience. I think I’m still better than Sergio Pettis, but he won the fight. And it is what it is. It’s fine. In the future, I want the fight with him. But right now, I have a very important fight against Ray Borg.”

For more on the UFC 223, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Dan Tom. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.