‘The Assassin Baby' Challenges 26-Year-Old’s Success
Brandon Moreno embraces Mexico City under the nickname ‘The Assassin Baby’. His opponent, 26-year-old Lone'er Kavanagh, will be there to greet him. Moreno would like to further his record of 23-9-2 by getting a win against his older opponent, who has a record of 9-1-0. The surprising part is that Kavanagh, being from Britain, is traveling to Mexico City to usurp a more experienced fighter. The reason could be rooted in this straight nine-win streak, with three being in the UFC. However, he was defeated in his last fight by a deafening KO/TKO punch by Charles Johnson. Brandon may give him another one, but it is unlikely, as he has seen more submissions than knockouts. This career trajectory makes him similar to Anthony Hernandez, who faced Sean Strickland at UFC Fight Night and suffered a loss.
The difference between Moreno and Hernandez is that he has a longer fight time than ‘Fluffy’, with more stamina. Furthermore, he has definitive reach over Kavanaugh, making it difficult for Moreno to escape his reach. He will capitalize on this with a penchant for defense against any strikes coming from the 26-year-old. By going through all rounds of the fight, he could land another unanimous decision win. The biggest draw that Kavanaugh will have to enter the space of Moreno will be to land punches, but in total, he should fall short. This is because he absorbs fewer punches than the 26-year-old on average.
Kavanaugh will take other advantages during his time with ‘The Assassin Baby’ in areas like landing more strikes per minute. However, his record is significantly less developed than Moreno’s, which means the skill is not as well developed. He could look for the takedowns that ‘The Assassin Baby’ will go for because his takedown defense is well developed. Usually, this is where more novice fighters can find an opening against more experienced fighters. The takedown or grapple minimizes reach and even allows faster fighters increased time to throw more strikes from a dominant position. The 26-year-old could even be the one who secures the first takedown.
Regardless, whether it is reach or grappling that makes the win for this Men’s Flyweight Division, Moreno is crowd-favored to win the fight by decision. If ‘The Assassin Baby’ wins, he will recover from his previous loss and regain favor for another upward move in the rankings. Undoubtedly, he wants this because he has had at least two title shots in the last three years. One of which he even won. This morale boost is shared with Kavanaugh differently, as he wants to move to the top ten in his division. To achieve this, he needs to counter Moreno physically by anticipating any takedown attempt Moreno makes.
‘The Assassin Baby’ should be the winner not only due to his unified vote to win by decision, but also due to his experience in gauging the distance from his opponents. He can outlast Kavanaugh in this fight and play it safe by keeping the space far between them and the opportunity low for receiving any strikes. Any significant strikes landed would be reduced in that sense, especially to the face, which is where the 26-year-old likes to throw most of his strikes. The way to win will ultimately be to outlast each other, with Moreno being well-equipped to do so. The ultimate unanimous decision to decide who lasts and takes the prize will be decided by the end of UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Kavanaugh, starting at 8:00 p.m. EST!
