Brandon Moreno is the pioneer of Mexico’s winning legacy in the UFC. His rise in stature and stardom has catapulted him into one of the top international figures in the Dana White-led promotion. The brilliance of his story began on June 12, 2021, when he defeated Brazilian Deiveson Figueiredo for the flyweight crown.

After obtaining gold, at UFC 263, Brandon Moreno became the first UFC champion born in Mexico, which opened the way for Alexa Grasso and Yair Rodriguez to dream of glory. And now, ‘The Assassin Baby’ is all geared up to face Amir Albazi at UFC Fight Night this weekend. But have you ever wondered why Moreno is called ‘The Assassin Baby’? Well, we have the answer!

Why is Brandon Moreno called ‘The Assassin Baby’?

Brandon Moreno began training in a gym in his hometown as a child. At the age of 12, he devised his approach and found his footing in mixed martial arts. However, he went professional at the age of 17, and that is when he got his nickname. In an interview with MMA reporter Nina-Marie Daniele in 2023, the Mexican revealed the comical tale behind his moniker.

Moreno admitted that despite being 17, he still had a very boyish face and physique that made him look a lot like a child. As a result, the nickname ‘baby assassin’ was born. However, the earlier version of the nickname made him look more like a threat to babies than to other fighters. So he decided to change it to ‘The Assassin Baby’ to avoid any mixup involving little infants. Nevertheless, that’s not the only captivating piece of trivia from the Mexican star’s childhood.

More unknown facts about Brandon Moreno

While many are aware of several stories about Brandon Moreno’s professional life, do you know that he worked making piñatas in his childhood to help his family? Well, yes, that is actually true. Moreno mentioned in an interview with ESPN that, during his adolescence, he paused his studies to help his father make piñatas. It was 2011, and he was just beginning to generate his income not only for academic subjects but also for attending a local gym and preparing for what would later be his light: mixed martial arts. Nevertheless, a part of his childhood still lives in him since the Mexican is a huge fan of Pokemon. The two-time UFC flyweight champion even has a truly impressive collection of Pokemon cards.

Another amazing fact about Moreno is that he has never suffered a TKO or submission loss. With an impressive MMA record of 21-8-2, ‘The Assassin Baby’ is one of the select few who can claim that despite over five losses, they have never been submitted or gotten knocked down. Instead, the judges’ scorecards have led to him losing those fights.

Nevertheless, his fan-favorite status came under serious scrutiny when he almost got involved in a doping issue. A few years ago, Moreno tested positive for clenbuterol from an in-competition urine sample. While many thought that this would diminish the UFC star’s legacy, the USADA soon came out with the clarification that Moreno tested positive for the drug due to consumption of meat that contained the same. Well, UFC fans would be glad that Brandon Moreno survived the scandal, and now they cannot wait to see him go one-on-one against Amir Albazi.