Brandon Moreno may have earned a title shot after his emphatic UFC Mexico City performance last Saturday. However, it seems that has not helped him at all when it comes to the official rankings. Moreno, of course, thoroughly outclassed Steve Erceg in their main event clash to win the fight 49-46 on all three judges’ scorecards. To be fair to ‘Astro Boy’, the scorecards perhaps do a disservice to Erceg’s performance. After all, the Aussie did manage to outstrike the Mexican over the three rounds, but Moreno landed more devastating and damage-inducing shots, and won a well-deserved decision.

However, this win hasn’t moved him up in the rankings. The former 2-time champ who seemingly is always one win away from a title shot is still ranked # 2 in the 125-pound division. On the other hand, Erceg has slipped one rank, going from #8 to #9 after the loss, as veteran MMA journalist John Morgan pointed out in an X post.

“In the only rankings update following #UFCMexico, Brandon Moreno (@theassassinbaby) maintains his No. 2 slot, just behind Brandon Royval at No. 1, while Steve Erceg slips one spot to No. 9.

With Erceg moving down one position, Asu Almabayev rises up one spot to No. 8.” Morgan wrote.

So why did Moreno see no change in his rankings despite the Mexico City victory and remain behind champ Alexandre Pantoja and #1 Brandon Royval? Well, because he defeated Erceg who was #8 in the division coming into their clash. Moreover, the Aussie was on a two-fight skid before the clash.

In Erceg’s defense, these two losses have been a decision loss to Pantoja, the reigning champ, in a close fight last year at UFC 301 and a shock early knockout by the ever-dangerous Kai Kara France in March at UFC 305. But in good news for Moreno, the stars are aligning for him so perfectly that he looks set to fight for the title on one of the promotion’s flagship cards.

Brandon Moreno wants to fight on this year’s UFC 320 Noche card

A Noche card to celebrate the Mexican Independence Day in September is an annual thing the UFC does now. Last year, the Noche card happened at the iconic ‘Sphere’ in Las Vegas, which was unlike any other combat sports (or indeed sports overall) event in history. This year, the UFC is doing something even better from the Mexican fans’ point of view.

This year, the Noche card (UFC 320) will be held in the Mexican city of Guadalajara on September 13. And who better to headline that card than Mexico’s own, Brandon Moreno, possibly in a title clash against Alexandre Pantoja? Of course, Moreno fighting for the title has been something of a theme in the flyweight division over the past few years, but surprisingly, the ‘Assassin Baby’ hasn’t featured on a UFC Noche card yet. And the Mexican juggernaut certainly made a case for it after beating Erceg.

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“Where’s [UFC matchmaker] Hunter [Campbell]? Who really knows what I really deserve? I don’t know what I deserve, but man, I really believe I can move the needle. Let’s go for the pay-per-view in Guadalajara. Let’s f—ing go, man, and let’s f—ing do it!” Moreno thundered in his post-fight Octagon interview.

Whether or not the UFC comes through for him and the Mexican fans, however, remains to be seen. What do you think about Brandon Moreno’s ranking remaining unchanged after UFC Mexico City?