UFC boss apologises for ‘disrespectful’ move after Moreno fight

UFC boss Dana White has offered a post-fight apology to a fighter after a spur of the moment move left a sour taste in his mouth.

Brandon Moreno did not want to engage in trash talk.

Brandon Moreno is a UFC champion again and looks set to face defending unified champion and longtime rival Deiveson Figueiredo for the flyweight title.

But when Figueiredo entered the octagon after Moreno’s TKO win over Kai Kara-France, the new interim champion took a moment to think about what he said next.

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He wanted to make a statement, to “take the mic” and tell his intense rival: “Let’s go motherf***er”, as Moreno put it when speaking to media at the post-fight press conference.

“But everything I said was real. My daughter Madison is eight years old and now she understands everything,” he added.

“I knew I had the opportunity to be a better example for her. I don’t want it for her, her dad doing stupid things on television.”

WE'VE GOT A FIGHT. 🏆

For the first time, the quadrilogy will go down between Figueiredo & Moreno for all the gold! #UFC277pic.twitter.com/q78p9uJY9f

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 31, 2022

He wanted to make a statement, to “take the mic” and tell his intense rival: “Let’s go motherf***er”, as Moreno put it when speaking to media at the post-fight press conference.

“But everything I said was real. My daughter Madison is eight years old and now she understands everything,” he added.

“I knew I had the opportunity to be a better example for her. I don’t want it for her, her dad doing stupid things on television.”

So, instead of engaging in a war of words, the two instead put their history behind them with a classy exchange.

“This guy right here, tonight is his night and he is the champion,” Figueiredo said, through a translator.

“I have a lot of respect for him ... I want to take this fight home to Brazil.”

“I don’t hate you,” Moreno later replied.

“I don’t feel nothing against you. I forgive you. Please forgive me if I did something bad against you. I want to fight in December.”

UFC boss Dana White confirmed he is hoping the sport will return to Brazil next year, adding: “We’ll see what this crazy world has to throw at us in the next six months.”

White wasn’t happy with himself. (Photo by Logan Riely / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

But White himself was actually apologetic for deciding to get Figueiredo to enter the octagon post-fight, admitting on reflection that it was a “pretty disrespectful” move.

“You know what, it was kind of an in-the-moment thing,” White told reporters.

“Then when I hear him get up there I was like: ‘Well that was f***ing rude’. This kid is having his moment and he’s got Figueiredo standing in his face.

“It happened, it wasn’t horrible and we meant no disrespect to Moreno but it came off pretty disrespectful.”

While White is typically not a fan of running a fight back any more than three times, he made it clear he is very happy to see Moreno and Figueiredo face off in what would be their fourth meeting.

“It is one of those unique, freaky deals where who doesn’t want to see that fight again,” he said.

“I’m the worst with that stuff. I hate that s***. If you’ve got a guy up 2-1 you don’t ever need to see that fight again but this is one of those weird ones where you can.”

Originally published as UFC boss apologises for ‘disrespectful’ move after Moreno fight