Henry Cejudo can’t help but be proud of his former training partner.
Brandon Moreno became the first fighter born in Mexico to win a UFC title when he submitted Deiveson Figueiredo in the third round at UFC 263 on Saturday.
Cejudo, a former flyweight and bantamweight champion born in America of Mexican descent, greeted Moreno backstage and congratulated him for his historic victory.
“It’s crazy to say that we use to be main training partners for each other back in the day. I’ve always known this man was special and I’m not surprise he has the belt a round his waist. Congratulations @theassassinbaby for becoming Mexico’s first UFC Champion. Ps you know what my favorite color is Brenda keep your hands up 😉🏆🏆🏆 #cejudoquesi”
Moreno’s journey to gold has been an incredible one. On Season 24 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Moreno was seeded dead last and wound up on Joseph Benavidez’s team after Cejudo selected Alexandre Pantoja as his No. 1 pick. Without either coach knowing the fighters’ seedings prior, Cejudo was visibly upset at the coincidence of having to coach against his former training partner and refused to help Pantoja game plan in the lead-up to the fight out of respect for his friend.
Although Moreno was eliminated by Pantoja in the first round, he put up a valiant effort that would go on to perfectly depict his never-quit attitude. The 27-year-old went 3-2 in his first UFC stint, but was released by the promotion. When he got the call back, Moreno went unbeaten in six fights en route to dethroning Figueiredo in his second try after battling to a majority draw in their first outing at UFC 256.
