This last weekend at UFC 323, the top of the heap of the men’s flyweight division saw a drastic change in power. On the main card, former two-time champion Brandon Moreno lost in stunning fashion to surging contender Tatsuro Taira, falling to him by knockout. The win not only bolstered the Japanese’s claim to being the next man in line for the belt, it also made him the first fighter ever to stop “The Assassin Baby” as a professional, either by strikes or tapout.
In the next match after that, dominant 125-lb kingpin Alexandre Pantoja was expected to quell the rise of young challenger Joshua Van.