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Alexandre Pantoja has the UFC flyweight championship around his waist and appears to have Brandon Moreno's number as well. Pantoja and Moreno pushed each other to the limits at UFC 290 on Saturday with Pantoja claiming the title. Moreno recently won a historic four-fight series with Deiveson Figueiredo but finds himself 0-3 against Pantoja in professional and exhibition fights.

"I thought he was done in Round 1, but he came back and made it a tough fight for me," Pantoja said in his post-fight interview in Las Vegas. "He deserves love from Mexico and he earned my respect."

Moreno and Pantoja was an exercise in the warrior spirit. The champion and challenger displayed indomitable spirits in a back-and-forth contest that took all five rounds to decide. Pantoja dropped Moreno with a vicious left hook in Round 1. It was arguably the fight's most decisive round. Moreno snapped Pantoja's head back with crisp boxing combinations throughout and Pantoja executed some pivotal takedowns that secured him swing rounds. The split decision scorecard points to the many momentum swings. Two judges scored Round 1, 3 and 5 for Pantoja while giving Round 2 and 4 for Moreno.

"Hey guys, if you know my story, you're going to love me. I worked so hard for that," Pantoja said. "I can touch it now. I can feel it ... Now dad, are you proud of me?"

Pantoja entered UFC 290 with a mental edge having defeated Moreno twice before. Their first encounter was an exhibition fight on season 24 of "The Ultimate Fighter" which Pantoja won via submission. The pair met two years later with Pantoja picking up a decision win that preceded Moreno's UFC release. Moreno eventually returned to the promotion and captured the UFC flyweight title.

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