Brandon Moreno def. Amir Albazi via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45).

Albazi needs to come out desperate. His corner lefts him know exactly that — there's no mincing words over there. Moreno shucks off an immediate takedown attempt and delivers back a flurry. Oh, looks like Albazi caught Moreno with a nasty eye-poke during that exchange. Moreno is good to go — and we're back. Moreno stays long with his strikes. Albazi just can't close the distance in a way that is meaningful. Moreno shucks off another takedown attempt then wobbles Albazi with a hard left hand! Oh, he's hurt bad! Moreno stalks forward and takes his time. Another left hook from Moreno. Albazi ties up and drives the ex-champ to the fence. He's bleeding everywhere now. Moreno is covered in Albazi's blood. Moreno continues to fire punches in bunches. Albazi dodges a high kick. Moreno mixes things up to the body. Moreno sprints forward and CRACKS Albazi with a standing elbow. Jeez. Moreno is landing at will now. Albazi's face is a bloody mess, full-blown crimson mask. Thirty seconds left and we might get a point-down here. Moreno just misses the rolling thunder. This one is over. Hell of a return for Moreno. He looked sharp.

Moreno 10-9. (Moreno 50-45.)

To call Albazi's corner frustrated would be an understatement. They're imploring him to just go for it. Some hard truths coming here as we enter the final 10-minute sprint. Moreno comes back out mixing things up and throwing punches in bunches. Albazi eats a left hook. Albazi just looks stuck in the mud right now. Moreno catches him a long left hand. Albazi continues to just circle and not commit to any significant offense. Moreno double jabs into a heavy looping hook that misses. Albazi doubles up his own jab. Again, the crowd rallies behind Moreno. They trade jabs and Albazi may have gotten the better of that one. Moreno just marches forward. Moreno counters over the top after blocking a step-in knee. Moreno's head movement is on-point tonight — he's making Albazi miss over and over again. Another right hand smacks Albazi. This is easy money for the former champ.

Moreno 10-9. (Moreno 40-36.)

Albazi's corner is begging their fighter to stop waiting and start firing. Albazi listens and smacks Moreno with a hard left in the early seconds of the round. Moreno keeps on coming though. Some swelling starting to form under Albazi's right eye. Head kick just misses for Moreno, who then digs to the body. Moreno dips down low then slams a straight punch to the body. Albazi answers with a hard counter of his own. Nice step-in knee from Albazi. Oh, Moreno connects with a right hand! Albazi may be hurt right now. Moreno again declines to jump on him. Albazi circles and paws out his jab. Albazi continues to circle and tosses out a few low kicks. Moreno just does not respect what's coming back at him right now. They trade low kicks. Moreno connects and swarms! His corner is begging him to keep pouring it on, but Moreno stays patient. The crowd swells behind the former champ. Hard left hand lands for Moreno as he defends a half-hearted takedown attempt.

Moreno 10-9. (Moreno 30-27.)

Two big leg kicks to Albazi's lead leg right off the bat from Moreno. Moreno buckles Albazi with a high kick! Moreno doesn't jump on him though. Not sure if he saw Albazi hurt. Albazi appears to have recovered now. He fires a jab through Moreno's guard. Nice right hand finds its mark for Moreno. Moreno digs into a flurry of body shots. Albazi changes levels and drags Moreno to the floor ... but Moreno instantly pops back up! That was slick by the former champ. Moreno well ahead on the strike count through the first eight minutes. Albazi eats a long right hand. Moreno throwing punches in bunches! Nothing really landed clean there but Moreno is keeping this man on the back foot. Hard shot lands for Moreno. Albazi fires back with a couple kicks. Slick combination from Moreno. He's looking confident now.

Moreno 10-9. (Moreno 20-18.)

They charge to the center of the cage. Albazi paws out a jab. Moreno feints a combination. Very slow feeling out process for this first minute. Albazi connects with a leg kick. Right hand finds a home for Albazi. Three-punch combination just misses for Albazi. Moreno tosses out a long jab followed by a body kick. Good right hand by Moreno. Albazi nearly trips up Moreno with a stiff low kick. Left hand by Moreno. Moreno storms forward with a left hook. Right hand lands for Moreno and Albazi briefly slips. Big swings and misses from Moreno. Dueling uppercuts from the two flyweights. Moreno wraps up the round by going high-low with a combination.

Moreno 10-9.

Veteran referee Marc Goddard is our third man in the cage. They touch 'em up and we're off.

The former champ is clearly the crowd favorite here. No surprise. It's very difficult to dislike this man. Moreno has done virtually everything and fought virtually everyone in this flyweight division, so his path to title may be murky if Alexandre Pantoja wins at UFC 310 considering the one-sided trilogy they already share. Anything is possible though. Let's see what Moreno can pull off.

Big opportunity here for Albazi. Considering the state of the flyweight contender ranks, he's a shoo-in for a title shot in 2025 if he gets past Moreno tonight. Easier said than done though.

Here we go, folks. Main event time has arrived! Former two-time UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno returns from a brief hiatus to take on Amir Albazi, who's also been out of action since June 2023.

Dueling long layoffs here, but the winner could instantly put themselves into the title mix. Should be a good one.

Preliminary card predictions:

Aiemann Zahabi (-150) def. Pedro Munhoz (+125)

Ariane da Silva (+185) def. Jasmine Jasudavicius (-225)

Victor Henry (+115) def. Charles Jourdain (-140)

Jack Shore (+260) def. Youssef Zalal (-350)

Alexander Romanov (-110) def. Rodrigo Nascimento (-110)

Garrett Armfield (+110) def. Serhiy Sidey (-135)

Chad Anheliger (+175) def. Cody Gibson (-210)

Ivana Petrović (+185) def. Jamey-Lyn Horth (-225)