UFC Returns to Glendale After Five Years — With Moreno Back Home

The Octagon hasn't set foot in Glendale, Arizona since June 2021 — more than five years — but that changes Saturday, September 12, when Noche UFC lands at Desert Diamond Arena. Jean Silva (17-3, 12 KO) headlines the card for the second straight year, this time against Arizona's own Jose Miguel Delgado. And in the co-main, one very familiar face is coming back to a very familiar building.

Brandon Moreno (23-10-2) fights Joseph Morales in the same arena where he made history in 2021. That night, back when the place was called Gila River Arena, Moreno submitted Deiveson Figueiredo with a second-round rear-naked choke to become the first Mexican-born UFC champion. Eleven of Moreno's 23 wins have come by submission, and that title-winning finish is still the defining moment of his career.

Two Titles on One Card

UFC 263 was stacked. Two belts sat atop the marquee: Moreno vs Figueiredo for the flyweight strap, and Israel Adesanya defending middleweight gold against Marvin Vettori in a rematch. Adesanya, who edged Vettori by split decision three years earlier, left nothing to chance the second time — 50-45 across all three cards. It was his third 185-pound title defense, and he'd add two more before things unraveled.

Adesanya's kingdom has since crumbled. The former champ now sits at #8 with a 24-6 record after getting stopped by Joe Pyfer via second-round TKO. Figueiredo, meanwhile, dropped to bantamweight and is ranked #9 at 135 (25-7-1) after a submission loss to Song Yadong. Time doesn't do favors, even to the men who once owned Glendale.

Blink and You Miss It

The 2021 card also gave us one of the fastest debuts in company history. Terrance McKinney, in on eight days' notice, knocked out Matt Frevola in seven seconds flat — a reminder that the early prelims are where the chaos lives. Later, Leon Edwards and Nate Diaz ran the first non-title, non-main-event five-rounder in UFC history. Edwards took the decision but ate a nasty left hand from Diaz in the final minute. Roughly a year later, Rocky beat Kamaru Usman for the welterweight belt.

So Saturday carries weight. Silva rides a unanimous-decision win over Arnold Allen into the main event, while Moreno — currently #9 and coming off a decision loss to Lone'er Kavanagh — walks back into the room where it all peaked. Full circle, or a fresh chapter. Either way, the Valley of the Sun's five-year wait ends this weekend.