UFC fighters Moreno and Pantoja BOTH rushed to hospital after brutal and bloody battle at UFC 290 in Las Vegas

UFC pair Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja were rushed to hospital after a brutal five-round war in Las Vegas.

Brazilian Pantoja, 33, claimed the UFC Flyweight Championship with a split-decision victory over Mexican Moreno, 29, on Saturday night.

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Alexandre Pantoja, right, beat champion Brandon Moreno in a brutal affairCredit: Getty

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A bloodied Moreno thought he had won before the result was read outCredit: Getty

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Pantoja also suffered gruesome injuries during his victoryCredit: Getty

The fight saw 328 strikes landed and 588 thrown as the two men put on a blockbuster show in front of a pro-Moreno crowd at UFC 290.

They were covered in blood when the final bell rang – with both fighters feeling they had done enough to clinch victory.

But it was Pantoja who had his arm raised as two of the three judges scored the contest 48-47 in his favour, with the other seeing it 49-46 for Moreno.

The result led to boos around the T-Mobile Arena as Moreno suffered a THIRD defeat to Pantoja in his MMA career – to go with his 2016 exhibition defeat and 2018 professional loss.

But while Pantoja enjoyed the glory of another win, he was swiftly taken to hospital due to the injuries he sustained during the fight.

According to MMA Fighting, Moreno was also forced to go to hospital as the bloodied duo felt the effects of their epic battle.

Speaking in his post-fight interview before being whisked off to receive medical attention, Pantoja said: “If you know my story you are going to love me, I have worked so hard for this.

“Moreno evolved so much, I didn’t expect to face such a tough guy tonight.

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“In the first round I thought he was done, this guy deserves my respect but now it is my moment.”

Reacting to the savage fight, one social media user said: “Dana [White] needs to give them 250K each, best fight I have seen in years.”

Another added: “How does Pantoja get booed, great fight.”

And a third replied: “Weird scoring but that was an absolute WAR.”

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Pantoja won the UFC Flyweight Championship on Saturday nightCredit: Getty