Marlon Moraes is confident that the best has yet to come.
Moraes entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) with a ton of hype. He dominated the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) bantamweight division. Moraes became the promotion’s inaugural 135-pound title holder and successfully defended his gold five times. It would’ve been six, but one of his opponents missed weight.
At the time of his UFC signing, Moraes had a professional mixed martial arts record of 18-4-1. His UFC debut didn’t live up to expectations. He dropped a split decision to Raphael Assuncao. While there is no doubting that Assuncao is a world class bantamweight, Moraes’ performance was a far cry from what we had seen in his WSOF days.
His next bout was a hard-fought match-up against John Dodson. It ended up being another split decision, but this time Moraes was the winner. Questions still lingered over Moraes’ ceiling when it comes to fighting elite level bantamweights such as Cody Garbrandt, T.J. Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz.
Moraes looked to be back to form when he took on Aljamain Sterling. “Magic” knocked out Sterling in the first round via knee. It was so fast that many thought it was a kick at first. It took Sterling quite a while to get back to consciousness.
With his first finishing victory under the UFC banner out of the way, Moraes will look to keep the momentum going against Jimmie Rivera. The two will clash inside the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York on June 1. The bout will headline UFC Utica.
During a recent appearance on MMA Junkie Radio, Moraes said fans should prepare to see him at his best:
“I think now I’m on my prime, man. I’ve been in the game for a long time. I’ve been competing in kickboxing since I was young, jiu-jitsu, MMA. And I feel like I’ve got good experience. I’m not a prospect anymore. I feel (I’ve been) a long time in the game. I can’t wait to showcase June 1st and perform. And go out and keep showing everything I’ve been learning. Actually, I know, but it’s just a matter of putting it (out) there and get to work and do it in the cage. I think I feel confident now and I’m 100 percent sure June 1st is going to be my best performance.”
It won’t be an easy task as Rivera hasn’t been beaten since Nov. 2008. “El Pantera” is on a 20-fight winning streak. In his last outing, he defeated Thomas Almeida via unanimous decision.
Who do you give the edge to, Marlon Moraes or Jimmie Rivera?
