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Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Marlon Moraes feels that his career has come to a close and retired from the sport of MMA. 1-5 in his last 6, 'Magic' lost all 5 by way of KO/TKO. As unattractive as that looks on paper, they were all against top competition and the 33-year-old had found success in most of these showings.
Although things weren't going his way, the Brazilian has fought the who's who of the division and accrued some highly-touted names under his win column. The 33-year-old Moraes could very well return to action at some point, but a break is absolutely fair for him to give himself. But if this is it for his career, fans and fighters alike should thank 'Magic' for the performances he put on in the octagon and the risks that he's always taken against the top of the heap.
The heavy-handed fighter did all but capture the belt. There's no shame in this, especially not when realizing how close he really was to holding the belt. Thank you, Marlon Moraes, for the battles and the entertainment given to the fans. Following his retirement, here are the 5 best Marlon Moraes performances in the UFC.
#5. Henry Cejudo
Although the fight didn't end with his hand raised, Marlon Moraes started with guns blazing and had the Olympian and flyweight champion in some hot water. Henry Cejudo grabbed the flyweight title by defeating Demetrious Johnson and in his first defense, took on bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw. Had Dillashaw won, the flyweight division may have been dissolved.
Cejudo had other plans, however, as he handily defeated the then-bantamweight champion in just 32-seconds. Dillashaw vacated his bantamweight title after this loss and news of him failing a drug test followed. This opened up the 135lb division. Who better to challenge for the belt than Henry Cejudo and Marlon Moraes, who was riding a 4-fight win streak?
As the fight began, Moraes found great success with his low kicks. Presumably, he wanted to land these to slow down the smaller but faster fighter, and land them he did. Low kicks set up his hands, which also proved to be rather effective in the early goings as well. The flyweight champion was tougher than many expected; he weathered the storm and pounced on a gassed-out Moraes whenever the onslaught began to wither. In this loss, the Brazilian gave Cejudo one of his toughest fights.
#4. Jose Aldo
Former champion, featherweight GOAT, lethal striker -- Jose Aldo is a lot of things. Among that list is 'a very, very difficult fight'. Following his loss to Henry Cejudo for the vacant bantamweight strap, the UFC and Marlon Moraes collectively decided that they wanted him to be thrown straight back into the fire.
Aldo entered the fight following a decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski and figured that he'd try his luck at bantamweight. The two championship-hopefuls put on a great fight and made it clear that despite previously losing, they're not to be taken lightly.
Primarily a striking fight as expected, the American Top Team standout showed more patience in this bout, something that he lacked in the Cejudo bout. Along with the intangilbes, some new tricks were on display as Moraes executed a great toss in the first round of the fight. Patience and counter-striking proved to be enough and saw 'Magic' win via split decision against the future Hall of Famer. Although the decision was controversial, a performance like this against the likes of Jose Aldo is incredibly impressive.
#3. Jimmie Rivera
It doesn't get much more perfect than this. Marlon Moraes took his first UFC headline position by the reigns as he was slated against another surging fighter in Jimmie Rivera. Having only one loss on his record at the time, Rivera was undefeated for about 10-years and 5 UFC showings.
Opposite of Rivera was Marlon Moraes, who was granted this fight after two impressive victories. Although the two had five rounds to work, he must've had somewhere to be and got things done very quickly. As this bout was nearing the 30-second mark, 'Magic' threw a lightning-quick switch kick to the head of his opponent which sent him to the mat.
'El Terror' tried to recover but the follow-up shots thwarted attempts to get back on his feet. Only 33-seconds in the Brazilian put the bantamweight division on notice.
#2. Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling is now a household name for MMA fans. While formerly controversial as the champion, he did his part to let the doubters know that he's not an easy fight for anyone. Many thought that Petr Yan would pick up where he left off in their first meeting, but 'Funk Master' silenced a ton of people with a performance that saw him win a split decision.
Prior to the title, Sterling was still competing against the biggest names in the division. Going into the Marlon Moraes fight, the Serra-Longo fighter has lost twice, both by split decision. 'Magic', however, is a fan of the finish and that's no secret.
The Brazilian showed his power early on, stunning Sterling and sending him to the mat. This initiated a grappling exchange where many thought Sterling would be more comfortable. This didn't last long. As the fighters stood back up, Moraes threw his famous switch kick. Unfortuantely for 'Funk Master', it was timed perfectly and the knee caught him on the chin as he came in to close the distance. This remains Sterling's only loss via finish and the best highlight tied to Marlon Moraes' career.
#1. Raphael Assuncao rematch
When Brazil's Marlon Moraes entered the UFC in 2017, he premiered against Raphael Assuncao and lost via split decision. Both fighters went their own way afterwards and gathered more wins to work their way to the title.
With both fighters gathering great wins, they were slated against each other in 2019 for a highly anticipated rematch. the 33-year-old didn't get the nod in the first meeting, but he didn't let the previous shortcomings affect him much, if at all. He looked as confident as one could be in a high stakes bout like this.
Lowkicks were thrown early and often from 'Magic'. The kicks seemed to have Assuncao apprehensive. Not yet at the midway point of the first round, the former title challenger connected with two right hands that put his opponent down. Settling in the guard of his opponent, it seemed that the 33-year-old may have missed his chance to finish the fight. That wasn't the case, as 'Magic' is more than a striker. As his opponent worked his way back up, 'Magic' locked in a guillotine choke and became the second fighter to submit Assuncao.
