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"Magic" Marlon Moraes isn't going to sit around and wait for another Bantamweight Championship fight. After losing his first attempt for the vacant title against Henry Cejudo, the Brazilian bounced back by getting a controversial win over Jose Aldo in the latter's Bantamweight debut.
On Instagram, Marlon Moraes posted a photo where he revealed that he's targeting two potential fights next - Dominick Cruz and Cody Garbrandt:
Where does Marlon Moraes stand in the 135-pound division?
The #1 ranked Bantamweight Marlon Moraes didn't get a title shot after defeating Jose Aldo. Instead, it was the loser of the bout Aldo who got a title shot, thanks to Henry Cejudo calling him out for a fight in Brazil.
While they were scheduled to main event UFC 250, the event got shifted to the UFC Apex and Cejudo fought Bantamweight legend Dominick Cruz, who he finished via TKO before announcing his retirement.
With Jose Aldo already scheduled for the original title fight, he was then booked against #3 ranked Petr Yan, who he's set to face this weekend at UFC 251 in Fight Island. The winner of that fight will face Aljamain Sterling, who submitted Corey Sandhagen at UFC 250 to secure a title shot.
One can't blame Marlon Moraes for wanting to be more active. With Henry Cejudo out of the title picture, a win against Dominick Cruz or #4 ranked Cody Garbrandt would surely put him in a position to fight for the title again after Aljamain Sterling gets his fight.
Either way, the Bantamweight division is the most exciting that it's ever been. While Henry Cejudo was a great Champion, perhaps him being out of the picture means that we'll be seeing fresher names in the title picture at 135 pounds. It's becoming one of the most stacked divisions in the UFC roster.
