5 Things You Might Not Know About Marlon Moraes

You can sign up for a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Marlon Moraes (21-5-1) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division. His next outing will see him headline UFC Fight Night 144, which takes place at the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil, on Feb. 2.

He’ll face Raphael Assuncao in a rematch of their highly contested UFC 212 fight. As we approach the pivotal bout, here are five things that you might not know about Moraes.

He favors winning by KO/TKO.

Ten (48 percent) of the Brazilian’s victories have come via knockout. Included amongst his list of victims are his previous two UFC adversaries, Aljamain Sterling and Jimmie Rivera. Moraes’ most memorable finish to date is arguably the head kick and ensuing punches that put Tyson Nam to sleep at World Series of Fighting 2. The devastating KO was chosen as the promotion’s knockout of the year.

He likes to get the job done quickly.

More often than not, Moraes is seen sporting a smile. However, once the cage door closes his demeanor is all business. 14 (67 percent) of his wins have come in the very first round. This is an unusually high ratio for a fighter competing in the sport’s lighter weight divisions. Impressively, Moraes’ last two UFC bouts lasted a mere 100 seconds combined.

He has won gold before.

“Magic” is a former World Series of Fighting bantamweight champion. He won the strap by besting Josh Rettinghouse by decision at WSOF 9. Moraes defended the title six times, stopping five of his rivals in the process. In early 2017, Moraes vacated the belt and signed with the UFC.

He started out in muay Thai.

Moraes commenced combat training at the tender age of 7. Initially focused on muay Thai, the talented striker would go on to achieve some impressive accolades in the sport that include two state championships and an array of national titles. His martial arts origins are evident in his preference for duking it out on the feet. Moraes has been compared to UFC lightweight and compatriot Edson Barboza for his devastating kick-heavy game, which he combines with a fast and effective jab. “Magic” retired from muay Thai with a stellar 26-1 record. Back in 2008, a dejected Moraes, coming off the back of two consecutive losses, briefly flirted with the idea of dropping mixed martial arts altogether and returning to his former sport. However, a move to New Jersey and training at Ricardo Almeida Jiu Jitsu rekindled his enthusiasm for MMA.

He has tasted defeat only once in the last six years.

In November 2011, Moraes faced Deividas Taurosevicius at Ring of Combat 38. During the midpoint of the first stanza, Moraes was left with no choice but to succumb to an arm-triangle choke. After this setback, he went on a remarkable 13-fight streak that entailed eight finishes and five decision victories. The success finally came to an end in his UFC debut, which took place June 2017. At UFC 212 he dropped a highly competitive split decision to Assuncao.