Marlon Moraes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marlon Moraes |
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|---|---|
| Born | Marlon Luiz Moraes April 26, 1988 Nova Friburgo, Brazil |
| Other names | Magic |
| Residence | Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg) |
| Division | Bantamweight (2012–2022) Featherweight (2007–2012) (2022–2023) |
| Reach | 67 in (170 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Toms River, New Jersey, United States |
| Team | American Top Team |
| Rank | Black belt in Muay Thai Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo Almeida |
| Years active | 2007–2023 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 37 |
| Wins | 23 |
| By knockout | 10 |
| By submission | 6 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Losses | 13 |
| By knockout | 10 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Draws | 1 |
Marlon Luiz Moraes (born April 26, 1988) is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist. He was known for competing in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. Moraes fought in major leagues like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the Professional Fighters League (PFL). He was also the first-ever Bantamweight Champion in the World Series of Fighting (WSOF).
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Early Career and Martial Arts Training
Marlon Moraes started training in Muay Thai when he was just seven years old. Muay Thai is a type of martial art from Thailand that uses stand-up striking and clinching. When he turned 15, he began learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which focuses on grappling and ground fighting.
He became very successful in Muay Thai in Brazil. He won two national championships before deciding to focus completely on MMA.
Marlon's Mixed Martial Arts Journey
Starting Out: Xtreme Fighting Championships
Moraes began his professional MMA career in 2007. On December 2, 2011, he fought Chris Manuel at XFC 15. Moraes won this fight by a decision from the judges.
A few months later, on April 13, 2012, he faced Jarrod Card at XFC 17. Moraes won this fight very quickly, knocking out his opponent in just 47 seconds of the first round.
Becoming a Champion: World Series of Fighting
In September 2012, Moraes joined the World Series of Fighting (WSOF). This league later became the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
His first fight in WSOF was on November 3, 2012, against Miguel Torres. Moraes won this close fight by a split decision. This means some judges thought he won, and others thought his opponent won.
After this win, Moraes fought Tyson Nam on March 23, 2013. He won by knockout in the first round. He then won two more fights by decision and knockout.
On March 29, 2014, Moraes fought Josh Rettinghouse for the first-ever WSOF Bantamweight Championship. Moraes won by unanimous decision, meaning all judges agreed he won. This made him the first WSOF Bantamweight Champion!
Moraes successfully defended his title five times. He beat fighters like Josh Hill (twice), Sheymon Moraes, and Joseph Barajas. He won these fights using different methods, including submissions (like the rear-naked choke) and knockouts (like leg kicks and head kicks). On January 3, 2017, Moraes decided to leave WSOF as a free agent.
Fighting in the UFC: Ultimate Fighting Championship
In April 2017, Moraes signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), one of the biggest MMA organizations.
His first UFC fight was on June 3, 2017, against Raphael Assunção. Moraes lost this fight by a split decision. However, he quickly bounced back.
He won his next three fights in a row. He beat John Dodson by split decision, then knocked out Aljamain Sterling in the first round. This knockout earned him a "Performance of the Night" bonus.
On June 1, 2018, Moraes faced Jimmie Rivera. He won this fight in just 33 seconds with a head kick and punches. This was a big win because Rivera had not been finished by anyone else in MMA. This win also earned Moraes another "Performance of the Night" bonus.
Moraes had a rematch with Raphael Assunção on February 2, 2019. This time, Moraes won in the first round by a submission called a guillotine choke. This earned him his third "Performance of the Night" award.
On June 8, 2019, Moraes fought Henry Cejudo for the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship. He lost this championship fight in the third round.
Moraes continued to fight tough opponents in the UFC, including former champion José Aldo, whom he beat by split decision. He then faced a series of losses before announcing his retirement from MMA on April 13, 2022.
Return to Fighting: Professional Fighters League
Less than six months after retiring, Moraes decided to return to fighting. He signed with the PFL for their 2023 Featherweight tournament.
He fought Sheymon Moraes on November 25, 2022, and lost in the third round. He then had two more fights in the PFL in 2023, losing both. After his loss to Gabriel Braga on June 8, 2023, Moraes announced his retirement from MMA again.
Life After Fighting: Law Enforcement
After his second retirement from MMA, Marlon Moraes decided to start a new career. In May 2024, he became a police officer in Davie, Florida.
Future Plans: Global Fight League
On December 11, 2024, it was announced that Moraes had signed with a new organization called Global Fight League.
Marlon's Achievements and Awards
Marlon Moraes achieved many great things during his fighting career:
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- He won the "Performance of the Night" bonus three times.
- He was nominated for "President's Choice Fight of the Year" and "Fan's Choice Submission of the Year" in 2019.
- UFC.com ranked him as the #4 Newcomer of the Year in 2017.
- World Series of Fighting
- He was the first-ever WSOF Bantamweight Champion.
- He holds the record for most consecutive title defenses (5) in WSOF.
- He has the most wins in WSOF title fights (6) and the most overall wins (11).
- He was undefeated (11–0) during his time in WSOF.
- MMAJunkie.com
- His fight against Henry Cejudo in June 2019 was named "Fight of the Month."
Mixed Martial Arts Record
Marlon Moraes's professional mixed martial arts record is shown below. It lists his wins, losses, and draws.
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 37 matches | 23 wins | 13 losses |
| By knockout | 10 | 10 |
| By submission | 6 | 2 |
| By decision | 7 | 1 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 23–13–1 | Gabriel Alves Braga | TKO (punches) | PFL 4 (2023) | June 8, 2023 | 1 | 3:02 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |
| Loss | 23–12–1 | Brendan Loughnane | TKO (leg kicks) | PFL 1 (2023) | April 1, 2023 | 2 | 1:11 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 23–11–1 | Sheymon Moraes | TKO (punches) | PFL 10 (2022) | November 25, 2022 | 3 | 0:58 | New York City, New York, United States | Return to Featherweight. |
| Loss | 23–10–1 | Song Yadong | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev | March 12, 2022 | 1 | 2:06 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 23–9–1 | Merab Dvalishvili | TKO (punches) | UFC 266 | September 25, 2021 | 2 | 4:25 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 23–8–1 | Rob Font | TKO (elbow and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal | December 19, 2020 | 1 | 3:47 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 23–7–1 | Cory Sandhagen | TKO (spinning wheel kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen | October 10, 2020 | 2 | 1:03 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 23–6–1 | José Aldo | Decision (split) | UFC 245 | December 14, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 22–6–1 | Henry Cejudo | TKO (punches) | UFC 238 | June 8, 2019 | 3 | 4:51 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | For the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 22–5–1 | Raphael Assunção | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Assunção vs. Moraes 2 | February 2, 2019 | 1 | 3:17 | Fortaleza, Brazil | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 21–5–1 | Jimmie Rivera | KO (head kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes | June 1, 2018 | 1 | 0:33 | Utica, New York, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 20–5–1 | Aljamain Sterling | KO (knee) | UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega | December 9, 2017 | 1 | 1:07 | Fresno, California, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 19–5–1 | John Dodson | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Pettis | November 11, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Norfolk, Virginia, United States | |
| Loss | 18–5–1 | Raphael Assunção | Decision (split) | UFC 212 | June 3, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 18–4–1 | Josenaldo Silva | TKO (knee injury) | WSOF 34 | December 31, 2016 | 1 | 2:30 | New York City, New York, United States | Defended the WSOF Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 17–4–1 | Josh Hill | KO (head kick and punches) | WSOF 32 | July 30, 2016 | 2 | 0:38 | Everett, Washington, United States | Defended the WSOF Bantamweight Championship |
| Win | 16–4–1 | Joseph Barajas | TKO (leg kicks) | WSOF 28 | February 20, 2016 | 1 | 1:13 | Garden Grove, California, United States | Defended the WSOF Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 15–4–1 | Sheymon Moraes | Submission (rear-naked choke) | WSOF 22 | August 1, 2015 | 3 | 3:46 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended the WSOF Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 14–4–1 | Josh Hill | Decision (unanimous) | WSOF 18 | February 12, 2015 | 5 | 5:00 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Defended the WSOF Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 13–4–1 | Cody Bollinger | Submission (rear-naked choke) | WSOF 13 | September 13, 2014 | 2 | 1:35 | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States | Catchweight (140 lb) bout; Bollinger missed weight (147 lb). |
| Win | 12–4–1 | Josh Rettinghouse | Decision (unanimous) | WSOF 9 | March 29, 2014 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Won the inaugural WSOF Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 11–4–1 | Carson Beebe | KO (punches) | WSOF 6 | October 26, 2013 | 1 | 0:32 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 10–4–1 | Brandon Hempleman | Decision (unanimous) | WSOF 4 | August 10, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Ontario, California, United States | |
| Win | 9–4–1 | Tyson Nam | KO (head kick and punches) | WSOF 2 | March 23, 2013 | 1 | 2:55 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 8–4–1 | Miguel Torres | Decision (split) | WSOF 1 | November 12, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 7–4–1 | Jarrod Card | KO (punch) | XFC 17: Apocalypse | April 13, 2012 | 1 | 0:47 | Jackson, Tennessee, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
| Win | 6–4–1 | Chris Manuel | Decision (unanimous) | XFC 15: Tribute | December 2, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 5–4–1 | Deividas Taurosevičius | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Ring of Combat 38 | November 18, 2011 | 1 | 2:34 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | For the ROC Featherweight Championship. |
| Loss | 5–3–1 | Ralph Acosta | Submission (rear-naked choke) | World Extreme Fighting 46 | April 22, 2011 | 2 | 3:03 | Orlando, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 5–2–1 | Ryan Bixler | Submission (Americana) | RMMA 20: Clash at the Casino | April 8, 2011 | 1 | 1:44 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 4–2–1 | Nicolas Joannes | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Shoot & Sprawl 2 | October 2, 2010 | 1 | 3:49 | Northamptonshire, England | |
| Draw | 3–2–1 | Sandro China | Draw (unanimous) | Dojo Combat 1 | April 17, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Juiz de Fora, Brazil | |
| Win | 3–2 | André Rouberte | TKO (punches) | Shooto: Brazil 10 | January 17, 2009 | 1 | 3:35 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Loss | 2–2 | Zeilton Rodrigues | TKO (punches) | Shooto: Brazil 7 | June 28, 2008 | 1 | 1:45 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Alexandre Pinheiro | TKO (punches) | Shooto: Brazil 6 | April 18, 2008 | 1 | 2:58 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 2–0 | José Lucas de Melo | TKO (punches) | MMA Sports Combat 2 | March 15, 2008 | 1 | N/A | Rio das Ostras, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | Bruno Santana | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Desafio: Brazil Fight Center 2 | April 14, 2007 | 1 | N/A | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
See also
In Spanish: Marlon Moraes para niños
- List of current PFL fighters
- List of male mixed martial artists
