Rob Font makes his first Octagon appearance in over a year as he seeks a win to take him into the top five at 135lbs against Marlon Moraes. Moraes though will be looking for a win of his own to stay in contention at the top of the division.
Marlon Moraes (23-7-1) is the former World Series of Fighting bantamweight champion. He had won 13 fights in a row when joining the UFC in 2017 and is now 5-3 in the promotion, securing three first-round finishes and two split decision wins.
Headkick precision at its finest ⚡️
🇧🇷 @MMarlonMoraes brings the magic this weekend! #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/4xw74WeGp2
— UFC (@ufc) December 17, 2020
“Magic” fought for the 135lbs title at UFC 238 against then flyweight champion Henry Cejudo but lost by TKO with nine seconds left of round three. He then showed he could perform against the best by beating former featherweight champion José Aldo by split decision at UFC 245.
In his last bout, Moraes lost by early round two TKO after a spinning wheel kick by Cory Sandhagen in October, meaning Moraes has now lost two of his last three having won his previous four. The Brazilian is comfortable both on the feet and the ground, but so is Font, and I expect both men to try and stay striking in order to look for a knockout victory.
Vying for championship contention!
🇧🇷 @MMarlonMoraes and 🇺🇸 @RobSFont seeking to close 2020 with a 💥 #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/03mWXj4J9z
— UFC (@ufc) December 18, 2020
Rob Font (17-4) is the former Classic Entertainment Sports MMA featherweight champion but has only fought at bantamweight in the UFC, which he joined in 2014. He is 7-3 in the UFC with five finishes – four KO/TKO wins and one submission victory.
Font’s last two wins have come by unanimous decision, the last over a year ago in his sole 2019 appearance, against Ricky Simon in Simon’s home state of Washington D.C. last December which earned both fighters the Fight of the Night bonus.
Font has never lost by knockout but will need to be wary of Moraes’ striking ability if he is to claim the victory which would propel him into the top five of the division.
Prediction: Font by KO/TKO.
Follow Rob Bartle on Twitter
Other articles by Rob Bartle via his Medium page
