LAS VEGAS – After three rounds with newly minted UFC bantamweight Jose Aldo, Marlon Moraes had no doubts he was the winner.
”You go home and watch the fight again, and you see I won,” Moraes told reporters following his decision over Jose Aldo on the pay-per-view main card of UFC 245.
Two of three judges scored the fight for Moraes, who dropped to his knees with joy at the announcement, while Aldo cried out in shock. The crowd at T-Mobile arena was not pleased with the call and showered the octagon with boos.
UFC President Dana White said afterward that he scored the fight for Aldo and added two-division champion Henry Cejudo considered the ex-featherweight champ a winner deserving of a future fight.
But for Moraes, the first and the third round were the decisive frames in his favor. In the final frame, he said, his striking was the difference.
”I landed a lot of straight punches,” he said. “I outscored him. He only landed one punch and cut me, but that’s it. Besides that, I didn’t feel anything.
”It was a good fight. Hats off for him to take the challenge, make weight, and we put on a great fight. I think the fans liked it.”
Six months removed from an unsuccessful title shot against champ Cejudo, Moraes said he’s targeting former champion Dominick Cruz and Aljamain Sterling for his next bout.
”I don’t like Sterling at all, and I would love to take his chance to ever fight for the title,” he said. “That’s the two names I have on my mind right now.”
The win put Moraes back in the win column and handed Aldo his fourth defeat in six outings. Saturday’s fight was Aldo’s first as a bantamweight, and he was shadowed by concerns about his ability to safely drop to 135 pounds, though he made weight without issue.
Moraes didn’t think Aldo’s downward move made much difference in the fighter he faced.
”He must have spent all night drinking water, man,” he said. “He looked big. I don’t know what his plan is, but my plan is to stay, keep fighting, and take challenges out.”
Get the latest gear
