Marlon Moraes managed to take home a close split decision victory over Jose Aldo at UFC 245 last weekend. The decision was deemed controversial by some. Moraes thinks it was all normal:
“I think I won the first round,” Moraes said after the fight. “The second round, I think he got it. Then the third, I think I got it. It was a close fight. I just fought Jose Aldo, you know?”
The crowd is stunned as Marlon Moraes has defeated Jose Aldo via Split Decision. #UFC245 pic.twitter.com/5GG2j2LFtU
— Palak Parekh 2.6K 🎯💯% FOLLOW BACK (@PalakParekh18) December 15, 2019
“A lot of people judge and say, ‘It’s a tough fight, a close fight.’ Who (has beaten) Jose in a split decision? Who did that? He only lost to five or six guys in his whole career. He’s the longest featherweight champion. He beat all the champions and contenders. hats off for him, but now’s my time.”
“I landed a lot of straight punches on him,” Moraes said. “I think 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 (for taking) the challenge, (making) weight, and (putting) on a great fight. I think the fans liked it. It was a great fight.”
Regardless of scorecards, Skeletor Aldo did enough to beat Marlon Moraes. It's an incredible feat for a fantastic fight but please, José, end this bantamweight experiment while you're ahead. #UFC245 pic.twitter.com/eWavKNBZYH
— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) December 15, 2019
“Some people don’t agree with the decision, but at the end of the day you go home, and you watch the fight again. You’ll see I won.”
So what’s next for Moraes?
“I’d like to fight either Dominick Cruz or (Aljamain) Sterling,” Moraes said. “I don’t like Sterling at all, and I’d love to take his chance to ever fight for a title. Those are the two names I have on my mind right now.”