UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Moraes believes he should be next in line to fight new UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan.
Fans and media believed that Aljamain Sterling was next in line to fight for the belt after tapping out Cory Sandhagen in the first round at UFC 250. However, UFC president Dana White has not committed to giving Sterling the next title shot again Yan. Every time the media at Fight Island has asked White about Sterling getting the next title shot, he has said he isn’t sure, potentially opening up the next title shot against Yan for someone else.
One of those fighters is Moraes, who is technically the No. 1 contender at 135lbs. Moraes is coming off of a split decision win over Jose Aldo and on Sunday, he took to social media to proclaim himself as the rightful No. 1 contender. Here’s what Moraes wrote on Twitter.
Congrats to the champ his last bout but the reality is I knocked out Aljo and Jimmy rivera, finished Assancuao, beat Aldo. How anyone can tell me that I am not #1 contender? @danawhite @ufc
Moraes’ manager Ali Abdelaziz added that he would like to see Moraes fight for the belt, although he would be fine if Sterling got it. Ultimately, that’s a call for the UFC matchmakers, though Abdelaziz seems to have a lot of say in those decisions these days.
Aljo is very good but @MMARLONMORAES knocked him and Jimmy rivera out, finished Assancuao and beat Aldo, ranking says he is #1. How anyone can tell me he is not? @danawhite will make a decision, if Aljo get it it’s all good, I’m happy for him but Marlon the man for the job
Moraes was actually set to fight Yan in the main event of UFC Kazakhstan, but that card was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Yan ended up being re-booked against Aldo instead, while Moraes continues to sit on the sidelines and await his next booking.
Moraes has a 5-2 record in the UFC including stoppage wins over Sterling, Raphael Assuncao, and Jimmie Rivera, plus decision wins over Aldo and John Dodson. His only losses came against former champ Henry Cejudo and Assuncao. As for Sterling, he’s 11-3 overall in the UFC and is on a five-fight win streak. Due to his superior win streak, Sterling should probably get the next shot, but you can’t be surprised if Moraes gets it instead.
