Marlon Moraes and the Big Fish Dilemma

---

In seven appearances under the World Series of Fighting banner, bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes owns a perfect 7-0 record with three finishes. Many fighters in his shoes would be thinking about changing weight classes to take on new challengers or perhaps looking to a bigger stage on which to showcase their skills.

However, Moraes claims he has no such plans. He will defend his 135-pound championship against Sheymon da Silva Moraes in the WSOF 22 co-main event on Saturday at The Axis at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

“I’m pretty happy where I am now,” Moraes told Sherdog.com. “I have to just keep doing what I’m doing. I think there are going to be some big challenges come my way soon. I want the best for [the WSOF], and the guys on the biggest stages will be coming to us; and when they do, they’re going to see what fighting me is like. Right now, I just want to keep getting better, and if they come here, I’m going to knock them back to where they were. I was really happy to sign [a multi-year deal with the WSOF last month]. I have a family, and it’s good to know where I’ll be fighting and when I’ll be fighting.”

Moraes, 27, will carry a nine-fight winning streak into his latest title defense.

“I just can’t wait to be fighting,” he said. “I’m so excited for this fight and my upcoming fights. I know I’m going to have some big fights coming up, and whatever challenge they want to throw at me, I’m ready.”

Moraes has become one of the better breakthrough stories in mixed martial arts. After a first-round submission loss to Deividas Taurosevicius at Ring of Combat 38 in November 2011, his record stood at 5-4-1, and he seemed to be spinning his wheels. Moraes has not lost since, emerging as one of MMA’s premier bantamweights. He attributed his turnaround to the improvements he made to his overall game under the coaches at Ricardo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu and Valor Martial Arts.

“I think it’s simple, really,” said Moraes, who sports nine finishes among his 14 career wins. “It’s a simple concept that MMA is mixed martial arts, meaning you have to be good everywhere. You can’t be just a striker or a wrestler or a jiu-jitsu guy. You have to be a good fighter all the way around. I got with my coaches I have now, and I kept getting better every training session and every fight. As soon as I figured that out and I knew that I needed to do what I could to get a takedown, knockout or whatever, I’d go out and just fight wherever the fight went.”

In his most recent outing, Moraes knocked off the previously unbeaten Josh Hill, earning a unanimous decision at WSOF 18 in February. After coming up on the short end of some early exchanges, Moraes battled through a bloody nose and used good footwork and an arsenal of kicks to wear down Hill and sweep the final four rounds on the judges’ scorecards.

Moraes’ next challenge comes in the form of a fellow Brazilian. Da Silva Moraes is unbeaten in seven professional MMA bouts, with four knockouts on his ledger. He operates out of the Black House camp and has also trained with Team Nogueira. The 24-year-old prospect made his WSOF debut on Dec. 13 with a three-round split decision victory over Gabriel Solorio. Moraes is wary of the young challenger’s extensive muay Thai background.

“I saw a couple of his fights from Brazil, and he’s a good muay Thai fighter,” Moraes said. “He fought all over in muay Thai, so I know he’s a great striker, but I’m a tough guy and he’s a tough guy, too. I just want to go out there and bring all my weapons to the table, and I hope to get a win in the end. That’s why I’m working so hard in camp. Everything’s on point for me right now. My weight is on point and my training camp has been great. I feel ready to go. I’ve been watching a lot of good fights lately, and I can’t wait to be inside the cage and do what I love to do.”

Moraes believes the key to keeping his title and extending his winning streak is to continue making fight-to-fight progress.

“I’ve been getting better everywhere,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who I’m fighting; I’m just looking to fight. Whatever the fight brings to me, I’m going to be ready to take it. If I break my nose in the first round, I’m going to keep fighting. If I get knocked down, I’m going to come back. I’m going to fight for five rounds. I’m going to come out there and keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

If Moraes retains the WSOF championship, he would not mind competing at least once more before the end of 2015.

“I’m 100 percent for fighting again this year if I win,” he said. “If they want me to, I’d fight four or five times per year. If [the WSOF] needs me, I’m going to train and show up. I just need six weeks to be ready. I’m a big fan of guys who go out there and fight a lot, so I want to fight as much as I can. Who knows when my career is going to end, so I want to do it as much as I can. I’m full-time training now and I’m happy with the coaches and training partners I have now. I can’t wait to fight.”