Marlon Moraes is eyeing a new contract and a shot at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight gold.
Moraes is coming off a quick submission victory over Raphael Assuncao to avenge his lone UFC loss. The bout headlined UFC on ESPN+ 2 in Fortaleza, Brazil. Assuncao hadn’t been finished since March 2011. “Magic” also snapped Assuncao’s four-fight winning streak.
Moraes Targets A New Contract & Title Opportunity
During the UFC on ESPN+ 2 post-fight press conference, Moraes talked about his future plans. He made it clear that he wants some more security going forward (via Damon Martin):
“First of all, I want a new contract. I want a contract and the first fight has to be for the title. The time has come. I’m ready. I’m at my prime, I can’t wait more. It’s my time to fight for the belt and to win. I’m going to fight for the belt and I’m going to win and I’m going to be the champion. I have a really good agreement with the UFC. They contracted me when I was a champion [WSOF] and I have nothing to complain [about] but the time has come to get a better contract and to fight for the belt. I still have fights left with the UFC on my contract but it’s time to get a better one.”
The bantamweight title picture is still unclear despite Moraes’ victory. Henry Cejudo stopped T.J. Dillashaw in 32 seconds to retain his flyweight title. Cejudo has expressed his desire to move up in weight to challenge for Dillashaw’s bantamweight gold. With the flyweight division’s future in the UFC up in the air, that match-up isn’t far-fetched.
Should Marlon Moraes be T.J. Dillashaw’s next title challenger?
