Following UFC Utica win, Marlon Moraes will wait for bantamweight title shot

Marlon Moraes looked phenomenal last night (Fri., June 1, 2018) at UFC Fight Night 131 from inside Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, N.Y., when he put a stop to Jimmie Rivera with a 33-second head kick knockout, ending “El Terror’s” 20-fight win streak in the process.

This is the second-straight first-round knockout for Moraes, who was coming off a sensational finish over Aljamain Sterling back at UFC Fight Night 123 this past December. In total, “Magic” has amassed a 3-1 record since joining UFC last year.

Considering Moraes’ track record as a dominant World Series of Fighting (WSOF) champion and his masterful performance opposite Rivera at UFC Utica, the 30-year-old believes he has earned the right to fight for a UFC title.

In fact, the Brazilian is willing to sit out until he gets his shot.

“I really don’t want any other fight,” Moraes told MMAjunkie backstage following his quick first-round main event knockout. “I want to fight for the belt. I’m definitely waiting.”

The UFC bantamweight title is currently around the waist of champion T.J. Dillashaw, who will fight rival Cody Garbrandt in arguably the biggest rematch in division history at UFC 227 this August. As long as Moraes gets a crack at the winner he doesn’t really care who wins.

“I want to be a champion,” he said. “That’s it.”

Moraes was regarded as one of the best 135-pound fighters on the planet before he arrived in UFC, so his last two performances shouldn’t come as that big of a surprise. Given his abilities inside of the cage and explosive knockout potential, “Magic” is going to be a problem for either Dillashaw or Garbrandt.

In case there is a fallout at UFC 227, Moraes is going to stay ready and keep training.

“I’m going to go back home and train,” Moraes said. “That was a fight, and like I said before the fight, matchups make fighters. I fought him, and the way I beat him, that was the way somebody who deserves to fight for the title should perform.”

What say you, Maniacs? Does Moraes deserve a title shot? If so, can he win?

For complete UFC Utica results and coverage click here.