Marlon Moraes is back, but it’s not under the UFC banner.
Million Dollar Moraes
Five months after retiring from MMA, the former WSOF Champion announces he’s making a comeback. Moraes’ days in the UFC are no more as ‘Magic’ has signed a new contract with the PFL. Moraes’ move to the promotion was first reported by ESPN.
The longtime bantamweight will also be making the move up to 145lbs, where he joins fellow UFC veteran Shane Burgos in the run for a $1M world championship.
Marlon’s Message
Moraes would confirm the news of his signing on Thursday. He is beyond excited to return ‘home’ under the PFL banner, as he won gold in the original iteration of the promotion, World Series of Fighting.
“Guys I wanna announce I’m coming home where I started,” Moraes wrote on Twitter. “I wanna thank the legend Ray Sefo & @PFLMMA get ready for some firework.”
“Thank you to all the fans for the good messages and even to the haters, I love you guys and without you this would not be possible.”
Guys I wanna announce I’m coming home where I started, I wanna thank the legend Ray Sefo & @PFLMMA get ready for some firework
— Marlon Moraes (@MMARLONMORAES) September 16, 2022
Thank you to all the fans for the good messages and even to the haters, I love you guys and without you this would not be possible
— Marlon Moraes (@MMARLONMORAES) September 16, 2022
The Rise And Fall Of ‘Magic’
Moraes had his fair share of success in WSOF before entering The UFC. He went 11-0 in the promotion, where he won a world title and defended it five times.
‘Magic’ looked to recreate that in the Octagon, starting his UFC run strong with a 4-1 record. Unfortunately, Moraes fell just a bit short of the UFC Bantamweight title, losing to Henry Cejudo by TKO back in 2019. After that, Moraes’ last win would be over Jose Aldo and then he’d suffer a string of four devastating losses in a row, which ended his UFC career.
Marlon Moraes looks to redeem himself in the PFL cage, come 2023.
