Marlon Moraes is the Bantamweight champion of the WSOF, and just had a non-title fight with Cody Bollinger at 147 pounds, 12 pounds over his normal fighting weight. The catch-weight obviously didn’t bother Moraes as he dominated Bollinger in the opening stanza, and finished Cody with a rear naked choke in the second round.
It’s no surprise to fans that he performed as well as he did. Marlon has been absolutely dominate since 2011, and is currently riding an eight fight winning streak. In his first two fights in the WSOF he put away Miguel Torres and Tyson Nam, and holds the organizations record for fastest knock-out over Carson Beebe.
Marlon trains on a regular basis with guys like Edson Barboza and Frankie Edgar, and besides his regular camp, Valor MMA, he also gets down at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. They say iron sharpens iron, Marlon is proving that statement true.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Marlon and got his take on his last fight, and where he feels he is in the Bantamweight division.
Aaron Robbins: Marlon, thank you for talking with me. You just recently had to fight 12 pounds above your normal weight. Tell the fans how that went down.
Marlon Moraes: “I was already working hard every day and most of my training partners are 145ers. I had no worries, I got to the fight and I knew it was going to be hard for him to make weight. It didn’t matter what weight he showed up at, I was going to fight him, you know. At the weigh-ins I was ready for 140, and it turned out to be 147. I said ‘I don’t care, let’s fight! Let’s go!’ I started drinking some water at 4:00 and by 5:00 I was 146.8. It’s was ok, I was feeling good. I had an hour to put some water on.”
AR: Obviously the weight change didn’t slow you down any. You were originally slated to defend the title against Josh Hill, do you still want that fight?
MM: “I don’t know man, I’m just waiting. I’m going to do what the WSOF asks me to do. I went to wrestling practice today, as well as kick training. We never know, maybe the call will come in a few weeks, and I just want to be ready.”
AR: You’ve been with the WSOF from the beginning. You were a part of their inaugural event, is that correct?
MM: “Yes I was. I fought Miguel Torres in that first show, it was a big opportunity for me, and I am so grateful. It was a great show, a very good beginning. Now we are growing together. I feel I am growing as a fighter and they are growing as a show.”
AR: How does it feel to grow with an organization like that?
MM: “Good, you know. Good for me as a young fighter, I want to show what I’ve been working on in the gym, my skills. The WSOF gives me the opportunity to go out there and perform. No pressure, you just go out there and do what you do every day. Now I feel like the World Series of Fighting is my home. I don’t think there is any 135er who can come to WSOF and beat me. It’s my home, and I feel there isn’t anybody who can beat me there.”
AR: I have to agree. Now Marlon, you fight out of Valor MMA. Tell us about your camp.
MM: “Yeah, we have a gym in Florida and Edson Barbosa trains there with me, and we have been going to New Jersey to Team Edgar with Ricardo Almeida, and Mark Henry. We’ve been going there since my first fight with the World Series. The first time I went there it was to help Frankie prepare for Benson Henderson. We like him; it was a great training camp. Now I’m here in Florida, and I’m getting some training down at American Top Team. I go there to train, they have a bunch of great guys, it’s good, you know? I try to train with the best, so I spend some time down here in Florida, and then I’ll go and train in New Jersey as well.”
AR: Who would you say is most influential in your training?
MM: “I would say Edson and Frank. I’ve been training with Edson since I was nine; we have been training a long time. He gave me the opportunity to come here, the United States, and helped me live the dream. Frankie is great because we are actually the same size, we spar a lot. He is always pushing me to my limits. Those guys are good man.”
AR: You are pretty good yourself, and that is evident with your rank. You are one of the few fighters who have broken into the top ten while fighting outside of the UFC. How do you feel about that?
MM: “It feels good man, I’m happy because they are recognizing what I am doing. I beat Miguel Torres and at the time he was #7, and after I beat him they started talking about me. Then I fought Tyson Nam and he had just beaten the #6 guy, Eduardo Dantas. At the time Nam was #9, I think, and after beating him I got #10. It’s hard for me to go up in the rankings because the ranked guys are over in the UFC. Everybody talks about the UFC, but I am here and I am ready to prove that I am one of the best 135ers in the world.”
AR: If you could fight anybody you wanted at 135, who would it be?
MM: “Damn, right now I would love to fight T.J. Dillashaw. Right now he is the best guy in the world, and I am ready to prove that I can beat the best. He is the best, I want to fight him.”
AR: This, of course, is speculation, but do you see yourself in the UFC at some point?
MM: “Maybe in the future that could happen, but for now I am here at the World Series of Fighting. I am very respectful and grateful for what they have done for me. I’m here and I’ll do what the WSOF asks me to do. I’m working hard; I’ll be in the cage and I’ll do what I did in the last fight.”
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