LAS VEGAS – Although concern about [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]’s first cut down to bantamweight seems to be spreading across the MMA community like wildfire, one person who isn’t worried about it is the man who will be standing across from him at UFC 245.
[autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (22-6-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) appears to have absolutely no worries about the former UFC featherweight champion Aldo (28-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) looking quite drawn out ahead of his first attempt to fight in the bantamweight division on Saturday.
Many around the fight game have weighed in on some recent photos of Aldo, so naturally Moraes was asked about it, as well.
“People always like to talk about anything,” Moraes told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “People always like to make a big case. Of course he’s having a tough cut. I’m having a tough cut. Everybody is having a tough cut. It’s not easy. We all cut weight. We all get drained and get lighter. That’s me; that’s him. It’s about the performances. It’s about who comes out Saturday night.
“I’m 100 percent sure I’m making weight, and I think I have a very good feeling – his team’s a great team – he’s going to make weight, too. If he wasn’t going to make weight, he wouldn’t come to Las Vegas all the way from Brazil. So everything is on point. You guys are going to have a great fight. Don’t worry about that.”
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Moraes’ fight at UFC 245, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass, will mark his first since he unsuccessfully competed for UFC gold over the summer.
After putting together a fearsome streak, Moraes lost to Henry Cejudo in a fight for the vacant bantamweight belt at UFC 238 in June. He was doing very well before Cejudo turned the tide, and although the result was a difficult one to digest, he said he’s move past it.
“At some point you’ve got to face it,” Moraes said. “It’s your life, it’s who you are, and I watched it. I learned so much from that one, and hopefully you don’t make the same mistakes. But we fight MMA where so much things are mixed up. Sometimes you have to deal with a situation you’ve never seen before. No excuses. Just hats off for the athlete, my opponent and the performance he had.”
Moraes didn’t attempt to pursue an easy fight coming off the title loss, either. He volunteered to be Aldo’s introduction to bantamweight, and it’s a fight he’s keen to have.
“I like the challenge,” Moraes said. “Sometimes things people are scared of, I like it. I like to be challenged, and I like to fight, and it’s everything together, so why not?”
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