The UFC is targeting a big time title eliminator for their bantamweight division in October.
Per ESPN, “Magic” Marlon Moraes (23-6-1) said that the UFC is planning to have him and Cody Garbrandt (12-3) fight in October. Moraes also told ESPN that he and his wife had recently tested positive for COVID-19.
Huge fight in the UFC’s bantamweight division
When it comes to non-title fights, it doesn’t get much bigger than this in the UFC. For Moraes, the fight will be his first since his controversial decision win over Jose Aldo at UFC 245.
Despite the judges giving Moraes the fight, the UFC believed Aldo won the fight. Because of that, and by the request of the former champ Henry Cejudo, Aldo received a title shot over Moraes.
Moraes is 5-1 in his last six fights inside the octagon including knockouts over Jimmie Rivera and the current number one contender, Aljamain Sterling.
Cody Garbrandt took 15 months off after he was knocked out by Pedro Munhoz at UFC 235. The fight had marked Garbrandt’s third consecutive loss by knockout.
Garbrandt had dealt with injuries and just didn’t seem to be himself. “No Love” also decided to make a switch prior to his last fight by incorporating coach Mark Henry into his camp.
The results speak for themselves. At UFC 250 against Raphael Assuncao, Garbrandt looked fantastic. His speed and footwork were on point, and he might have secured the knockout of the year.
It’s clear that the UFC is planning to have Petr Yan defend his title against Aljamain Sterling. In fact, Yan said that he wants to do the fight in October. If that’s the case, this fight between Garbrandt and Moraes might be on the same card.
A win for either man would put them next in line for the title shot at 135 pounds. There might not be a better division in the UFC right now than the bantamweight division.