Will Marlon Moraes sink or swim in his UFC debut?
He has yet to set foot in the Octagon, but Marlon Moraes already knows better than most that there are no tuneup fights on the biggest stage.
The 29-year-old makes his long-awaited UFC debut against bantamweight mainstay Raphael Assuncao in UFC 212's preliminary headliner in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. The matchup may have many wondering whether he's stepped into a pair of breeches he can't fill, although one glance at his track record says he earned a date with the third-ranked Assuncao not by slighting the always-impulsive MMA gods, but by trouncing the competition.
While competing under the World Series of Fighting banner, Moraes cemented himself as one of the world's premier talents outside of the UFC, debuting with a win over lighter weight pioneer Miguel Torres in late 2012 before becoming the outfit's first bantamweight champion four fights later. The Brazilian fought out his WSOF contract in December, and put his John Hancock on a UFC deal earlier this spring with a perfect 11-0 promotional record and five successful title defenses to his name.
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If Bellator imports Marcin Held and Will Brooks have proven anything over their lackluster UFC stints, it's that Moraes' mostly spotless resume won't be immune to a blemish or two in the Octagon. But with the buzz of four straight stoppages and the tutelage of a camp boasting former world champions Frankie Edgar and Eddie Alvarez as well as contender Edson Barboza on his side, returning stateside with a bounty only five men have collected isn't outside the realm of possibility. Maybe Moraes isn't being thrown to the lions after all.
Assuncao, however, is no one's stepping stone.
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Often and unjustly omitted from the bantamweight contenders' table, the perpetually unassuming Assuncao remains a world-class talent at age 34. A consistent purveyor of fireworks he is not, but his methodical ways earned him seven straight wins in the Octagon between August 2011 and October 2014, and like his fellow Brazilian, he's as comfortable on his feet as he is on the ground.
After seeing his return from a 21-month layoff spoiled by former champion TJ Dillashaw at UFC 200, Assuncao reminded us all he's still very much in the mix with a split decision win over the eighth-ranked Aljamain Sterling in January. An unflappable technician with nearly 30 fights under his belt, the WEC holdover gets a tantalizing dance partner in the buzzsaw that is Moraes, and with former divisional kings in Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz ahead of him in the pecking order, he can ill afford to see his stock besmirched at the hands of a newcomer.
No matter who gets their hand raised in Rio on fight night, a statement will be made.