Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight No. 1 contender, Marlon Moraes, doesn’t understand why the mixed martial arts (MMA) community is up in arms over the drastic weight cut by former featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, ahead of UFC 245.
Perhaps “Magic” wants a potential victory to be attributed to his skill set, and not the fragility of his rapidly-shrinking opponent. Or maybe Moraes is trying to stay positive and keep his mental game in check with just a few days to go until fight night in Las Vegas.
“People always like to talk about anything,” Moraes told MMA Junkie. “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.”
Aldo (28-5) is cutting down to bantamweight after failing to get himself back into the title hunt at 145 pounds. Unfortunately, photos of his new physique left “Junior” looking frail and overly-depleted long before he even started his final cut.
As for Moraes (22-6-1), he also experiences a tough cut due to his muscular frame, but has spent most of his career at bantamweight and doesn’t run the risk of “over-cutting” like Aldo or some of the other combatants who change weight classes.
The UFC 245 weigh ins take place in roughly 24 hours.