Marlon Moraes the person and Marlon Moraes the fighter are separate entities.
As a fighter, the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) bantamweight champion is an absolute killer—a monster, some might say—owning devastating striking and lethal grappling which bewilder his opponents.
He’s on a tear, winning his last eight fights and establishing himself as arguably the best bantamweight mixed martial artist competing outside the UFC Octagon.
Where Moraes the fighter induces black eyes, fear and unconsciousness, Moraes the person generates smiles and laughter.
He’s lighthearted, genuine and downright pleasant, exactly the kind of guy who would never punch you in the face and try to snap your limbs.
Recently, Bleacher Report caught up with the WSOF 18 main event fighter, and we discussed the first time he ever got in a fight, his upcoming bout against Josh Hill on Feb. 12, the chances of seeing him inside the UFC Octagon sometime in the future and more.
Bleacher Report: Hey, Marlon, thanks for taking the time to chat today. Obviously, you have a big fight against Josh Hill coming up at WSOF 18. How’s everything feeling?
Marlon Moraes: I’m feeling great, man, training hard. The training is almost done. What I had to do I did already, and I can’t wait just to fight. I’m excited, and I can’t wait to be inside the cage fighting.
B/R: You’ve been scheduled to fight this guy a couple times already, and it’s been pushed back. How is it going to feel for you to finally get in there and face Josh Hill?
MM: I’ll fight anybody, man, at 135. It’s a good fight, you know? Josh Hill’s an upcoming guy, he’s 10-0, he’s been fighting for good promotions. He fought once for the World Series and did good, knocked the guy out.
It’s a good fight in the division, and I’m looking forward to fighting anybody in the division. I was getting ready for him before, so I just kept doing what I was doing. I can’t wait just to go out there and show what I’ve been working on every day.
B/R: Does anything about his game concern you at all? He seems to be a pretty heavy grappler from the top. Does that worry you?
MM: Man, I’m not worried to fight anyone—wrestlers, boxers, jiu-jitsu guys—I see myself ready to fight anybody in any martial art. But Josh Hill’s a tough guy. He’s a tough opponent, he’s good everywhere. I’ve been training all on the ground, wrestling, boxing, muay thai—I’m trying to fight to be more complete as an MMA fighter. I’m ready to fight anywhere, and I’m looking forward to proving it on Thursday.
B/R: Instead of just looking for the win, you’re defending your title as well. How important is that to you to be a champion who goes out and defends his belt and notches multiple title defenses?
MM: I’m just happy, man. So happy, bro. I would fight more. I’m addicted to martial arts. I’ve been training since I was very young, so now it’s a dream come true. I’m going to go out there and defend my belt. I’ll defend my belt. I’m ready and I can’t wait to fight.
B/R: And you just mentioned something interesting I’ve heard about you. I’ve read that you started Thai boxing when you were seven years old. Is that true?
MM: Yeah, yeah. I started in Brazil, and from the beginning, I wasn’t thinking about being a fighter. I was training just to have fun, to learn another sport. And then six months later I was fighting. It was good, you know? I’m grateful to God to be blessing me to be able to do this, to be healthy, and I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’m going to turn 27 in April, so I’m involved in the sport for 20 years. That’s good!
B/R: What were those days like when you first started? What got you excited about fighting in the beginning?
MM: In the beginning, it wasn’t like it is today. I see people joining camps, joining wrestling, joining boxing, and people say, ‘Oh, man, I want to be in the UFC. I want to make money, I want to have a career. I want to be like Anderson Silva, I want to be like Georges St-Pierre.’
But when I started, man, it wasn’t like that. I was just a kid who liked to go to the gym and kick pads, punch pads, sparring kids, compete, get the trophies, the medals…It was fun! I’ve never been thinking, ‘Man, I want to make money. I want to make a career off this sport.’ It just happened. It was natural. I didn’t force anything. This is why I think a lot of people sometimes aren’t successful in life. They think too much, ‘Man, I need to make money. I need to be there.’ You need to just relax, enjoy and do what you love to do.
B/R: And even now, even today with the title on the line, with your huge winning streak on the line, does it still feel like that to you? Does it still feel fun and like something you genuinely enjoy?
MM: Yes, man, it’s still very fun for me. I’m going out there to bring my belt back. I love martial arts, and I love hanging with my belt. I love to see my belt and I want to bring him back. My belt’s my belt.
B/R: Do you remember your first fight, your first real fight?
MM: I remember my first fight. I was nine, and I fought in a kickboxing match. When I showed up to the fight, the kid (my opponent) was like 15 pounds over me, and one of the guys in Brazil, he’s an old coach in Brazil, he died a couple years ago, he used to be Minotauro’s (UFC heavyweight Antonio Nogueira’s) coach (Luiz Alves).
He was doing a tournament, and they got me this guy to fight, and I thought, ‘Man, I’m here, I’m fighting anybody. I’m going to fight.’ He said to me, ‘Man, do you want to fight? Are you sure? You go in there, and if you feel scared, just go under the ropes and run. You’re small, man, you can go under the ropes and run away.’
I said, ‘Man, I can get beat up, but I’m never going to go under the ropes. I’m going to stay in there and finish it from the beginning to the end.’ And he said, ‘Wow, man. I think this kid’s going to be a fighter.’
This was like 20 years ago.
B/R: That’s a great story, man. I love that. And I understand growing up in Brazil, from what I’ve read, you’ve been in quite a few street fights as well. What were those days like, and what was it like having to basically fight for yourself and for your life?
MM: You know, man, it was tough. But one important thing my mom always told me, she always said, ‘Hey, if you’re going to go play, go play soccer, go do whatever you want to do, but if somebody hits you, you gotta hit. Don’t come back and tell me somebody hit you and you didn’t do anything.’ And I said, ‘All right,’ and I just tried to survive.
B/R: How did she feel once you started getting into fighting more? How does she feel about your career and everything you’ve accomplished?
MM: My mom, she loves me, you know? Whatever I’m doing, she’s happy. She suffered a lot, working hard to support me and my family together with my father. She’s happy. She sees my success now, she sees me as a champion, and, man, she saw how hard I worked and I’m grateful to be able to help her a little bit today, to help her with everything. I owe everything I have in my life to my mom.
B/R: When you think about those days, did you ever dream you’d be where you are today?
MM: No, man, I never thought about that. Sometimes I stop to think, and I say, ‘Oh, man. This is all crazy.’ It’s like a bomb, you know? You just don’t see it happening. But when I stop to think, I see how hard I worked and how many things I did on the path, but right now, it’s like ‘Boom!’ It just happened.
I’m here now, it just all happened. I need to go out there and defend my title. It’s crazy. This is why we need to be alive. We need to be alive every day and be a nice person, be a good person, because the days go so fast before you realize it’s done.
B/R: That’s another thing I wanted to ask you about, and you kind of touched on it there. You’re such a nice guy, just talking to you, I’m smiling the whole time, but inside the cage, you turn into a killer. What’s that switch like? How do you flip the switch from being this nice guy to being a fighter who’s there to take out your opponent?
MM: There are so many things that motivate me, bro. It’s my life. I have a family, I have a kid now, I have a newborn kid, he’s four months old. I have my wife, I have my family in Brazil, and I’ve been in a lot of bad spots in my life. I don’t want these guys to take anything from me.
When I’m in there, it’s my time. Nobody’s going to take it. It’s my time. And I go out there, whatever I need to do, I’m going to do it to win.
B/R: That’s great, and congratulations on having the kid. How has that changed your life and your training specifically?
MM: Man, I’m so happy with the baby. In the beginning, it’s tough. It’s tough to sleep, you know? But I do good with that. I have such a good wife, Izabella, and she helps me out a lot. We are enjoying, man. We are enjoying the baby. For me, it’s extra motivation. I want to win for him now, I want to leave a legacy for him, and, man, I want to be one of the best in the world. I want my son to know his strength, to know, ‘Man, my dad was this guy.’ It’s great.
B/R: And you know, there are people saying you might be the best bantamweight on the planet right now, and it’s impossible to talk to you without asking if the UFC is still on your mind. Is that in the future for you?
MM: You know, I thought more about the UFC in the past, because we, as MMA fighters, we go, ‘Man, my goal is to go to the UFC. My goal is the UFC.’ But, man, I just forget about it now. I’m not even thinking about it. I’m just thinking about my goal.
Now, my goal is to defend my belt, to represent the World Series of Fighting. I don’t want to think about the UFC, because I’m in the World Series of Fighting. Why am I going to talk about the UFC? My dream now is to prove I’m the best in the world, but it doesn’t matter where I am. I can be recognized. I’m working hard for this, and I’ll be doing whatever I have to do to prove that.
B/R: If you finish your career with the World Series of Fighting and end up never fighting for the UFC, do you feel you’ll be able to prove you are, hands down, the best in the world?
MM: I think so, man. I can do so many things inside the World Series of Fighting. There are a lot of plans, and something’s coming. Maybe I can prove I’m the best 135-pounder in the world. That’s what matters.
B/R: Would you be OK with your career ending like that, if you never stepped foot in the UFC Octagon?
MM: I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but I’m OK with that, man. I’m doing what I love to do. I have the belt. I’m the world champion, and I go to work to do what I love to do. I’m all right, man. I’m very happy. I got to tell you, I’m very happy now in my life. I’m very happy to fight for one of the best organizations in the world.
I have my family. I’m able to support my family, I’m able to fight, and the World Series of Fighting’s been working hard, getting fights, bringing guys in and everything. They’re going to be bringing in top-10 guys in the world, so there’s a chance for me to prove and show everybody where I belong.
B/R: Thank you for your time, Marlon, and good luck on Thursday. I appreciate you taking a second to chat.
MM: No, no, thank you, man. You guys are such smart guys, and it’s always great to talk to you to motivate me for my fights. Thank you.
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