Brazilian grappling ace Sergio Moraes admits he didn’t want to fight a countryman at UFC 237, but he certainly isn’t going to hold back now that he must.
“I personally would rather not face another Brazilian,” Moraes admitted to MMA Junkie in his native Portuguese. “But I did ask the UFC for a chance to be on the Rio card. We’re going to war.”
Moraes (14-4-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) meets fellow Brazilian Warlley Alves (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC 237 event, which takes place at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The preliminary bout streams on ESPN+ ahead of additional prelims on ESPN and a main card on pay-per-view.
Over his past 11 fights, Moraes is 8-2-1, with both of those losses coming in bouts contested in the U.S., while six of the wins came in his native Brazil, so it’s understandable why “Serginho” enjoys competing there. It’s a key outing for the grappling specialist, who looks to rebound from a disappointing decision loss to the fast-rising Anthony Rocco Martin earlier this year.
“I got frustrated,” Moraes said of the contest. “His strategy was to go in and out and score points. I came to his country, ready for a hard battle. Once I realized what his game was, it was too late. I blame myself for not noticing sooner.”
Moraes is hoping Alves will have different intentions – which, based on his fighting history, is a likely outcome. Moraes wants a battle, but the ever-smiling welterweight said he’s not about to go trying to sell the world on something that doesn’t exist.
“If I try to do some trashtalking, it comes out fake,” Moraes said. “It’s not my style. I fight with respect and give my best – that’s the best way.”
Interesting also in regards to Moraes recent record isn’t just where the fights have taken place, but also who he was facing in those bouts. Since 2012, Moraes’ only losses have come to Martin and current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. In that same stretch, he’s picked up wins over notable names such as Neil Magny, Tim Means and Ben Saunders, among others.
Despite the body of work, Moraes is currently on the outside of the UFC’s official rankings, though he insists he’s unaffected by any lack of placement.
“The first step is to win,” Moraes said. “Who knows, maybe a big win over Warlley will get me into the UFC rankings.
“People keep asking about me getting into the rankings. I don’t put that pressure on myself. I’ll just keep doing my work and good things will come.”
It all starts on Saturday night. It might not be an ideal opponent, as Moraes isn’t likely to have the full support of the raucous crowd, but the mission remains unchanged.
“I plan to get back to my winning ways,” Moraes said. “I’ll walk into the cage and give my best. It’s the best way to honor the Brazilian public. We don’t fight for points. We fight to get a finish.”
For more on UFC 237, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
