The UFC’s December schedule continues to grow. In the latest development, bantamweight Rob Font will return to action on December 19 after a nearly year-long layoff. His opponent will be none other than Marlon Moraes, who is making something of a quick turnaround after losing to Cory Sandhagen only eleven days ago.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the booking confirmed the fight to Cageside Press, on condition of anonymity. Journalist Mike Russell was first to report news of the pairing.
Font (17-4) has been on the sidelines since defeating Ricky Simon back at UFC DC in December 2019, injuring his ACL in the process. The injury occurred mid-fight, with Font stating in subsequent interviews he could feel something was wrong, but needed to finish out the fight. Coming through with the win, Font now sits just outside the top 10 in arguably the most stacked division in the UFC currently. A win over Moraes would likely put the Boston fighter on the short list for a title shot, or perhaps in a title eliminator.
Watching friend and teammate Calvin Kattar go 2-0 during the pandemic, the “New England Cartel” fighter now looks to add himself into the upper echelon of the UFC.
Marlon Moraes (23-7-1) was on a four fight win streak before falling victim to “Triple C” Henry Cejudo in a title fight last year. Since then Moraes is 1-1, with his last loss coming to Sandhagen via stoppage in the second round. The win in question, meanwhile, came in a split decision against Jose Aldo — after which is was Aldo, not Moraes, who landed a title shot. Moraes has stood toe-to-toe with some of the top athletes in the division, and Font is in for his biggest test yet.
The UFC’s December 19 date is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event currently features the following reported bouts:
Deron Winn vs. Antônio Braga Neto
Belal Muhammad vs. Sean Brady
Jamie Pickett vs. Tafon Nchukwi
Marlon Moraes vs. Rob Font
