UFC Vegas 50: Marlon Moraes Reflects On Wild UFC 266 Loss

Las Vegas, NV – Marlon Moraes finally got some time to reflect on his wild UFC 266 fight.

Moraes (23-9) returns to action for the first time in 2022 this weekend at UFC Vegas 50. The Brazilian is coming off a TKO loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 266, in what was a frankly wild outing. In the fight, Moraes had Dvalishvili very hurt in the first round and was on the verge of getting another knockout win. However, Dvalishvili would survive the first round and come back to finish Moraes in the second.

At Wednesday’s UFC Vegas 50 media day, Moraes talked about the fight and how he was shocked that his opponent survived.

“Who wasn’t [shocked]? In there, it was kind of different because, man, I thought the ref was going to stop it at some point. My mind just went away, and I thought it was over, but the fight is never over. That is the mistake I made, and I paid for it,” Moraes told Cageside Press.

“At some point, I lost the focus on the fight, and I used a lot of energy to finish him. I saw him finished, and I gave it all I got to make sure it was over, but it wasn’t over. It was kind of hard for me to get back, and he kept the pressure. He kept the composure, and he knew he had to push because of my movement, and I would have been back.”

Moraes is riding a three-fight skid and has lost four of his last five. While many fans have been doubting him, he tries to silence his mind, but to be frank, he doesn’t care what people think about him.

“Man, it’s not easy. But it is what it is; that’s the life I chose for myself— the hurting business. If you’re happy too long, when you get sad, it’s going to be really sad. It’s never enough; you’re always as good as your last fight. If you just won, when is the next one? I love what I do. I don’t care what people think,” Moraes said.

Moraes takes on Song Yadong in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 50.

Watch the full UFC Vegas 50 media day appearance from Magomed Ankalaev above. More coverage can be found below. The event takes place this Saturday, March 12, 2022 at the Apex in Las Vegas, NV.