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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 18: In this handout image provided by UFC, (L-R) Opponents Marlon Moraes of Brazil and Rob Font face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at UFC APEX on December 18, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 18: In this handout image provided by UFC, (L-R) Opponents Marlon Moraes of Brazil and Rob Font face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at UFC APEX on December 18, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
On the last UFC fight card of the year, there are two important bantamweight bouts scheduled. “Magic” Marlon Moraes will fight Rob Font in a battle of contenders. Both fighters are currently ranked and will be looking to make a huge jump in rankings with a win in a stacked division.
Marlon Moraes has already fought for the belt once. At UFC 238, he came up short against Henry Cejudo. Rob Font will be looking to make his case heard with a win.
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Moraes is currently on a skid. He has lost two of his last three fights. His win, sandwiched between the two losses, was a controversial split decision over Jose Aldo. In his last outing, Cory Sandhagen beat him via a second-round T/KO.
Font appears to have the advantage, as he has claimed back-to-back wins over the likes of Ricky Simon and Sergio Pettis.
Marlon Moraes and Rob Font in numbers
The Brazilian, Moraes, is known for his kickboxing skills along with submission pedigree. He holds an impressive 23-7-1 record and has claimed 17 finishes in his career.
Font has claimed 11 finishes and notched up a 17-4 record. He has a striking accuracy of 41% and has landed 492 of 1195 attempted strikes. In his UFC career, Font has landed 5.11 significant strikes per minute and absorbed 3.89 in the process.
Marlon Moraes is much less of a volume striker, having landed only 113/327 (35%) strikes. But. his strikes are usually fight-enders as well. This shows that he picks the opportune moment to strike.
Font has better grappling stats and has landed 5/22 takedowns. But, Moraes has established his submission exploits throughout the course of his career. Furthermore, ‘Magic’ has a 60% takedown defense, and Font would exert too much energy in taking the fight to the floor.
Both fighters have claimed more TKO wins than submissions, and they will look to play to their strengths and keep the fight on the feet.
Considering the current run both the fighters are on, it seems logical to pick Rob Font to come out as the winner. He most probably gets it done by earning a hard-fought decision.
Final Prediction: Rob Font by decision
