Ex-UFC Title Challenger Returns This Weekend After Seven-Straight Knockout Losses

A decorated MMA veteran that previously fought for UFC gold will attempt to snap a seven-fight skid when he competes this Friday in his native Brazil.

The summer is slowly coming to an end, but the MMA slate is as packed as ever with Dana White’s Contender Series having just concluded its third card of the 2026 season and the UFC headed to Shanghai this weekend for both a Road to UFC and UFC Fight Night event following last Saturday’s UFC Sacramento card.

This weekend also features events from the likes of Shooto Brasil, LFA, Road FC, and plenty of other regional organizations, including Curitiba-based Liga Monstro Combate.

Ex-UFC Title Challenger Marlon Moraes Returns to MMA at Brazil's LMC 2

LMC held its first event in Curitiba in June, which featured a number of UFC veterans and saw Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos score a first-round finish over Jesse Taylor in the main event to win the promotion’s welterweight belt.

That card also saw former UFC standout and ONE Championship titleholder John Lineker take a unanimous decision over Rogerio Ferreira in a boxing match, while fellow UFC veterans Junior Albini and Raffael Cerqueira both came up short in their respective bouts.

John Lineker is the Liga Monstro Combate boxing champion of the world. pic.twitter.com/YucqEfk0q6
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 7, 2026

This Friday’s LMC 2 card is also headlined by a name that will be familiar to longtime MMA fans, as former UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes is set to face Maximiliano Perez in the night’s main event.

Marlon Moraes Fought for UFC Title After Stellar WSOF Run

A veteran of 47 professional MMA fights, Moraes first rose to prominence during an undefeated run with the World Series of Fighting that saw the Brazilian go 11-0 with the promotion and bring his overall win streak to 13 fights.

Marlon Moraes (red gloves) walks to the Octagon before a bout against Jose Aldo (blue gloves) during UFC 245 at T-Mobile Arena. | USA TODAY Sports

That WSOF run included five successful defenses of the promotion’s bantamweight belt, and in 2017 he and fellow WSOF titleholder Justin Gaethje both made the jump over to the UFC.

Justin Gaethje (blue gloves) prior to his fight against Ilia Topuria (not pictured) during the UFC Freedom 250 at the White House South Lawn. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After dropping his UFC debut to Raphael Assunção, Moraes won four-straight bouts to set up a fight for the vacant UFC bantamweight belt against Henry Cejudo, who stopped the Brazilian in the third round.

"Magic Man" Looks to Snap Seven-Fight Streak of Knockout Losses

Following a split decision win over UFC Hall of Famer José Aldo, Moraes was knocked out in four-straight fights and ended up joining the PFL (formerly WSOF) in 2022 shortly after his final UFC loss to Song Yadong.

Merab Dvalishvili lands a hit against Marlon Moraes during UFC 266 at T-Mobile Arena. | USA TODAY Sports

“Magic Man” unfortunately also suffered stoppage-losses in all three of his PFL appearances, the most recent of which came in 2023 against his countryman Gabriel Braga.

Marlon Moraes reacts following his loss against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 266 at T-Mobile Arena. | USA TODAY Sports

Moraes met Ary Farias in a grappling match last year but will be fighting in MMA for the first time in over three years when he meets Perez, who is on a 1-4 run dating back to 2025 and was knocked out in the first round of his most recent outing in June.

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