Marlon Moraes (23-13-1) has taken enough damage.
The one-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight title challenger and former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) champion suffered his seventh consecutive knockout loss against Gabriel Braga via first round stoppage at 3:02 at PFL 4 2023 tonight (Thurs., June 8, 2023). It was Moraes’ third appearance in PFL since his short-lived March 2022 retirement that followed a four-fight skid in UFC. Now, the 35-year-old Brazilian is hanging the gloves back up.
“Yes, man,” Moraes said in his post-fight interview when asked if he was retiring. “I started here with World Series of Fighting, you know? When I announced my retirement, I was in the UFC, I wasn’t home. Now I’m home. I wish I had better performances here, but you know, guys, I gave all my heart. I trained hard, I can look myself in the mirror every day and be proud of myself. I’ve been kickboxing [and doing] MMA since I was nine. I’m 35. 26 years, I gave all my life for this.
“I wish PFL is gonna be No. 1 in the world and this guy which I just fought, I wish him the best,” he concluded. “I wish everyone the best. He’s a great fighter and man, I gave my heart for this sport, and thank you, God. God gave me all I have and I can’t be sad today, I’m happy. I have a beautiful wife, two kids. I’m happy, man.”
Moraes’ last career victory came against the all-time great former two-time UFC Featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, in Dec. 2019 via a split decision in what was Aldo’s 135-pound debut. Three fights before the Aldo win, Moraes earned what is one of his best highlights, knocking out the future UFC Bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, with a devasting knee strike in round one.
For more PFL 4 2023 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive archive right here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
