The American Top Team-trained Brazilian tightened his stranglehold on the One Championship flyweight title with a stunning knockout of Demetrious Johnson in the second round of their One on TNT 1 headliner on April 7. A knee strike sent Johnson packing 2:24 into Round 2, marking the first time the former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder had ever been finished. Moraes, now 19-3, has not fought since. He has won six of his past seven bouts and looks very much like a man to whom the Singapore-based promotion can hitch its wagon.
As Moraes awaits word on his next assignment from One Championship matchmakers, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied him to this point:
32: Years of age for Moraes, who was born in Brasilia, Brazil, on April 21, 1989.
9: Moraes victories by submission, accounting for 47% of his career total (19). His methods of choice: four rear-naked chokes, two arm-triangle chokes, two guillotine chokes and one brabo choke. Moraes owns four other victories by knockout or technical knockout and six more by decision.
90: Seconds needed for Moraes to submit Aldo Ariel Villalba with an arm-triangle choke at a Pro Mix Fight event on March 9, 2013. Having occurred more than eight years ago, it remains the fastest finish of his 22-fight career.
1,723: Days spent by Moraes as the undisputed One Championship flyweight titleholder, covering three separate reigns atop the division.
4: Brazilian titlists, including Moraes, in One Championship history. Roger Gracie, Bibiano Fernandes and Alex Silva are the others.
46: Rounds completed by Moraes since he turned pro in 2011. He has fought a full 25 minutes on five different occasions and holds a 3-2 record in those bouts.
8: Countries in which Moraes has competed as a mixed martial artist. He has gone 9-0 in his native Brazil, 2-2 in China, 2-1 in Malaysia, 2-0 in the Philippines, 1-0 in Indonesia, 1-0 in Cambodia, 1-0 in Myanmar and 1-0 in Singapore.
1: Trilogy on the Moraes resume. He has faced Lakay MMA standout Geje Eustaquio three times and owns a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head series.
.784: Cumulative winning percentage between the three men—Eustaquio, Kairat Akhmetov and Yusup Saadulaev—who have defeated Moraes. They boast a combined record of 58-15-1.
7: Promotions in which Moraes has posted at least one win. He has 10 victories in One Championship, three in Shooto Brazil, two in Precol Combat, one in Rockstrike MMA, one in Encontro Fight, one in Pro Mix Fight and one in Octagon Rounds Fight.