Raphael Assuncao spoiled former World Series of Fighting champion Marlon Moraes’ Octagon debut at UFC 212 on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
While Moraes had hoped to immediately jump into the thick of the UFC bantamweight title picture, it wasn’t to be, as Assuncao, if barely, kept his championship aspirations alive.
Much of the first round was a feeling out period, but Moraes quickly established that he had the advantage in terms of hand speed and found his timing a sooner than Assuncao. While Moraes landed more frequently throughout the round, Assuncao finished strong, landing a kick and two hard right hands that wobbled Moraes in the waning moments of the round.
Round two was even closer than round one. While Assuncao showed better movement and pressed forward more, he landed little throughout the five minutes. Perhaps his strong finish in round one helped though, as Moraes’ timing was nowhere near as good in the second frame as it was in the first.
As much as Assuncao pressed forward in round two, after an early stumble, it was Moraes that took control in the final minutes of the fight.
Assuncao landed an overhand right early in the frame that dropped Moraes briefly to a knee, but the former WSOF champion pressed on for the remainder of the round, landing solid low kicks and stinging Assuncao with a stiff jab.
Moraes landed an impressive spinning kick late in the fight, but it was too little, too late to find a finish and the bout went to the scorecards.
Fighting on his home turf, the judges awarded a split decision to Assuncao. One judge scored it 30-27 and another 29-28 in favor of Assuncao, while a third judge saw it 29-28 for Moraes.
The victory was Assuncao’s second consecutive since losing a decision to former UFC champion TJ Dillashaw last summer, and puts him back in the hunt for a shot at current champion Cody Garbrandt.
For Moraes, it ends a 13-fight winning streak and sends him back to the drawing board as he searches for a path to the title.
