Sergio Moraes wants spot in rankings after UFC Fight Night 100: 'I deserve to be ranked'

Sergio Moraes entered UFC 198 on a four-fight winning streak and left with a disappointing draw. Now, he’s looking to get things back on track when he faces fellow welterweight Zak Ottow.

Moraes (10-2-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) and Ottow (14-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) kick off Saturday’s FS1-televised UFC Fight Night 100 main card at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo.

The fight offers Moraes the opportunity to bounce back from his UFC 198 draw with Luan Chagas – a fight 12 of 16 media outlets recorded by MMADecisions.com scored for Moraes.

“To me, this draw with Luan Chagas was worse than a loss,” Moraes told MMAjunkie. “I was facing some problems beforehand but decided to fight anyway. I paid for my mistake. I won’t do that again. Now I’m looking to beat everyone I can. I know my own potential. I’ll always try to get a finish. Nowadays there are many fighters who won’t take any risks in the octagon. They try to win by points. That’s not my style.”

While he made his UFC debut with a stunning split-decision upset of Josh Burkman at UFC Fight Night 96, Ottow has submitted his opponent in 10 of his 14 career victories.

Ottow’s ground game is of little concern to Moraes, he said. After all, Moraes has his own solid submission rate, with seven tap-outs in 10 career victories. And with the added benefit of facing an American opponent in Brazil, Moraes called the situation “awesome.”

“A lot of opponents enjoy fighting on the ground, but once they get booked against me, they switch strategies,” Moraes said. “I’ve seen his fights. I’m showing up to fight MMA. I have takedowns and striking. I’m always evolving. Every time I fight in the UFC, I’m better than before. And now I get to fight at home. It’s awesome.”

Moraes has impressed in his UFC career to date. After a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” culminated with a loss to Cezar Ferreira in the tournament final, Moraes went on his four-fight tear. Three of his four victories came by stoppage, including an impressive submission of Neil Magny at UFC 163.

Considering his run over his UFC career, Moraes expressed frustration at his place – or lack thereof – in the official UFC rankings.

“After this next victory, I want to ask the UFC to book me against someone in the top 10,” Moraes said. “I’ve already fought and defeated Neil Magny, who currently is ranked. I deserve to be ranked too, but I haven’t had a whiff of it. I never stall in a fight. I make things happen. I deserve a top-10 opponent so I can demonstrate my worth.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 100, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.