Why John Moraga's return to the UFC win column after 30 months was 'bittersweet'

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – John Moraga avoided a dreaded four-fight UFC losing skid when he rebounded from a rough patch in his career with a dominant performance against Ashkan Mokhtarian at UFC Fight Night 110 on Saturday.

Although Moraga (17-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) has been among the flyweight division’s elite for the majority of its UFC existence, the past few years have been troublesome following three consecutive losses. He got back on track, though, and beat Mokhtarian (13-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) by lopsided unanimous decision on the FS1-televised preliminary card at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. Early prelims streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Moraga, No. 12 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA flyweight rankings, challenged pound-for-pound king Demetrious Johnson for the 125-pound belt in July 2013. He succumbed to a fifth-round submission, but his durability led to high hopes for his future.

Moraga said he did his best not to let the skid rattle his psyche.

“You can’t really let it get to you or think about it,” Moraga told MMAjunkie after his win. “I just had to stay focused and know that I’m going to win one, the next one. I didn’t let it get to me. I knew it was an issue. I knew it would be talked about. I had to answer a bunch of interviews about it. But in my mind, I was just focused on winning as always.”

Moraga’s record of six wins in 11 UFC fights might not seem overly impressive on the surface, but he’s largely lost to the best, including Johnson, John Dodson and Joseph Benavidez. He was clearly on a different level than UFC newcomer Mokhtarian, and while the win was the most important thing, Moraga said he wishes he displayed his superiority in a more emphatic manner.

“I’m hard on myself because I always want the finish, so it’s kind of bittersweet,” Moraga said. “I wanted the finish, but I needed that (win) very bad for my career. I had to take a second as soon as I walked out the tunnel and sat sown and just thanked God for giving me the ability to perform. I’m just blessed that I was able to get the W.

“I hit him with some good shots, and I could tell he didn’t want to be there. But he kept fighting, so he made me keep fighting. I just wish I would have got the finish, but I’m just happy with the W today.”

“Chicano” now wants to be the title contender he was four years ago.

“I just want to heal up and feel good coming into the next one,” Moraga said. “I want to go into a camp feeling healthy and be smart about the rest of my career.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 110, check out the UFC Events section of the site.