As seen in the main event of Friday’s (June 1, 2018) UFC Utica event that aired on FOX Sports 1 at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York, Moraes was able to finish top contender Jimmie Rivera by strikes after landing a huge head kick to win the bantamweight headliner.

After the fight, the former WSOF champion made it clear that he is not interested in any other fights except for one that involves the UFC bantamweight title.







“ I really don’t want any other fight,” Moraes (21-6-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) said backstage at the event (transcript courtesy of MMAJunkie ). “I want to fight for the belt. I’m definitely waiting. I want to be a champion,” he said. “That’s it.”





Moraes continued by stating that he expects UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw to defeat former champ and rival Cody Garbrandt in the main event of the upcoming UFC 227 pay-per-view event.

Although he doesn’t have a preference over whom he fights (the winner of this fight), he just wants it to be for the title.





“We just do the same job,” he said. “We build up the fight, and everybody wanted to watch, and thank God I won.”

“I’m going to go back home and train,” Moraes said. “That was a fight, and like I said before the fight, matchups make fighters. I fought him, and the way I beat him, that was the way somebody who deserves to fight for the title should perform.”





The UFC 227 pay-per-view event is set to take place on Saturday, August 4, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

The main card will air on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass.