UFC Fight Island 5 weigh-in results - Moraes vs. Sandhagen

Marlon Moraes announces return from retirement, signs with PFL for 2023 season

The retirement for one of the most electric fighters in the sport has ended. Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Marlon Moraes announced on Thursday that he will be returning to active competition and signing with the Professional Fighters League for the 2023 season.

Brett Okamoto of ESPN was first to report the news of Marlon Moraes’ return and move to PFL, citing his manager Ali Abdelaziz who added that not all details are finalized as of yet. One important note that was reported however is that Moraes is expected to compete at 145 pounds in PFL’s featherweight division, making a jump up from when he competed in the UFC’s bantamweight division.

Marlon Moraes himself would go on to announce the news later on Thursday, saying that he is coming home as the former UFC standout also competed in World Series of Fighting, which has ties to what is now known as PFL. During his time with the World Series of Fighting, Moraes would go 11-0 in the promotion, winning the bantamweight title, and defended it five times during his run.

Following his time with WSOF, Moraes signed with the UFC in 2017 where he would drop a split-decision loss in his promotional debut.

Following a four-fight losing streak to some of the top contenders in the UFC’s bantamweight division, the 34-year old Moraes announced his retirement from the sport back in April. Before his losing skid, Moraes picked up notable wins over former featherweight champion Jose Aldo and had a highlight-reel knockout of reigning UFC bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling.

The addition of Marlon Moraes now becomes the third former UFC fighter and contender to make the jump over to the PFL, as former UFC featherweight Shane Burgos recently joined the promotion, as did former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos.

After approximately five months of retirement, Marlon Moraes will now prepare to compete in the 2023 PFL season at a new weight class, with his eyes on the grand prize of $1 million and a world title.

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Mike Pendleton
Mike Pendleton is a current contributor to MyMMANews while also hosting his "On The Mic" podcast and is a former Associate Producer at Sirius XM's Fight Nation. With a special passion for interviewing and talking to the very best around the fight game, you can read or listen to Mike's work across his multiple outlets. Follow me on Twitter: @MP2310