Sérgio Ricardo de Moraes (born July 23, 1982) is a Brazilian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who formerly competed in the welterweight and middleweight division's for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He was a competitor on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil''.

Background

Moraes is often called “O Orgulho da Cohab” meaning literally “The Pride of Cohab”. Moraes was born in Cohab. Moraes is a 4-time

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

World Champion but his most famous fight was when he defeated

Kron Gracie Kron Gracie (born July 11, 1988) is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist, grappler and black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and instructor. A member of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gracie family, he is the son of Rickson Gracie and a gr ...

at the 2008 World Championship. Moraes's affiliation is the

Alliance Jiu Jitsu An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

Team. Sérgio is currently the head Jiu Jitsu instructor at Evolução Thai in

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in ...

, Brazil. Currently instructing at Reza Martial Arts Center Bahrain.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Moraes made his professional MMA debut in October 2006 in his native Brazil. Over the next five years, he amassed a record of 6 wins and 1 loss, with 5 of his 6 wins coming via submission. Moraes made his United States debut in June 2009 for Bellator Fighting Championships. After being rocked early in the round, Moraes was able to get a takedown and quickly lash up a Triangle choke to defeat Josh Martin via submission in the first round at

Bellator 12 2009 in Bellator MMA was the first installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started broadcasting April 3, 2009, through an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. The episodes had a one-day ...

The Ultimate Fighter

In March 2012, Moraes appeared as a fighter on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil''. In the opening elimination fight, he defeated former

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

World Champion Thiago Rela by submission due to a heel hook from the 50/50 guard, midway through round 1 to get into the TUF house. In the first round of the competition, Moraes fought Delson Heleno. Moraes defeated Heleno via submission (rear naked choke) early in the first round to move onto the semi-final round. There, Moraes fought

Daniel Sarafian Daniel Sarafian Gantman (born 21 August 1982 in São Paulo) is an Armenian-Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who last competed in 2018. A professional since 2006, Sarafian has formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Champion ...

for a spot at the finals. Moraes was knocked out by Sarafian in the first round by a flying knee.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Moraes made his UFC debut on June 23, 2012 at

UFC 147 ''UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin II'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 23, 2012 at Mineirinho Arena in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Background The finals in the featherweight and middlewei ...

against

Cezar Ferreira Cezar Jesus Ferreira (born February 15, 1985), better known in his home country Brazil as Cezar Mutante, is a mixed martial artist currently competing in the light heavyweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, he has competed fo ...

to determine the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. He stepped in as a replacement for Sarafian, who was injured. Moraes lost the fight by unanimous decision after being knocked down twice by Ferreira. Moraes fought fellow TUF Brazil alumnus

Renée Forte Renée Forte Teixeira (born March 27, 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who formerly fought in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was a competitor on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil''. MMA career Early ca ...

on October 13, 2012 at

UFC 153 ''UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 13, 2012, at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background Vitor Belfort was expected to face Alan Belcher a ...

. After being outstruck for much of the bout, Moraes rallied back in the third round and defeated a visibly exhausted Forte by submission due to a rear naked choke. Moraes faced

Neil Magny Aoutneil "Neil" Jacques Magny (born August 3, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2010, Magny ...

on August 3, 2013 at

UFC 163 ''UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 3, 2013, at the HSBC Arena (Rio de Janeiro), HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Background The main event was expected to feature current UFC Featherweight Champ ...

. Moraes won the fight via triangle choke in the first round. The win also earned him his first ''Submission of the Night'' bonus award. Moraes was expected to face

Zak Cummings Zacharry "Zak" Michael Cummings (born August 2, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist, who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also formerly comp ...

on November 30, 2013 at

The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 18'') is the eighteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. ...

. However, Cummings and Moraes had to pull out of the event due to injury and were replaced by Sean Spencer and

Drew Dober Andrew Martin Dober (born October 19, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2009, he has also formerly competed for Bella ...

respectively. Moraes was expected to face

Peter Sobotta Peter Sobotta (born January 11, 1987) is a retired Polish-born German professional mixed martial artist, who fought in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2004, Sobotta has also f ...

on April 11, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 64 ''UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 64'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 11, 2015, at the Tauron Arena Kraków in Kraków, Poland. Background The event was the first that the organization has ...

. However, Sobotta was forced out of the bout citing injury and was replaced by

Gasan Umalatov Gasan Nasrulaevich Umalatov ( Russian: Гасан Насрулаевич Умалатов; born November 3, 1982 in Dagestan) is a Russian mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Bac ...

. In turn, Umalatov also pulled out with injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Mickaël Lebout. Moraes won the fight via unanimous decision. The fight with Sobotta was rescheduled for June 20, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 69 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. On June 9, the fight was scrapped once again as Moraes pulled out for undisclosed reasons. He was replaced by promotional newcomer Steve Kennedy. Moraes faced

Omari Akhmedov Omari Akhmedov (born October 12, 1987) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). He previously fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Ba ...

on December 10, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 80 ''UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 80'') was a mixed martial arts event held on December 10, 2015, at Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event w ...

. He won the fight via KO in the third round. Moraes was expected to face

Kamaru Usman Kamarudeen Usman (born May 11, 1987) is a Nigerian and American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and retired folkstyle wrestler. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champions ...

on May 14, 2016 at

UFC 198 ''UFC 198: Werdum vs. Miocic'' was a mixed martial arts event held on May 14, 2016, at Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil. Background The event was initially announced as a ''Fight Night'' event with a middleweight bout between former UFC Ligh ...

. However, Usman was replaced on the card for undisclosed reasons by promotional newcomer

Luan Chagas Luan Chagas (born 9 November 1989) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Chagas was born in Navirai, Brazil and he attended Karate classes at the early a ...

. The fight was scored a split draw. Moraes was expected to face

Michael Graves Michael Graves (July 9, 1934 – March 12, 2015) was an American architect, designer, and educator, as well as principal of Michael Graves and Associates and Michael Graves Design Group. He was a member of The New York Five and the Memphis Gr ...

on November 19, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 100 ''UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. Nogueira 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 100'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 19, 2016, at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil Background ...

. However, Graves was removed from the fight on October 3 after he was arrested on a misdemeanor

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

charge. Moraes instead faced Zak Ottow on the card. Moraes was awarded a split decision victory. Moraes was expected to face

Max Griffin Max Griffin (born November 29, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Griffin currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2009, Griffin has also c ...

but Griffin pulled out of the fight and Moraes faced promotional newcomer Davi Ramos on March 11, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 106. He won the fight via unanimous decision. After the fight with Ramos, Moraes signed a new, six-fight deal with UFC. A rescheduled bout with

eventually took place on September 16, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 116 ''UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 116'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 16, 2017 at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Backg ...

. Moraes lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Moraes was scheduled to face promotional newcomer

Abubakar Nurmagomedov Abubakar Magomedovich Nurmagomedov (born November 13, 1989) is a Russian mixed martial artist, who is currently competing in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a three-time Combat Sambo World Championship bron ...

on February 3, 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders. Within the same day, for undisclosed reasons, Nurmagomedov was replaced by

Tim Means Timothy Carl Means (born February 20, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist from Moriarty, New Mexico currently competing in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2004, ...

. Moraes won the fight via split decision. Moraes faced Ben Saunders on September 22, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 137. He won the fight via a submission in round two. Moraes faced

Anthony Rocco Martin Anthony "Tony" Rocco Martin (born December 11, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight and welterweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born in Palos Heights, Illinois, M ...

on March 9, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 146 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 146'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 4'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 9, 2019 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Moraes faced

Warlley Alves Warlley Alves Andrade (born 4 January 1991), is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2011, Warlley made a name for himself fightin ...

on May 11, 2019 at

UFC 237 ''UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 11, 2019, at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The event was originally expected to be held ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the third round. Moraes faced James Krause on November 16, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 22. He lost the fight via knockout in round three and was subsequently released from the UFC.

Post-UFC career

On September 8, 2020, news surfaced that Moraes had signed with Taura MMA and made his promotional debut against Jared Revel at Taura MMA 10 on October 23, 2020. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Submission of the Night (One time) vs.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 14–7–1 , Jared Revel , Decision (unanimous) , Taura MMA 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6–1 , James Krause , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Jacaré , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:19 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

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Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

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Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

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Davi Ramos Davi Ramos (born November 5, 1986) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner who competes in the Lightweight division of Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). A professional since 2010, he most notably c ...

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Fortaleza, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, ,

Zak Ottow Zachary Ottow (born ) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, he has also competed for King of the Cage. Background ...

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, Brazil , , - , Draw , align=center, 10–2–1 ,

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Etoube Manuelo , Submission (americana) , Jungle Fight 18: São Paulo , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:43 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 , Brett Cooper , KO (punch) , Jungle Fight 16 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:59 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Tommy Depret , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Jungle Fight 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:55 ,

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, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:21 ,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

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André Santos André Clarindo dos Santos (born 8 March 1983) is a Brazilian footballer who most recently played for Figueirense. Santos is a left-back, who can also be deployed as a left winger. On 15 June 2009, he made his first international appearance ...

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, Brazil , Fought at 185 , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Delson Heleno , Submission (rear-naked choke) , N/A , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:27 , Fought at 185 , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Thiago Rela , Submission (heel hook) , N/A , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 , Fought at 185 , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moraes, Sergio 1982 births Living people Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from São Paulo People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters