Marlon Moraes has agreed to step in on short notice to fight Aljamain Sterling at UFC Fight Night 123 in Fresno, California on December 9th after Roni Yahya pulled out injured.
That makes the new match-up even stronger than the previous one, with Moraes being a former long-time WSOF champion who only just lost out to Raphael Assuncao in his UFC debut earlier this year, but bounced back just last weekend with a split decision win over John Dodson.
That leaves Moraes ranked at No.7 in the bantamweight division as he now takes a risk by accepting the fight against the No.8 ranked Sterling on just three weeks notice.
Sterling currently holds a 6-2 record in the UFC and is coming off back-to-back wins, including securing the biggest victory of his career so far last time out when he earned a unanimous decision verdict against former champion Renan Barao.
Moraes Vs Sterling bolsters a UFC Fight Night 123 card that will be headlined by a featherweight clash between Cub Swanson and Brian Ortega.
