LAS VEGAS – After a signature win over former World Series of Fighting champ Marlon Moraes at UFC Fight Night 183, Rob Font wants another big name.
The Boston bantamweight and member of the “New England Cartel” along with Calvin Kattar thinks he could be the right man to welcome former two-time UFC 135-pound champ T.J. Dillasahaw back into the octagon.
“I would love to fight that guy – big name, huge name,” Font said. “If I don’t get that fight, I would love to headline a card – either like a big name, some type of headliner. I would even fill in for the champ.”
It remains to be seen whether Font (18-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will get a fight with Dillashaw, who will become eligible for reinstatement from a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspension on Jan. 18. But with three straight wins, it’s just as plain Font has come of age.
“It feels good to beat a top guy,” Font said. “Everyone was always giving me (expletive), letting me know I wasn’t finishing or beating the top guys. I just beat a top guy so I’m just happy.”
Not only did the win over Moraes mark his third straight victory, but it was also a return after a year away from action due to a leg injury. Like everyone else in this year of pandemic restrictions, Font admits he went a little stir crazy in the meantime.
“A year off after injury, it was tough. It was tough – a year of sitting around the house going crazy,” Font said. “(I was) limping around with one leg trying to shadow box, holding the sofa and trying to throw kicks, and just practicing my kung-fu, basically. It was tough. But once I got done with the rehab, once I got to the strength and conditioning phase, I’m just happy, man.”
The wait paid off Saturday. There was some outcry on social media that referee Marc Goddard could have waved off the bout earlier since Moraes took a beating. Font said it could have been stopped faster, but he also understands officials have a difficult job.
“You know, reffing is a tough job,” Font said. “He was going in and out, in and out, in and out. So yeah, I felt like, ‘C’mon man, hurry up and stop the fight.’ I could hear my corner going, ‘Keep going, keep going.’ I’ve got to rewatch some of it, but I’m not complaining. When I landed the elbow, I knew it was done.”